CE 31 & EspoT20 II & Sporting Festival - Everything Thread

by **Kaldtfjell** » Mon Dec 06, 2021 11:28 am

Dear diary,

We’re now at the part of our plan where we don’t really have a plan, to be perfectly honest.

I think I’d always been assuming the worst. We were going to get caught and returned to Kaldtfjell, something was going to go wrong. I didn’t plan for the idea that we might get out because I really didn’t think we would. Now, we’re just winging it.

I don’t really know much about Tumbra. That’s not saying much, to be fair. I don’t know much about the outside world, thanks to that combination of not being taught very much about the world and not really thinking it mattered. No one ever left Kaldtfjell, so why would I need to know? That was the reason I gave myself at least. Now I’m kind of regretting it.

As always, Asbjorn knows more. He’s quite happy that we ended up here, and that the referee could get us somewhere safe like his homeland. It’s not that South Newlandia isn’t safe: it’s more that, with the “tentacles of power” (as he put it) still in that country with the hockey team, we were probably safer getting out somehow. This worked perfectly.

I don’t know what comes next. I’m not sure that any of us know. I’m hoping I can still play football over here, but it sounds like there are some legal things we would have to go through first and prove that we’re actually here for a good reason. That makes sense I guess. They don’t want us to be psychopaths or something like that.

Apparently, someone important is going to be announcing that we’re in Tumbra and safe. I guess we caused somewhat of a stir by disappearing. Kaldtfjell’s government will have inevitably been looking for us, and I suspect the Hovding puffed out his chest and tried to scare other nations into complying. I don’t know if it’ll help us to have that information out there. Our families won’t ever find out the truth because of the Kaldtfjeller media being so tightly controlled: that’s what Asbjorn thinks at least. He said that they might want to settle things down, and to make themselves look good maybe. So long as it doesn’t bring us to harm, I don’t really care what they do. My focus is on being allowed to stay, and then trying to find a way to play again. I hope I’ll have at least something from my former life to keep me going.

I keep feeling like I can’t write in here, and then remembering that I’m free, or at least freer than I was before. No one is trying to stop me expressing these things. I could go out onto the street and shout about them. I’m not ready for that yet though. Too much, too fast, I think. For now, I’ll keep writing.

A. F.

by **Fhulghamous Peninsula** » Mon Dec 06, 2021 12:18 pm

DISCLAIMER: Gaelic Gamers is an independents sports blogging website created by four cousins with a common liking and passion for sports of all kinds and is in no way or form affiliated with or organized by any official news organization in the Democratic Republic of Abanhfleft. All statements and opinions posted here are our own and not anyone else's.

Gaelic Gamers
Presents...

The Football Fallacies
with The Man from Markovsky

TFW THE OTHER TEAM TAKES SCORING MORE GOALS THAN THE OPPONENT TOO LITERALLY

Hello and welcome to The Football Fallacies. Right, so the Fhulghamous Peninsula have managed to make it out of the group stage of the 31st Campionato Esportiva by the skin of their teeth. They sat out the final matchday of the group stage because they were the unlucky ones that got the bye day on the final day, so they could do nothing but sit around twiddling their thumbs and waiting for the results in the other games to be in their favor. And apparently it was, because both Nova Anglicana and Tumbra won their respective games and thus allowed the Fhulghamous to finish third. Their reward for finishing third? A match against A Random Place. Yes, the same place that randomly picks people for everything, even representing them in international football! And I thought Antonis Papadimitriou's ragtag team of Sunday league misfits was bad enough!

I'm not going to sugarcoat things. This was a Sunday league match that had somehow found its way into the international stage! On one side, you have a bunch of janitors, accountants, doctoral students, and construction workers thrown together into one team with the hope that they would be able to get together and play a game of football for ninety minutes, and on the other side you have the Fhulghamous Peninsula. Gotcha there, didn't I? But in terms of the actual football, it was A Random Place that got the Fhulghamous. Like I said before, this was two Sunday league teams coming together in front of an international audience, and the quality of the play was straight out of Sunday league as well! You got missed tackles, you got goal attempts from the halfway line, you got turnovers galore with every single pass, you got everything that gives Sunday league the reputation that it has! It may not really deserve that kind of reputation but that's just the quality of Sunday league football! There's just no use denying it.

And of course, on the one game that Antonis decided to come out of his shell and play short passing football, he got absolutely burned in possibly the weirdest way possible. Because, I mean, come on! Let's be real with ourselves here. There should be no real reason why A Random Place's team of randomly gathered folk should have had a chance against this Fhulghamousian bunch, because at least the Fhulghamousian bunch actually have had experience playing in an actual football team, even if it is semi-pro like the Fhulghamousian Premier League is. And yet this bunch of strangers managed to beat this team of semi-professional players who actually have backgrounds playing in an actual football league! Not to mention the fact that Antonis actually called up a few actual professionals for this particular Campionato to show the semi-pro lads what's what! I mean, it's like every single time the Fhulghamous scores a goal, A Random Place somehow manages to get a goal back almost immediately. It doesn't matter if it's via a scuffed shot, an unmarked header, or an attempt from literally the halfway line; A Random Place almost always seemed to score the goals that they needed to remain on level terms!

Antonis Papadimitriou finally realized two things in this game: one, that this game was a must-win, and two, that he could do with a little changing up of his own tactics by putting different types of forward up top. He had both a target man and a speedy striker in his team, so why not use both at the same time? Out went Julian Elvira and in went Eulalio Acosta because of that, and the combination of Eulalio and Anselmo Iñiguez was certainly one that worked really well, if the four goals between the two of them were any indication. But unfortunately for them, A Random Place just happened to be in the mood to score a boatload of goals, and they didn't stop scoring until they finally had the lead against the Fhulghamous Peninsula. If Eulalio scored a goal then Bryony Soto must score even though they scuffed their kick and it should have been easily saved by Filippos Economatos. If Anselmo scored a brace then Baxter Woodcock must score a hat trick. And so on and so forth until the final whistle was finally blown and the end result was A Random Place, six (yes, you read that right—six!), Fhulghamous Peninsula, five.

Well, that’s all that there is for me now. If you’ve got any comments or thoughts of your own about the match against A Random Place or predictions about who's going to win the Campionato Esportiva then feel free to leave them down below. Until then, I’ve been the Man from Markovsky, thoroughly disappointed that actually playing good football still led to me being disappointed by my country’s colony once again.

          A RANDOM PLACE 6 - 5 FHULGHAMOUS PENINSULA          
               SOTO (9')       ACOSTA (4', 36')
            BENTON (16')       IÑIGUEZ (12', 72')
WOODCOCK (40', 65', 90')       ANTONAKAKIS (59')
          TERRRELL (80')

by **Hannasea** » Mon Dec 06, 2021 12:34 pm

Selection of articles from Hannasean news media.

HATEBALL: Davidson looks to move abroad to explore opportunities at losing in warmer climes

BASEBALL: Choughs dominate ~~Llamas~~ Tigers

HOCKEY~~BALL~~PUCK: Hannasea wins!

~~FOOT~~HAND ~~BALL~~EGG: Amateurs do a thoroughly professional job of proving why sending amateurs to an international tournament is a terrible idea

by **South Newlandia** » Mon Dec 06, 2021 1:33 pm

Cutoff for Day 7 of the Campionato Esportiva 31, Espo T20 II and Esportivan Baseball, Basketball, Ice Hockey, and Gridiron Trophies!
If you notice any mistakes, please alert me ASAP!

Campionato Esportiva 31

Day 7 - Round of 16

(1) Gergary 0–2 The Licentian Isles (16) @EsportivArena, 14,000 – Newport
(8) Racing 0–2 Nova Anglicana (AZE) (9) @Coast Stadium, 14,600 – Elephant Town

(4) Ethane 0–1 Sangti (13) @Walstreim Park, 15,000 – Walstreim
(5) Burgburgh 1–0 Bongo Johnson (12) @Elephant Dome, 21,500 – Elephant Valley

(2) Ceyne Isles 1–1 Xanneria (15) (1–2 AET) @Jecken Arena, 16,250 – Newport
(7) South Newlandia 2-0 Esportivan Darmen (10) @Stadium of Friendship, 41,093 – Elephant Valley - (scorinated by Sylestone)

(3) Tumbra 2–2 A Random Place (14) (3–2 AET) @Ratzupalfu Colosseum, 16,000 – Ratzupalfu - (scorinated by Sylestone)
(6) Brenecia 2–0 Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom (11) @Kinetik Stadium, 16,000 – New Colk

Day 8 - Quarterfinals

(16) The Licentian Isles – Nova Anglicana (AZE) (9) @Elephant Dome, 21,500 – Elephant Valley

(13) Sangti – Burgburgh (5) @Ratzupalfu Colosseum, 16,000 – Ratzupalfu

(15) Xanneria – South Newlandia (7) @Kinetik Stadium, 16,000 – New Colk

(3) Tumbra – Brenecia (6) @Stadium of Friendship, 41,093 – Elephant Valley

Espo T20 II

Day 7 - Quarterfinals

(1) Sylestone - Tumbra (9)
Sylestone 170/5 (20 overs)
Tumbra 156/6 (20 overs)
Sylestone wins by 14 runs 
@Southground, 4,500 – Elephant Valley

(4) Castlelobruxo - Esportivan Darmen (5) 
Castlelobruxo 165/8 (19 overs)
Esportivan Darmen 161/4 (20 overs)
Castlelobruxo wins by two wickets with 6 balls remaining
@Harrier Stadium, 5,800 – New Colk


(2) Damukuni - Ethane (7) 
Damukuni 173/4 (19.4 overs)
Ethane 170/4 (20 overs)
Damukuni wins by six wickets with two balls remaining
@Black Dolphin Arena, 7,000 – New Colk

(3) South Newlandia - Natanians and Nosts (6) - (scorinated by Sylestone)
South Newlandia 165/6 (20 overs)
Natanians and Nosts 152/4 (20 overs)
South Newlandia wins by 13 runs
@Harrier Stadium, 5,800 – New Colk

Day 8 - Semifinals

(1) Sylestone – Castlelobruxo (4) @Harrier Stadium, 5,800 – New Colk

(2) Damukuni – South Newlandia (3) @Southground, 4,500 – Elephant Valley

Esportivan Baseball Trophy

Day 7 - Semifinals

(B4) Copper Cuprum - The Hannasean Federation (B2) 
Copper Cuprum                 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 1  4
The Hannasean Federation      4 2 1 0 0 0 1 1 X  9
@Seaside Park, 14,000 – Walstreim

(B1) The Sherpa Empire - Ethane (A2)
Ethane                        0 0 0 1 3 1 1 2 0  8
The Sherpa Empire             0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0  4 
@Dolphin Stadium, 12,500 – Newport

Day 8 - Third Place Playoff

(B4) Copper Cuprum – The Sherpa Empire (B1) @Elephant Stadium, 15,000 – Elephant Valley

Day 8/9 - Final (Best of 3)

(B2) The Hannasean Federation – Ethane (A2) @Elephant Stadium, 15,000 – Elephant Valley

Esportivan Basketball Trophy

Group
Ha'Yarok 91–70 United
Sangti 67–92 Nova Anglicana (AZE)
South Newlandia 86–71 Fhulghamous Peninsula
Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom 69–83 Natanians and Nosts

P Group                        Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Nova Anglicana (AZE)           7   6  1  660 477 +183   6
2 South Newlandia                7   6  1  556 494 +62    6 (1/2 on H2H result)
3 Fhulghamous Peninsula          7   4  3  542 540  +2    4
4 Ha'Yarok                       7   4  3  539 542  −3    4 (3/4 on H2H result)
5 Sangti                         7   3  4  498 513 −15    3
6 Natanians and Nosts            7   2  5  514 564 −50    2
7 Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom      7   2  5  476 568 −92    2 (6/7 on H2H result)
8 United                         7   1  6  472 559 −87    1

Day 8 - Semifinals

(1) Nova Anglicana (AZE) – Ha'Yarok (4) @Jungle Stadium, 4,500 – Ratzupalfu

(2) South Newlandia – Fhulghamous Peninsula (3) @Jungle Stadium, 4,500 – Ratzupalfu

Esportivan Ice Hockey Trophy

Day 7 - Quarterfinals

(1) The Sherpa Empire 5–2 Natanians and Nosts (8) @Valley Rink, 3,300 - Elephant Valley
(4) South Newlandia 3–5 Kaldtfjell (5) @Prosperena, 4,000 - Newport

(2) Nova Anglicana (AZE) 6–1 Gergary (10) @Valley Rink, 3,300 - Elephant Valley
(3) Fhulghamous Peninsula 0–3 Tumbra (6) @Trunkst Hockey Arena, 3,000 - Trunkst

Day 8 - Semifinals

(1) The Sherpa Empire – Kaldtfjell (5) @Trunkst Hockey Arena, 3,000 - Trunkst

(2) Nova Anglicana (AZE) – Tumbra (6) @Prosperena, 4,000 - Newport

Esportivan Gridiron Trophy

Day 7 - Third Place Playoff

(2) A Random Place 29–20 The Hannasean Federation (4) @Elephant Field, 7,700 - Elephant Valley

Day 7 - Final

(1) Nova Anglicana (AZE) 40–10 Fhulghamous Peninsula (3) @Elephant Field, 7,700 - Elephant Valley

Congratiulations to Nova Anglicana (AZE), the Champions of the Esportivan Gridiron Trophy!

by **Sylestone** » Mon Dec 06, 2021 8:52 pm

Sylestone Batting
Batter                                           R   B  4s  6s   SR
Y Ubuni          c&b Wallis                     28  21   2   2  133.33
B Eastwood       not out                        75  51   6   2  147.06
L Cocrine        b McCrory                      30  23   3   1  130.43
S Cross          c Cranston b McCrory           14  14   1   0  100
L Afosha (c)     b McCrory                      11   8   2   0  137.5
P Lenton         c Hunter b McCrory              0   1   0   0    
A Stealom (+)    not out                         8   2   2   0  400
      EXTRAS     (4 wd)                          4
      TOTAL      for 5 wickets                 170   (20 ov; 8.5 RPO)
Did not bat:   N Norwell, R Amitt, L Codrington, K Sonnel

FOW: 1-50 (Y Ubuni, 7.4 overs); 2-107 (L Cocrine, 14.1 overs); 3-144 (S Cross, 17.3 overs); 
     4-162 (L Afosha (c), 19.3 overs); 5-162 (P Lenton, 19.4 overs)

Tumbra Bowling
Bowler              Ov   M   R  W   Econ  Ext
B Watson             2   0  16  0      8  
C McCrory            4   0  29  4   7.25  (1 wd)
R Cohen              2   0  23  0   11.5  
H Cranston           4   0  26  0    6.5  (1 wd)
R Wallis             4   0  38  1    9.5  
O Bowles             3   0  23  0   7.67  
M Chen               1   0  15  0     15  (2 wd)

Tumbra Batting   (Target: 171)
Batter                                           R   B  4s  6s   SR
C McCrory        c Ubuni b Codrington            1   4   0   0   25
B Watson         st Stealom b Afosha            32  28   3   0  114.29
W McCullogh      lbw b Codrington               10  10   2   0  100
R Bremner (c)    c Amitt b Cross                51  39   6   1  130.77
S Paulsen        c Afosha b Sonnel               7   8   1   0   87.5
H Cranston       not out                        37  21   2   3  176.19
R Cohen          run out (sub (Westleford))      1   1   0   0  100
S Hunter (+)     not out                        10   9   2   0  111.11
      EXTRAS     (1 b, 3 lb, 3 wd)               7
      TOTAL      for 6 wickets                 156   (20 ov; 7.8 RPO)
Did not bat:   M Chen, R Wallis, O Bowles

FOW: 1-9 (C McCrory, 1.2 overs); 44248 (W McCullogh, 3.3 overs); 3-72 (B Watson, 10.6 overs); 
     4-87 (S Paulsen, 13.2 overs); 5-132 (R Bremner (c), 17.2 overs); 6-135 (R Cohen, 17.5 overs)

Sylestone Bowling
Bowler              Ov   M   R  W   Econ  Ext
N Norwell            2   0  19  0    9.5  
L Codrington         4   0  30  2    7.5  
R Amitt              4   0  27  0   6.75  
L Afosha (c)         3   0  23  1   7.67  
K Sonnel             4   0  28  1      7  
S Cross              3   0  25  1   8.33  

Venue: Southground, Elephant Valley, South Newlandia
Match number: 
Toss: Sylestone won the toss and elected to bat
Season/Tournament: EspoT20 II
Matchdays: Quarterfinal
Player of the Match: Brianna Eastwood (SYL)
Series result: 
Debut: None
Umpires: Unknown
TV Umpire: Unknown
Reserve Umpire: Unknown
Match Referee: Unknown
Match Result: Sylestone win by 14 runs

Semifinal XI vs Castlelobruxo @ Harrier Stadium, New Colk, South Newlandia

1. Yash Ubuni
2. Brianna Eastwood
3. Lachlan Cocrine
4. Samuel Cross
5. Liam Afosha (c)
6. Peter Lenton
7. Ashton Stealom (+)
8. Caitlyn Freehill
9. Ross Amitt
10. Leo Codrington
11. Kate Sonnel

by **Tumbra** » Tue Dec 07, 2021 12:08 pm

Tumbra 3-2 A Random Place (aet)

TMB (4-2-3-1): 1 - John Lennon; 2 - Ryan Hughes (18 - Josh Hindley, 75'), 5 - Harry Henderson, 14 - Stephen Kerr (20 - Douglas Moore, 62'), 3 - Chris Carter; 6 - Vincent Hicks, 8 - Trudy Harrison, 10 - Phil Cole; 7 - George Hilton, 9 - Robin Vaughn (21 - Lynne Crossley, 90'), 11 - Nick Riordan

Scorers: Nick Riordan (35', 75'), Phil Cole (110')

Player of the Match: Nick Riordan (TMB)

Now deep into the wee hours of the night, results are coming in thick and fast; over three hundred results across the country have been declared, but not all have been going according to the exit poll. Swings in the west have been way stronger than expected, and swings in the east have been...surprisingly pro-Labour, resulting in a seat in Napier - Mornington, in the suburbs of Couno - resulting in a Labour gain.

Meanwhile, the first resignation of the night has occurred; Hannah Slater, leader of the Moderates, has announced she will be stepping down as Leader of the Moderate Party, as her colleagues fall around her. Possible successors to her include the popular Ridgewell Woodleigh MP, Richard Graham, and Tamworth MP William Boyd, who himself is defending a very slender 0.7% majority.

But focus now turns to the West and Esportiva as a whole...

Dan Jacobs: Well it does remain to be seen who survives the Moderate losses of the night, if we're to even speculate who the next leader of the Moderates will be. If we take a look at Richard Graham's seat — Woodleigh, it was, up in Ridgewell — Susan? What are the figures looking like now?

Susan Morrison stands next to a screen containing a patchwork map of Tumbra which has slowly gained more colour in the past few hours. There is more blue on the screen than red, but one tap of the "hexagon" map reveals that Labour is still by far and away ahead of the Liberals when it comes to seats. She zooms in on one yellow seat in the north-west — in fact, the only yellow seat in a sea of red and blue.

Susan Morrison: Ridgewell Woodleigh, the seat of long-serving MP Richard Graham; elected in 2001 as a 35 year-old in a shock victory over the incumbent Labour MP back then, and has been serving the seat ever since. Now fifty-nine years old, he faces the fight of his electoral life; even though he's defending a majority of seven percent and seventeen thousand votes after preferences, he only won the first preference count by about two thousand votes last time out. Here, now, he's trailing in that; and very badly. A lot of Moderate voters have switched over to Labour, and preferences may not be enough to see him over the line. In fact, our computer's so pessimistic about his chances of returning that we're putting it down as a probable Labour gain.

Dan Jacobs: Would be quite the damper on his leadership ambitions, wouldn't it? If I recall correctly the leader of the Moderate Party must be from Parliament.

Prof. Stephen Brown: You're quite right on that, Dan; now him trailing, one possible reason could be his outspoken support, again, of the anti-Northlands crusade; he marched in the Ridgewell protests of 2024, where anti-Northlands campaigners marched; and eventually the counter-protestors led to violence, quite a lot of which was concentrated in that part of Ridgewell. That may have impacted his vote quite a bit; Nineteen of Ridgewell's twenty MPs voted aye on the Northlands Act - he was the only one to vote against. Part of that Western alienation phenomenon we talked about earlier in the night, and we're observing now; the West turning very much away from Labour and the Moderates towards the Liberals.

Dan Jacobs: Will, have you got anything to tell us about that?

Will Byrne: I sure do, Dan. If you'll follow me back into the studio, we'll be able to bring down the map of how Tumbra voted last time; here it is, the sea of red pretty much everywhere as Kenneth Everett led Labour to his second term four years ago.

Click on the image for a bigger version.

Will Byrne: But what I want you to focus on is the West of Tumbra. Look at it now; Grantfeldt, Marlsbruhe especially, Caduke, Turvenal, Fremont, Pesvern, that bastion of conservatism giving five of their ten MPs to the people in the red rosette. All twenty-five states recorded a plurality, at least, of Labour MPs; that red wall in the west holding strong.

But look at what's going on now.

Click on the image for a bigger version.

This is what we think, after 358 results, will happen to the country after tonight. And we're seeing that red wall in the west absolutely collapsing. Vast swathes of blue in the west, Pesvern only returning one Labour MP tonight, down from five, lots of red seats going blue; and that's where Labour are going to get a majority of their losses tonight. Twenty-three seats down from last time, still a secure enough majority, but definitely a slap on the wrist for a high-flying Prime Minister.

The red wall was less a wall and more of a temporary fortification, of course; most of these seats were very pro-Liberal territory, and this is them just going back to the mean. But something, something has happened in the last four years that's resulted in this large swing away from Labour in the west, while if we observe the country in the east; there's been almost no change. If anything, if we look at the top right corner of the map, Labour have even made gains in Napier, and in Clearmont they've secured all three Havelock seats, when just eight years ago they were solid Liberal territory.

Dan Jacobs: If I were the Prime Minister, I'd be seriously reconsidering my decision to build the Assembly of Esportiva in Shepperton, wouldn't I? I'd look to somewhere that's still in the West; or even better, not in the West at all.

Jessica Pryce: Indeed; more Shepperton residents want to see the Esportivan Parliament somewhere else, even though the details of it were signed with Damukuni a while back; their plan was to build the Council of Esportiva on the opposite side of the border to the Assembly, in East Town. Alternative sites, I think we've mentioned, are Southport — that city could use lots of investment; Bencoolen, where the atmosphere to the EU is much, much friendlier; or Kingsbury, which will almost certainly be the temporary headquarters of the Parliament while this situation is resolved. It will be costly; Damukuni will most likely demand a payment for non-completion of their agreement, and they will have to bring down the work that's already been done on the Parliament building.

Prof. Stephen Brown: But it must be said, if Labour wish to continue on in office beyond this third term — as they quite likely are going to, given how behind the Liberals are in the starting block for 2029 — they've got to shore up their defences somewhere.

Dan Jacobs: Speaking of Esportiva, how are the elections for that looking? Susan, let's get a run-down, shall we?

Susan Morrison: With 48% of the vote for the Esportivan Parliament election counted, our current projection puts Labour on 17 seats, the Liberals on 13 — the Nationals aren't running candidates in these elections — the Greens on 7, in a very strong showing from them. The Conservatives have monopolised the hard Espo-sceptic vote, with 6 seats; the Moderates on a disappointing night, with just 4 seats. The Progressives have done well, already collecting two seats on five percent of the vote. We also think the Social Democrats will send one representative to Kingsbury, while the Reform Movement have failed in their bid to send a single MEA, only getting slightly over a hundred thousand votes out of the forty million counted so far.

David Vance: That's going to be an interesting topic to interview one of them on.

Dan Jacobs: I think we've got a camera up in Columbia East, where George Bernhardt, one of the leaders is; we'll be able to catch his concession speech, at the very least, which should provide some entertainment for you viewers at home.

Tumbra vs Brenecia - Campionato Esportiva 31, Quarter-Final

Starters: 1 - John Lennon, 2 - Ryan Hughes, 4 - Ian Ashburn, 5 - Harry Henderson, 19 - Nigel Harris; 6 - Vincent Hicks, 15 - Craig McGrath, 10 - Phil Cole; 7 - George Hilton, 9 - Robin Vaughn; 11 - Nick Riordan

Bench: 12 - Frank Johnson, 13 - Victoria Jones; 18 - Josh Hindley, 14 - Stephen Kerr, 20 - Douglas Moore, 3 - Chris Carter; 8 - Trudy Harrison, 16 - Alan Morgan, 23 - David Burnet; 19 - Valerie Wells, 21 - Lynne Crossley; 22 - Nigel Erskine

by **Nova Anglican Admin Zone of Esportiva** » Wed Dec 08, 2021 8:53 am

As PM remains neutral, lines are drawn over joining the Espo

Marian Bailey, Rutupiae Free Beacon

Nova Anglicana has begun the process of integrating into Esportiva, signing the Treaty of Montfort, joining Esportivan Union institutions, and nominating candidates for Esportivan Union positions. But one question remains undecided: will Nova Anglicana join the Espo single currency? The government of Prime Minister Josephine Clark has determined that that question will be decided in a referendum scheduled for the same date as the Assembly of Esportiva elections and local elections Newfoundland & Labrador and Quebec. Inevitably, this has led to the framing of the AE elections as essentially the same question as the referendum, and in the run-up to the elections, different parties have begun elaborating on their pro- or anti-Espo stance. But the PM has decided to remain neutral.

Supporters of joining the Espo single currency include the Liberal Secularists (the strongest mainstream backers), the Stewardship Party (in a rare display of independence from the PJP on non-environmental issues), Equality, and the smaller parties Democracy and the newly formed Esportivan Unity Party (EU Party). The Liberal Secularists have long been internationalist thinkers, and both the more economically progressive and liberal wings of the party agree that a single currency will help Nova Anglicana. The progressive wing is likely thinking of the opportunity to bind Nova Anglicana closer to Esportiva, while the liberal wing likes that it will ease transactions and strengthen Nova Anglicana's currency situation overall. The Stewardship Party leader Marilyn Greenfield issued a statement saying, "If we are serious about international co-operation, then we need to integrate fully. Adopting the Espo shows to our Esportivan partners that we are an ally to be trusted and that we will collaborate with them to use the EU as a force for good." Meanwhile, Equality, Democracy, and the EU Party have backed the Espo as a further step towards establishing a zone of peace and prosperity that stretches across increasing parts of the multiverse; they believe that a single currency will be a boon for tourism and cultural exchange.

On the opposing side, the forces of the right have arrayed themselves: the People's Party (with a couple of notable exceptions), the Libertarians, the National Party, and the smaller Christian Patriotic Vanguard, Belle Patrie, Newfoundland First, Family First, and God's Own Country parties. The Nationals, CPV, BP, NF, FF, and GOC have denounced the EU at various times as a "globalist plot", a "scheme for destroying Nova Anglicana", a "threat to a traditional way of life", and "the most brazen attempt to undermine Nova Anglican economic independence ever". Part and parcel of rejecting the EU is rejecting the Espo. The Libertarians and People's Party have slightly different arguments. The Libertarians believe in the EU as a free trade zone only, saying that "adopting the Espo means giving up our right to monetary independence" and "a closer monetary union is only a step on a road towards a closer political union." Being devolutionists, they reject anything that has a whiff of power flowing away from lower administrative units. As for the People's Party, Michael Ramsey has railed against "unaccountable EU bureaucrats" and has convinced his party that accepting the Espo would be a symbolic acceptance of all of the EU. While not rejecting the EU entirely, Ramsey and his lead AE candidate, Deputy Leader Melody Savoy, have promised to keep a close watch on it and "judge issues on a case-by-case basis". However, not all PP members agree. A recent poll found that while 52% of PP members reject joining the Espo, a significant 31% minority favor it, while 17% remain undecided. Additionally, James Bradley, one of two PP senators to approve of the Treaty of Montfort, has said that he thinks "joining the Espo would allow for an economic boom, as transaction costs are reduced, new avenues for investment open up, and tourism becomes that much easier." Additionally, New Brunswick Premier and provincial PP branch party leader Arsène Deslauriers has spoken out in favor of the Espo, saying "foreign investment is always welcome in New Brunswick, and the Espo can open up that door."

Finally, the Prime Minister herself has decided to remain neutral on the question. In a statement, Clark said, "I strongly support Nova Anglicana's participation in the Esportivan Union. We must establish strong links to our Esportivan partners in order to build a safer and more prosperous world. However, the question of the Espo is a momentous issue, with strong arguments on each side. As PM, I want to unite the country, not divide it unnecessarily. Therefore, I will accept the judgment of the Nova Anglican people. I will not, however, restrict the decisions of members of my Cabinet or of rank-and-file members. The PJP has room for different opinions and I want all of those to be heard." Clark has emphasised the role the Esportivan Union can play in helping Nova Anglicana, but has avoided discussing the benefits or downsides of the Espo itself. Her lead candidate for the Assembly of Esportiva, Graham Hatten has also avoided this. Although he has refused to say whether Clark slapped him with a gag order, political observers have speculated that Hatten and Clark are making a conscious effort to avoid the Espo and the Assembly elections from having the same result.

According to the same recent poll that found the Espo 21 points underwater among PP members, the general public views joining the Espo more neutrally. 36% of respondents favored joining the Espo, while 39% favored rejecting, with a substantial 25% considering themselves undecided. Too strong of a stance on joining the Espo could result in a loss in the AE elections, which would set the Clark government back in terms of political capital. This has not prevented members of the Clark cabinet from expressing their feelings on the subject. On the pro-Espo side, Foreign Minister Talia Sherwood has supported the Espo on diplomatic and integration grounds, while Commerce & Labor Minister Isaac Okomo-Grant has promoted the business benefits of joining the Espo. Health Minister Alexandra Ward has come out against the Espo, saying she believes it will limit Nova Anglicana's control over its own financial resources and its ability to fund the Health Authority in times of need. Meanwhile, Justice Minister Sheila Gordon has said she thinks Nova Anglicana needs to remain flexible, and that "governors at the ECB may not understand the needs of indigenous communities and our obligation to them." Many political watchers are looking to see where influential and knowledgeable Finance Minister Lester Gray will come down on this issue, but Gray has echoed Clark's rhetoric on the issue, perhaps indicating that he's in the same boat as Hatten.

The Espo battle lines are being drawn, and while it appears that the left broadly supports the Espo, while the right broadly rejects it, it's clear that opinion is divided across society. Polls indicate a closely divided vote, and supporters and dissenters exist across the political spectrum. In addition, a wild card is the PM's professed neutrality on the issue. Will Clark's neutrality preserve her party or tear it apart? However the Espo issue plays out, PJP supporters will be key to deciding its fate, since there is no clear direction from the top of the party. And finally, how will the Espo affect the Assembly of Esportiva elections? Will Clark be able to successfully divorce her party's result from the Espo referendum, and will it matter? Only time will tell.

CE 31 and Esportivan Sporting Festival Updates

Football

Record: 3-2-0, 11 pts
Standing: 9th in playoffs
Games to play: Up to 3 (Quarterfinal vs Licentian Isles, potential semifinal vs Sangti/Burgburgh, potential final TBD)
Most recent match/statistics: 2-0 Racing (Hampton 32', Reed 51')

Basketball

Record: 6-1, +183 PD
Standing: 1st seed in playoffs
Games to play: Up to 2 (Semifinal vs Ha'Yarok, potential final vs South Newlandia/Fhulghamous Peninsula)
Most recent match/statistics: 92-67 Sangti (Darren Goodman 18 pts, Team 16 turnovers forced)

Ice Hockey

Record: 4-1-0-0
Standing: 2nd seed in playoffs
Games to play: Up to 2 (Semifinals vs Tumbra, potential final vs The Sherpa Empire/Kaldtfjell)
Most recent match/statistics: 6-1 Gergary (Messier 13:24 1st, Boutin 3:47 2nd, King 8:58 2nd, Cole 12:09 2nd, Coderre 0:35 3rd, Manning 14:11 3rd)

Gridiron

Record: 7-0, +146 PD
Standing: Champions
Games to play: None, champions
Most recent match/statistics: 40-10 Fhulghamous Peninsula (QB Dixon: 38-52, 439 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT, K Hart 4/5 FG, 4/4 XP)

by **South Newlandia** » Wed Dec 08, 2021 1:22 pm

Cutoff for Day 8 of the Campionato Esportiva 31, Espo T20 II and Esportivan Baseball, Basketball, and Ice Hockey Trophies!
If you notice any mistakes, please alert me ASAP!

Campionato Esportiva 31

Day 8 - Quarterfinals

(16) The Licentian Isles 3–4 Nova Anglicana (AZE) (9) @Elephant Dome, 21,500 – Elephant Valley

(13) Sangti 0–2 Burgburgh (5) @Ratzupalfu Colosseum, 16,000 – Ratzupalfu

(15) Xanneria 1–3 South Newlandia (7) @Kinetik Stadium, 16,000 – New Colk - (scorinated by Græntfjall)

(3) Tumbra 1–0 Brenecia (6) @Stadium of Friendship, 41,093 – Elephant Valley

Day 9 - Semifinals

(9) Nova Anglicana (AZE) – Burgburgh (5) @Kinetik Stadium, 16,000 – New Colk

(7) South Newlandia – Tumbra (3) @Ratzupalfu Colosseum, 16,000 – Ratzupalfu

Espo T20 II

Day 8 - Semifinals

(1) Sylestone – Castlelobruxo (4) 
Sylestone 189/5 (20 overs)
Castlelobruxo 151/8 (20 overs)
Sylestone wins by 38 runs
@Harrier Stadium, 5,800 – New Colk

(2) Damukuni – South Newlandia (3) - (scorinated by Græntfjall)
Damukuni 182/9 (20 overs)
South Newlandia 184/7 (18.2 overs)
South Newlandia wins by three wickets with ten balls remaining
@Southground, 4,500 – Elephant Valley

Day 9 - Third Place Playoff

(2) Damukuni – Castlelobruxo (4) @Black Dolphin Arena, 7,000 – New Colk

Day 9 - Final

(1) Sylestone – South Newlandia (3) @Black Dolphin Arena, 7,000 – New Colk

Esportivan Baseball Trophy

Day 8 - Third Place Playoff

(B4) Copper Cuprum – The Sherpa Empire (B1) 
Copper Cuprum          0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0  3
The Sherpa Empire      1 1 0 2 0 0 2 0 X  6
@Elephant Stadium, 15,000 – Elephant Valley

Day 8/9 - Final (Best of 3)

(B2) The Hannasean Federation – Ethane (A2) 
Ethane                        0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 0  4
The Hannasean Federation      1 0 7 0 1 0 2 0 X 11
Hannasea leads the series 1-0
@Elephant Stadium, 15,000 – Elephant Valley

Esportivan Basketball Trophy

Day 8 - Semifinals

(1) Nova Anglicana (AZE) 95–61 Ha'Yarok (4) @Jungle Stadium, 4,500 – Ratzupalfu

(2) South Newlandia 79–83 Fhulghamous Peninsula (3) @Jungle Stadium, 4,500 – Ratzupalfu

Day 9 - Third Place Playoff

(2) South Newlandia – Ha'Yarok (4) @Elephant Valley Superhall, 6,000 – Elephant Valley

Day 9 - Final

(1) Nova Anglicana (AZE) – Fhulghamous Peninsula (3) @Elephant Valley Superhall, 6,000 – Elephant Valley

Esportivan Ice Hockey Trophy

Day 8 - Semifinals

(1) The Sherpa Empire 3–3 Kaldtfjell (5) (3–4 OT) @Trunkst Hockey Arena, 3,000 - Trunkst

(2) Nova Anglicana (AZE) 0–0 Tumbra (6) (2–1 SO) @Prosperena, 4,000 - Newport

Day 9 - Third Place Playoff

(1) The Sherpa Empire – Tumbra (6) @Valley Rink, 3,300 - Elephant Valley

Day 9 - Final

(5) Kaldtfjell – Nova Anglicana (AZE) (2) @Valley Rink, 3,300 - Elephant Valley

by **Sylestone** » Thu Dec 09, 2021 1:41 am

Sylestone Batting
Batter                                            R   B  4s  6s   SR
Y Ubuni            c Fearsquawk b Stewhiss       31  15   2   3  206.67
B Eastwood         c Wormgut b Bristlecharm      15  18   2   0   83.33
L Cocrine          b Darkcape                    80  49   5   5  163.27
S Cross            c S Stewsneer b Swampbone     22  21   0   1  104.76
L Afosha (c)       b Stewhiss                    12   8   2   0  150
P Lenton           not out                       18   9   2   1  200
A Stealom (+)      not out                        0   0   0   0        
       EXTRAS      (3 b, 3 lb, 5 wd)             11
       TOTAL       for 5 wickets                189   (20 ov; 9.45 RPO)
Did not bat:     C Freehill, R Amitt, L Codrington, K Sonnel

FOW: 1-41 (Y Ubuni, 4.2 overs); 2-59 (B Eastwood, 7.4 overs); 3-128 (S Cross, 14.6 overs); 
     4-148 (L Afosha (c), 17.1 overs); 5-189 (L Cocrine, 19.6 overs)

Castlelobruxo Bowling
Bowler                Ov   M   R  W   Econ  Ext
F Wormgut              2   0  25  0   12.5  
C Darkcape             4   0  35  1   8.75  
S Stewsneer            3   0  29  0   9.67  
H Stewhiss             4   0  38  2    9.5  
H Bristlecharm         3   0  23  1   7.67  
D Swampbone            4   0  34  1    8.5  

Castlelobruxo Batting   (Target: 190)
Batter                                            R   B  4s  6s   SR
B Spidergut        lbw b Afosha                  25  32   2   0   78.13
B Flamescream      c Lenton b Amitt               3   6   0   0   50
D Stewsneer (+)    c&b Amitt                      0   2   0   0    
N Fearsquawk       c Afosha b Codrington         12   7   3   0  171.43
C Demoncast        not out                       78  53   7   3  147.17
F Wormgut          b Afosha                       4   5   0   0   80
H Stewhiss         c Sonnel b Afosha              4   3   1   0  133.33
H Bristlecharm     run out (Freehill)             1   1   0   0  100
C Darkcape         c Stealom b Cross             14  11   1   1  127.27
D Swampbone        not out                        0   1   0   0    
       EXTRAS      (1 b, 4 lb, 4 wd, 1 nb)       10
       TOTAL       for 8 wickets                151   (20 ov; 7.55 RPO)
Did not bat:     S Stewsneer

FOW: 1-8 (B Flamescream, 1.4 overs); 44235 (D Stewsneer, 1.6 overs); 44277 (N Fearsquawk, 4.4 overs); 
     4-94 (B Spidergut, 12.4 overs); 5-104 (F Wormgut, 14.2 overs); 6-109 (H Stewhiss, 14.5 overs); 
     7-110 (H Bristlecharm, 14.6 overs); 8-151 (C Darkcape, 19.5 overs)

Sylestone Bowling
Bowler                Ov   M   R  W   Econ  Ext
L Codrington           3   0  25  1   8.33  
R Amitt                4   0  27  2   6.75  
C Freehill             3   0  28  0   9.33  
K Sonnel               4   0  22  0    5.5  
L Afosha (c)           3   0  22  3   7.33  
S Cross                3   0  22  1   7.33  

Venue: Harrier Stadium, New Colk, South Newlandia
Toss: Castlelobruxo won the toss and elected to bowl
Season/Tournament: EspoT20 II
Matchdays: Quarterfinal
Player of the Match: Lachlan Cocrine (SYL)
Debut: None
Umpires: Unknown
TV Umpire: Unknown
Reserve Umpire: Unknown
Match Referee: Unknown
Match Result: Sylestone win by 38 runs

Final XI vs South Newlandia @ Black Dolphin Arena, New Colk, South Newlandia

1. Yash Ubuni
2. Brianna Eastwood
3. Lachlan Cocrine
4. Samuel Cross
5. Liam Afosha (c)
6. Peter Lenton
7. Ashton Stealom (+)
8. Caitlyn Freehill
9. Ross Amitt
10. Leo Codrington
11. Kate Sonnel

by **Nova Anglican Admin Zone of Esportiva** » Fri Dec 10, 2021 8:04 am

As decision day approaches for referendum, elections, Clark's nominees easily pass muster in Senate

Marian Bailey, Rutupiae Free Beacon

Time is winding down for the varying sides to make their arguments in the question of Esportiva. The Espo referendum and the vote for the Assembly of Esportiva are both just a few days away, and the results will be massive for Prime Minister Josephine Clark and her Progressive Justice Party-led government. Polls currently show a dead heat in the Espo referendum, while they look slightly more favorable for her PJP in the Assembly elections. Even as the election campaign rages on, Clark remains focused on the Union, with her nominees for Esportivan Union positions making it through the Senate.

In the Espo referendum, although it seems like a battle of left vs right on first glance, it's more complicated upon closer examination. The far-left Socialist Workers' Party has denounced the Espo and the entire EU as a "neo-liberal project designed to repress the working class," while Health Minister Alexandra Ward, Justice Minister Sheila Gordon, and now Interior Minister Michael Greer have all come out against the Espo as well. Similarly, a few People's Party deputies, a lone senator in James Bradley, and a provincial Premier in New Brunswick's Arsène Deslauriers have endorsed the Espo. Clark, her lead candidate Graham Hatten, and Finance Minister lester Gray have remained avowedly neutral or silent on the issue as well. Current polls put support for the Espo at 43%, with opposition at 45%, though with 12% still undecided, it could go either way. Neither camp has been able to make much headway, as the "Say NO to the Espo" group has maintained a slight lead throughout polling, but has been unable to pull away. Here in the NAAZE, local support has hovered between 70 and 80%, while the province of Quebec has maintained the most strenuous opposition, with approximately two-thirds of poll respondents saying they intend to vote against the Espo.

But there are sunnier skies for the PJP in the Assembly of Esportiva. The Assembly will be elected like the Senate, using Single Transferable Vote, where voters not only vote for a candidate(s) to be their first choice, but also rank as many other candidates as they like as their next choices. In Prince Edward Island, the PJP has withdrawn in favor of the Stewardship Party, while in Quebec, the PP has ceded it to the Libertarian candidate. In the other provinces, the two major parties look likely to elect most, if not all, of the other MAEs. In the NAAZE, despite strong initial preferences for both the Liberal Secularists and the Stewardship Party, the fact that only one candidate will be elected means that the PJP will likely take this seat. Even in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland & Labrador, the major parties running multiple candidates means it's unlikely that minor parties will snatch the second or third seat. Current projections see only the third seat in Nova Scotia as up for grabs, meaning a projection of 4 MAEs for the PJP, 3 for the PP, and 1 each for the Libertarians and Stewardship Party, with one seat undecided.

In the Senate, Clark's slate of candidates for Esportivan Union positions easily passed, though with mixed voting in each of the three cases. In the case of Nicholas Jensen, current Sub-Minister of International Co-operation & Assistance and nominee for the EU Foreign Aid Commission, all three National Party senators voted against, as did the three Libertarians and one of the eight People's Party senators, but with everyone else in favor, it was a 22-7 blowout. For Bernice Beaulieu, only the National Party voted against, making the final tally 26-3. Right-leaning senators explained their vote against Jensen as either a protest against the existence of EUFAC in general or frustration with what they saw as Jensen being overly generous in foreign aid. Beaulieu, as a competent expert, attracted no such resistance, meaning the National Party was simply protesting the EU. Colby Blackburn, the PP senator nominated for the Esportivan Council, earned the twelve combined PJP and Stewardship Party votes, as well as getting five of the eight PP votes and two of three Libertarian votes, giving him a 19-10 confirmation. The National Party, again, voted no, while hard-liners in the PP and Libertarians saw his acceptance of the position as a betrayal. The three Liberal Secularist senators voted against the selection of a conservative to represent an otherwise progressive government. Despite the resistance, all three candidates easily made it through, a win for Clark's government.

In other news, local elections in Newfoundland & Labrador and in Quebec are also taking place, and New Brunswick is poised to elect a senator to replace Colby Blackburn. In Quebec, the People's Party and Libertarian coalition is expected to maintain control of most of the Regional County Municipalities, mayors, and city councils, though political observers are keeping a close eye on the debut of the new Belle Patrie party, a merger between Quebec's branch of the National Party and the Quebec Conservative Party. In Newfoundland & Labrador, the outcome is more murky. N&L has traditionally been a more mixed province, though leaning towards the PJP. Londinium, of course, will stay in the hands of the PJP and its coalition allies, but the smaller cities of the province lean more conservative. A win for either the PJP or the PP would bode well for their political fortunes going into next year. Meanwhile, in New Brunswick, a close race is developing, with the PJP's Anna Gausman running neck-and-neck with the PP's Donovan O'Meara. The race will decide whether the government controls the Senate or it remains deadlocked at 15. Both provincial legislators are hovering at around 35% of the first preference vote, with Gausman having a slight advantage at the moment. It might come down to the performance of smaller right-wing parties in New Brunswick, such as the Nationals or the Christian Patriotic Vanguard, and whether they remain in the race long enough for Gausman to pick up enough additional preferences and edge out O'Meara or if they flow more quickly to the PP candidate and deliver him victory.

With only a few days remaining until these elections and the referendum, all of Nova Anglicana is on pins and needles awaiting the results. It could be a major victory for Josephine Clark, but Michael Ramsey and others want to deal her a devastating defeat. It isn't a stretch to say that these votes could determine the future of her government for the next year. Political momentum is a fickle thing, and while it seems like she has it at the moment, the tide could turn at any moment.

CE 31 and Esportivan Sporting Festival Updates

Football

Record: 4-2-0, 14 pts
Standing: 9th in playoffs
Games to play: Up to 2 (Semifinal vs Burgburgh, potential final vs South Newlandia/Tumbra)
Most recent match/statistics: 4-3 The Licentian Isles (Gagne 4', Beal 28', Parker 72', Banks 90'+1)

Basketball

Record: 7-1, +217 PD
Standing: 1st seed in playoffs
Games to play: 1 (Final vs Fhulghamous Peninsula)
Most recent match/statistics: 95-61 Ha'Yarok (Daniel Robinson 25 pts, Team 9 steals)

Ice Hockey

Record: 4-2-0-0
Standing: 2nd seed in playoffs
Games to play: 1 (Final vs Kaldtfjell)
Most recent match/statistics: 0-0 Tumbra (2-1 SO) (Messier, Coderre shootout goals, Perry 29 saves)

by **Tumbra** » Fri Dec 10, 2021 12:39 pm

Tumbra 1-0 Brenecia

TMB (4-2-3-1): 1 - John Lennon, 2 - Ryan Hughes, 4 - Ian Ashburn (20 - Douglas Moore, 66'), 5 - Harry Henderson, 19 - Nigel Harris; 6 - Vincent Hicks, 15 - Craig McGrath (16 - Alan Morgan, 72'), 10 - Phil Cole; 7 - George Hilton, 9 - Robin Vaughn; 11 - Nick Riordan (22 - Nigel Erskine, 79')

TMB scorers: Nick Riordan (71')

Player of the Match: Harry Henderson (TMB)

It's official; Labour have won the 2025 federal election, winning their three hundredth and twenty-sixth seat at 5.47am. The Liberals are looking likely to not cross the 200-seat mark on their own; only with the Nationals can they reach above the 200 mark. It's a decent recovery from the absolute nadir that was 2021, but with the Coalition being projected to finish on just 213 seats, it's still a long way back to power for the Liberals. Peter Lindner is widely expected to resign; which opens the door for noted moderate Liberal Stephen Williams to come in and take the job he's always wanted.

The Moderates are in disarray; Hannah Slater's announcement of her resignation earlier in the night was complicated by the defeat of Richard Graham in Ridgewell, which seemed to come as a shock to nobody but him. Personally popular as an MP, he was, but his stock took a nosedive after he participated in the Ridgewell Protests against the expansion of Tumbra's borders. Widely seen as Slater's successor, there is now a power vacuum at the head of the Moderates; they need someone who can stem their fall further.

The Greens also saw a resignation of one of their leaders, but he was going out on a high, at least; Robert Ford, political veteran, announced he would be stepping down after the election, to let fresh blood into the upper echleons of the Green Party. Elected in 2001, Ford became co-leader of the party in 2008, and steered them towards a more pragmatic style of green politics that saw them become more widely accepted by mainstream Tumbra. Becoming the third largest party in Parliament, the Greens are now looking to shore up their position; and with new MPs added to the crop, the future of the party looks ever brighter.

Slight defeats for the Conservatives in their newly-found stronghold in northern Georgia didn't seem to dent Conservative leader Alan Spalko's enthusiasm; at the Conservative Party victory celebrations in Kingsbury, he continued his fiery rhetoric calling for government to get out of ordinary Tumbrans' lives. Up against a less charismatic, less popular Prime Minister, he might have made more inroads; but Everett's support remained high, and his efforts at times felt like dashing up against a brick wall. Rumours of a presidential run continue to surround Spalko; given that a presidential run would free him to use his big name to run against essentially anonymous Senators and/or former provincial Premiers, it certainly sounds like a logical step up for the firebrand.

The Social Democrats, as expected, lost Roncaster in Straton as the youth vote deserted them; but contrary to expectations, SDP leader Peter Saunders will be accompanied by two new MPs in the Clearmont seats of Crawford and Palling; the latter more surprising, since it had been a Liberal-held seat as recently as 2017. How far this pivot to social conservatism will last, however, in the mining belt of Clearmont remains to be seen; the average age of the party is not very young. For now, at least, the party has found its niche.

And the smaller parties; the New Democrats, reduced to a rump of one, their leader and founder George Dempsey announcing the party would have to change course (the more cynical suggested merging back into the Liberals, rendering the whole exercise futile) — the Progressives themselves reduced to eight MPs (Alan Coates didn't survive, though he came very close to surviving - just a 0.8% swing would have saved him) and the resignation, too, of the party leadership. The favourite, is, of course, Cressida Granger; who spoke passionately and at length about uniting the non-Labour, anti-Northlands left behind a single banner after her re-election. Quite whether her lead will be followed up on remains to be seen; but she spoke as the effective leader of the Party.

The Christian Union, still wracked over their stance on the EU, gained a single seat in Shepperton; but it's not been all smooth sailing for them, too. Questions over whether they want to be more overtly religious, or focus more on "Christian democracy", fully repudiate the EU or allow state-by-state parties to determine their own stance (the logic is that the closer you get to Shepperton, the more fervent the opposition) still remain. Their one MP, Charles Fox, has remained passionately on the fence on the issue; claiming his first loyalty was to his constituents.

And Reform. Not much to say there, except they'd fizzled out like a firework on a wet night. The electoral equivalent of soggy spaghetti, and much more. Or less. George Bernhardt's concession speech ended up being a highlight of the night; for the laughs it drew more than the content of it than anything. Lofty ambitions had given way to squabbling, fringe ideology entering the party and dominating the news cycles when they did break through. They would go home and try to fight again, but some had already given up on achieving a Krytenian-style political revolution.

But now, the victor.

Straton
Labour Party Headquarters
6.30am

Good morning, everyone. Once again I stand here, on this podium, with my family, here to deliver the wonderful news to everyone gathered here today.

We've done it.

(Cheers)

I've just had a phone call from Peter Lindner, the Leader of the Opposition, very gracefully conceding the election; and I thanked him for the hard fight his campaign has given us. It's been a very long campaign, but the hard work begins — or should I say, continues — now. Because this afternoon, we're going to get back to business; this afternoon, we're going to get back to continuing to build a Tumbran society in the Labour image, one that's fairer, where you can be assured of walking down the streets safely at night, where you can be assured of being able to reach your full potential, one where even in your old age, you know you can be taken care of. But most importantly, we can continue making Tumbra ever stronger, not just at home, but worldwide, as well.

And we will govern — we will continue to govern, as we have in the past eight years, in the interest of the people and of the Tumbran nation. And we must now thank them, for putting their trust in us once more, to let us see our vision through; for giving us a third straight mandate. Eight years ago when I stood here, thanking the Tumbran people for putting their faith in me, I knew that it was a heavy burden, a heavy responsibility. Eight years later, I am here; still recognising this heavy responsibility, but ever more prepared to take on the role again, to lead Tumbra into something greater, where together with our friends in the region we can become greater than the sum of its parts, while staying abreast of what we need to do for ourselves.

And we have to look towards the future, as well; and we will be prepared for that. I will not innundate you with promises from our election literature now, for the time for talking and shouting is over, and the time for doing is now; but rest assured, we will do our very best to continue strengthening our links to the working class; continue respecting work, creating new opportunities for everyone, looking bravely toward the future, no matter what it may bring, and being here for the ordinary citizen.

That is what we are here for; not just to ensure that we are still here tomorrow, but to actively help create and forge a better tomorrow, a stronger tomorrow, a country that everyone can be proud of, and take pride in living in.

Thank you, everyone; I'm sure you are all very tired, and good morning.

South Newlandia vs Tumbra - Campionato Esportiva 31, Semifinal

Starters: 1 - John Lennon; 2 - Ryan Hughes, 5 - Harry Henderson, 20 - Douglas Moore, 19 - Nigel Harris; 8 - Trudy Harrison, 15 - Craig McGrath, 10 - Phil Cole; 7 - George Hilton, 9 - Robin Vaughn; 11 - Nick Riordan

Bench: 12 - Frank Johnson, 13 - Victoria Jones; 18 - Josh Hindley, 4 - Ian Ashburn, 14 - Stephen Kerr, 3 - Chris Carter; 6 - Vincent Hicks, 16 - Alan Morgan, 23 - David Burnet; 17 - Valerie Wells, 21 - Lynne Crossley; 22 - Nigel Erskine

by **Hannasea** » Fri Dec 10, 2021 12:59 pm

Article from after the semifinal and does not take into account the final series, yet.

BASEBALL: Choughs through to final!

by **Burgburgh** » Fri Dec 10, 2021 12:59 pm

Minutes from the 125th Special Convening of the Heads of Government, "On the Matter of the Assembly of Esportiva." Held in the provincial quarters of Grand Duke Arburg this Tuesday the Twentieth of June, 762.

Dignitaries in attendance:
His Eminence Grand Duke Arburg, twelfth of his line.
Nicole Bartram, Primero Ranchero and chair of the Conservationists.
Lana Hidalgo, chair of the Ranchers’ Collective.
Herman Dulles, chair of Our Land.
Stephanie Chalms, chair of Liberty First.

Dignitaries in absence:
Zachary Blake, chair of Demolitionists.

Dignitaries of parties without a seat in parliament are not invited to Special Conventions.

Arburg It's not usual to call two Special Conventions so close together, but these are exciting times we live in. Scrivener Reyes, is there anything to be noted before the conversation starts in earnest?

Reyes Simply that Blake has declined the invite on the grounds that his party opposes most facets of the EU, and therefore he has no interest in representing the Burgeoisie in the Assembly.

Arburg Not terribly surprising, but I thought the Demolitionists may have wanted to throw themselves in with the Anti-capitalist Action Alliance. I suppose that is still too globalist for their tastes. Regardless, the matters I wish to discuss today are of each parties planned affiliations within the Assembly and broad goals therein. I do not believe it to be controversial to expect the Conservationists to win the majority of the five seats available, so Bartram may go first.

Bartram I appreciate you saving me the formality of mentioning our majority support. Naturally, we shall be aligning ourselves with the Esportivan Green Party at large and supporting a wide variety of environmental preservation and restoration procedures, alongside general social support measures.

Dulles I would like to object to these presumptions, but I must respect the democratic process as it stands. Clearly my peers and I have more work to do convincing the people that our values should be theirs, and then matters like this will fall into place naturally.

Chalms And we pray you fail in those endeavors so that we may protect the democratic process. So then should we expect to only have two seats left over for the rest of us to scrabble over?

Reyes Your mathematical acumen is on point today, Chalms.

Arburg Dial back the snark for now.

Reyes Apologies, Grand Duke.

Arburg While I have no powers of prophesy, I would advise you to hedge your expectations even further—Rancher's Collective are all but guaranteed at least one seat as well.

Hidalgo That is precisely what our projections estimate. Not to disparage our colleagues, but equating the strength of our support to those of the smaller parties would be doing a disservice to a great many Burgeoise.

Dulles You flatter us so.

Reyes If I can't snark today you lot better not either.

Arburg And the last Special Convention was so well-behaved, too.

Hidalgo Ahem. As I was saying, before Dulles so rudely cut in, we will be joining the United Left of Esportiva Group. Though internal debates as to which party therein to align with are still ongoing.

Chalms There is a deadline to submit our assembly members, I'm not sure we can afford to wait for the communists to decide something amongst themselves.

Arburg I have half a mind to make a public statement against Liberty First and Our Land if this is how you two would be representing us on the regional stage.

Chalms Apologies, Grand Duke. The backbench mentality slips out on occasion—

Arburg Then you would do well to bring that mentality under control. Let us please focus on the discussion at hand. Dulles, make your case.

Dulles Balanced viewpoints are always critical when making momentous policy decisions, and the National Sovereignty Group is tragically underrepresented in the Assembly at the moment. It will always be in the nature of such a supraregional organization to overreach into domestic matters and cause unnecessary internal strife thereby. Internal restraints to these grand ambitions are the only effective way to reign in and prevent abuses of power, and such restraints will only be advocated by parties of a like mind to Our Land.

Arburg Thank you for presenting a well-reasoned viewpoint to bring us back on track. Chalms, your turn.

Chalms Liberty First would operate in the assembly to a tune not terribly unlike Our Land, but with much different—and more moral—intentions. Limits on the grasp of the EU shouldn't be in the interest of allowing nations their right to oppress those they desire, but rather in the interest of minimizing the grasp of all governments on the proceedings of life. You can be sure that magnitudes more regulations will be coming through the assembly than constructive policies and it is paramount to have representation to enforce accountability and responsible behavior in that regard.

Hidalgo Who would you be aligning with, should you gain a seat? Even by the difficult standards of matching agendas across cultures, there seems to be no clean fit for your policies in the current Assembly infrastructure.

Chalms Current plans would have us working with the Esportivan Free Democrats. While not a perfect overlap in all areas, our primary concerns in the EU are in advocating limited government where EFD would serve us well.

Arburg I see... but remain unconvinced that the niche parties have what it takes to represent the Burgeoisie on the international scale. However, I will not share that sentiment outside this room. It is up the people to determine if you two get a chance to prove your parties have what it takes to make an impact on Esportiva as a whole. I do think that is all I wanted to learn today—anything else, Reyes?

Reyes There's no other items on the agenda. As such, this meeting, the 125th Special Convening of the Heads of Government, is now adjourned.

by **South Newlandia** » Fri Dec 10, 2021 1:17 pm

Cutoff for Day 9 of the Campionato Esportiva 31, Espo T20 II and Esportivan Baseball, Basketball, and Ice Hockey Trophies!
If you notice any mistakes, please alert me ASAP!

Campionato Esportiva 31

Day 9 - Semifinals

(9) Nova Anglicana (AZE) 1–2 Burgburgh (5) @Kinetik Stadium, 16,000 – New Colk

(7) South Newlandia 0–1 Tumbra (3) @Ratzupalfu Colosseum, 16,000 – Ratzupalfu - (scorinated by Græntfjall)

Day 10 - Third Place Playoff

(7) South Newlandia – Nova Anglicana (AZE) (9) @Elephant Dome, 21,500 – Elephant Valley

Day 10 - Final

(3) Tumbra – Burgburgh (5) @Stadium of Friendship, 41,093 – Elephant Valley

Espo T20 II

Day 9 - Third Place Playoff

(2) Damukuni – Castlelobruxo (4)
Damukuni 182/5 (20 overs)
Castlelobruxo 183/5 (20 overs)
Castlelobruxo wins by either 5 wickets with no balls remaining or by one run
@Black Dolphin Arena, 7,000 – New Colk

Day 9 - Final

(1) Sylestone – South Newlandia (3) - (scorinated by Græntfjall)
Sylestone 160/8 (20 overs)
South Newlandia 136 (19.5 overs)
Sylestone wins by 24 runs
@Black Dolphin Arena, 7,000 – New Colk

Congratiulations to Sylestone, the Champions of the Espo T20 II!

Esportivan Baseball Trophy

Day 8 - Final (Best of 3)

(B2) The Hannasean Federation – Ethane (A2) 
Ethane                        0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 0  4
The Hannasean Federation      1 0 7 0 1 0 2 0 X 11
Hannasea leads the series 1-0
@Elephant Stadium, 15,000 – Elephant Valley

Day 9 - Final (Best of 3)

(B2) The Hannasean Federation – Ethane (A2) 
The Hannasean Federation      0 0 0 3 0 3 0 4 0 10
Ethane                        0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0  2
Hannasea wins the series 2-0
@Elephant Stadium, 15,000 – Elephant Valley

Congratiulations to The Hannasean Federation, the Champions of the Esportivan Baseball Trophy!

Esportivan Basketball Trophy

Day 9 - Third Place Playoff

(2) South Newlandia 63–82 Ha'Yarok (4) @Elephant Valley Superhall, 6,000 – Elephant Valley

Day 9 - Final

(1) Nova Anglicana (AZE) 62–60 Fhulghamous Peninsula (3) @Elephant Valley Superhall, 6,000 – Elephant Valley

Congratiulations to Nova Anglicana (AZE), the Champions of the Esportivan Basketball Trophy!

Esportivan Ice Hockey Trophy

Day 9 - Third Place Playoff

(1) The Sherpa Empire 3–2 Tumbra (6) @Valley Rink, 3,300 - Elephant Valley

Day 9 - Final

(5) Kaldtfjell 2–3 Nova Anglicana (AZE) (2) @Valley Rink, 3,300 - Elephant Valley

Congratiulations to Nova Anglicana (AZE), the Champions of the Esportivan Ice Hockey Trophy!

by **Tumbra** » Sat Dec 11, 2021 5:55 am

South Newlandia 0-1 Tumbra

TMB (4-2-3-1): 1 - John Lennon; 2 - Ryan Hughes, 5 - Harry Henderson, 20 - Douglas Moore (4 - Ian Ashburn, 63'), 19 - Nigel Harris; 8 - Trudy Harrison, 15 - Craig McGrath (6 - Vincent Hicks, 73'), 10 - Phil Cole; 7 - George Hilton (17 - Valerie Wells, 73'), 9 - Robin Vaughn; 11 - Nick Riordan

TMB scorers: Robin Vaughn (25')

Player of the Match: Robin Vaughn (TMB)

Link to arc home
defender meets midfielder: season 4, part 6
vs. wirr tsi (season finale)

A few weeks had passed since Stephen had tried — and failed — to talk to Trudy, for some reason. They'd remained cordial with each other, though Trudy couldn't help but feel like Stephen had...withdrawn from her. She'd asked whether he wanted to teach her to cook again, but he as he stammered out that his house had gotten quite messy and that he needed to clean it up, she noticed him trying his very best to not look into her eyes.

And then he'd not heard her (or pretended not to hear her) when she offered to clean his house up with him. Just, y'know, as friends did. Over text Leysa had told Trudy that Stephen's strange behaviour was...probably not really worth worrying about; he was just trying to sort out his feelings. Plus, she playfully added, there were more important things for him to focus on — like losing to Wirr Tsi.

That was to be the most important match of the season. Wirr Tsi were absolutely running away with the title; at the halfway mark of the season they'd already secured a fourteen point lead to second-placed Myana. Nobody said it during Chromatik training sessions, but the one thing they wanted — the one thing — was to go to The Shock and completely wreck their world. Midseason training continued in earnest; there was only one thing on their mind.

And soon, she'd nearly forgotten about him as well. As much as she could try to forget about her team-mate, anyway. But sometimes, in her room at the Chromatik Football Club, in absolute darkness, she found herself scrolling through messages...and then she hit the bottom. They hadn't talked in a while over text. She wanted to reach out, type a simple "u up?" or something, anything that could shine a light on what had happened to Stephen. She'd caught glimpses of him just looking at her sometimes, but as soon as he noticed, he cut his gaze almost immediately.

Was he avoiding her?

As much as she didn't want to say yes, there was a part of her that was slowly inching towards that conclusion. It was frustrating, to say the least, because she wasn't afraid to admit that...maybe...

Yeah. Maybe it would still take a bit of time for her to be able to speak her own truth about how she felt about Stephen. Unlike that dork, however, she was at least confident that when she arrived at that truth, she wouldn't be scared of saying it to...the w...

Nevermind. Maybe she now understood how she felt.

As she stared into the black mirror of her screen, however, and turned away to the other side of the bed, a new emotion came over her. It was a pull; a pull that tugged on both her heart and her mind, as she struggled to come to terms with wanting someone.

Yearning.

Was this it? Was this what it felt like to want someone, to be in love, utterly in it with someone that it overrid almost everything else? Back in Kingsbury, living in that dingy one-room apartment in Botany for the first time as a seventeen year-old, with a community surrounding her that actually cared for her, she once let slip that she wouldn't look for love, even as they celebrated her being called up for the Under-18 World Cup. The neighbours laughed; she was only eighteen. She hadn't fully experienced life yet, she couldn't go around making such bold statements. She laughed with them, of course; but she thought she'd never really find someone who she'd fall for.

Until Stephen.

She tossed and turned, one minute with a blanket over her, the next moment not; one moment her hand under the pillow, the next hugging her bolster tightly...but the wave of sleep failed to engulf her.

It was mid-day when she woke up. Thankfully there wasn't any training that day.

Fluffy white sheets and possibly the most comfortable bed Stephen Kerr had ever lay in failed to help him drift off to sleep. After a while, he'd given up; looking out of the window into the bright lights of Chromia. A city in progress, always; new buildings being built, constantly, and...well, there was always the Capitalizt Dome. From his house it was very small, but the mushroom-shaped dome still was distinctive enough to see. All three of Chromia's stadiums were rather out of the ordinary; there was the Dome, of course, a cathedral of football and sitting 144,000; the Anomalies Tower, built on top of a restaraunt; and the university campus that played home to Crossroads. But the more he stared at the stadium, the more he thought of...her.

Her dark, flowing dress on the opening ceremony of the World Cup. That meal they shared in Z'ai'ai. He genuinely didn't want to admit that he'd fallen for her, but somehow he...had. He didn't know why, or how; all he knew that for the first time in his life, he...was infatuated. Had a crush.

Was in love, maybe, despite him wanting to try his very best to deny it. And he was deeply, deeply in denial about it; to the extent that he simply tried his best to not talk to her if he could help it. After all - the less they interacted for now, the less he'd have to think about her. But they were teammates still, and he couldn't go about it forever. Some day, he'd have to face up to the fact that he was possibly in love with his best friend and team-mate; that for the first time ever, he actually had feelings for someone that didn't completely engulf him. Sure, he'd had crushes before; but they hadn't been in such close proximity to him like this, nor was the bond they shared so strong.

But even then, he couldn't think about that; he had to focus his energy on football. If anything, it was an easy excuse to avoid Trudy; she'd asked him whether she could come over and he could teach her how to cook again, but he'd fibbed his way out of it, saying that the house was messy. This was an abject lie; there was nothing Stephen hated more than a messy room, and he had to force himself to ignore Trudy's offer of helping him clean up his house. He was in line to becoming Chromatik's starting centre-back; in fact, he'd entered that conversation the moment Cameron Win had gone down injured against Lhor. And the Wirr Tsi game was his chance to show how much he'd grown, how much he deserved to continue starting alongside Kamil.

He couldn't let something as trivial as...feelings for a team-mate...engulf him...had to...win the league...

By the time he woke up again, the sun was shining through his window, and he felt uncomfortably warm in his bed. A brief sense of panic overwhelmed him — had he missed training? A quick glance at his phone told him no, there wasn't any training today.

But the match was three days away.

Wirr Tsi

What's going on? Run. Move up the field. Cover Kamil, don't let Carpenter take Ramires; focus on marking Kohut. Grab the ball, pass it on. Simple, easy, football; That's how we're going to beat them.

Eighty-seven minutes. The most important game of the season.

Nil-nil.

It had been end to end action, with opportunities on both sides, but there was a sense that something; just something was waiting to happen. And it would only take a spark to settle the game for either side, and for one to come out victorious.

A break in play; the ball rolled out of bounds and limply towards Jannick, who kicked the ball into the air, grabbed it and passed it to the Wirr Tsi player who'd come towards him to take the throw in. Stephen stopped, catching his breath, casting his eye over the field. Electric yellow kits contrasted well with the grey of the Capitalizt; and he caught a glance at Leysa Burns, who seemed rather interested in him. They'd spent a moment more than the rest when shaking hands before the rest of the match, her eyes seemingly reading what was in Stephen's mind. Her wisened gait, despite being only 28, echoed; and her being a Chromatik alumni, of course, seemed to make things a lot friendlier between the rest of the squad and his. Trudy in particular seemed overjoyed at seeing Leysa again; she'd praised Leysa to high heaven in one of their late-night talks, saying that the reason she'd bled into Chromatik so well was because of her mentorship.

He caught her staring at him again, and tried not to notice. Play restarted, and the rhythm kept going, but almost immediately it was time for a corner.

This was going to be vital.

Walk, half-jog to the Wirr Tsi goal; Stephen was tall, therefore he was part of the scrabble inside the box. There was Leysa, and Trudy, all staring at Cixin; she's about to swing in the corner kick. Just as practiced. The tension was palpable; the stadium still cheered, chanting, of course; hoping to put one of the players off their mark, but to Stephen, it was all background noise.

In came the thud of the ball, soaring into the air; headed right for Stephen. He knew it was for him; grabbing shoulders, he leapt into the air, jumping higher than he'd ever done before. The ball made contact with his hair, creating a dull thump; and opened his eyes to see the ball rocketing into the back of the net, with Kathie Begley nowhere near.

It was in; Stephen Kerr had just scored his first goal for Chromatik, and as he bounded off to the corner flag to celebrate in front of the travelling Chromatik fans, he didn't notice Trudy intially holding back; before Leysa tapped her on the shoulder, gently pointing in his direction before she ran off to join the rest of the team, too.

They'd come out on top, at last.

The celebrations had died down, the players were freshening up, ready for the long trip back to Chromia. For Stephen, who'd just come out of the shower and was now sitting near his items, it was time to relax. Bask in the fact that he'd won the Player of the Match award, which he now clutched in his hands; and he leant against the wall, taking it all in.

His reverie was, unfortunately, interrupted by the vibrations on his phone informing him of a call. +90. The call was from a Tumbran number. But who could it be?

He wiped some of the water from the shower off his hair, and picked up the call.

"H-hello?"

"Hello? Is this...ah...Mr. Stephen Kerr?" A voice on the other side of the line began speaking in slow, halting Tumbran, pronouncing each word very clearly. The speaker was very evidently still learning the language; the accent was vaguely Rushmori, but he just couldn't place it. He — and the voice was a he, that much was obvious — was he San Ortelian? No, they tended to sound like Grande Cucinans. Then it hit him.

The accent was a bit like his grandma's on his mom's side, his ahma, as his mom told him to call her, except for a few subtle differences. A bit more...northern?

"Yeah, that's me. May I ask who this is?"

"Ah, good, Mr. Kerr." The voice had trouble rolling his rs. "Yes, I will let you know who I am. My name is Mr. Yuan. Yuan — ah — Yuan Zilai. I am the manager, ahh, as you might know, of the Tumbran national football team."

"Well, Mr. Yuan, it's good to hear from you."

"I just wanted to call to, ah, congratulate you on your very good performance against Wirr Tsi. It was a very, very good show, if I say myself. Very mature."

"Thank you, Mr. Yuan."

"Ah, but I should let you know why I am truly calling you today. I would like for you to join the rest of the Tumbran national team for our matches against Delaclava and Northwest Kalactin. I think you have reached the required level and am very happy for you to join us."

His heart began thumping quicker in his chest. It couldn't be - just sixteen games into his Chromatik career - and he was already on the verge of receiving his senior callup.

"You're calling me up, Mr. Yuan?"

"I believe that is the term used, yes."

"Well, uhh, I don't know what to say, Mr. Yuan, I'm very happy that you gave me this chance, and, well, I'm looking forward and very eager to join you."

"Good! Good, good, good. Now, ahh, is your team-mate, Ms. Harrison, nearby? I would also like to speak to her. Or should I call her directly?"

"Yeah, yeah yeah yeah yeah, she is, ahhh, uhhhh, let me find her. Ahhhh, hold on a while, Mr. Yuan, I'll get you to her, no problem."

And his heart began beating quicker. Ignoring the fact that he was in a towel and shorts, he bounded out of the male changing room; only to come face to face with Trudy Harrison, who looked visibly shocked at the fact that Stephen was interacting with her again, and the distinct lack of clothes he was wearing. But the grin on his face, the outstretched hand with the phone in it...what had happened?

"It's for you."

"I...can tell. Who is it?"

"You'll...you'll see," momentarily coming down from the high of finding out he'd been called up to the national team to realising he was half-naked in front of her. He decided to go put on some proper clothes, but try as he might to bring himself away from Trudy...he lost himself in her eyes, her smile, as she deftly navigated her way through the conversation with the manager of the Tumbran national football team. And he just...stood there. The words that were coming out of her mouth weren't of any matter to him; he was completely, utterly lost, grinning, until the call ended.

"Looks like we're both going to Northwest Kalactin, Stephen," she said, with only a small smile on her face, handing the phone back to Stephen.

"I, uh, uhmmm, yeah."

"Now go put on some clothes. Jeez, what if someone else sees you?"

"R-right, yeah." Stephen Kerr walked back into the male changing room.

And in so doing, he completely missed the small smile on Trudy Harrison's face changing into a giant grin.

Tumbra vs Burgburgh - Campionato Esportiva 31 Final

TMB (4-2-3-1): 1 - John Lennon; 2 - Ryan Hughes, 14 - Stephen Kerr, 5 - Harry Henderson, 19 - Nigel Harris; 6 - Vincent Hicks, 8 - Trudy Harrison, 10 - Phil Cole; 7 - George Hilton, 9 - Robin Vaughn; 11 - Nick Riordan

Bench: 12 - Frank Johnson, 13 - Victoria Jones; 18 - Josh Hindley, 4 - Ian Ashburn, 20 - Douglas Moore, 3 - Chris Carter; 15 - Craig McGrath, 16 - Alan Morgan, 23 - David Burnet; 17 - Valerie Wells, 21 - Lynne Crossley; 22 - Nigel Erskine

by **Sylestone** » Sat Dec 11, 2021 11:13 pm

The grass was green, the sun was out and the birds were chirping when Liam Afosha won the toss at the Black Dolphin Arena, not hesitating to bat first. The stadium was full to the brim, the vast majority dressed in the green, yellow and blue of the hosts, South Newlandia, with only a splattering of the famous Sylestonean marmalade-orange. If they had not noticed already, things were going to be tough for the favourites, the only remaining unbeaten nation this Espo.

When the South Newlandians ran out onto the ground twenty minutes later, led by young allrounder Kaye Newman, the crowd released a deafening, eager to impose their presence on the two Sylestonean batters waiting on the sidelines - the experienced Yash Ubuni and the young, talented Brianna Eastwood, with 214 runs to her name in just six games already this tournament. But the crowd didn’t care - they just wanted to see them both back to the pavilion as quickly as possible.

And Peter Robinson delivered. The left-arm off-spinner’s first ball was pitched up without much turn, allowing Ubuni to work it out to mid-wicket with little risk. However, his second ball was the killer. It was on a similar line and length, but the ball gripped just a tad, finding the outside edge of Ubuni’s bat and falling into Buddy Barron’s gloves. If he was in form, the ball would have been driven for four, but he was not. South Newlandia had their first.

The rest of Robinson’s over only went for two runs, including a leg-bye, to put the hosts on the front foot early. Tamara Vazquez’s opening over was of a similar calibre, her first four deliveries all on a good line and length, Eastwood not able to do anything but leave or defend. But as soon as the right-arm quick pitched up on the fifth ball, searching for elusive swing, she capitalised, driving it past short cover to score the first boundary of the evening. And the small number of Sylestoneans in the crowd loved it.

But it would soon be the South Newlandians at the arena who would be celebrating. Lachlan Cocrine, still only on one, faced up to Vincente Bullock to begin the third over, the score 1-6. The ball was pitched up, just outside off-stump, and the in-form right-hander threw everything at it. But there was no foot movement, and that was what cost him, the ball spooning off the outside edge straight to Jana Hatfield at backward point, who took the catch low down to her left. Bullock unleashed a roar adequately representing his name, for he knew just how big of a wicket he had just taken. And all of a sudden, the Hawthorns were on the ropes.

It went from bad to worse the following over. Eastwood was looking good at one end while Samuel Cross got himself going at the other, but even so, she was only six off ten at that stage. Kaye Newman, the South Newlandian skipper, was the bowler, her legging turning and bouncing on the Black Dolphin pitch. But this one didn’t. It was a slider, and Eastwood did not pick it. Instead of bouncing and spinning as she had expected, the ball remained low, trapping her right in front. In the end, it was an easy decision for the umpire, sending the 20-year-old on her way for six, the score 3-11 from 22 balls. But it wasn’t all bad for the favourites - Liam Afosha, the man walking out to the crease, was the exact person you would want in this sort of situation.

He and Cross began to rebuild the innings, scoring another 12 runs during the powerplay, the score 3-23 from six overs as the field began to spread. However, the introduction of Paul Robinson for his third over continued to make life difficult for the Sylestonean batters, with his first three balls, all to Afosha, going for zero runs. Fortunately for him, though, the fourth was a little shorter and rocking back, the Hawthorn captain deposited it over square-leg, one bounce, and into the fence for just the second four of the innings. Four runs from four balls then became five from five, leaving Cross to face the final ball of the over. It was full and on his pads - a bad delivery in most situations - but this one turned and bounced. Just enough. Cross was already through his shot when the ball lobbed off his leading edge, straight back into Robinson’s hands. On a perfect batting surface, against a side playing only their seventh game of T20 cricket, Sylestone were 4-28.

But there was still heaps of batting to come, and Afosha was still at the crease. Peter Lenton, the 34-year-old incumbent from Dunkirk, joined him, and the two of them set about in a relatively aggressive manner. The next over, from Bobby Nolan, went for nine, before Lenton smacked the first ball of Vazquez’s second over straight back over the sightscreen for the first maximum of the evening. For the first time in the game, the crowd had begun to quieten as the Hawthorns began to build up a fightback.

It wouldn’t last long, though. On the first ball of the tenth over, just when it was necessary for the two set batters to stay in, Afosha received an absolute jaffa of a leg-spinner from his opposite number, bowling him around his legs as he attempted a sweep shot, the score now 5-48. Replays showed that the ball spun as much as a foot - a whopping amount, even for a leg-spinner. But even so, it was a wicket, and one that the visitors could not afford to lose. Finally, this Sylestone team appeared to be down and out.

But even with their captain gone, they continued to fight. Lenton continued to play his aggressive game, while Ashton Stealom looked to score runs, right from the first ball he faced. The two of them got to the ten-over mark safely, adding six runs from five balls, before hitting another 20 runs from the next two overs to push the scoreboard along to 74 with eight overs remaining, the run-rate above six an over for the first time in the innings, Stealom doing the bulk of the scoring. But Vincente Bullock pulled things back after the first ball of his third over, the 13th of the innings, disappeared over cover for four, Lenton becoming extremely frustrated at the build-up of dot balls. Eventually, on the fifth ball of the over, following three balls without scoring, he played an off-cutter into the leg side and set off for a run, where there clearly wasn;t one, Kaye Newman swooping in from short mid-wicket to pick up the ball, much to the 34-year-old’s horror. His desperate dive to get back in fell a good two metres short, and in a moment of pure insanity, South Newlandia had put one hand on the trophy, with only four wickets remaining.

Usually, a score of 6-78 after 13 overs would spell the end of most teams, with bowlers coming to the crease. But not this Sylestone team. For out entered New Gloucester and Avondale Knights opener Caitlyn Freehill, batting at eight simply due to the strength of this Sylestone top- and middle-orders. Even so, she was nearly out first ball, Paul Robinson dropping a tough chance away to his right at backward point. And little did he know just how costly that would be.

Stealom and Freehill played out Newman’s final over, hitting it for just seven runs, the South Newlandian skipper returning the excellent figures of 2-27 from her four overs, plus a vital run out. Now, she turned to Nolan to bowl his third, sensing that neither batter was quite prepared to take him on yet. Little did she know just how wrong she was.

Sixteen runs came from Nolan’s third over, launching the Sylestonean total above 100 and setting the tone for the remainder of the innings. Vazquez’s next over, her fourth of the innings, went for even more, and all of a sudden, with 35 runs off the last two overs, the Hawthorns were in a good position. The South Newlandians were in desperate need of a wicket. But who could Kaye Newman turn to?

It really was a simple question with a simple answer. Paul Robinson, with the astounding figures of 2-7 from his three overs, was handed the ball and wished the best of luck as he turned to face Caitlyn Freehill. With no respect for his figures, she slapped the first ball of his over for four, before Stealom smacked the fourth into the stands for an astonishing six, taking his tally to 47, three shy of a maiden half-century. But Robinson had plans, and executed them to perfection. The next delivery, the final of Robinson’s allocated 24, was tossed up, well outside off-stump. The Hawthorn wicketkeeper-batter took the bait, but could only hit the ball as far as Tamara Vazquez at long-off, who took a simple catch in front of her face. With three overs remaining, Sylestone were 7-133 and finally, the bowlers were coming to the crease.

Freehill continued to hit out, but could not find her timing in the same way she was while she was joined by Stealom, her strike rate falling below 200 by the final over of the innings. Ross Amitt added a few lusty blows, too, scoring ten runs from five balls before he was caught with five balls remaining. Eventually, the Hawthorns finished at 8-160 from their allocated overs - a far better total than anyone would have thought they would have got at the 13-over mark, when they were a mere 6-78. But Ashton Stealom (47 from 29) and Caitlyn Freehill (34* from 18) had led a tremendous fightback and now, they’d probably have their noses in front.

But they’d still need to bowl bloody well.

The crowd, so quiet you could hear a pin drop for the last thirty minutes of the Sylestone innings, answered Brock Pittman and Michaela Hungfa’s arrival to the crease for the second innings with a roar, hoping beyond anything that their side could chase down this tricky total set by their opponents. Not once in their previous six games had they conceded more than 155 runs, displaying their excellent bowling prowess, but this was, too, their lowest first-innings score all tournament. These guys were good on their home soil, and the Hawthorns were going to need to give it their all.

Pittman and Hungfa looked to score right from the word play, hitting a boundary apiece in the opening twelve balls of the innings, while running hard between the wickets. When Leo Codrington’s second over was tapped for thirteen, the South Newlandians were right on top of the match, making a pitch with a little something in it look as flat as a road. So Afosha played the first card from his hand - he brought on Ross Amitt.

Amitt opened with a wide down the leg-side, before Hungfa belted a ball slightly back of a length to the point boundary for four off the first legal delivery of the over. But from then on, he settled straight into his lines and lengths, tying both Hungfa and Pittman up, allowing only two runs from his next four balls despite the fielding restrictions. Frustrated, Hungfa swung at the final ball of his over, but only succeeded in inside-edging it, past the stumps, and into Ashton Stealom’s outstretched gloves. Sylestone had their first.

Moments later, the hosts were two down, Samuel Cross throwing down the stumps from mid-off as Johnson Hanson attempted a quick single to get off the mark. In the end, a good dive got him surprisingly close to grounding his bat beyond the popping crease, but he was sent on his way for a duck, the run-rate slipping below eight an over. Sylestone were back on top.

Things got real bad for the Elephants in the ninth over, the introduction of Caitlyn Freehill prompting the South Newlandian skipper to attempt to up the run-rate. The third ball of the over just cramped her up a little bit and could only top-edge a pull shot straight into Stealom’s safe hands. Freehill had taken the wicket they’d been searching for and with the score 3-54 in the ninth over, the experience of the Sylestoneans had paid dividends.

But Brad Pittman was batting and with him there, the Elephants weren’t quite out of it. He found an able partner in Mitchel Knowles and between them, they kept their nation in with a chance. Pittman was particularly aggressive, reaching his fifty in the 14th over of the innings with a massive six off the bowling of Liam Afosha. But Kate Sonnel continued to provide strife for both batters and in the next over, the 15th of the innings, she got her wicket.

With the required run-rate jumping the ten an over mark, Knowles launched into a big leg-break from Sonnel, believing he could clear Ross Amitt out in the deep. But the ball turned sharply and caught the leading edge, the ball spooning out to backward point, where Brianna Eastwood took an easy catch, dismissing the South Newlandian number five for a run-a-ball sixteen, 58 runs required from the final 33 balls. With Samuel Cross all but guaranteed to bowl all three of those, and Ross Amitt one of the other two, it could even be too tall an order for unbeaten opener Brad Pittman, especially if no one could hang around with him. He was in desperate need of someone who could hit a long ball and stay out there.

Buddy Barron, the Elephant wicketkeeper, failed to deliver. On the third ball of Cross’s first over, he could only edge a bouncer edging the 140 km/h mark through to Stealom for his third catch of the evening, bringing Jana Hatfield to the crease, demoted down the order due to a finger injury sustained while fielding. But they needed her to stay with Pittman, and needed it before things got any worse.

She got Pittman on strike with her first ball, knowing that her ability to rotate the strike would be the only way her nation were going to come out of this match with all the glory. But that method also required Pittman to stay in…

Yes, you guessed it. Cross got him next ball. Loading up to go over the leg-side, Cross took all the pace off the ball, making the South Newlandian opener hold back his stroke. He actually got a decent piece of it, but he could not clear the Sylestonean skipper, Liam Afosha, patrolling the boundary out at square-leg. Clean as a whistle, he took the catch and in a single ball, the hosts’ hopes of preventing the Hawthorns from defending their title were dashed. The crowd knew it too - one by one, they began to file out of the stadium. They’d had enough.

Or was it? The batters did not cross, so Paul Robinson was on strike for the final ball of Cross’s over. Knowing that he had to have a bash, he hoicked the ball towards cow corner, straight into the gap. Four runs. He then whacked a maximum from the fourth ball of the 17th over, delivered by Leo Codrington. Another over passed, but runs were still obtained from it. It was a super-duper long shot, with nigh on forty runs required from two overs, but were the Elephants’ chances still there?

You never know. On the second ball of Amitt’s fourth over, the 19th of the innings, Hatfield hit her first boundary - a sublime late cut past short third-man to the boundary. A single off the next ball saw Robinson regain the strike, 32 now needed from 9 balls, with multiple maximums desperately needed. The following ball, we got the answer to our questions.

No.

The following ball was a half-volley and Robinson swung at it, hitting it hard down towards Peter Lenton at long-on. Right on the boundary, he took the ball, well above his head, but he remained in play. Robinson was gone. Surely, South Newlandia were gone now.

Amitt’s next ball castled Vincente Bullock and although Bobby Nolan denied the hat-trick with a push to mid-wicket, the game was done and dusted. Cross picked up the final two wickets within five balls to bowl the Elephants out for 136 but by then, the stadium was nearly empty. But the Hawthorns didn’t care. Mostly a second-string side, they’d won seven games on the trot to become Esportivan champions.

Again.

Could anyone stop them now?

Sylestone Batting
Batter                                        R   B  4s  6s   SR
Y Ubuni          c Barron b Robinson          0   2   0   0    
B Eastwood       lbw b Newman                 6  11   1   0   54.55
L Cocrine        c Hatfield b Bullock         1   4   0   0   25
S Cross          c&b Robinson                 8  13   0   0   61.54
L Afosha (c)     b Newman                    15  17   1   0   88.24
P Lenton         run out (Newman)            22  19   1   1  115.79
A Stealom (+)    c Vazquez b Robinson        47  29   5   1  162.07
C Freehill       not out                     34  18   3   2  188.89
R Amitt          c Barron b Vazquez          10   6   2   0  166.67
L Codrington     not out                      5   3   1   0  166.67
      EXTRAS     (1 b, 1 lb, 8 wd, 2 nb)     12
      TOTAL      for 8 wickets              160   (20 ov; 8 RPO)
Did not bat:   K Sonnel

FOW: 1-0 (Y Ubuni, 0.2 overs); 2-6 (L Cocrine, 2.1 overs); 3-11 (B Eastwood, 3.4 overs); 
     4-28 (S Cross, 6.6 overs); 5-48 (L Afosha (c), 9.1 overs); 6-78 (P Lenton, 12.5 overs); 
     7-133 (A Stealom (+), 16.6 overs); 8-154 (R Amitt, 19.2 overs)

South Newlandia Bowling
Bowler              Ov   M   R  W   Econ  Ext
P Robinson           4   0  20  3      5  
T Vazquez            4   0  38  1    9.5  (6 wd, 1 nb)
V Bullock            4   0  28  1      7  
K Newman (c)         4   0  27  2   6.75  (1 wd)
B Nolan              4   0  45  0  11.25  (1 wd, 1 nb)

South Newlandia Batting   (Target: 161)
Batter                                        R   B  4s  6s   SR
B Pittman        c Afosha b Cross            57  46   4   2  123.91
M Hungfa         c Stealom b Amitt           20  13   2   1  153.85
J Hanson         run out (Cross)              0   3   0   0    
K Newman (c)     c Stealom b Freehill         5   9   0   0   55.56
M Knowles        c Eastwood b Sonnel         16  16   1   0  100
B Barron (+)     c Stealom b Cross            3   5   0   0   60
J Hatfield       not out                     10  13   1   0   76.92
P Robinson       c Lenton b Amitt            11   8   1   1  137.5
V Bullock        b Amitt                      0   1   0   0    
B Nolan          c Freehill b Cross           5   3   1   0  166.67
T Vazquez        b Cross                      1   2   0   0   50
      EXTRAS     (2 lb, 6 wd)                 8
      TOTAL      all out                    136   (19.5 ov; 6.86 RPO)
               

FOW: 1-36 (M Hungfa, 3.6 overs); 2-37 (J Hanson, 4.5 overs); 3-54 (K Newman (c), 8.3 overs); 
     4-103 (M Knowles, 14.3 overs); 5-108 (B Barron (+), 15.3 overs); 6-109 (B Pittman, 15.5 overs); 
     7-129 (P Robinson, 18.4 overs); 8-129 (V Bullock, 18.5 overs); 9-134 (B Nolan, 19.2 overs); 
     10-136 (T Vazquez, 19.5 overs)

Sylestone Bowling
Bowler              Ov   M   R  W   Econ  Ext
L Codrington         4   0  30  1    7.5  (1 wd)
C Freehill           3   0  25  1   8.33  (1 wd)
R Amitt              4   0  24  3      6  (2 wd)
L Afosha (c)         2   0  22  0     11  (1 wd)
K Sonnel             4   1  15  1   3.75  
S Cross            2.5   0  18  3    7.2  (1 wd)

Venue: Black Dolphin Arena, New Colk, South Newlandia
Toss: Sylestone won the toss and elected to bat
Season/Tournament: EspoT20 II
Matchdays: Final
Player of the Match: Ross Amitt (SYL)
Debut: none
Umpires: Unknown
TV Umpire: Unknown
Reserve Umpire: Unknown
Match Referee: Unknown
Match Result: Sylestone win by 24 runs

by **Burgburgh** » Sun Dec 12, 2021 1:26 pm

shit fuck shit shit shit was all that was racing across Jojo Gärtner's mind. One lapsed moment of concentration and now he's a good three steps behind Darren Williams. This normally wouldn't be the worst, save for in that moment a pass had also come Williams' way.

The rest of the Burgeoisie defense noticed Jojo's fuckup as quickly as he did, slamming the "try to mitigate damage" button with Carmen turning on the burners to turn the double coverage they'd had on Freddy Beal into a very tight one-man mark. This maneuver would cleverly free up Anacleto to cut to the left and make sure Williams' shot was at the very least contested—that is, if Williams didn't just rip it as soon as he saw the centreback was en route.

Levi was caught just the slightest bit flat-footed, the shot passing centimetres from his fingertips.

Jojo hung his head immediately. I'm gonna get the fuckin' "leaving Levi high and dry" speech from Lukas again. Perfect form in the last two games and I just HAD to fuck up in the semi.

Any potential floggings would need to wait at least the five minutes left in the half. Celeste kicked off with a backpass to Cándido as the tactician attempted to hatch a plan to level things out quickly.

This plan did not involve Johnathan making a break down the touchline the moment the ball graced his boots, but the shockwave it sent through the NAAZEr defense hatched a new one. A few codewords barked in the direction of Sunshine and Patty greased the cogs, and when Johnathan hit the end of the road in Sean Reed meeting him head-on the city slicker had done his duty to keep a lane open back to Cándido.

A quick one-two pass put the ball on the left wing in a matter of seconds, Patty barely managing to beat a quick response from Bradley Fuller and gain a few steps before chipping the cross into the box and praying.

Sunshine had done his part in the plan—threatening with erratic motions in the box to draw attention. Celeste had dusted her mark in the split-second they took to register the ball going airborne and bashed a thunderous header into the bottom-right corner, an outstretched Jordan Hopkins with nothing to do but dust himself off and pick the equalizer out of the net.

There was no half-time scolding. Lukas' inspirational speeches have never been the most galvanizing, but that didn't phase the team—they're well used to making their own motivation.

shit shit shit fuck was all that was racing across Francisco del Olmo's mind. He's always been the go-to off the bench in critical situations, sure, but he'd barely gotten any playtime last CE—nothing at all past the round of sixteen. Now he had the ball on the opposing red zone in injury time with a Final berth on the line. He hadn't had a knot in his chest like this since the final-day grudge match between Los Burgeles and Burga for the league title twelve years ago—when he, as a precocious sixteen-year-old, skied it and cost them everything. Immediately preceding Los Burgeles as an organization utterly collapsing and becoming a perennial bottom feeder.

So it was better off that he was fixated on a string of expletives than dredging up those memories as he deked past Matt Woods and found himself in close quarters, face to face, with Jordan Hopkins. He kept running. They locked eyes.

Hopkins made his move. Francisco awkwardly shunted the ball to the right, the keeper's impeccable timing leaving him wrong-footed for the chance... but it still skipped past his sliding form and gently rolled across the line.

by **South Newlandia** » Sun Dec 12, 2021 1:41 pm

Cutoff for the Final of the Campionato Esportiva 31!
If you notice any mistakes, please alert me ASAP!
*edit: forgot to mention that third-party scorer. Thanks Graint!

Campionato Esportiva 31

Day 10 - Third Place Playoff

(7) South Newlandia 1–2 Nova Anglicana (AZE) (9) @Elephant Dome, 21,500 – Elephant Valley - (scorinated by Græntfjall)

Day 10 - Final

(3) Tumbra 0–0 Burgburgh (5) (1–0 AET) @Stadium of Friendship, 41,093 – Elephant Valley

Congratiulations to Tumbra, the Champions of the 31st Campionato Esportiva!

by **Hannasea** » Sun Dec 19, 2021 2:48 pm

Offence flattens Red Kites en route to regional title

The Choughs have been named champions of Esportiva after defeating Ethane 2-0 in the final of the Esportivan Baseball Trophy in South Newlandia. The team scored 21 runs to 5 across 2 games dominated by the Choughs' batting. Ethan Harman was named MVP, and hit a home run, an RBI double, and an RBI single, and draw an RBI walk, in the final series.

The win sets the Choughs up well ahead of WBC52. "We're very strong favourites to progress to the playoffs," confident predicted Assistant to the Manager John. "Certainly don't see teams like unranked Soldera making it ahead of the regional champions of Esportiva, no sir," he added.

CE 31 & EspoT20 II & Sporting Festival - Everything Thread

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