Newcastle Backgammon Club

"WEB-BLOTTER"
Edition Date 22/10/2018 21:29
Next Meeting:

Friday, November 2nd
Round 19 2018 Club Championship and
Round 9 2018 President's Trophy Table
18:45 for 19:15
Charlestown Bowling Club, Lincoln St, Charlestown

Round 18 Results
2018 Australian Open and Masters Championships
2018 Auckland Backgammon Championship Result
Presentation Night
Notice of Annual General Meeting

 

Presentation Night

Presentation Night for 2018 will be held at Charlestown Bowling Club on Friday, December 7th.
Barefoot bowls from 6:45 for those interested. Meal from 7:30 in the bowlers lounge area where we currently play.
Club Members meals are covered but any guests are at a cost of $26 per head, payable on the night. Drinks at your own expense.

Notice of Annual General Meeting

The AGM for 2019 will also be held on December 7th, 2018, after the meal but before the presentations. Details on the AGM page here.
Anyone wishing to propose a motion to be put to the AGM should do so by email with a seconder's name to Robert Disney via my email address OR  rwdiz@newcastlebackgammon.org so it can be posted for consideration by the membership before the meeting. Closing date for General business is December 3rd.

 

2018 ROUND 17

Round 18 of the 2018 Newcastle Backgammon Club Championship was held on October 19th with 14 players.

MIck Dyett's lead remains at 6pts over Adrian Marisescu after Round 18 and with only 2 rounds left to play the 2018 competition is between these two as third placed Dave Bower is now 9 points adrift. Gerhardt Macor, Robert Disney and Greg Mitchell are the others left in the race for 3rd spot.
Winners of Round 18 were Mick Dyett, Adrian Marisescu, Bruce Parr and Gerhardt Macor.
The full table is available via this link.

The Australian Backgammon Federation ratings site seems to be working fine now but the latest version, after Round 18 of the Newcastle Club Championship is available on the Club Championship table page (link above)

 

2018 Australian Open and Masters Championships

 

2018 Newcastle Open Result

Martin Sagradian is the 2018 Newcastle Open winner, played in the Patricia Room at Charlestown Bowling Club on Sunday, September 16th.

Full details and some pics (courtesy of Greg Ash) are available on the Open Details page via this link

 

 

2018 Auckland Backgammon Championship
Date October 6, 2018 / October 7, 2018

Grant Hoffman (Nelson)                 1st Place
Paul Kellett (Auckland)                   2nd Place
Richard Theunissen (Auckland)    3rd Place
Jo Hodder (Auckland)                     Consolation Prize

Result: Special General Meeting

The result of the Special General Meeting, to discuss the letter received from the Australian Backgammon Federation (posted lower on this page) is available on the AGM page via this link.

Captain's Trophy Results

The results for the 2018 Captain's Trophy Finals, played on June 29th, 2018, are below. Congratulations to Brian Ramsey who defeated Robert Disney in the First division Final and Shaun Harding, 7/4 victor over Alan Cathcart in the second division.

	2018 CAPTAIN'S TROPHY FIRST 8
1	MICK DYETT	2
			BRIAN RAMSEY	7
8	BRIAN RAMSEY	7
					BRIAN RAMSEY	7
5	GREG MITCHELL	3
			ADRIAN MARISESCU	5
4	ADRIAN MARISESCU	7
					BRIAN RAMSEY
3	ROBERT DISNEY	7			WINNER
			ROBERT DISNEY	7
6	CASSIE CREBERT	5
					ROBERT DISNEY	4
7	LES PIERPOINT	3
			DAVID BOWER	5
2	DAVID BOWER	7
	7  POINTS		7 POINTS		7 POINTS

 

	2018 CAPTAIN'S TROPHY 2ND DIV.
1	GERHARDT MACOR	5
			SHAUN HARDING	7
8	SHAUN HARDING	7
					SHAUN HARDING	7
5	MICHELLE TAUBMAN	7
			MICHELLE TAUBMAN	5
4	TONY WALKER	2
					SHAUN HARDING
3	ROBERT SEBOK	5			WINNER
			BRUCE PARR	5
6	BRUCE PARR	7
					ALAN CATHCART	4
7	JULIE CASTLES	4
			ALAN CATHCART	7
2	ALAN CATHCART	7
	7  POINTS		7  POINTS		7 POINTS

 

NSW OPEN RESULT

The 2018 NSW Open was conducted at North Ryde RSL in Sydney on Sunday July 15th with 33 players in a Swiss Tournament. The sole survivor, winning all 5 matches, was Martin Sagradian with Peter Brown runner up, George Avramides 3rd and John Symon, who lead the rankings for the first 4 rounds, finishing 4th after losing to Martin in the last round.

Newcastle players Mick Dyett, Robert Disney, Tony Walker, Michelle Taubman and Gerhardt Macor were all out of contention for the top spot after the 3rd round.

Congratulations to the winners. Also to the committee of the Sydney Backgammoners Club who organised the event and Gary Stavrou the Tournament Director. Full report: http://sydneybackgammoners.blogspot.com/2018/

 

 

ABF Letter

Find below the text of an email received from ABF President, Eva Bitel:

TO CLUBS FROM THE AUSTRALIAN BACKGAMMON FEDERATION

Dear all

I am writing today as it is close to the time when we would like current member clubs to renew their affiliation with the Federation by forwarding the $25 membership fee. Bank details:  Australian Backgammon Federation, BSB 082048, Acc. No. 839626033.Please utilise the form under the membership heading on the ABF website and forward to John Symon at johnsymon2191@gmail.com when you have deposited your membership dues and a receipt will be issued.

We are acutely aware that there has not been much advantage in being affiliated (apart from a feeling of solidarity) but we are aiming to offer more in the future such as trophies, financial assistance with venues, advertising expenses etc. This letter is therefore going to all clubs whether affiliated or not in the hope that all clubs will join.

The Board has agreed to provide some financial assistance for approved tournaments, with preference for the smaller clubs to benefit. Please consider what we can do to assist you in any way. We are open to and would appreciate suggestions.

We are also planning to establish a ranking system for members. Therefore I urge you to encourage your members to join the Federation for a small $10 membership fee. Anyone playing in the upcoming 2018 NSW OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS will receive automatic membership.

Sincerely Eva Bitel, President ,                                                           Australian Backgammon Federation                          MAY 2018

 

The results of the AGM held February 2nd are on the  AGM page.

 

The 2018 New Zealand Backgammon Championship was held at the Taksim Turkish Bar and Restaurant, Auckland on April 7th and 8th.
There were no Newcastle entries this year but a couple of Australian names appear in the full results although it seems it wasn't a great tournament for them.

The winners, as posted by organiser Anthony Marquette were:
Main: Winner Karsten Nielsen, 2nd Sky Koder, 3rd Grant Hoffman
Consolation: Jan Suchanek, 2nd Ray Barley, 3rd Ian Dunstan (Aus)

 

Persian Rose Doubles Tournament

The 2018 Doubles Tournament at the Persian Rose Restaurant was conducted on February 18th, 2018.
Newcastle pair Gerhardt Macor and Lorenzo Caita-Mandra came away with the spoils. Mick Dyett's report is below:

The Doubles Tournament was a huge success with every player keen for a repeat. A big thank you goes to the Tournament Director, Taeed Athari, who was instrumental in making this tournament a reality.
Taeed put together a great tournament and he kindly provided the venue (the Persian Rose Restaurant). Taeed and I would like to thank Zvi Bendavid for donating the trophies. Zvi has supported many backgammon tournaments by donating the trophies. This enables all entry fees to be returned as prize money. 
A big thank you goes to Sharne Dyett who worked tirelessly on the front line making sure everything ran smoothly. Not only did she handle the administration side of things with great expertise, but when a player was short of a partner, she volunteered to enter the tournament to ensure a 16 team event. Having never played in a backgammon tournament before, Sharne rose to the occasion by teaming up with Hussein Haydari. 
I would like to thank all the players who attended for supporting such a fun event, especially those who travelled long distances, Grant Hoffman from New Zealand, Simon Uey from Victoria and Hussein Haydari from Canberra.
It was always going to be very tough to win this Tournament. There were some very tough players attending. The first two rounds were nine point matches while the Semi-Finals and Final were 11 point matches. After two rounds we were at the Semi Finals. 
In the first Semi-Final; Gerhardt Macor and Lorenzo Caita-Mandra played Arthur Ramer and Julian Marroquin, while Richard Crawley-Boevey and Martin Sagradian versed Robbie Solomon and Ian Dunstan. Gerhardt and Lorenzo made it through as did Robbie and Ian. As fate would have it, Gerhardt and Ian played in the finals of the 2017 Australian Backgammon Championships, with Ian winning the title. That they met again in the finals of a tough doubles tournament is no accident, they are both very strong players. This time though they both have help. Robbie Solomon, one of the strongest players in Australia and Lorenzo, who may not have as much experience as Robbie, but is just as determined to win the tournament. The match is a tight one, until Ian and Robbie take the advantage 10-6 Crawford. Gerhardt and Lorenzo win Crawford (making the score 10-7), and then Gerhardt gives an automatic double in the next game. Gerhardt plays for a blitz and it succeeds. Match and Championship win to Gerhardt and Lorenzo. Congratulations to both teams for getting to the finals and putting on a great show, not just in the finals but on the road to getting there. 
The thing which is so interesting about a consulting Doubles Tournament is being able to hear the thought process of the players as they plan their moves and cube strategies. 
We had a $50 knockout with eight players involved. The Final was played between Alex Falon and Simon Uey with Simon taking the win. Congratulations to both.
This Doubles Format proved to be very popular, and it is no surprise that players were making inquiries about organising another one, and we will. After all…we love the game.
Cheers,
Mick Dyett.

 

2017 PRESENTATION NIGHT

The 2017 Presentation night was held at Charlestown Bowling Club on Friday December 8th. A barefoot bowls session was followed by a BBQ dinner.

Mick Dyett and Brian Ramsey collected the majority of the spoils with Mick winning the 2017 Club Championship and the Willy Backes Memorial Top 8 Trophy and Brian winning both the Captain's and President's Trophies as well as runner up in the Club Championship. Gerhardt Macor took 3rd in the CC and Alan Cathcart and Costea Ianculescu won the Captain's and President's second divisions respectively.

Some photos of the night are available on the Presentation night page.

 

2017 Club Championship Final Result

Round 20 of the 2017 Club Championship was played on November 10th with 14 players in four groups at Charlestown Bowling Club.
Mick Dyett ran down long time leader Brian Ramsey to defend the Newcastle Club Championship by 1 point after the final round. With both players in the same part of the draw it was up to who could finish highest in the group as to who would win and Mick's win over Brian in the middle match of the round robin was enough to see him over the line.
Gerhardt Macor finished third by winning the top 4 clash and Adrian Marisescu placed fourth by winning his RR.

Winners of round 20 were Gerhardt Macor, Costea Ianculescu, Alan Cathcart and Adrian Marisescu
The tables page is here.

2017 President's Trophy Result

Brian Ramsey won his third President's Trophy in a row on November 24th by beating Robert Disney in the Final 9-2. Brian defeated Alan Cathcart and Adrian Marisescu in the first 2 rounds whilst Robert beat Bruce Parr and Mick Dyett.
Costea Ianculescu had to survive an extra round on his way to winning the President's second division, defeating Michelle Taubman 7-5 in the Final. Costea and Ian Dews had to play a round 1 match as only 5 players contended. Costea then beat Robert Sebok in the semi and Michelle outlasted Dave Bower 7-6.
The result grids for the President's Trophy divisions are below

A reminder that the Top 8 Trophy on December 1st. The draw grid is below. As noted above Presentation night is December 8th.
 

 

	2017 PRESIDENT'S TROPHY FIRST 8   24/11/17
1	MICK DYETT	7
			MICK DYETT	5
8	LES PIERPOINT	3
					ROBERT DISNEY	2
5	BRUCE PARR	2
			ROBERT DISNEY	7
4	ROBERT DISNEY	7
					BRIAN RAMSEY
3	GERHARDT MACOR	4			WINNER
			ADRIAN MARISESCU	5
6	ADRIAN MARISESCU	7
					BRIAN RAMSEY	9
7	ALAN CATHCART	0
			BRIAN RAMSEY	7
2	BRIAN RAMSEY	7
	7  POINTS		7  POINTS		9 POINTS

 

	2017 PRESIDENT'S TROPHY 2ND DIV.  24/11/17
1	ROBERT SEBOK	1
			ROBERT SEBOK	0
8	BYE	0
					COSTEA IANCULESCU	7
5	IAN DEWS	2
			COSTEA IANCULESCU	7
4	COSTEA IANCULESCU	7
					COSTEA IANCULESCU
3	DAVID BOWER	1			WINNER
			DAVID BOWER	6
6	BYE	0
					MICHELLE TAUBMAN	5
7	BYE	0
			MICHELLE TAUBMAN	7
2	MICHELLE TAUBMAN	1
	7  POINTS		7  POINTS		7 POINTS

 

	2017 TOP 8 FINAL 1/12/17
1	MICK DYETT
8	MICHELLE TAUBMAN
					MICK DYETT
5	TONY WALKER
4	ADRIAN MARISESCU
					MICK DYETT
3	GERHARDT MACOR				WINNER
6	BRUCE PARR
					BRUCE PARR
7	ALAN CATHCART
2	BRIAN RAMSEY
	7  POINTS		9  POINTS		9 POINTS

Players are reminded that should there be any dispute during the playing of a match to please ask for a ruling at the time. We have enough experienced players capable of giving a verdict on any problem that may arise during a match. Copies of the rules are always in the box for perusal at any time.

2017 Australian Open

Newcastle's Gerhardt Macor fell just short of winning the 2017 Australian Open held at the Persian Rose restaurant in Turramurra on the weekend of 11/12 November.
In what was a double elimination tournament (meaning players had to be defeated twice to be knocked out) Gerhardt won the winner's bracket meaning he only had to win once in the finals series to win the tournament. Sydney's Ian Dunstan won through to the final through the loser's bracket (being the only player to have lost only 1 match during the tournament) and went on to defeat Gerhardt in the last 2 matches.

 

 

2017 NEWCASTLE OPEN
 

Congratulations to Ben Phillips on winning the 2017 Newcastle Open from Robert Disney 9-8 on Sunday at Charlestown Bowling Club. Semi-Finalists were Mehmet Tuglu and Jan Spillekom. 25 final entries, from Newcastle, Sydney, Canberra and the Gold Coast, competed in 7 round robins to decide the make up of the field for the knock out Bracket with all round robin winners qualifying. The Final field makeup was drawn from the hat hence "position 2" being the bye.
Ben was down 3-8 but just kept surviving and hitting the "last chance" blots that were forced to be left to take out the title.
The Consolation Tournament, open to all those that didn't qualify for the main was won by Martin Sagradian from Sydney over Newcastle's Adrian Marisescu.
Thanks to all that attended especially those who travelled distance to come.
Special thanks to Charlestown Bowling Club and First Creek wines (via Bruce Parr) for their contributions to the day. Also to Michelle Taubman for her assistance on the day.

The Final grid is below:

	2017 NEWCASTLE OPEN BACKGAMMON FINAL BRACKET
1	STEPHEN DAVY
			JAN SPILLEKOM
8	JAN SPILLEKOM
					ROBERT DISNEY	8
5	JOHN SYMON
			ROBERT DISNEY
4	ROBERT DISNEY
					BEN PHILLIPS
3	BEN PHILLIPS				WINNER
			BEN PHILLIPS
6	SIMON WOODHEAD
					BEN PHILLIPS	9
7	MEHMET TUGLU
			MEHMET TUGLU
2	BYE
	7  POINTS		7   POINTS		9   POINTS

 

 

2017 New Zealand Open

Mick Dyett has finished second in the New Zealand Open completed July 23rd, to local player Julie Hillis.
Pictures below courtesy of Sharne Roxby via Facebook.

 

EXTRAORDINAY GENERAL MEETING

For full details on the result of the Extraordinary General Meetings of the Newcastle Backgammon Club (19/5/17 adjourned to 2/6/17) please see the AGM page.

2017 AGM

The details of the Newcastle Backgammon Club AGM held on January 27th can be found via this link

2016 Presentation Night

The 2016 Club Presentation Night was held on December 2nd at Charlestown Bowling Club, the current "home" of the Newcastle Backgammon Club.
The night began with a number of members taking part in a few heads of barefoot bowls on the CBC's synthetic green. Most had not played bowls before and whilst styles varied from the "norm" a good time was had by all.
The dinner was held in a section of the Function room which was all too large for our modest group but greatly appreciated.
Winners were:
Club Champion: Mick Dyett
Runner Up: Tony Walker
Third: Brian Ramsey
Top 8 Trophy: Bruce Parr
President's Trophy: Brian Ramsey / Les Pierpoint
Captain's Trophy: Adrian Marisescu / Greg Hern
Thanks to Charlestown Bowling Club for hosting all our competition this year and to all members for their continued support of the Newcastle Backgammon Club.
To all players and members of the NBC Facebook pages, Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous 2017 !

Club Championship Trophies	Collecting for Tony Walker, 2nd Club Championship, Michelle Taubman	Club Champion, Mick Dyett	3rd Club Championship, Brian Ramsey
		Top 8 Trophy Winner, Bruce Parr

Top 8 Trophy Result

Bruce Parr won his second consecutive Top 8 Trophy by beating Brian Ramsey 9-0 in this year's Final on November 25th. The bracket is below.
Picture shows the start of the Final, Bruce Parr (left) vs Brian Ramsey. Photo courtesy of Michelle Taubman.

	2016 Willy Backes Memorial Top 8
1	MICK DYETT	7
			MICK DYETT	3
8	ALAN CATHCART	4
					BRUCE PARR	9
5	BRUCE PARR	7
			BRUCE PARR	7
4	ADRIAN MARISESCU	6
					BRUCE PARR
3	GREG MITCHELL	5			WINNER
			COSTEA IANCULESCU	6
6	COSTEA IANCULESCU	7
					BRIAN RAMSEY	0
7	ROBERT SEBOK	3
			BRIAN RAMSEY	7
2	BRIAN RAMSEY	7
	7  POINTS		7  POINTS		9 POINTS

 

President's Trophy Results

Brian Ramsey has won the 2016 President's Trophy defeating David Bower 7-6 in the Final on November 18th. The second division was won by Les Pierpoint, 7-5, over Adrian Marisescu. Final brackets are below

	2016 President's Trophy Final
1	TONY WALKER	3
			COSTEA IANCULESCU	2
8	COSTEA IANCULESCU	7
					BRIAN RAMSEY	7
5	BRIAN RAMSEY	7
			BRIAN RAMSEY	7
4	ROBERT DISNEY	2
					BRIAN RAMSEY
3	GREG MITCHELL	4			WINNER
			DAVID BOWER	7
6	DAVID BOWER	7
					DAVID BOWER	6
7	ROBERT SEBOK	5
			GERHARDT MACOR	2
2	GERHARDT MACOR	7
	7  POINTS		7  POINTS		7 POINTS

 

	2016 PRESIDENT'S TROPHY SECOND DIVISION
9	ALAN CATHCART
			ALAN CATHCART	3
16	BYE
					LES PIERPOINT	7
13	LES PIERPOINT	7
			LES PIERPOINT	7
12	BRUCE PARR	5
					LES PIERPOINT
11	ADRIAN MARISESCU				WINNER
			ADRIAN MARISESCU	7
14	BYE
					ADRIAN MARISESCU	5
15	BYE
			MICHELLE TAUBMAN	3
10	MICHELLE TAUBMAN
	7 points		7 points		7 points

The Top 8 Trophy

The results of the 2016 Willy Backes Memorial Top 8 Trophy Final are below.

	2016 Willy Backes Memorial Top 8
1	MICK DYETT	7
			MICK DYETT	3
8	ALAN CATHCART	4
					BRUCE P	9
5	BRUCE PARR	7
			BRUCE PARR	7
4	ADRIAN MARISESCU	6
					BRUCE PARR
3	GREG MITCHELL	5			WINNER
			COSTEA IANCULESCU	6
6	COSTEA IANCULESCU	7
					BRIAN RAMSEY	0
7	ROBERT SEBOK	3
			BRIAN RAMSEY	7
2	BRIAN RAMSEY	7
	7  POINTS		7  POINTS		9 POINTS

2016 Australian Open

Grant Hoffman of New Zealand has won his second consecutive Australian Open defeating Newcastle's Gerhardt Macor 15-9 in the Final on November 13th. It is also the second year in a row that Grant has defeated a Newcastle player for the title after beating Bruce Parr for the 2015 title. The semi-finalists were Darren O'Shaughnessy and Richard Crawley-Boevey.
Adrian Marisescu took out the Jackpot tournament. Congratulations to all concerned.

 

Be advised that Wednesday night backgammon in Sydney has moved to the Woolloomooloo Bay Hotel, 2 Bourke St, Woolloomooloo as of September 27th. Contact John Hedge ( johnhedge@gmail.com ) for further details.

2016 NEWCASTLE OPEN

Simon Woodhead of the Gold Coast is the 2016 Newcastle Open winner which was held in the Lincoln Room at Charlestown Bowling Club on Sunday, September 18th. 

Photos and report on the Open Details page.

 

Club Challenge Report

The Newcastle Backgammon Club team took out the 2016 Club Challenge from the Persian Rose Club team at the Shelly Beach Surf Club on August 28th.
The two teams of six players were drawn from the hat into groups of 3 with the NBC "Team A" playing individual matches against the PRBC "Team A" and the "Team B" players doing likewise.
At the lunch break 7 matches had been completed with the PRBC holding a 4-3 margin. Lunch in the Surf Club restaurant was considered by all to be value for money and can be recommended.
Back in the playing room and the evenness of the competition continued. The team A side of the draw completed their matches first and with the last 3 matches of the B side all in play the PRBC led 8-7 with a score advantage in 2 of the matches. Michelle Taubman and Mick Dyett both came from behind to kick Newcastle 9-8 up leaving it to Gerhardt Macor to complete the victory and be the only player of the 12 to win all 3 of his matches on the day.
With thank to John Hedge for his part in organization of the day and the Shelly Beach Surf Club for their hosting of the event.
The full teams were: NBC- Mick Dyett (C), Michelle Taubman , Robert Disney , Tony Walker , Gerhardt Macor and Costea Ianculescu.
PRBC- John Hedge (C) , John Symon, Martin Sagradian , Mark Catusanu, Michael Mills, and Ian Dunstan.

Shelly Beach, NSW Central Coast	Team Newcastle	Playing room
Trophy	The two teams (Costea absent)

 

The 2016 Captain's Trophy flights were played on June 17th, 13 players attended.

The Top flight was taken out by Adrian Marisescu over Robert Disney, 7/3. Adrian defeated Tony Walker and Brian Ramsey on his way to the Final.
Greg Hern outlasted Michelle Taubman 7/6 in the Second flight.
The grids for both divisions are below.

	2016 Captain's Trophy Top Flight
1	MICK DYETT	7
			MICK DYETT	1
8	ROBERT SEBOK	2
					ROBERT DISNEY	3
5	BRUCE PARR	1
			ROBERT DISNEY	7
4	ROBERT DISNEY	7
					ADRIAN MARISESCU
3	TONY WALKER	4			WINNER
			ADRIAN MARISESCU	7
6	ADRIAN MARISESCU	7
					ADRIAN MARISESCU	7
7	GREG MITCHELL	0
			BRIAN RAMSEY	4
2	BRIAN RAMSEY	7
	7  POINTS		7  POINTS		7 POINTS

 

	2016 Captain's Trophy 2nd Flight
1	LES PIERPOINT	7
			LES PIERPOINT	2
8	BYE	0
					MICHELLE TAUBMAN	6
5	JULIE CASTLES	4
			MICHELLE TAUBMAN	7
4	MICHELLE TAUBMAN	7
					GREG HERN
3	GREG HERN	7			WINNER
			GREG HERN	7
6	BYE	0
					GREG HERN	7
7	BYE	0
			RICK GRAHAM	5
2	RICK GRAHAM	7
	7  POINTS		7  POINTS		7 POINTS

Mick Dyett is the 2016 NSW Open winner, defeating Arthur Ramer 17-10 in Sunday's final at the Persian Rose restaurant, Turramurra.
Newcastle was assured of a finalist as Tony Walker and Mick played in the semi final. Arthur beat Shadi Athari to reach the final. Photos below, the presentations being made by Persian Rose proprietor Taeed Athari. Photos courtesy of Sharne Roxby via Facebook.

The 2016 NSW Open Final, Arthur vs Mick	2016 Champion, Mick Dyett	Arthur Ramer, Runner up	Semi Finalists, Shadi and Tony

Long time Newcastle Open attendee Alex Ivanovski defeated Zvi Bendavid in the final of the Persian Rose Easter Tournament. Three Newcastle players, Mick Dyett, Greg Mitchell and Gerhardt Macor made the last 8 but all were defeated in the first round of the finals.
Congratulations Alex!

Newcastle Backgammon Club membership is $10 per year and competition fees are $5 per night. The winner of each round robin (groups of 3 or 4, depending on the number of players) receives $10.

The Newcastle Backgammon Club AGM was held at Charlestown Bowling Club on January 26th, 2016. The meeting is summarised on the AGM page.

After some 6 or 7 years at Alder Park Bowling Club, Newcastle Backgammon Club is moving in 2016 to Charlestown Bowling Club, 5 Lincoln Street, Charlestown, from January 15th. Charlestown BC features underground parking, late night closing and modern amenities. http://charlestownbc.com.au/

The entrance to the CBC car park is off Ferris Street but MUST be approached from the Club side of Ferris Street. If you approach from the football oval side you have to drive around the block to get to the other side. If you come straight through Charlestown on the highway, turn at the lights at the end of the football oval onto Lincoln Street and bear right onto Ferris towards Charlestown Square. If approaching from the back of Charlestown Square, which is Canberra St but turns into Patricia Avenue at the back of the Bowling Club, turn off Patricia onto Lincoln at the roundabout, go past the CBC main entrance and turn left onto Ferris towards Charlestown Square. The parking lot entrance is about 30m from the turn.

John Hedge advises that the Persian Rose group that was meeting last year has now developed into the Persian Rose Backgammon Club with the following details:
We meet every Tuesday evening at The Persian Rose Restaurant 13/1380-1388 Pacific Hwy, Turramurra NSW 2074. 6pm for a 6:30pm start.
Anyone who knows they'll be there but are running slightly late can send me a text (+61 415 987 388) to be entered into the draw.
We run groups of 4 and/or 3 round robins of 5 point matches. Winners go through to a KO.
Club membership is $30 p.a. and evening entry of $5.
There is a weekly Jackpot of $10 which is won by a player drawn at the beginning of the evening winning the KO. The balance of the entry is paid out 66/33% winner, RU of the KO.
Jackpot not won by year's end will be added to the club championship purse which will pay on a 50%, 25%, 15%, 10% basis to the winner, RU, 3rd and 4th.
Visitors are welcome. ($5 entry only)
All money is returned as trophies and prizes.

Tony Walker has won his 17th Newcastle Backgammon Club Championship by 5 points after the last round of competition. Runner up was the defending Champion, Brian Ramsey, whilst Alan Cathcart won the draw for 3rd spot. The final tables are posted here

The Presentation Night was held on Friday, December 4th, 2015 at Alder Park Bowling Club. Photos of the night via this link .

The Persian Rose Christmas Tournament on Sunday, November 29, 2015 was won by Newcastle's Greg Mitchell. Congratulations Greg!

The 2015 Newcastle Open Backgammon Tournament was played on Sunday, September 20th at Club Kotara , Howell St, Kotara. 
Full details are on the Open Details page.
 
The Sydney Live Backgammon League kicked off on April 1st, 2015
Details for ongoing rounds are available at the website  http://www.LiveBackgammonLeague-Sydney.org . Contact John Hedge for any involvement at  johnhedge@gmail.com

All players are reminded that being available by 7:15, so the draw can be organised, is appreciated. Those who know they will be late should contact BRUCE PARR on 0410892496.
It is also asked that players move on in a timely manner from match to match, without any undue delay.

The club held it's 2016 AGM on January 26th followed by a Round robin tournament. The results of the AGM are on this page .

For many years the club has issued a newsletter called The Blotter on an "as needed" basis. With the advent of the website, a natural progression for issuing information is the development of this page.
All the latest information regarding club activities, including finals, tournaments, visits etc will be posted here on a fortnightly basis.
Club members are welcome to submit items of interest (both related and non-related to Backgammon) so as there is always something new to view! Other club Tournament organizers may also submit information which may be of interest to our members.