After 8 or 9 events I thought it was time that I gave a overview of what’s been happening in the race to become Waikato’s Player of the Year 2004.
 

Now that players realise that they only have to enter to be guaranteed at least one point, things are really starting to hot up. Although a handful of players have broken away from the rest of the field it is safe to say that there is still a long way to go and it’s not over until “the obese lady serenades”!
 

The top four is dominated, at present, by Leighton Archer (263pts), Nico Johnston (232), Scotty Couchman (220) and Andrew Macintyre (209). Ironically, these four all play-test together which reflects the importance of having a play-testing group which you can share ideas, strategies and cards with. Read more on this in the forum pages!
 

In a close 5^th behind this group is Alvin Liew (202), who has had a couple of mediocre results of late which has seen him drop out of the top 4. I am sure we will see some good things from Alvin in the near future as he sniffs at the heels of the leaders.

Rounding off the top 8 are:
 

Sophar Rach (199), who has appeared from mid-field to make his presence be known.
 

Alicia Yap (186), whose consistent results each week have made her, arguably, the best     female magic player in the Waikato at present and a serious threat to the title.
 

Bradley Campbell (180), whose third placing in the T1.5 has made him the leading junior in the field.

The large fields each week have ensured that there is usually around 50pts going to the winner of the night, with a descending amount of points being gifted to the following placings, and this has seen some players pole-vault up the field and start to become threats to the top eight.
 

A strong result at the T2 on Friday saw Alex McKenzie jump 29 places to 54^th with other major movers (and shakers) being:
 

Barbara Wang up 24 places to 53^rd.

Twinny Dusterwald up 22 places to 30^th.

Nick Earney up 22 places to 45^th.

Deane Anderson up 21 places to 59^th.

Colin Barrett-Hogg up 20 places to 25^th.

Kirk Allen moving up from 12^th to 9^th.

Destructor Dan Bretherton up from 17^th to 12^th.

Sebastian Dusterwald up from 24^th to 18^th.

Gavin Morgan into 10^th from 13^th.

James Gordon moving up from 21^st to 17^th.

And Alex Kirkpatrick edging closer still by 3 places into 13^th.

We also saw the welcome return of Kieran “Special K” McCarthy, after a long leave for fatherhood, and a strong 10^th this week has shot him up to 29^th spot and he could be a serious threat in the weeks to come if he continues to play as well as he can.

This week’s winner, George Zhang, has crept up 14 places into the top 20 after netting 58pts for his solid 6-0 on the night along with this Jay McArthur’s 3^rd placing  put him into 20^th spot.

As I am a stats man (not that you would‘ve noticed), I love playing around with figures (and I don’t mean blow-up dolls).

I found it interesting formulating the top 3 finishes in each of the formats we have had and the top 5 players by virtue of top 3 placings are (and in no particular order):
 

Leighton     2 x wins, 1 x third.

Gavin M.    2 x wins.      

Kirk            1 x win, 1 x second.

Nico           1 x win, 2 x thirds.

Scott           2 x seconds, 2 x thirds.

It is hard to bypass any player in the race as I have seen a marked improvement in all levels of play but unfortunately if I were to write even a snippet about everybody those of you that are still reading this will soon start to get a little bored. I think all the players who have regularly attended Fri-lite certainly have improved piecemeal and with the Regionals and the Nationals looming could become serious contenders for the final eight and their chance at representing their region as well as their country.
 

Remember, the biggest part is turning up to each Fri-lite. Not only do you add to your chances of winning a prize and adding to your k-rating and ranking in New Zealand, you also add to your experience and playing ability. The more you play, the less nervous you get and subsequently the less mistakes you make. In this game just one mistake or not-so-good call can be the difference between taking home $1500 USD or one booster.
 

There is still 5 months to go which is approx. 10 more events which count towards this year‘s Player of the Year race.

Keep coming, keep improving!

Tony