Cotswold Trophy for international rules football

[The Babbage Islands]

Matchday 1 results for the Cotswold Trophy tournament, at The Great Dome in Gernsback, Tesla, The Babbage Islands:

Palmouth 1-12-12 (54), Luchsandria 3-13-4 (61)
The Babbage Islands 0-12-9 (45), Sorthern Northland 0-10-7 (37)
Candelaria and Marquez 1-13-9 (54), Surote 1-12-8 (50)

STANDINGS

Team                                     W  D  L    PF    PA    PD   PTS
The Babbage Islands                      1  0  0    45    37     8    3
Luchsandria                              1  0  0    61    54     7    3
Candelaria and Marquez                   1  0  0    54    50     4    3
Surote                                   0  0  1    50    54   - 4    0
Palmouth                                 0  0  1    54    61   - 7    0
Sorthern Northland                       0  0  1    37    45   - 8    0

[Sorthern Northland]

Nuachtán na Gaeil
Sorthern Northland disappoint in Cotswold opener

Sorthern Northland look to face an uphill struggle in the Cotswold Trophy in Compromise rules after they fell to a eight point defeat against hosts, The Babbage Islands. Both teams had to rely on overs and behinds for points due to some inspired goalkeeping at both ends of the pitch.

Sorthern Northland best chance for a goal came near the end of time. Having broke away following a loss of Babbage possession Éanna Mac Domhnaill was neatly fed the ball in the Babbage area following some splendid work down the left wings, by his team and by Dáithí Ó Corráin in particular. Mac Domhnaill seemingly had all the time in the world to attempt a goal, something that given his age and inexperience may have proved costly as Babbage goalie Brett Barfield rushed out and blocked Max Domhnaill's eventual shot.

Babbage Islands own goal chance came just minutes earlier and would surely have spelt the end of the game sooner than it came. Having seen a Kegan O'Neill over attempt come back off the right post, Tomos Lloyd reacted quickly to gather possession of the ball and shoot from a tight angle, Sorthern goalkeeper Conán Mac Donnchadh however was equal to the effort stopping and smothering the goalbound shot.

After the game, manager Dónal Ó Branagáin admitted that his side would struggle to win the tournament saying, “This is a big loss for us and it hands the advantage firmly to the other teams. The Babbage Islands were always going to be difficult to beat as hosts but it was vital for us to win to ease the pressure on us. We'll probably need to win each of the remaining games now and beating Candelaria And Marquez will be no easy task. They've got a lot of top players, such as the lad Riley Ó Mearadhaig and Laoighseach Ó Labhrahadha and Aaron Fretton all of them I tried seeing if they had a Sorthern background to get onto our team. Obviously though they've chosen to represent the C&M and I'm sure they'll all be big players for them, certainly we'll be wary of them. Most of all though I'm just looking forward to what it sure to be a keenly contested match. I know our fans all looked for this match first when the fixtures were released and we want to give them what will be a much relished win. I'm sure it's the same for the Candelaris fans, staff and players.”

[Luchsandria]

Luchsandria wins opener against Palmouth

Poole's game-clinching miracle kick with 0:36 left shocks all; Luchsandria in 2nd place

GERNSBACK, Babbage Islands--Luchsandria's International Rules football team won its first game today over Palmouth by a score of 61 to 54. The game was surprisingly goal-heavy, with 3 goals scored by Luchsandria's team, as many as all other teams in the tournament combined. The game's clear highlight came very late, when rover and controversial selection Ed Poole clinched the game. Poole, who was one of the top rovers in the world, recieved a significant spinal cord injury 3 years ago, deteriorating his physical and mental health for some time.

In the 4th quarter, all of the concerns made about Poole's ability went out the window. With 1:19 left in the game and Luchsandria leading by 4 points, Palmouth had one possession to try and make its move. A shot by an unidentified player from around 30 meters out looked to be a close call, but just as goalkeeper David Lonin was getting into position, Poole, out of nowhere, appeared and kicked it away--far, far away. With 36 seconds left on the clock, Poole made the 3rd-longest kick in Luchsandria's history of International Rules football, stunning the crowd as the red flag for an over flew. With a multi-possession lead, the remaining time was squandered easily.

After the team's post-game meeting, the 31-year-old Poole was ecstatic during his interview. "That is how you play the game, people. Ladies and gentlement, Eddie Poole is back. As you saw on the field, I'm physically powerful still. And before anyone asks, my mental health is no longer compromised either." (In the interest of full disclosure, it should be said that Mr. Poole said this with no pants on at the time.)

The other controversial selection for the national team, Tammy Cross, lived up to her title of "Luchsandria's Toughest Woman" today, as she tripped up and took down a Palmouth wing right as he was about to kick a goal, which her tackle turned into a behind. When asked about the impact of her performance, she said, "Look, I'm here for one purpose and one purpose only. My body is strong enough for me to hold my own on an International Rules football field. Where that body does or doesn't have 2 lumps sticking out means bull schvitz." Miss Cross is Jewish; "schvitz" is Yiddish for sweat.

The victory today gave the team 3 points, and the 7-point differential put them in 2nd place, 1 differential point behind host team Babbage Islands in the standings.

Coach Ryan Kauffman was most willing to talk to the press, on a variety of topics.

"So far, I'm very pleased with the team's energy, they're getting along great.....Tammy's not making her gender an issue at all, she's just playing and practicing like any other team member, except she's in a separate locker room......It's funny, really. At the end of practice yesterday, most of the team had a long-kick contest, and Eddie opted out. Said he wanted to save his feet for the game. Now we know why......The opening celebratory dinner yesterday was odd. 4 teams had a great time, but 2 of them were stone silent. We beat one of them tdoay, and we're planning on beating the other tomorrow."

Luchsandria faces 4th-place Surote tomorrow, who lost today to Candelaria and Marquez by 4 points.

[The Babbage Islands]

GERNSBACK, Tesla (BPA) -- The Cotswold Trophy tournament in inter rules football got off to a rousing start yesterday at the Great Dome. Six national teams are engaged, and all three opening round matches were fiercely contested.

The host team from The Babbage Islands won a defensive struggle against Sorthern Northland, 45-37, marked by outstanding goalkeeping from Brett Barfield for the locals and Conán Mac Donnchadh for the Sorthern Northland fifteen. Neither side raised the green flag in 72 minutes of spirited action. In the match between Luchsandria and Palmouth, won by Luchsandria 61-54, the victors scored three goals and needed all of them to escape with the win. Finally, a mere four points put the Candelaria and Marquez team over Surote, 54-50.

Today's triple-header in round two of league play features Luchsandria against Surote, then Sorthern Northland against Candelaria and Marquez, and closing with Palmouth facing The Babbage Islands.

[The Babbage Islands]

RP cutoff for matchday two!

ROUND TWO RESULTS
Luchsandria 3-20-14 (92), Surote 1-12-3 (45)
Sorthern Northland 1-11-5 (44), Candelaria and Marquez 1-10-10 (46)
Palmouth 0-15-8 (53), The Babbage Islands 0-13-9 (48)

STANDINGS
Team                                     W  D  L    PF    PA    PD   PTS
Luchsandria                              2  0  0   153    99    54    6
Candelaria and Marquez                   2  0  0   100    94     6    6
The Babbage Islands                      1  0  1    93    90     3    3
Palmouth                                 1  0  1   107   109   - 2    3
Sorthern Northland                       0  0  2    81    91   -10    0
Surote                                   0  0  2    95   146   -51    0

[Candelaria And Marquez]

[ooc: I'd say 'whoops' but...]

The Albrecht Herald Online>Sport>Other Sport
An Gormacha Mór* snatch debut victory ahead of ‘game of their lives’
By Fernando López, Herald Minority Sports Correspondent

You won’t have the remotest idea about it, unless you’ve invested in a subscription to Cúchulainn or hail from a handful of locales preparing to back their boys all the way to the promised land of third place, but a new blue machine has been added to the active ranks of the association football, rugby union, field hockey and, er, women’s basketball teams – the national international rules football team are in the Babbage Islands for the next month, blazing a trail for not one but two of the Candelarias’ most unappreciated team sports.

The numbers of Candelariasian journos filling out the Great Dome in Gernsback were conspicuously small for the team’s opening encounter with Surote – a situation accepted with good cheer by head coach Caolán Ó Maol Dhómhnaigh in the aftermath of the nerve-settling victory. Speaking through a translator, he told Cúchulainn TV; “Realistically, we know we’re not going to get massive coverage at all at all at a time like this, and you’ve got the soccer boys all raring to go for their World Cup as well right now, so obviously we’re going to be overshadowed. But we’ve won a game here, and that’s honest to God more than I think most people back home truly expected, and we’ve got the game of our lives coming up in just a few days, so I do definitely think we can still hope to capture the public’s imagination before we have to troop back home.”

Success alone may not help the team achieve wider renown in C&M, nor help establish the sport as any kind of realistic rival to its more traditional competitors – the failure of the Professional Field Hockey Championship to get off the ground, and to a lesser extent its icebound cousin several years earlier, has made it abundantly clear that the Candelariasian people will not be forced into consuming sporting products they have little obvious appetitive for, even amongst a culture of international success. And in the case of IRF, the irony is that the game itself is played even on at pub level by not a single organised team in the entire country.

As a set of compromise rules between the related Gaelic and Antipodean forms of football, the Candelariasian team is understandably comprised principally of amateur players of the former – drawn from the four major associations (two in Albrecht, one based in Clotaire, and the other operating out of Melin) and consisting almost entirely of Sorthern immigrants and their decedents. By the GSACAM’s own admission, much soul-searching went into the make-up of the squad – with Ó Maol Dhómhnaigh theoretically able to select his travelling party from Northlandish citizens and residents of partial Candelariasian decent. Only at the last minute was a scouting trip to Rothsbere, Little Clotaire and beyond abandoned, but the manager appears pleased with the decision.

“Realistically, even if we were to pick an entire squad of Sorthern-based players – and we could have done, make no mistake about that – it goes without saying that the likelihood of us being able to challenge the Sorthern national team on their own terms would have remained absolutely tiddly. We’d be talking about taking players from Beningrad, Little Clotaire, county championship players at best, and putting them up against All-Sorthern stars from the Gaeltacht, and that’s just a crazy situation. I’m not saying we’d expect to get battered, and I’m certainly not saying we’re going to get battered now, but what we’ve got now is proper pride. All our lads, whatever their roots, are Candelariasian bred, if not born, and they’re out there wearing blue, and that means a hell of a lot. Perhaps we’ve sacrificed something in not looking overseas, but I truly believe in not doing so we’ve stayed true to the spirit of our sports, and that could really mean an awful lot when the first whistle blows.”

Despite the manager’s assertions, no fewer than seven members of the squad were born in Sorthern Northland – along with both Ó Maol Dhómhnaigh and his assistant Connor Rodríguez – with stars such as Barry O’Sullivan having reason to cherish next Tuesday’s fixture as one of the defining moments of his entire life. The Irish Street native, who notched up eleven of C&M’s overs against Surote, can count the Sortherner’s Niall Ó Suileabháin as a second cousin and has more than a little family pride to think about, while Laoighseach O’Labhrahadha is just one of a handful of players who may well be attracting divided loyalties in tiny villages back in the old country.

If O’Labhrahadha – an emerging star at just 21 and a figure already feted as the Candelarias’ best gah player of all time by his peers from Atlantian Oceania and Rushmore alike – was quiet against Surote, then that could hardly rank as unexpected. Indeed expecting the unexpected has to be a feature of the Cotswold Trophy for all but the hosts and hot favourites, with most teams only dipping their toes in the compromise rules prior to opening set of fixtures. If Surote were fitter, sharper and with arguably more experience however, the Candelariasians had an x-factor of their own – in the form of the six men on the squad not drawn from the country’s Gaelic sporting clubs.

It is arguably they that have the most to gain from this tournament. While Gaelic football itself will surely forever remain a niche restricted to the 1% of the population to can point north to a little spot between West Pocono and Yafalonia when thinking wistfully of ‘home’, the other portion of the squad drawn from the ranks of the Candelarian Football League must know that they have every opportunity to take their own sport to the masses with a series of fine performances in the Babbage Islands.

Played with eleven men and a round ball and featuring waste-high tackling and ball-scooping (no idea, I’m just repeating what they told me); Candelarian Rules Football may be utterly unknown outside Khatib-Gassett and Rose of Sharon, but gives C&M a significant advantage – that of half a dozen players already used to playing something akin to inter rules. Perhaps the biggest difference between they and their team-mates is profile – with the likes of O’Sullivan and Pak massive stars within their own neighbourhoods, and the ‘Candelarian’ counterparts from the north-east strictly nobodies by their own admission. The six clubs of the CFL cannot claim great community support, and play their obscure code in front of the proverbial man and his dog but, if the likes of Matt Harman and Jamil Iqbal can slot next to their Gaelic companions into the national IFL team, it could yet prove the first step on the road to a wider profile and even – so the veteran Ethan Jenner claims – semi-professional status. Certainly, with Turks’ Club and Khatib FC both lounging in the CMSC2 doldrums, KT Hotspur currently looking on a downward spiral and rugby in the Triple City struggling badly since the financial collapse of the Bloodhounds well over a decade ago; Candelarian Football could be ready to capture the imagination in Khatib and beyond if its principal stars can become household names.

Now all we have to do is learn the rules. But since when has that really mattered, let’s be honest. Look at field hockey, for heaven’s sake.

* Yeah, alright, but it was the best we could manage at short notice

The Cotwold Trophy, Round Robin Stage Matchday One

Candelaria And Marquez 54

Surote 50

[Luchsandria]

Luchsandria overwhelms Surote, takes overall lead

47 point slaughter plants Luchsandria in driver's seat

GERNSBACK, Babbage Islands--The Cotswold Trophy became slightly easier to predict today, as Luchsandria had a dominating victory over now-last place Surote by a score of 92 points, including 20 overs, to Surote's 45. The game was marked by Luchsandria's remarkably improved teamwork, as more than 20 players on the team had some type of score today.

Luchsandria's goal-heavy offense repeated its performance of yesterday in scoring 3 goals once again, 2 by team captain Keith Mandell, who told the press "We're really hitting our stride. Max [Moncure] has really been helping us adapt to each team's strengths and weaknesses, which is helpful, since I think he was the only guy on the whole team that didn't score today," he chuckled. Mandell was almost right. Moncure, Orlando Baker, Gregg Cheniva, goalie David Lonin, Charles Wolff, and Stephen Glosgin did not score today, but all other team members had at least 1 point attributed to them, including 4 points (1 over, 1 behind) to Luchsandria's toughest woman, Tammy Cross, making her the first woman to score in an international Inernational Rules Football tournament. She could not be found for comment, as coach Ryan Kauffman said she would be preoccupied for the remainder of the day.

The mood was strangely quiet post-game. Most reporters believe that there is some hidden issue behind the scenes of the team, but no investigative journalism is known to be taking place at this time.

Luchsandria's massive victory puts them squarely in the lead, with 2 wins and a whopping point differential of 54, compared to only 6 by Candelaria and Marquez, who defeated Sorthern Northland today by a margin of 46-44. Tomorrow, they face host team Babbage Islands, who fell to 3rd today after a 53-48 loss to Palmouth.

[The Babbage Islands]

GERNSBACK, Tesla (BPA) -- Day two of the Cotswold Trophy tournament in inter rules was marked by one blowout and two tight matches.

Luchsandria took an iron grip on the group lead with a 92-45 win over Surote. The Luchsandrians remain the only fifteen to score more than one goal in a game, and they have scored three goals twice. An eagerly-anticipated rivalry match between Sorthern Northland and Candelaria and Marquez was taken 46-44 by the Candelarians. Finally, the host side played a second consecutive match where no goals were scored by either squad, but The Babbage Islands came up five points short against Palmouth 53-48.

Today's third round games will see The Babbage Islands face group leaders Luchsandria, Candelaria and Marquez match up with Palmouth, and lastly Surote against Sorthern Northland will break someone's winless streak.

[The Babbage Islands]

Here we go with Round 3 results, as two teams take a clear lead in the quest for the finals:

ROUND THREE RESULTS
The Babbage Islands 1-11-9 (48), Luchsandria 2-15-8 (65)
Candelaria and Marquez 1-14-11 (59), Palmouth 1-14-7 (55)
Surote 1-9-8 (41), Sorthern Northland 1-9-9 (42)

STANDINGS
Team                                     W  D  L    PF    PA    PD   PTS
Luchsandria                              3  0  0   218   147    71    9
Candelaria and Marquez                   3  0  0   159   149    10    9
Palmouth                                 1  0  2   162   168   - 6    3
Sorthern Northland                       1  0  2   123   132   - 9    3
The Babbage Islands                      1  0  2   141   155   -14    3
Surote                                   0  0  3   136   188   -52    0

[Luchsandria]

Luchsandria claims third victory; takes insurmountable lead

2-game lead on 3rd guarantees tie at worst

GERNSBACK, Babbage Islands-- Luchsandria's International Rules football team has all but guaranteed themselves a spot in the Cotswold Trophy finals, by defeating host team Babbage Islands 65-48.

Near the end of the first half, the Babbage Islands, attempting to break the 28-28 tie, made a solid run towards the Luchsandria goal, when Babbage Islands half forward Garth Owen attempted a solo, and wound up with a duo, as an overeager Orlando Baker's tackle landed Owen awkwardly, and he was carted off of the field. Babbage Islands team personell say he's a game-time decision for the host team's must-win game tomorrow against 2nd-place Candelaria and Marquez. (Baker earned a yellow card for it.)

A major defensive highlight came for the Babbage Islands in the thrid quarter, when, with Luchsandria already leading 50-39, Gregg Cheniva, after having already broken away from Babbage Islands back pocket Ned Rogers and bench player Bart O'Hanlon, went for an over, but kicked awkwardly, and while still having the height for an over, a remarkable jump by Babbage's goalie, Brett Barfield, allowed him to ctach the ball and throw it back into play. (Luchsandria would get the over 18 seconds later, still by Gregg Cheniva.) When asked by reporters what he thought of it, he said "I was just in the moment. It didn't really dawn on me until after they actually scored the over, what the hell did I just do? Let's just hope I'll have the same luck against Connor Patrick," he remarked, referring to the Left Corner Back of Candelaria and Marquez, who's racked up 20 points in his 3 games in this tournament.

Luchsandria had a highlight of its own, on offense. Coach Ryan Kauffman, notable for his out-of-the-box plays, did it again today. On a goal run by Victor Minerva in the first quarter, he was having some time soloing away the ball, and his last solo did not fly back into his hands. Rather, it flew above his head, where it then was redirected, courtesy of Noriaki Yamada's fist, through the arms of Brett Barfield and into the goal for 6 points. The goal, after some debate considering the last touch by the foot, was accredited to Yamada regardless. When asked by reporters about the play, Coach Kauffman's response, at first was laughter, and then he said that he was inspired by Shannon Davidson during practice, whose solo was accidentally kicked just as Minerva's was intentionally.

Due to Luchsandria's 2-game lead over 3rd place, the worst-case scenario they'd have to endure at the end of the week is that they and one of the 3 teams currently with 3 points are tied with 9, in which case it would be settled by point differential, in which Luchsandria has quite a chip on their shoulder due to their blowout over Surote, which is the main contributor to their current differential of a remarkable 71 points.

Tomorrow, Luchsandria faces Sorthern Northland, who must win to keep themselves in mathematical contention for the finals, as do Palmouth, who plays winless and mathematically eliminated Surote, and the Babbage Islands, who play the undefeated, but relatively vulnerable with a point differential of 10, team for Candelaria and Marquez.

(Thanks to new journalistic clearances, we can reveal that Tammy Cross had been in a slightly disheveld state after yesterday's game, when she discovered a hidden camera in her private locker. The discovery of such information is given as the reason for such silence after yesterday's game. The perpetrator has since been arrested and has a trial date pending.)

[The Babbage Islands]

GERNSBACK, Tesla (BPA) -- Three great exhibitions of inter rules football threatened to be overshadowed by scandal off the pitch in day three of the Cotswold Trophy international tournament.

Group leaders Luchsandria marked up a convincing 65-48 win over The Babbage Islands to essentially assure themselves a spot in the Grand Final. Another stellar effort by Bumblebee keeper Brett Barfield and a pretty Tomos Lloyd goal could not compensate for Luchsandria's solid performance at both ends of the pitch throughout. Creative play by Gregg Cheniva and Noriaki Yamada for the Luchsandrians sparked the victors offensively.

Babbage half forward Garth Owen left the field in the first half after receiving a rather awkward tackle. He will likely be out for the tournament; his replacement had not been announced at press time.

In other action: Sorthern Northland broke its winless streak, defeating Surote by a single behind 42-41. Candelaria And Marquez advanced to 3-0 to keep pace with Luchsandria by defeating Palmouth 59-55. Both Luchsandria and Candelaria And Marquez can clinch finals berths with one win in either of the last two games; Luchsandria's enormous points difference will probably assure a spot even if they lose twice. Surote are mathematically eliminated. The other three teams must win out and hope for one or both undefeated teams to lose twice to have any chance of advancement.

Today's matches put Luchsandria against Sorthern Northland, Palmouth with Surote, and The Babbage Islands in a must-win game facing Candelaria And Marquez.

After the matches, it was revealed that a hidden camera had been found in the locker used by Luchsandrian woman player Tammy Cross. An arrest has been made, with arraignment set. Babbage Football International commissioner Julianne Phillips issued a brief statement announcing the incident and arrest. She added, "We are profoundly shocked by the utter disregard for civility shown by the perpetrator of this outrage. I believe I speak for the people of the islands when I express our emphatic apologies to Miss Cross, the Luchsandrian team, and all of our international guests." Judge Lindsay Martin, the head of state of The Babbage Islands, has cut short a judicial session in Charleston and will travel to Gernsback to meet with the Luchsandrian fifteen.

[The Babbage Islands]

Here are the results for the fourth round of the Cotswold Trophy:

ROUND FOUR RESULTS
Luchsandria 3-15-9 (72), Sorthern Northland 1-10-13 (49)
Palmouth 1-15-7 (58), Surote 1-7-9 (36)
The Babbage Islands 3-16-9 (75), Candelaria And Marquez 1-7-10 (37)

STANDINGS
Team                                     W  D  L    PF    PA    PD   PTS
Luchsandria                              4  0  0   290   196    94   12
Candelaria And Marquez                   3  0  1   196   224   -28    9
The Babbage Islands                      2  0  2   216   192    24    6
Palmouth                                 2  0  2   220   204    16    6
Sorthern Northland                       1  0  3   172   204   -32    3
Surote                                   0  0  4   172   246   -74    0

[Luchsandria]

Luchsandria defeats Sorthern Northland, secures place in finals

Inside: Rundown on who may join them

GERNSBACK, Babbage Islands--Luchsandria's team has done it again, defeating Sorthern Northland handily, by a score of 72-49. The game was marked by a clear style contrast, as the Gaelic Football-oriented Sorthern Northland team was struck dumb by a more Australian strategy adapted by Luchsandria.

This was never more evident than early in the first quarter, as Anderson Zeller caught a mark and instantly, his pursuer, 19-year-old left halfback Dáithí Ó Loingsigh, stopped dead in his tracks, anticipating the free kick. What he was not anticipating, however, was Zeller's decision to play on, which allowed him to break away from Ó Loingsigh easily, scoring an over and the first points of the game. Zeller commented afterwards, "We expected that the players may have overlooked one or more of the finer points of Inter Rules. We were right, and it wound up starting us off on the right foot."

Luchsandria wore shockingly bright purple uniforms today, alternate jerseys since their away jerseys had shrunk in the wash and they could not wear their regular crimson uniforms due to Sorthern Northland's similar color. Players and coaches alike had comments to make.

Garrett Wells: "I think they're just stupid. We need to send a message that we're a force to be reckoned with, not look like we're in an ad for a gay bar!"

Max Moncure: "I think the uniforms are just fine. As long as we keep winning our games, who cares what we look like while we do?"

Team captain Keith Mandell: "Today was a very sobering victory. Grape juice beats red wine."

The victory today secures Luchsandria's position as a finalist in 2 days. Sorthern Northland's loss mathematically eliminates them from contention, a distinction which they now share with the winless Surote. That leaves 3 teams to play tomorrow for the right to compete the next day. Here is a rundown of each possible scenario:

Candelaria and Marquez WINS: Candelaria and Marquez advances

Candelaria and Marquez LOSES, Babbage Islands WINS, and Palmouth LOSES: Babbage Islands advances

Candelaria and Marquez LOSES, Babbage Islands WINS, and Palmouth WINS by LESS than 8 points more than Babbage Islands: Babbage Islands advances

Candelaria and Marquez LOSES, Babbage Islands WINS, and Palmouth WINS by MORE than 8 points more than Babbage Islands: Palmouth advances

Candelaria and Marquez LOSES, Babbage Islands LOSES, and Palmouth WINS: Palmouth advances

Candelaria and Marquez LOSES, Babbage Islands LOSES, and Palmouth LOSES: Candelaria and Marquez advances.

After taking into consideration the statistics, including win-loss records, momentum, and scoring for all 6 teams, as well as tomorrow’s matchups, sports statisticians give Candelaria and Marquez a 55% chance of advancing, Babbage Islands 35% odds, and a souring 10% chance of making it to the final game.

Luchsandria faces Candelaria and Marquez tomorrow, Babbage Islands face Surote, and Sorthern Northland plays Palmouth. Keep your eyes and ears open to all media for any updates on the battle for the Cotswold Trophy.

[The Babbage Islands]

Tomorrow's Cotswold Trophy final will feature Luchsandria and The Babbage Islands.

ROUND FIVE RESULTS
Candelaria And Marquez 1-9-9 (42), Luchsandria 1-16-13 (67)
Surote 0-9-9 (36), The Babbage Islands 0-17-13 (64)
Sorthern Northland 1-11-13 (52), Palmouth 1-10-7 (43)

STANDINGS
Team                                     W  D  L    PF    PA    PD   PTS
Luchsandria                              5  0  0   357   238   119   15  Q
The Babbage Islands                      3  0  2   280   228    52    9  Q
Candelaria And Marquez                   3  0  2   238   291   -53    9
Palmouth                                 2  0  3   263   256     7    6
Sorthern Northland                       2  0  3   224   247   -23    6
Surote                                   0  0  5   208   310  -102    0

[Luchsandria]

Luchsandria completes perfect run

Will face Babbage Islands in tomorrow's finals

GERNSBACK, Babbage Islands--Luchsandria finished its perfect tourney in perfect fashion today, defeating Candelaria and Marquez 67-42. Their perfect run places them in an ideal position to prepare today for the tournament finals against host team The Babbage Islands.

The game had an interesting rules interpretation necessary on-field. In the second quarter of the game, during an offensive run by Candelaria and Marquez, a kick by their Full Forward, Barry O' Sullivan. completely fooled David Lonin, causing him to dive in the opposite direction. However, while diving, the ball actually got caught in Lonin's outstretched legs, causing some dispute by officials in the field. While it was generally believed the dispute was a question of ball possession, whether Lonin could still take the ball or it was out of play and had to be put back in play by officials, they ended up ruling that since Lonin's legs landed inside of the goal line, and he did not really have control of the ball when it occurred, the kick was ruled Candelaria and Marquez's only goal, which the entire Luchsandria team still claims to be a foolish ruling.

Tomorrow's match, the tournament finals, will be the first appearance by a Luchsandria national team in an international competition's finals, which follows naturally, considering this is the Luchsandria's first appearance in an international competition. The announcement was made today that in commemoration of the historic game, Luchsandria's president, Steven Bassett, will be flying to Gernsback and attending the game personally.

Unfortunately, due to the intense focus made towards defeating the Babbage Islands, interviewing was minimal. The team has assured us that they will be able to conduct as much interviewing as is wished of them after the finals tomorrow.

[The Babbage Islands]

Congratulations to the Cotswold Trophy champions: Luchsandria!

COTSWOLD TROPHY: GRAND FINAL

The Babbage Islands 1-10-13 (49), Luchsandria 2-16-7 (67)

[Quintessence of Dust]

OOC: Hope you don't mind me saying, but congrats to you too on a well-run tournament!

[The Babbage Islands]

OOC: Hope you don't mind me saying, but congrats to you too on a well-run tournament!

Thanks. The experience will be useful in the future, too. I'm favourably inclined to bidding for a major championship in a few months, with the right partner and a bit more seasoning.