Past Events

28th February 2026 🗓️

Best Group Elimination!

Firstly, sorry for the delayed post in getting this update out!

This past Saturday we gathered again at Replay Bar for a night of competitive pinball. We had a smaller turnout than usual, but it was still a fantastic night with plenty of games played and some great competition.

Before getting to the results, a massive thank you to Replay Bar and Andy for looking after us. Andy went above and beyond to make sure the machines were ready to go — even express shipping replacement parts and coming in on extra days to repair a machine so we could have a full bank available. We really appreciate the effort that goes into keeping the games in top shape.

Thanks also to AMD Pinball for sponsoring some of the prizes on the night.

We also want to give a shout-out to ACT Pinball for the Jersey Jack Pinball merch which we gave away as our door prize. Congrats to Ben, who took home a pack of Jersey Jack Pinball flyers, key rings, and a signed apron card from Jersey Jack himself.

Special shoutout to Kaleb, one of our newer recruits, for making their first A-Div Top 4 finish!

After qualifying, players were split into two divisions for finals. For this event we also tried Group Elimination finals for the first time. Players were seeded into groups of four and played two games scoring 4 / 2 / 1 / 0 (or 4 / 2 / 1 for 3-player groups). The top two players advanced while the bottom two were eliminated, continuing until the final four players played their last two games to determine the finishing order.

Thanks again to everyone who came along and made it a great night.

And if you missed this one, we’ll be back next week at The Winston in North Hobart — come along, grab a beer, enjoy some great food, and flip some games with us.

12th February 2026 🗓️

2026 Kick-Off!

We’re off and running for 2026.

Our first event of the year was a Flip Frenzy at Replay Bar, and it was a fantastic start to the new competitive season. Solid turnout, great games, and plenty of fun.

Big thanks to Replay Bar for having us back and looking after us as always ❤️

A genuine thank you to everyone who showed up. The regular crew brought the heat, and it was great to see so many new players jumping in as well. The community keeps growing and the standard keeps rising, which is exactly what we love to see. Keep spreading the word about our meetups and helping grow the scene 🙂.

🏆 Top 4

1. 🥇 Joshua Hesketh – TAPP magnet + free re-entry
2. 🥈 Royal Murray – Stern Aerosmith Translite
3. 🥉 Solomon Smith – Pinball board game
4. 🎉 Wes Keys – AMD Notepad
   🎉 Tom Fonda – TAPP mug

Prizes were selected in finishing order from the available options. A huge thank you to Stern Army for supplying the Stern Aerosmith Translite, and to AMD for their continued support and prize contributions. We really appreciate having sponsors backing what we’re building.

With a tie for fourth, Wes and Tom settled the selection the proper way with rock-paper-scissors 😂.

Our wooden spoon on the night went to Gerry Higham, who claimed a free re-entry for next time and will no doubt be back for redemption.

Massive congrats to the top finishers, and well done to everyone who battled it out. Whether you were chasing points or getting your first taste of tournament play, you’re part of what makes this community so good. We hope you all had a fantastic time!

See you at the next one. The 2026 leaderboard has officially begun!

31st January 2026 🗓️

IFPA Tasmania State Championship 2025!

The IFPA Tasmania State Finals wrapped up the 2025 season, with qualification earned throughout the previous year and the finals played in January 2026. Tasmania’s top-ranked players came together for a full day of competitive pinball.

The competition was fierce from start to finish. Matches were tight, the standard of play was high, and everyone played extremely well. Even with the pressure of finals, the atmosphere stayed relaxed and positive, with players cheering each other along and plenty of camaraderie across the day.

🏆 Final Standings

1. 🥇 Brett Cooke
2. 🥈 Tom Fonda
3. 🥉 Joshua Hesketh
4. 🎉 Lily McShane
5. Emily Keyter
6. Simon Voigt
7. Royal Murray
8. Wes Keys
9. Jamie Axelsen
10. Patrick Hewitt
11. Brad Nichols
12. Ben Wiedman
13. Kev Mills
14. Solomon Smith
15. Bennet McComish
16. Adrian (ACE) Evans

With this win, Brett Cooke has earned the title of IFPA Tasmania State Pinball Champion. Congratulations!

All top 16 qualifiers received a custom engraved finalist medal for their efforts during the season. While not all qualifiers were able to compete on the day, spots were offered to the next eligible players in line to ensure a full finals field.

To fairly determine final placings across the entire 16-player bracket, all positions were tie-broken on the day. Positions 9–16 were decided using six rounds of matchplay Swiss pairing, while positions 5–8 were determined by four rounds of matchplay.

The top four finishers received custom-made trophies from The Trophy Cabinet, featuring a pinball flipper made from Tasmanian Golden Sassafras timber.

A full set of engraved trophy labels was prepared for every competitor in the finals field, including backups in case of late withdrawals. As players were eliminated, their labels were handed out as an elimination token (and a bit of a joke). For the final four, those labels were permanently applied to the trophies, locking in their finishes and earning their place on the hardware.

The top four players also earned invitations to the ACS Finals (Nationals). If any invitation is declined, places will roll down to the next eligible players, up to the top eight.

A special mention to Tom Fonda, whose strong finals performance saw him knock out the defending champion, Joshua Hesketh, on his way to second place. Also a massive shout-out to Lily McShane, who not only already holds an invitation to the Women’s Championship as the state’s top qualifier, but has now also secured a position in the ACS Finals!

Finally, a special (and slightly painful) mention goes to Bennet McComish, who took home the Wooden Spoon and a Tilting Pain Scale coaster. Special thanks to Lee for making the coaster — maybe the start of a new tradition 😉. Next time we should record who tilts out the most bonus!

🙏 Thanks to Our Host and Contributors

A massive thank you to Brett Cooke for hosting us and the finals. Brett spent a lot of time preparing machines, levelling them, handling repairs, fixing stuck balls, and making sure everything played near perfect. He also generously hosted everyone, provided food, and fired up the pizza oven. We couldn’t have done it without him, so a massive shout-out with all our gratitude!

A big thanks also to Kev Mills for supplying, tuning, and setting up an EM machine, which added some nice variety to the lineup.

🎉 Wrapping Up

While the 2025/26 season isn’t quite finished yet, with Nationals and the World Championship still to come, the State Finals were a great milestone in the year.

Thanks to everyone who competed, helped out, and supported the 2025 IFPA State Finals. With a full 2026 season on the horizon, there’s lots more pinball to come, so stay tuned!