The 1998 October Spring Marathon was held last Sunday in the Campbelltown Catholic Club. We ended up with 36 players - a bit less than last year but given that it was on a Sunday and the venue was a fair hike away from the city, not a bad rollup . My map talked about turning left at MacDonalds but I forgot there are two Mackers in Campbelltown so the Balmainians ended up at the back of Sizzlers - but still made it to the venue okay.
Fortunately all players had put their clocks forward for daylight saving so the event started on time. The twenty-minute games were quite a challenge - but then you don't go into a marathon for the fun, do you?
Bob has given the results so I'll just add a few verbal snapshots of the event.
Contestants seem to find the surrounds of the CCC enjoyable - with the $1.95 lunch and free tea and coffee a bonus. The playing room was spacious and pretty quiet and maybe we could consider it for larger events (like the NSW Championships) one day.
Memorable moments included a spate of appropriate words in the early rounds - Paul Cleary (a lawyer) came up with ADVOCATE , Joan Rosenthal (a former speech pathologist) played ALEXIAS and Dr . Zetler found he had ILEITIS.
John Barker managed to 'swindle' a win against Rod Talbot. Trailing by 160+ he played the nine-timer GRIFTERS (swindlers) for 185 (highest word score) followed by FLEECING for an easy victory.
Pat Schuberg played sharply against Jean McGiffen starting off with QUANGO FIELDING (on a triple) and CARDAMON (ginger spice). Pat finally won the ratings prize of $100 after gaining 88 points.
As I watched Nanette Reynolds playing with NANETTS on her rack she dumped the S (instead of playing TENANTS) and picked up - an E for NANETTE. No no Nanette, you didn't have a seven but you did have an eight with a floating D or S on the board....
Derek McKenzie who had trained especially for this event (by catching the train from Brisbane to Sydney the day before) came up with the play of the tournament - VAGINITIS through an IN against Paul Cleary. When I announced that Derek had just got VAGINITIS he asked me to rephrase that.
>Several players put in an early bid for the title - Bob Jackman, Paul Cleary, Joan Rosenthaland Esther Perrins led the pack into lunch. But in the afternoon Bob got on one of his long rolls and buttered the opposition with 10 games straight. Only Esther had a chance of catching him during the King of the Hill rounds after tea. It was not to be and Bob finished on 10/11 ahead of Esther who manged to stop his clean sweep in the last round. John Barker was third and Derek McKenzie fourth. Bruno and Marlene Ricciardo played in their first tournament and are to be commended for their pluck in tackling the marathon - if not for their stamina (they withdrew at the Round 8 pit stop and went home).
>My two assistants, Michael H and and his mate Matthew, did a fine job coping with more than 500 challenges - about fifty a round. I've never seen so many in one event. Some of the words challenged were pretty basic - like CORNET, RAGI and - one I fielded myself - NUISANCE. The 'nuisance challenge' is obviously designed to annoy your opponent - or the runner - as distinct from the merely frivolous one which annoys only the adjudicator. Nuisance challengers deserve to be publicly flogged - preferably with a sharp DINGLE.
To test your challenging acumen which of the following words - all spotted in the Marathon - are allowable? (answers further down the screen).
INTRONS ATTONE ONEWAY NOCENTS VALLAR INLAW SCOURGER CREEPILY DEMONICS NEBECK CONOIDS RELODGED FINAGLER TOPLINE OVERRING PLONKY HEXACTS AIRTOURS TENTIGO UNSNARL UNLIKED CORRIES VENDERS AFRAIDE SONORITY RELAPSER UNVOIDED GRUFFY MODISTE HALATES CROAKY SPREAZE INGOTTED URNLIKE VISTAING QUEASE
Answer: Every third word is unallowable
Results after game 11
OCTOBER 24, 1998OCTM98 -- MARATHON
Rank Player Wins Mar
--------------------------------
1 Bob Jackman 10 427
2 Esther Perrins 9 748
3 John Barker 8 499
4 Derek Mckenzie 8 234
5 Paul Cleary 7 735
6 Peter Shaw 7 405
7 Joanne Craig 7 176
8 Ivor Zetler 7 148
9 Joan Rosenthal 6 580
10 Graeme Lock Lee 6 456
11 Jean Mcgiffen 6 366
12 Ros Gibbons 6 276
13 Ian Close 6 75
14 Rod Talbot 6 -21
15 Jean Noonan 6 -120
16 Betty Coleman 6 -179
17 Raya Wilkinson 6 -180
18 Jean Balmer 6 -396
19 Colleen Howie 5« 254
20 Kerry Constable 5 189
21 Nanette Reynolds 5 133
22 Daphne Bezuidenhout 5 -130
23 Hanne Marks 5 -168
24 Ann Fiddler 5 -229
25 Isabel Humphreys 5 -247
26 Pat Schuberg 5 -262
27 Alan Gauci 4« 36
28 Wilma Vialle 4 -43
29 Jenny Templeton 4 -198
30 Liz Jackman 4 -212
31 Andree Lajoie 4 -268
32 Marlene Ricciardo 3« -443
33 Gordon Meggs 3 -171
34 George Khamis 3 -369
35 Diana Field 3 -1005
36 Bruno Ricciardo 1«-1096
HIGH GAME: Paul Cleary 553
HIGH WORD: John Barker 185
"GRIFTERS"
Stats for Tournament : OCTOBER 24, 1998OCTM98
+--------------------------+-----------+---------+-----------+---------------+
| state Name | National | State | Wins | Rating Points |
| | Old New | Old New | Exp Act | Old Change New|
+--------------------------+-----------+---------+-----------+---------------+
+Section: *MARATHON + + + +
+--------------------------------------+---------+-----------+---------------+
| NSW Bob Jackman | 1 1 | 1 1 | 8.7 10.0 | 1970 +21 1991 |
| NSW Esther Perrins | 3 2 | 2 2 | 7.5 9.0 | 1902 +24 1926 |
| NSW John Barker | 25 25 | 8 8 | 7.1 8.0 | 1738 +19 1757 |
| QLD Derek McKenzie | 28 24 | 1 1 | 6.7 8.0 | 1730 +28 1758 |
| NSW Paul Cleary | 8 10 | 5 5 | 8.8 7.0 | 1850 -28 1822 |
| NSW Peter Shaw | 45 33 | 14 10 | 5.4 7.0 | 1675 +31 1706 |
| NSW Ivor Zetler | 48 47 | 16 14 | 7.2 7.0 | 1667 -5 1662 |
| NSW Joanne Craig | 46 55 | 15 17 | 8.4 7.0 | 1671 -28 1643 |
| NSW Joan Rosenthal | 6 8 | 4 4 | 7.0 6.0 | 1864 -16 1848 |
| NSW Jean McGiffen | 34 49 | 10 16 | 7.6 6.0 | 1693 -32 1661 |
| NSW Rod Talbot | 38 45 | 12 13 | 7.1 6.0 | 1686 -21 1665 |
| NSW Ros Gibbons | 202 209 | 46 48 | 7.1 6.0 | 1373 -21 1352 |
| NSW Betty Coleman | 221 223 | 54 54 | 6.5 6.0 | 1338 -10 1328 |
| NSW Graeme Lock Lee | 187 178 | 45 42 | 5.7 6.0 | 1396 +6 1402 |
| NSW Ian Close | 144 136 | 36 33 | 5.6 6.0 | 1468 +10 1478 |
| NSW Jean Noonan | 148 154 | 37 38 | 6.6 6.0 | 1465 -12 1453 |
| NSW Raya Wilkinson | 317 314 | 79 78 | 5.6 6.0 | 1170 +9 1179 |
| NSW Jean Balmer | 284 280 | 70 68 | 5.8 6.0 | 1232 +6 1238 |
| NSW Colleen Howie | 417 418 | 101 102 | 5.6 5.5 | 1035 1035 |
| NSW Kerry Constable :act | 124 124 | 32 32 | 5.0 5.0 | 1499 +1 1500 |
| NSW Isabel Humphreys | 513 476 | 126 113 | 3.4 5.0 | 933 +33 966 |
| NSW Pat Schuberg | 488 415 | 116 100 | 1.2 5.0 | 952 +88 1040 |
| NSW Hanne Marks | 214 229 | 51 55 | 6.6 5.0 | 1348 -30 1318 |
| NSW Nanette Reynolds | 246 261 | 59 60 | 6.2 5.0 | 1282 -24 1258 |
| NSW Daphne Bezuidenhout | 650 620 | 155 148 | 4.1 5.0 | 813 +19 832 |
| NSW Ann Fiddler | 867 790 | 206 188 | 1.9 5.0 | 620 +65 685 |
| NSW Alan Gauci | 491 492 | 117 118 | 4.5 4.5 | 951 -1 950 |
| NSW Wilma Vialle | 599 548 | 142 134 | 1.8 4.0 | 846 +44 890 |
| NSW Jenny Templeton | 254 252 | 61 59 | 4.1 4.0 | 1276 -1 1275 |
| NSW Liz Jackman | 226 265 | 56 62 | 7.7 4.0 | 1326 -70 1256 |
| NSW Andree Lajoie | 802 756 | 191 182 | 2.0 4.0 | 674 +39 713 |
|*NSW Marlene Ricciardo | 0 1020 | 0 256 | 3.7 3.5 | 500 500 |
| NSW Gordon Meggs | 263 311 | 62 76 | 6.7 3.0 | 1258 -74 1184 |
| NSW George Khamis | 900 916 | 214 219 | 3.5 3.0 | 592 -11 581 |
| NSW Diana Field | 1069 1058 | 272 270 | 2.4 3.0 | 475 +11 486 |
|*NSW Bruno Ricciardo | 0 1092 | 0 282 | 3.0 1.5 | 500 -45 455 |
+-------------------------------------+---------+-----------+----------------+