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Michelle Taubman and Greg Mitchell were winners at the 2019 Queensland Open, Masters and Australian Speedgammon tournaments held August 9th-11th.
Michelle went big time winning the Masters Tournament from Hossein Haydari. Michelle came from behind to lead 9-7 before Hossein ran to a 12-9 lead. Michelle then went close to getting a backgammon to be 11-12 down and then winning the post Crawford game for a 13-12 result.

Greg Mitchell won the last chance tournament trailing David Berry early, getting to Crawford at 8-5 up before winning 9-6.

The Queensland Open went to Steve Quinn from Simon Ustick, both of Victoria. The score was Simon 8-5 before the cube found it's way to 8 in the next game which Steve won. The Speedgammon was won by Vince Turner of QLD from Shane McNally of SA

Top tournament thanks to Simon Woodhead and Steve Roberts and the staff on the desk.
Only unfortunate thing being the havoc caused to flights from Sydney on Friday delaying or deleting some who planned on coming.

Gerhardt Macor is the 2019 Captain's Trophy champion after beating Championship leader, Mick Dyett, 7-1 in the Final on June 21st. Whilst most of the early rounds went to close scores, the final was a one man affair.

The Second Division was also a runaway as first round bye recipients Robert Sebok and Cassie Crebert battled out the final with Robert proving too good, winning 7-0

The Championship Ladder can be viewed via this link .
The remainder of the 2019 dates are on the Dates Page

2019 NSW Backgammon Championships

25 players attended the 2019 NSW Championships. The placegetters were all from Sydney with Peter Brown defeating Arthur Ramer in the final and John Symon and Steve Clarry finishing 3/4. Sunday's $300 Jackpot tournament was split between Taeed Athari and Mick Dyett.

Sydney Open Tournament

Regular Newcastle Open player and former member Paul Barnett took out the first Sydney Open played on Sunday April 7th.

A Report and pics is available on the ABF site at https://ausbgf.org.au/home/news/

New Sydney Monthly Tournaments

Monthly tournaments began on Sunday, 10/2/2019, at the Persian Rose Restaurant, Turramurra. Next to be played April 14th.
Registration from 9:30 for a 10 am start. Entry $50 with an optional $50 side pool, Round Robin play.
Chouette and Jackpot tournaments run to demand for players knocked out of the main.
These tournaments will be held on the second Sunday of each month from February to October.

For further details contact either Mick Dyett ( dyett_michael@yahoo.com.au ), ph 0497286149 or Taed Athari ( taeed.athari@gmail.com ), ph 0418207708

Presentation Night / AGM

The Presentation Night for 2018 was held at Charlestown Bowling Club on Friday, December 7th.
Barefoot bowls on the Charlestown club's synthetic green was followed by the meal, the AGM for 2019 (having been moved forward from early in the new year) and the Presentations for the 2018 Club Championship and Finals.

The minutes of the Newcastle Backgammon Club's AGM for 2019 can be found on the AGM page here.

Top 8 Trophy Result
Friday November 30th

Brian Ramsey won the 2018 Willy Backes Memorial Top 8 Trophy at the last competition night of 2018, November 30th. Brian defeated Greg Mitchell, 9-2 in the final after beating Adrian Marisescu (7/1) and Robert Disney (7/6) in the first two rounds of knockout. Greg made the final via wins over Dave Bower (7/3) and Mick Dyett (7/1).

	2018 TOP 8 TROPHY

1	MICK DYETT	7
			MICK DYETT	1
8	ROBERT SEBOK	0

					GREG MITCHELL	2
5	GREG MITCHELL	7
			GREG MITCHELL	7
4	DAVE BOWER	3

					BRIAN RAMSEY
3	GERHARDT MACOR	5			WINNER
			ROBERT DISNEY	6
6	ROBERT DISNEY	7

					BRIAN RAMSEY	9
7	BRIAN RAMSEY	7
			BRIAN RAMSEY	7
2	ADRIAN MARISESCU	1

	7 POINTS		7 POINTS		9 POINTS

President's Trophy

The 2018 President's Trophy was held on Friday, November 23rd. Unfortunately not all those who qualified were available on the night so the second division was reduced to six players.

Dave Bower is the President's Trophy winner, defeating Michelle Taubman 7-6. None of the top 4 qualifiers made it past the first round as Robert Disney beat Adrian Marisescu, Bruce Parr got past Gerhardt Macor, Mick Dyett went down to Michelle Taubman and Dave Bower was too good for Robert Sebok. Dave won 7-1 over Robert and Michelle defeated Bruce 7-6.

In the second division, Costea Ianculescu got a late call-up and made it all the way to the final before losing 7-4 to Tony Walker. Tony defeated Mel Dyett and Les Pierpoint on the way to the final whilst Costea got by Cassie Crebert and Alan Cathcart.

The final grids for the President's Trophies are below:

	2018 PRESIDENT'S TROPHY FIRST 8

1	ADRIAN MARISESCU	4
			ROBERT DISNEY	1
8	ROBERT DISNEY	7

					DAVE BOWER	7
5	DAVE BOWER	7
			DAVE BOWER	7
4	ROBERT SEBOK	3

					DAVE BOWER
3	MICK DYETT	4			WINNER
			MICHELLE TAUBMAN	7
6	MICHELLE TAUBMAN	7

					MICHELLE TAUBMAN	6
7	BRUCE PARR	7
			BRUCE PARR	6
2	GERHARDT MACOR	5

	7 POINTS		7 POINTS		7 POINTS

	2018 PRESIDENT'S TROPHY 2ND DIVISION

1	LES PIERPOINT	1
			LES PIERPOINT	6
8	BYE	0

					TONY WALKER	7
5	MEL DYETT	3
			TONY WALKER	7
4	TONY WALKER	7

					TONY WALKER
3	CASSIE CREBERT	2			WINNER
			COSTEA IANCULESCU	7
6	COSTEA IANCULESCU	7

					COSTEA IANCULESCU	4
7	BYE	0
			ALAN CATHCART	4
2	ALAN CATHCART	1

	7 POINTS		7 POINTS		7 POINTS

2018 ROUND 20

Round 20 of the 2018 Newcastle Backgammon Club Championship was held on November 2nd with 16 players. Welcome back to Costea Ianculescu and Alan Cathcart.

MIck Dyett's had wrapped up the 2018 Club Championship after winning his Round 19 heat and, in the process, completing a treble of Club Championships.
Adrian Marisescu maintained second spot 8 points behind and Gerhardt Macor nosed out Dave Bower and Greg Mitchell for third.

Winners of Round 20 were Gerhardt Macor, Greg Mitchell, Alan Cathcart and Costea Ianculescu..
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 20 of the Newcastle Club Championship is available on the Club Championship table page (link above)

2018 Australian Open and Masters Championships

Ian Dunstan defeated Newcastle's Gerhardt Macor in the Final of the 2018 Australian Open held on the 3rd and 4th of November. Newcastle provided two of the last 8 players as Mick Dyett also qualified but Gerhardt and Mick were drawn in the same half of the draw and played a semi-final. The other semi-finalist was Jan Spillikom.
The 2018 Master's (18 players) was taken out by Peter Brown from Simon Woodhead. Habib Shalala and Steve Roberts were the semi-finalists. Both Gerhardt and Mick played in the Master's but lost their first matches.

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


Greg Mitchell v David Berry	Michelle Taubman - Masters winner	Michelle and Hossein Haydari after the Masters Final	Greg Mitchell and Michelle

	2019 PRESIDENT'S TROPHY FIRST 8

1	GERHARDT MACOR

8	TONY WALKER


5	ADRIAN MARISESCU

4	BRUCE PARR


3	MICK DYETT		WINNER

6	ROBERT DISNEY


7	ALAN CATHCART

2	DAVE BOWER

	7 POINTS	7 POINTS	7 POINTS

	2019 PRESIDENT'S TROPHY 2ND DIVISION

1	BRIAN RAMSEY

8	MEL DYETT


5	MICHELLE TAUBMAN

4	GREG MITCHELL


3	CASSIE CREBERT		WINNER

6	LES PIERPOINT


7	JULIE CASTLES

2	ROBERT SEBOK

	7 POINTS	7 POINTS	7 POINTS

	2019 TOP 8 TROPHY

1	MICK DYETT

8	ROBERT DISNEY


5	BRIAN RAMSEY

4	ALAN CATHCART


3	DAVE BOWER		WINNER

6	TONY WALKER


7	GREG MITCHELL

2	GERHARDT MACOR

	7 POINTS	7 POINTS	9 POINTS

			2019 Captain's Trophy Final

1	MICK DYETT	7
			MICK DYETT	7
8	ROBERT DISNEY	6

					MICK DYETT	1
5	TONY WALKER	5
			BRIAN RAMSEY	6
4	BRIAN RAMSEY	7

					GERHARDT MACOR
3	GREG MITCHELL	5			WINNER
			GERHARDT MACOR	7
6	GERHARDT MACOR	7

					GERHARDT MACOR	7
7	MICHELLE TAUBMAN	7
			MICHELLE TAUBMAN	4
2	DAVID BOWER	5

	7 POINTS		7 POINTS		7 POINTS

2019 Captain's Trophy 2nd 8

1	ROBERT SEBOK	7
			ROBERT SEBOK	7
8	bye	0

					ROBERT SEBOK	7
5	JULIE CASTLES	0
			BRUCE PARR	6
4	BRUCE PARR	7

					ROBERT SEBOK
3	LES PEIRPOINT	7			WINNER
			LES PEIRPOINT	1
6	MEL DYETT	5

					CASSIE CREBERT	0
7	bye	0
			CASSIE CREBERT	7
2	CASSIE CREBERT	7

	7 POINTS		7 POINTS		7 POINTS