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GN Justin Thompson (left) went
3-0 in the preliminary rounds before falling to eventual champion
Scott Cornett. |
Defending champ Dave Metzger
defeats George Seary in the preliminary rounds. |
Blocks Bursting in Air ...
All the big hitters were lined up to take their shot at the
title. Defending champion Dave Metzger was back for his fourth
crown, Matt Calkins was trying for his second, and many others
wih wood blocks hanging from their walls were lined up to fight
the War of 1812!
We had 24 players when the first shot was fired to start the
first round. The American claimed a slim 7 to 5 early advantage
in wins. Scott Cornett won his game in record time and set the
bar for the rest of the field. Since the format was three rounds
of swiss play matching players with like records it was not surprising
to find three still unbeaten after the third round. The fourth
player to join the semi-finals would come out of the crowd of
2-1 records.
Rick Young at 2-1 (with his only lose coming to Dave Metzger)
was seeded last and had to play Dave again! This semi-final was
the closest match in the tournament and decided by a single Victory
Point. They say its hard to beat a good opponent twice and that
proved true in this case. Given a second chance by the format,
Rick made the most of it to win the rematch and it was he who
would move on to the Final.
Scott Cornett and I were both 3-0 and looking for our first
trip to the Final so he and his Americans took their positions
directly opposite me. By the start of 1813 it became obvious
I needed to take the initiative and attack. Scott was well defended
with 30 pips. I had 29 and was the attacker. He rolled only three
hits in the opening exchange which took me down to 26 pips. In
my turn I scored seven hits! Wow I had taken the advantage. That
advantage was fleeting as he recovered with a seven-hit barrage
of his own.. When my riposte scored only one hit it was all over
but the crying.
The expected nail biting Final never materialized. IIt was
over in the first year as Scott's hot dice rolled him to the
championship! I left the room for ten minutes and it was over
before I could return.
We played 31 games and had a blast doing so. The Americans
held a slim edge in victories 17 to 14.
I will be stepping down as the GM of this game next year to
return to my beloved Kingmaker. Volunteers should contact
the BPA to fill the void before March.
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Justin Thompson [1st Year]
121 Faith Dr., Troy,
VA 22974 
434-295-2540