1-06-07-06 Tinsley Green 2004

The final nose drop

The week before the tournament started I had telephone calls from all parts of the media, both in this country and from abroad. So the list of journalists covering the event was long and mixed, from Russian Television to Satellite Stations to the Press and freelance writers and photographers.

Good Friday began with three radio interviews that Julia did from home, whilst I was at the Greyhound setting it all up. More interviews followed and by 8.40 am the first of the satellite stations had set themselves up to broadcast live at 9.40.

We had telephone calls from members of the public who had heard about it on the radio and who wanted to enter teams.

The total number of teams entered this year was 27 just one short of our record. In the end the "Arkansas Racers" from Hot Springs USA, pulled out with a collective bad back, but said they would be back next year.

The start of a game
About to break the pack

With so many teams playing, the championships were the longest on record. Play started at around 11 am and went on to the presentations at 7 pm. It was a far cry from the old days when five teams fought it out and the event was over by 12 noon.

Some of the players said that due to the fine weather the rings were very fast and that it was difficult to keep their tolleys on the ring. And therefore the breaks that were made weren't as high as some other years. Maybe it was the wrong kind of Sunshine!

A first round game on one of the side rings

TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP

FIRST ROUND

1st MC Erzgebirge Neukirchen II 25	v	Greyhound 9
Bloody Marbelous Too 0	v	Crawley 18+ 6
Saxonia II 25	v	Yorkshire Meds 15
Schwarzmurmler 7	v	Royal Oak I 7+k
Royal Oak II 2	v	Charlwood Strikers 13
Handcross 49ers 25	v	Bloody Marbelous 4
Greyhound Again 4	v	Handcross Rebels 20
Johnson Jets B 19	v	Caterham Cowboys 9
Turners Hill Lions 20	v	Us 4, Matt & the Mayor 3
London Scottish Bells 6	v	Johnson Jets 25

SECOND ROUND

Saxonia I 27	v	Tinsley Tigers 3
Charlwood Strikers 24	v	Turner Hill Tollymen 18
Crawley 18+ 0	v	Barrel Scrapers 23
1st MC Erzgebirge Neukirchen I 21	v	Handcross 49ers 19
Black Dog Boozers 16	v	Handcross Rebels 25
Johnson Jets B 18	v	Royal Oak I 6
Saxonia II 18	v	Turners Hill Lions 15
1st MC Erzgebirge Neukirchen II 26	v	Johnson Jets 12

QUARTERFINALS

Johnson Jets B 14	v	Barrel Scrapers 21
Saxonia I 25	v	1st MC Erzgebirge Neukirchen II 5
1st MC Erzgebirge Neukirchen I 27	v	Charlwood Strikers 17
Saxonia II 18	v	Handcross Rebels 23

SEMI-FINALS

1st MC Erzgebirge Neukirchen I 25 v Barrel Scrapers 13

Saxonia I 21 v Handcross Rebels 20

FINAL

Saxonia I 26

1st MC Erzgebirge Neukirchen I 11

Sam - playing for the Handcross Rebels - shoots from the edge of the ring

INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIP

With so many teams playing there was a need to arrange a play off for the main event, 12 players against each other for the one remaining place. There were some of the best known players from the past in this play off. Colin from the Black Dog Boozers and Mel who for many years played for the Bow Street Fudgers. Mel won through to the main event with a score of 10 marbles.

In the final there were 11 players, 10 from this year and Chris Pampel the current champion. Four rounds were played and Chris had knocked out 14 marbles and had a lead that meant he could not be beaten by any other player. He was acclaimed champion for the second year.

Will	Turner Hill Tollymen	0
Jan	Saxonia I	4
Chris	1st MC Erzgebirge Neukirchen I	14
Akil	Yorkshire Meds	5
Aaron	Turners Hill Lions	5
Alex	1st MC Erzgebirge Neukirchen I	2
Mel	Charlwood Strikers	3
Rene	Saxonia II	1
John	Barrel Scrapers	1
Barry	Handcross Rebels	2
Darren	Handcross 49ers	0

BEST LADY PLAYER

The Nina Cohen Cup was presented a number of years ago by Bert Cohen, one of the world's greatest marbles experts and collectors in memory of his late wife. Although it is probably not politically correct these days it was specifically to be presented to the "best lady player" to be decided at the discretion of Sam McCarthy-Fox. As there are now considerably more ladies taking part in the tournament it was decided to try out a different system of awarding it this year. Therefore the highest scoring lady player in each team in its first match played qualified to play for the title. There were six contestants and the match was played using 4 target marbles per player, plus 1, a nose drop decide the order of play, the winner was Jen McGowan with a score of 10 marbles.

Alison	Handcross 49ers	2
Jessica	Saxonia II	1
Harry	Charlwood Strikers	2
Jen	Barrel Scrapers	10
Susie	1st MC Erzgebirge Neukirchen I	2
Carmen	Schwarzmurmler	1

Jen McGownen
Winner of the Nina Cohen Cup

RESULTS

Individual Champion	Chris Pampel
Team Champions	Saxonia I
Runner-Ups	1st MC Erzgebirge Neukirchen I
Best Lady Player	Jen McGowan
Golden Cross Winner	Barry Ray
Golden Cross Runner-up	Graham Smith

MARBLE FACTOIDS 2004

26 teams or 156 players
50 Tolleys were nose dropped
1225 target marbles were used - 771 or 63% were knocked out
20 players were killed, one of them twice
41 players had no score and 27 players made double figures
Highest Break of the day was made by Chris Pampel of the 1st MC Erzgebirge Neukirchen I team with 14 marbles

GOLDEN CROSS FACTOIDS

14 players took part
30 Tolleys were nosed dropped
195 Yellow target marbles used, 118 or 60% were knocked out

* * *

The British Marbles Board of Control would like to thank:

John and Vicki at the Greyhound
Jean and Ron Fox
John Burnet
The Mayor of Crawley
Mol the main tournament Referee
David and Mike of the 49ers for refereeing the Golden Oldies
Worthing MIND
and the Marble Museum for all their support.

The 2005 British and World Marble Championships will be held at The Greyhound, Tinsley Green on Good Friday, 25th March 2005

A picture from the Greyhounds balcony

Contacts: - Sam or Julia McCarthy-Fox
Email: marblesam@hotmail.com
Tel: 01403 730602
Fax: 01403 733877

*** This article must not be reproduced without the express written permission of the British Marbles Board of Control. Copyrighted 2001. All correspondence to: The Secretary, British Marbles Board of Control c/o The Greyhound, Tinsley Green, West Sussex. We wish to thank Sam McCarthy-Fox for making The Marble Museum the official North American correspondent to The Board. The contents of this web site have been copyrighted 2001 by The Marble Museum Inc.
In 2008 all rights to this web site became the property of
The Museum of American Glass in West Virginia.