Thursday night saw a great crowd back at Replay Bar for a straight-up group matchplay night. Simon stepped in as guest TD after Josh couldn't make it (big thanks to him for putting his hand up and running a smooth night for us). No qualifying, no brackets: just groups battling it out across a bunch of machines with the standings sorting out the winners.
Plenty of good pinball on show too. Watching from the sidelines, there were some genuinely tight games, with only a few points separating players in some rounds. The kind of close finishes that keep everyone watching on as the matches drew to a close.
At the top of the standings, Jamie Axelsen was the story of the night, playing consistently well from start to finish. 5 wins and 2 seconds across the evening was more than enough to see him take out the top spot, and he'd actually wrapped up the win before the final round even started. Behind him though, the battle for second was still wide open, with around five players tied heading into that last round. It was Patrick Hewitt who came out on top, with a second place finish on Deadpool enough to lock in the runner-up spot. Behind him, Solomon Smith and Nathon Clerke finished the last round level for third, close enough that it had to be settled on a tie break.
Big thanks to Stern Army for sponsoring the wooden spoon prize for the night, which went to Patrick Carlisle: a Stern Transformers 2011 translite. Patrick ducked out before we could hand it over, so it'll be waiting for him at the next event (no escaping it that easily).
As always, none of this happens without the venue and the people behind the scenes. Massive thanks to Replay Bar for hosting us, and to Simon once again for stepping up as guest TD and keeping the night running smoothly. Thanks also to Simon, Lily, Lynden, Lee, and Patrick for the photos from the night, always great to see the action captured.
With Pin Diemen's Land now on the horizon, there is only 1 more regular comp before the big weekend rolls around. Keep an eye out for the next one, see you all there!
Mark your calendars, folks — we're back at Replay Bar on Thursday 27th August, kicking off at 6pm. Come grab a drink, settle in, and get those flippers warmed up for a cracking night of pinball.
Small change of plan for this one: Josh can't make it, so a big thanks to Simon for jumping in as guest TD and offering to run the night for us. To keep things nice and simple, we'll be playing straight-up group matchplay — you'll be grouped up with your fellow players, battle it out across a bunch of machines, and rack up points based on how you finish each round. No qualifying, no brackets — just play, and let the standings sort out the winners.
It's easygoing and social, and a great way to spend the evening with your mates.
This one's IFPA endorsed, so every game counts toward your World Pinball Player Ranking. Whether you're chasing ranking points or just here for a fun night out, it's a great one to come along to.
New faces always welcome — if it's your first time, come say hi and we'll get you sorted. Just a heads up that Replay is an 18+ venue. See you Thursday night!
Main Tournament
This tournament is IFPA-endorsed and results are submitted for IFPA ranking points.
We play a single format for the duration of the event. The standings at the end determine the winners.
Group Match Play
Players compete in groups of 3 or 4 on a series of machines. Points awarded by finishing position. Scored by wins over multiple rounds.