Courtesy of the UKPA, an analysis of the alternative ways to determine the grades for the Nationals. I will admit I was personally skeptical of the Cup and Plate scenario but I thought it worked very well in the end and gave us some excellent finals, particularly in the Plate divisions. So there you have it, I was wrong!

Facts and Figures of Possible Interest

207 players, in 34.5 teams, took part. 6 Junior Teams, 3 Primary Junior Sections, 3 teams in D Division and 8 teams in each of the ‘Super 8’ A,B and C Divisions.

In response to some of the comments on the ‘Super 8’ organisation (eg. grade ‘spread too great’, some Clubs played against their own Club teams, some Teams lost by ‘cricket scores’), I had a look at the alternative, suggested organisational possibilities (playing within grade bands commonly adopted, or playing in 6’s, with two pools of 3 teams, then play-offs) and the score sheets….. with some quite interesting results.

Super 8 – one game Friday, one game Saturday, second game on Saturday for lower place play-offs, Finals on Sunday.

6’s – two teams from each group of 6 would not have a game on Friday (these two teams would then have two games on Saturday).

Grading bands – With this year’s entries, teams would have fallen into divisions:

  • A Div – 4 teams [70 -]
  • B Div – 7 teams [46-69]
  • C Div – 9 teams [22-45]
  • D Div – 7 teams [0-21]

A Div would work as a Round Robin (with the last game on Sunday not necessarily being ‘the Final’)
Organisation of B,C and D with 7,9 and 7 teams would be a challenge!

‘Grade spread too great’

Super 8

  • A Div 32 points
  • B Div 23 points
  • C Div 15 points
  • D Div 8 points

6’s

  • A Div 24 points [1 point per player less than Super 8]
  • B Div 22 points [1 point IN TOTAL less than Super 8]
  • C Div 8 points
  • D Div 10 points [more than Super 8]
  • E Div 8 points

 

Grading Bands

  • A Div 12 points
  • B Div 23 points [same as Super 8]
  • C Div 21 points [more than Super 8 and 6’s]
  • D Div 21 points [more than Super 8 and 6’s]

 

“Some clubs played against their own club teams”

Super 8

  • A Div 2 Highlander Teams, 2 Kent Target Teams
  • B Div 2 Arden Teams, 2 Welsh Dragon Teams, 2 Liscombe Park Teams
  • C Div 2 Arden Teams
  • D Div 2 Western Phoenix Teams

6’s

  • A Div 2 Highlanders Teams [who would have been in the same Pool]
  • C Div 2 Arden Teams [who would have been in the same Pool]
  • E Div 2 Western Phoenix Teams [who would still have played each other]

 

Grading Bands

  • C Div 2 Welsh Dragons Teams, 2 Pennine Teams, 2 Arden Teams
  • D Div 2 Liscombe Park Teams, 2 Western Phoenix Teams

 

“Some teams lost by ‘cricket scores’ “

For the purposes of this exercise, I have considered a loss of more than 12 goals (i.e. 2 goals per chukka) to constitute a ‘cricket score’! Of the 57 games played at Nationals, 14 games fall into this category.

Of these 14 games, 6 were in the Junior Division – which is played as a Division based on age, not grades, so would not be affected by alternative organisation of play.

Of the remaining 8 games, 4 would still have fallen into the same Divisions.

This leaves 4 games which would not have taken place, but who knows what the scores would have been in the actual games that would have taken place.

Nationals Quotes

A couple of little quotes that amused me greatly at the Nationals so I hope you enjoy them to, If anyone else knows any other ones let me have them!

“Where’s the hard standing for my lorry?” (A question I regularly ask myself! I have never found any!)

“Do you know what the weather will be like over Nationals weekend?” (Seems reasonable enough but this was asked to Gail King two weeks before the Nationals, now Gail knows a lot but this is asking a bit much!)