Subbuteo returned to its roots in the September Cup, bringing back the days of cramming into lounge rooms, dining rooms and garages, to hover over cotton and nylon pitches and play with round based figures. With a variety of conditions present on the different styles of pitches – from smooth and fast to Field A, affectionately known as ’The Glue Pot’, players had to show versatility in their skills to do well. A field of 8 players with a diverse range of abilities locked horns in a Swiss System tournament that later ran into a finals series as everyone was keen for more games – and a grand final! Early results went the way of Steve Dettre and Ethan Foster, while Adrian Elmer and Jonny Ball played out a tense scoreless draw, as did youngsters Imojjen and Æowyn Elmer, the random draw pitting the sisters against each other in the opening round. Jonny Ball began to revel in the old pitch conditions as his bending and shooting skills gave him significant wins in the next few rounds. Adrian Elmer made his way through all 5 of the Swiss System rounds without conceding a goal, though did struggle at the pointy end of the field, leaving him with a string of draws to go with his two victories. After missing the first round due to a long drive to the venue, previous September Cup winner Phill Parker began to crawl his way up the table while another former champ, Alex Jennings, squeezed into the top four. Making his September Cup début, Ethan Foster had a mixed bag of results while Steve Dettre quietly went about building a consistent run.

After five rounds of the Swiss System, players went into a finals series, with the top four playing for the trophy and the lower four for the shield. In a rematch of the day’s opening game, Jonny finally broke down Adrian’s defense to grab a 1-0 victory, while Steve and Alex went to shots after a 1-1 draw. Steve booked himself a place in the final with 3 clinical finishes and some solid goalkeeping. Following the consolation play-offs, the grand final was another tense affair. Steve took a one goal lead into the half time break but Jonny levelled early in the second period with a delicate shot that left Steve’s ‘keeper stuck to the spot. With just under a minute to go, and both players feeling the tension, Steve pulled of a brilliant shot, squeezing past one defender while getting the finest of angles on the ball, yet still hitting it with the force to lodge into the far corner of the goals. It was a goal worthy of winning a final.

A great time was had by all – the experienced players giving pointers to the newer players and helping them improve, while competing fiercely in the tighter games. Thanks to all for making another great September Cup.

For more photos, head to the Western Sydney Subbuteo facebook page here.