Tom Carey fills us in with all the latest from our most recent tournaments in Birmingham

It’s been a weird Friday. My coach got in to Birmingham airport at 4:40am, and an hour later MSR turns up, wakes up a stranger he thought was me, and soon we are playing monopoly in the airport Costa (I won). A day of random silly games across the West Midlands followed, punctuated by buying new shirts and some stuff for the event, and we find ourselves in the Wellington once again. It’s a good pub but I’m still mad they rehomed the cats.

The surprisingly functional duo of MSR and Beachy get things going despite the rowdy Barcelona fans in the venue and soon we’re doing the four game Friday event and I believe the first one to use the improved version of the Birmingham style drawing where points don’t matter other than for final standings (thanks for implementing that Graeme!) so that’s fun.

Some countdown happens, Phil and Fiona appear to give some personality to the prunes, and we end up in a funny situation where we have two games that are functionality semi finals. Matt OC hosts the inevitable Zohaib versus “the how is he this good all of a sudden” Sam for a place in the final, while event newbie David who put up a good fight against some tough opponents hosts Dan v Maus. This was the closer of the two games and I was ahead going into the crucial having successfully protected TOOLTIPS, but went for the invalid knifeward on the conundrum which also told Dan the answer. What am I like.

Dan still hasn’t won an event (I feel partially responsible) and came agonisingly close here but was narrowly beaten to the new audible buzzer by Zohaib, solving STINKYTUB in no time at all. Another good win!

On to Saturday. This event has had five different venues in five years, this time we were in a pretty spacious pub section with some shuffleboard themed stuff around. A good amount of people here as we kick off. I was wanging on about having never played Euan at an event despite us both attending loads of them and of course this meant we inevitably played, and David Hilton popped out of nowhere to join us. Second round featured me on a table with what people thought would be the final, Zohaib and TCap, can’t complain about every game going to crucial there. I lost 92-82 to Tom the round before the prize for highest losing score, which Matthew won with 61 ffs. Oh yeah there were spot prizes here.

At lunch there was a SPICY PIZZA CHALLENGE which Dan and I attempted, £12 for the pizza or free if you did it in five minutes. The real challenge wasn’t the spice but physically cramming the pizza in the gob that quickly. Dan had already eaten and didn’t make it but I was close enough to the line that they let me have it yay. Some things are more important than Countdown.

After lunch some more stuff happens, Zohaib beats Matthew and yet another Tom, in the fourth and final table Dan ends up on a table with Tom and Matthew, the latter taking the games to increase his finals chances and with both him and Zohaib winning all their remaining games that’s what the final is! Third through fifth were taken by Toms, with me being fourth both days and also having 3/3 games go to crucials on my final three tables, that’s got to be pretty rare.

It’s the final. Zohaib and Matthew, probably the two biggest “why have they not gone on TV yet” people not called Rob. Zohaib gets an early lead with a pretty standard word but Matthew hits back with CHESSMAN to go ahead into the crucial. The scramble is ICHEWFART, Zohaib gets in first but goes with FIREWATCH and it’s the other way round so that’s a win for Matthew Brockwell!!!! Yeah good event cheers. Shuffleboard was surprisingly fun, cheers to George B for keeping the machine going so long. Long night of cocktails and ting before we finally end up wandering the streets of Birmingham, getting a podium picture featuring a random lad and ending up in another place when I need to run to make my airport coach at half past midnight.

Everyone better sign up to Reading – I won’t be there so surely that’s an incentive

Cheers maus