Campionato Esportiva 37 & Sport. Fest. 3 - Everything Thread

by **South Newlandia** » Fri Feb 16, 2024 1:46 pm

Cutoff!

If you notice any mistakes, please alert me ASAP!

Campionato Esportiva 37

Espo T20 IV

as a reminder, the first two games are played at the Black Dolphin Arena, the other two at Harrier Stadium.

TJUN-ia 149/5 (20 overs)
Tumbra 152/6 (19.5 overs)
Tumbra win by 4 wickets

Lozho 173/8 (20 overs)
Sylestone 184/5 (20 overs)
Sylestone win by 11 runs

Esportivan Darmen 145/8 (20 overs)
The Plough Islands 176/6 (20 overs)
The Plough Islands win by 31 runs

South Newlandia 183/2 (19.3 overs)
Natanians and Nosts 181/6 (20 overs)
South Newlandia win by eight wickets

P Group                Pld   W  D  L     NRR   Pts 
1 Sylestone              6   6  0  0   +0.853   12
2 Tumbra                 6   4  0  2   +0.409    8
3 TJUN-ia                6   3  0  3   +0.239    6
4 Lozho                  6   3  0  3   +0.114    6
5 The Plough Islands     6   3  0  3   -0.028    6
6 South Newlandia        6   3  0  3   -0.344    6
7 Natanians and Nosts    6   1  0  5   -0.572    2
8 Esportivan Darmen      6   1  0  5   -0.695    2

Esportivan Baseball Trophy III

Playoff Round:

A2 TJUN-ia vs. B3 Irithoren

Irithoren              0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  2
TJUN-ia                0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 X  3

B2 Dod Rava vs. A3 Eshialand

Eshialand              0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  3
Dod Rava               0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  2

Semifinals:

B1 Super-Llamaland vs. A2 TJUN-ia
@Ratzupalfu Dome, Ratzupalfu

A1 South Newlandia vs. A3 Eshialand
@Elephant Stadium, Elephant Valley

Esportivan Ice Hockey Trophy II

Esportivan Handball Trophy II

Esportivan Karting Trophy

Week 3: Race

Conditions:      	Dry
Laps:              	28
Nation:         	SNL
Circuit:        	Northern Coast Track
Event:			Race 3 - Trunkst
Cars on Grid:		19

POS  # DRV Name                     Team                     	Time      	Pts	
  1 16 LCA Lane Carter              TJU                      	00:21:09.985	11		
  2  5 EKA Evangelos Kalyftakis     FHU                      	00:00:07.036	8		
  3 15 SEN Sentient Engine          SYL                      	00:00:15.917	6		
  4 17 TPR Ted Pressley             TMB                      	00:00:27.707	5		
  5  1 JJA Jyri Jatkola             ABL                      	Laps Down: 1	4		
  6 10 ZVZ Zebediah von Ziggler     LOZ                      	Laps Down: 1	3		
  7  4 WBO Willum Bond              DOU                      	Laps Down: 1	2		
  8 14 RDR Robin Dragonovic         SNL                      	Laps Down: 2	1		
  9  9 KDA Karim Dafiyrah           IRI                      	Laps Down: 2			
 10 18 CSH C J N M M Suh-Hyung      VEZ                      	Laps Down: 2			
 11  8 RED Rudy Edwards             HAP                      	Laps Down: 3			
 12 12 GMO Gabriel Morales          NER                      	Laps Down: 3			
 13  3 JLE Julita Lérida            DOR                      	Laps Down: 3			
 14  2 GTK Gilles Taggart-Kennard   ACA                      	Laps Down: 3			
 15  6 TCA Tucker Capps             XAN                      	Laps Down: 4			
 16 11 INA Ion Numa Apilescu        NTN                      	Laps Down: 4			
 17 13 NKI Nepö Kinder              NHU                      	Laps Down: 4			
 18  7 VDA Victoria Davidson        HAN                      	Laps Down: 4			
DNF 19 JFR Janet Franssen           VNG                      	Ret. lap 23

Pos # DRV Name                      Team                     Pts
 1 15 SEN Sentient Engine           SYL                      28**
 2 16 LCA Lane Carter               TJU                      23*
 3  5 EKA Evangelos Kalyftakis      FHU                      20
 4 17 TPR Ted Pressley              TMB                      16
 5 18 CSH C J N M M Suh-Hyung       VEZ                      9
 6 10 ZVZ Zebediah von Ziggler      LOZ                      8
 7  1 JJA Jyri Jatkola              ABL                      5
 7 14 RDR Robin Dragonovic          SNL                      5
 9  4 WBO Willum Bond               DOU                      4
10  9 KDA Karim Dafiyrah            IRI                      2
11  2 GTK Gilles Taggart-Kennard    ACA                      0
11  3 JLE Julita Lérida             DOR                      0
11  6 TCA Tucker Capps              XAN                      0
11  7 VDA Victoria Davidson         HAN                      0
11  8 RED Rudy Edwards              HAP                      0
11 11 INA Ion Numa Apilescu         NTN                      0
11 12 GMO Gabriel Morales           NER                      0
11 13 NKI Nepö Kinder               NHU                      0
11 19 JFR Janet Franssen            VNG                      0

As a reminder, no points will carry over into the final race. The eight drivers remaining will compete in Newport, with the winner of that race taking 1st place of the Esportivan Karting Trophy.

by **Irithoren** » Fri Feb 16, 2024 2:46 pm

Karim Dafiyrah: "All I hope for is that we're getting more of this back home. There's a following, we have the soil to host some rallying at least, and the jump to very manageable karting is there. I will certainly be back, spreading my wings and figuring out different racing disciplines to make me a better, all-round driver. You ain't seen shit yet - I've just been... karting."

by **Sylestone** » Sun Feb 18, 2024 7:19 am

MEDALS LOOM LARGE AFTER YET ANOTHER DOMINANT WEEK IN SOUTH NEWLANDIA

SOUTH NEWLANDIA - The fact that Sylestone are now genuine favourites to receive medals in all four events of the Esportivan Sporting Festival they have sent representatives to is simply absurd, and definitely not something many saw coming. Sure, anything but gold medals in cricket and handball would have been disappointing - and may well still be, for both are far from confirmed despite both teams having found ways to win every single game they have played, including several from positions where they have been second favourites. In football, Sylestone’s recent run to the World Cup final eight has made many expect much more from them other than the fourth-placed finish of the last two Campionato Esportivas. A 0-0 draw against Irithoren has been their only blemish - an ever so slight one - on their record as they enter the quarterfinals. After failing to concede a goal during the group stage, one that included gargantuan 1-0 wins over regional superpowers Josifovo, South Newlandia and to a lesser extent Dispertag alongside a behemoth opening day 2-0 triumph against the Cheetahs and Reptiles Coalison, the Hawthorns have continued their defensive form with a 2-0 “rout” of fellow World Cup qualifiers Eshialand, a side that have simply not been at the races in their first Campionato Esportiva. After a couple of quite humiliating performances in the now dissolved AOCAF, their use of mysterious magic to one day turn up in Esportiva has not changed their footballing fortunes, struggling through the groups and never appearing a match for Mojmir Anac’s men in the round of 16. From first minute to last did the Sentients dominate, and it was courtesy of Charlotte Eastwood’s second brace for her nation that they would progress to a highly anticipated fixture against Xanneria to determine one member of the final four. It was a typical Sylestonean counterattack - one they have perfected under Anac’s instruction - that led to the first goal, Jack Ryland intercepting an attempted intricate pass between lines before knocking the ball forward to Eastwood, who simply took it in her stride, angling to the right before nailing an inch perfect finish into the bottom corner. With a 1-0 lead, this is where the Sentients would shut up shop, but not this time. Seeking the advantage, Anac spurred his team on, constantly threatening the Eshialand goal either side of the break. Finally, the defence of Kenneth Morgan’s team was broken in the 52nd minute, only for a centre back to stick out their leg in a last gap attempt to break Brett Sarcav-Jones’ beeline towards goal, tumbling him and prompting an easy penalty decision in favour of the leaders. The resulting penalty was powerful, leaving the Eshialand goalkeeper with absolutely zero time to react as she sent it into the bottom corner to double the lead.

From that point onwards, the game seemed done and dusted. While the Sentients had dominated the first half, Eshialand were not quite devoid of their chances and every now and again, threatened to break through the low block set up and properly challenge Ryan Macleay. They even succeeded once in the 33rd minute, but Macleay was awake and cut down the angle to make it impossible for the strike to pass his outstretched body. After Eastwood converted her penalty, Eshialand unsurprisingly saw a bit more of the ball, but they could not break down the defensive strength of the Sentients’ back and midfield lines, often losing the ball in transition during attempts to make delicate passes between the lines. It was only due to their awareness of the threat Sylestone posed on the counter that they shut the options down and yet, Eastwood was only inches off a brace while Jack Lawson came the width of the crossbar off an absolute speccy to open his account for the tournament. For Sylestone, it’s just another team knocked off in their relentless charge towards the trophy, while for Eshialand, it marks the end of the road in what was simply just a very disappointing campaign. But they have the talent, and they’ll be back next time.

Next stop for Sylestone is sixth seed Xanneria - a formidable opponent who have bested Sylestone several times in history. They, too, boast a very strong record, defeating regular World Cup qualifiers TJUN-ia in the groups before losing their grip on first place by succumbing to Sylestone’s southerly neighbours, Acadiana, on matchday five. They were still far too hot for Nataniasn and Nosts to handle in the round of 16, though - something which the Sentients will be both relieved and wary of at the same time considering that Johann Mureșan-Antonescu’s men have proven to be bit of a bogey team for them in recent year, but on the other side of that spectrum, if Xanniera were able to knock them off, then in turn they will be more than capable of doing the same to Sylestone. A naturally offensive-minded team by nature, they will prove very hot to handle and may well end Ryan Macleay’s streak of clean sheets if they can find that finishing ball. At the end of the day, the winner will be the team who refuses to submit to the other’s polar opposite strategy for the longest period of time. Can the Sentients make it three semifinals in a row?

In other sports, key contributions from almost everyone proved enough for the Hawthorns to send Lozho packing in the cricket, even despite Tim Crawford’s opening blitz to get the chase off to a fiery start. Adjudged player of the match for his unbeaten 49 from just 26 balls, Lachlan Cocrine talked only praise of his teammates in the post match interview, stating that “we’ve needed every single one of them so far this tournament, and you can see it in the results. Most of the games have been fairly close and could have gone either way, and every time one or two players have stepped up to bring it home. It’s a huge privilege to be able to have such trust in the boys and girls to just know we can win from pretty much anywhere. The oppositions have been much stronger than many of us expected, though, which is a great sign for Esportivan cricket. The tournament’s done wonder for the sport’s progression through the region and there’s plenty of brilliant signs for the future.”

However, the same unfortunately cannot be said for handball. Outside of second-placed South Newlandia, who were knocked off by the group captained by Lachlan Fosbrook in the playoff as the Hawthorns secured a spot in the final, most other local teams have simply had no answer to the absurd strength of the current world number ones and now, bar a massive upset in the final, there can only be one lifter of the trophy. Of everyone, South Newlandia do appear the most likely, although the other remaining team, guest nation HUElavia, have also pulled off the unthinkable once or twice. You’d think, though, that if the Hawthorns can reach anywhere near their best, it would be fairly comfortable. The experience, the talent, it’s just been too much for opponents to handle and one would expect that to continue.

In the karting, the Sentient Engine had a day to forget, having an atrocious race and finishing third from tenth position. Truly forgettable, particularly with everyone expecting it to finish first again. It’s going to really need to up it’s game from here on out if it wants to stand a chance of winning a medal. Disgraceful.

CAMPIONATO ESPORTIVA 37 RO16 @ Ratzupalfu Colosseum, Ratzupalfu, South Newlandia

Sylestone (4-4-1-1): Macleay; Wettenhall - Mornington - Blackall - Molineux; Ryland (Milligan 66’) - Rodway - Lawson - Arnold (Jones 66’); Sarcav-Jones (Gallagher 79’); Eastwood (Bostock 79’)

Eshialand: Unknown

Sylestone 2-0 Eshialand
                                Eastwood 17’, 53’ (p)

Quarterfinal Starting XI vs Xanneria @ EsportivArena, Newport, South Newlandia

Macleay; Wettenhall - Mornington - Blackall - Statton; Ryland - Rodway - Lawson - Arnold; Sarcav-Jones; Eastwood

ESPOT20 MD6 @ Black Dolphin Arena, New Colk, South Newlandia

Sylestone Batting
Batter                                                R   B  4s  6s   SR
L Tiati (c) (+)    c Dumfries (+) b Hinckley         13   7   3   0  185.71
N Lovia            c Qaraq b Horzhonzille            44  33   3   2  133.33
B Eastwood         c&b Qaraq                         31  30   2   0  103.33
L Cocrine          not out                           49  26   3   3  188.46
J Martin           b Moz                             21  16   1   1  131.25
S Cross            c Zrumhammer b Moz                 8   6   1   0  133.33
A Stealom          not out                            6   2   1   0  300
       EXTRAS      (5 lb, 7 wd)                      12
       TOTAL       for 5 wickets                    184   (20 ov; 9.2 RPO)
Did not bat:     S Asaskia, B Hall, S Scron, K Sonnel

FOW: 1-15 (L Tiati (c) (+), 1.3 overs); 2-90 (N Lovia, 11.1 overs); 3-94 (B Eastwood, 12.1 overs); 
     4-155 (J Martin, 17.5 overs); 5-178 (S Cross, 19.4 overs)

Lozho Bowling
Bowler                Ov   M   R  W   Econ  Ext
Moz                    4   0  43  2  10.75  (2 wd)
G Hinckley             4   0  36  1      9  (2 wd)
F Horzhonzille         4   0  25  1   6.25  (1 wd)
Z Qaraq                4   0  29  1   7.25  
G Hozhe                4   0  45  0  11.25  (2 wd)

Lozho Batting   (Target: 185)
Batter                                                R   B  4s  6s   SR
T Crawford         c Asaskia b Scron                 63  33   5   5  190.91
Z Zohnzohn         c sub (Freehill) b Sonnel          0   2   0   0    
R Zrumhammer       b Hall                             8  13   0   0   61.54
A Drezhen (c)      c Sonnel b Scron                  35  30   3   0  116.67
Z Zaddam           run out (Asaskia, Tiati (+))      11   8   1   0  137.5
F Horzhonzille     lbw b Cross                       29  18   2   2  161.11
Y Dumfries (+)     c Eastwood b Asaskia               5   4   1   0  125
G Hozhe            not out                            6   7   0   0   85.71
Z Qaraq            c Stealom b Cross                  6   4   1   0  150
G Hinckley         not out                            1   1   0   0  100
       EXTRAS      (1 b, 3 lb, 5 wd)                  9
       TOTAL       for 8 wickets                    173   (20 ov; 8.65 RPO)
Did not bat:     Moz

FOW: 1-5 (Z Zohnzohn, 0.5 overs); 2-70 (R Zrumhammer, 7.2 overs); 3-78 (T Crawford, 8.4 overs); 
     4-98 (Z Zaddam, 11.3 overs); 5-145 (F Horzhonzille, 16.3 overs); 6-156 (Y Dumfries (+), 17.5 overs); 
     7-160 (A Drezhen (c), 18.2 overs); 8-171 (Z Qaraq, 19.3 overs)

Sylestone Bowling
Bowler                Ov   M   R  W   Econ  Ext
S Scron                4   0  40  2     10  (2 wd)
S Asaskia              4   0  32  1      8  
S Cross                4   0  35  2   8.75  (2 wd)
B Hall                 4   0  34  1    8.5  (1 wd)
K Sonnel               4   0  28  1      7  

Venue: Black Dolphin Arena, New Colk, South Newlandia
Match number: Match 22
Toss: Lozho won the toss and elected to bowl
Season/Tournament: EspoT20 IV
Matchdays: Matchday Six
Player of the Match: Lachlan Cocrine (SYL)
Series result: 
Debut: None
Umpires: Unknown
TV Umpire: Unknown
Reserve Umpire: Unknown
Match Referee: Unknown
Match Result: Sylestone win by 11 runs

MD7 XI vs Esportivan Darmen @ Harrier Stadium, New Colk, South Newlandia

1. Luke Tiati (c) (+)
2. Caitlyn Freehill
3. Brianna Eastwood
4. Lachlan Cocrine
5. Nicholas Lovia
6. Jack Martin
7. Samuel Cross
8. Ashton Stealom
9. Jesse McMillan
10. Broughton Hall
11. Kate Sonnel

by **Fhulghamous Peninsula** » Sun Feb 18, 2024 11:05 am

The match between the Fhulghamous Peninsula and Irithoren in the Round of 16 of the 37th Campionato Esportiva, when it was first announced, would definitely not have been top on the list of must-watch games in the current edition of Esportiva’s top football competition. It just didn’t have the drawing power of a Hannasea versus Tumbra, a Sylestone versus Eshialand, or even a Xanneria versus Natanians and Nosts. That wasn’t the fault of the players or the teams though; for a lot of Fhulghamousians, it was just hard to care about a match in which their team had been on the losing side for most of the times that the Colonists had even managed to make it that far into the competition. And, considering the quality of opponents to which the Peninsula had bowed out in the Round of 16 in previous Campionatos, it was somewhat difficult for the fans to throw their support behind the Colonists, and that was even with the good run of form that the Fhulghamous had gone on at the start of this Campionato.

But no matter what the expectations of Fhulghamous versus Irithoren had been at the start, it was now undeniable that this match was going to be a Campionato classic, something that would be talked about for years to come. It was end-to-end action between the two teams, numerous chances being created and sometimes even converted. No team looked like they were truly dominating the game itself, and the age-old cliché of “anyone could win” was very much applicable in this match. There were moments where it looked like the Fhulghamous could win, and there were moments when it looked like Irithoren could pull off the upset against the Peninsula and continue the Colonists’ poor Round of 16 streak. And as the game went on, it was beginning to look more and more like one moment, one spark of brilliance or one brain fart of utter stupidity, could decide the final outcome.

Polynikis Kalyftakis felt like he had been doing everything that a football player could do against Irithoren. He was breaking up plays whenever he could, intercepting the ball if it went anywhere near him, and even getting an attempt or two at the goal through set pieces. He wasn’t going to claim that he was doing all the work though; his teammates in the defensive line had put in their fair share as well. But the Irithoren players were relentless; just like the Fhulghamous, they weren’t going to give up their shot at winning the Campionato Esportiva easily, and they saw the team that had some of the worst luck in football when it came to the Round of 16 as their best chance of getting through to the quarterfinals. The Colonists, for their part, had had a lot more experience on what to expect in the Round of 16, and they knew that any team could suddenly come to form and completely wreck the team from the Fleftic colony. That hadn’t happened so far, but Polynikis knew that all it took was one moment to break their resistance, and the road back to contention would be much more difficult than it had been when the Peninsula had gone down early to Kita-Hinode in the group stage.

Sima Sujaa, Irithoren’s number 10, had been a thorn in the side of the entire Fhulghamousian back line for pretty much the whole game. Polynikis would love to say that he and his center back partner Miltiadis Mouzakis had been handling her well, but that wasn’t really the case. Most of Irithoren’s clearest attempts on goal had come through her, whether it was Sujaa herself taking the shot or making the pass to a teammate. Sujaa had already gone through Polynikis and Miltiadis at least three times, and she had made that penetration count at least once as well. It was clear that Sima Sujaa was the biggest threat that Irithoren had on the field against the Fhulghamous, and both Polynikis and Miltiadis were showing the effects of said battle.

Once again, Irithoren lumped the ball across midfield in an attempt to pierce the Fhulghamous’s final third. Polynikis saw that the ball was going to fall a little further behind him than anticipated and he immediately started backtracking. He felt more than saw someone running behind him, and his instinct told him that whoever that was, it was most definitely not a teammate. Polynikis immediately turned around and chased after that person and, surprise surprise, it was none other than Sima Sujaa. Polynikis had a brief glance of the rest of the pitch in front of him, and he saw acres of green grass in between himself, Sujaa, and Tadeo Roman, the Fhulghamousian goalkeeper. He didn’t have a lot of time to check whether his center back partner Miltiadis was anywhere near the play, but given the latter’s age and how his role was to be more of a static defender, Polynikis wasn’t holding out much hope that Miltiadis would be able to help him out.

Polynikis launched himself towards Sujaa and made a lunge for the ball. He definitely felt his right foot brush against the synthetic leather of the football, and then his shins made contact with Sujaa’s calves and the two of them went down in a tangle of limbs. Polynikis could already hear the whistle being blown even as he was going down. The only thing he could hope for was that he would only be seeing yellow and not red. Luckily for Polynikis, that was exactly what happened. Yellow card for Kalyftakis, and a free kick in a dangerous area for Irithoren. Miltiadis Mouzakis ran over to help Polynikis get up, and as they did so, the older defender said, “You didn’t have to chop her down like that, Nick. I had her covered.”

“That explains why I only got a yellow,” Polynikis joked. “Anyway, better safe than sorry, right?”

“Let’s talk again after the free kick,” Miltiadis said as the two of them joined some of their Fhulghamousian teammates in forming the wall in front of the Irithoren free kick taker. The ref blew his whistle once again, the Irithoren player kicked the ball, the wall jumped up… and the ball ended up in the back of the net anyway.

“Fiqawit gets his head on it… and it’s in! Saeed Fiqawit scores for Irithoren! The Jerboas have been down and out for most of this match but now this, they’re going to try to make this a more interesting game. They’re still two goals down with ten minutes plus stoppage time to go, but it’s not a truly impossible task. The Fhulghamous Peninsula have had a reputation of throwing away games, especially in the Round of 16, but based on how they’ve been playing in the current Campionato Esportiva so far, this Colonists side is a far cry from those that have come before them…”

“Still think going in for the tackle was a good thing?” Miltiadis Mouzakis asked.

“I stand by what I did,” Polynikis Kalyftakis shrugged.

Evangelos Kalyftakis knew and even expected to have a bitter fight for the victory at the Northern Coast Circuit in Trunkst to make sure that he would remain in contention for the Karting Event title in the Campionato Esportiva Sporting Festival, but he wasn’t expecting the levels that his opponents had brought to the track this time around. Not to say that Gelo was expecting to just stroll away with the win, but he was very much surprised by just how much the other drivers were willing to throw themselves and their karts around just to move up even a single place in this race. Gelo knew that racing could get wild, but right now, he was experiencing motorsports at its wildest and most visceral. It was as if everyone else just realized that there were only two races left to go to get a win and get their name included in the list of title contenders, especially now that Sentient Engine appeared to get its first misfire of the entire event.

So far though, Gelo had been able to keep his nose clean while holding on to the lead. It seemed as if he was currently living out the meme of that happy toy plane leaving behind an entire war zone in its wake as he was running away with the lead and the win at Trunkst while everyone else seemed to be more focused on getting past each other than actually trying to fight Gelo for the lead. At least, that was how the first three-fourths of the race had gone. Eventually, someone else managed to extricate themselves from the chaos behind the leader to challenge Gelo, and somewhat to the Fhulghamousian’s surprise, it was Lane Carter of TJUN-ia who was now chasing after him. In the back of his mind, Gelo knew that he shouldn’t really be surprised. Lane Carter, after all, was a bona fide WGPC driver while Gelo hadn’t even gotten any time behind a full-size open-wheeler car yet. Many people had tipped Carter to be among the title contenders for the karting event in the Campionato Esportiva Sporting Festival, but until today it appeared as if he hadn’t been able to put his WGPC experience to good use. Well, it might have taken him two and three-fourths races, but now Carter was breathing down Gelo’s neck, and the younger Fhulghamousian knew that he was about to be in the fight of his life.

Gelo and Carter’s karts bumped against each other going into the first turn of the track, a sweeping 90-degree right turn. Both Gelo and Carter remained neck-and-neck as they got out of the first corner and into the next straight, and the two of them held station as they rounded the next corner, a sharper 90-degree right-hander leading into a wide (for the track at least) hairpin. Gelo and Carter’s karts swapped paint with each other once again as they entered the hairpin, but Gelo stood firm and made Carter know that he was not going to give up first place without a fight. It was Gelo’s best, and perhaps even only chance at grabbing a victory while Sentient Engine was still going through an off-day, and he wasn’t going to let anybody take that away from him. But Lane Carter was also equally determined to stake his claim at being the best in the karting event, and he also realized that this was his best opportunity to strike while Sentient Engine was down in the midfield fighting off the rest of the pack.

The Fhulghamousian and the TJUN-ian bumped into each other once again on the chicane, and this time Lane Carter made his move for the lead. He allowed himself to be pushed to the outside by Gelo, who was once again defending his position, and then as the left the chicane, Carter, now on the inside line, used his momentum to finally get past Gelo after two failed attempts. Damn, this guy really is good, Gelo thought to himself as Carter made the overtake. No wonder he’s in the freaking WGPC. That’s what I’ve got to go against if I want to make it there.

Lane Carter may have gotten the lead, but now he was in the position in which Gelo Kalyftakis had been before the TJUN-ian had completed their overtake. Now Gelo was the chaser instead of the chasee, and he was really, really determined to win the Trunkst race. Carter had already gotten him in the chicane, so Gelo knew that he had to time his own overtake well to give himself the best chance of pulling away while at the same time denying Carter the chance or the opportunity to catch up again. He had seen a lot of people try to overtake on the square hairpin after the chicane, but Gelo knew from personal experience during the race that he wouldn’t have enough speed to put distance between him and Carter if he actually tried to overtake there so he held himself back and kept himself tucked in behind Carter’s kart through the two consecutive hairpins. He would have to make his move on the final turn of the circuit. Was it risky? Sure, of course. But everything in motorsports carried an inherent risk, and the winners in racing were often those who knew when and where to take those risks.

Gelo once again tucked himself behind Carter as they approached the final corner, and then as both men made the turn, Gelo moved himself out of Carter’s slipstream and made his move down the inside. Through his helmet’s visor, Gelo could see the front bumper of his kart draw closer and closer to the front of Carter’s kart. He really could be able to make the overtake and retake the lead in the same lap that he had lost it. But just as Gelo thought he was about to complete, Carter started edging forward once again, and as they crossed the finish line to start the next lap, the TJUN-ian was once again ahead of Evangelos. Once again Gelo thought, This guy is really good, and just like that, Lane Carter had sped off into the distance.

  FHULGHAMOUS PENINSULA 4 - 2 IRITHOREN       
     SOKOLOV (13', 76')       S. SUJAA (43')
      ANTONAKAKIS (48')       FIQAWIT (81')
       DERMENTZIS (69')

by **TJUN-ia** » Sun Feb 18, 2024 11:26 am

By Peter Davis

Jaguars
Playoff time had arrived across several sports here in South Newlandia. That is certainly reason enough to rise to the occasion and justify the chaos that may come over these final few days here. Let's start with the CE and the Jagaurs themselves, up against #12 Macbon at Kinetik Stadium in New Colk. A battle between two teams ranked in around the same place on KPB was always going to be an interesting fight and this one was no different, with Kristina Bay breaking the deadlock after only 5 minutes on the clock. Our 2nd would come in the 43rd, a nice strike by Fernandino, and we believed things would be smooth sailing from there. Macbon did grab one back in the 67th but other than that, we managed to simply not bottle it and sealed the 2-1 win to take us to the Quarterfinals. Up next? The Fhulghamous Peninsula, seeded #4, in Elephant Valley.

Bowlin' Jags
Over in the T20, Group Play still had two more games to play and in New Colk, it was the turn of Tumbra to face the Bowlin' Jags. The Blue Lions won the toss and, in a stunning move in this battle of 3-2 sides, May McCrory-Chen's squad decided to gamble and opt to bowl first, sending the Jaguars out with the bats to start the match. It was an interesting move, we all thought at the time, but as it turned out, it was an inspired one as the Blue Lions certainly turned up at the Black Dolphin Arena. We still had some fun here in this game, with Jason Walkins managing 57, but Phillip Kornbluth was the real star here with 3 wickets in the bag while his fellow bowlers helped damage our RR. 149/5 sounded alright enough but in this contest, things would come down to the wire. Peter Kylasov managed 3 wickets and Ahmed Ali got 2, but Wasim Sabir managed a strong 65 and that was certainly hard to counter. It would all come down to the final over but in the end, a 4 on the 2nd-to-last ball by Paul Anderson secured the upset win for Tumbra. We've lost 3 straight. Are we cooked? Who's our final group opponent? Natanians and Nosts.

Battin' Jags
Time for more playoff action and in the Baseball, the Battin' Jags were in the Playoff Round taking on the 3rd best team from Group B - debutants Irithoren. We didn't know much about the Fennecs heading into this competition but considering they did enough to make it here, we knew that we had to treat them with the utmost respect and not underestimate them to any degree. Alia Fard would play the opposite number to Kimi Holvanen in this contest and this one was a classic - lacking in runs, but a classic all the same. Both Fard and Holvanen held up well across the game, even after Svetlana Mykvinich took the lead in the 2nd, and there would be no more additions to the scoreboard until the 8th. That was when Khin Marlar Tun added two more runs to the board and at that point, we felt things were set. That is until Karam Fitabuhsa added two runs to the board to make it 3-2 in the 9th. A bit of a crisis but in the end, Trinity Shelby-Dowora held firm and we held on for the win. It was tight at the end, but we survived. Up next? Super-Llamaland at the Ratzupalfu Dome.

Ice Jaguars
It was a similar situation for the Ice Jaguars across town as they were taking on guest nation Banija in the Playoff Round. Banija, as an overall sporting nation, is a name that strikes fear into the hearts of many, but in this context, we were #12 up against #9...so we expected a battle here. That is exactly what we got as both teams simply traded blows without scoring for a long while, with both Nicholas Artiaga-Tapia and Jikita Fal doing very well in the first 2 periods of this context. At 0-0 late on, many felt Overtime was the only way things would end up being decided, but that was until Graham Cox found the courage to find a gap and score with 3 minutes to go. The remaining time felt like it dragged on for 15 minutes but in the end, that 1-goal lead stood still...and NAT would be swamped by the whole team once that final buzzer went. Onto the semis we go. Who's next? Esportivan Darmen, Group B winners, in Newport.

Lane Carter
And finally, we have the Galarian over in Trunkst for the 3rd Round of the EKT...and what a race it turned out to be. This one was always going to be interesting, with Carter on the front row and the all-powerful Sentient Engine starting from P9, but the 28 laps that followed was a master class in driving ability. Janet Franssen was the only DNF here as everyone kinda just battled amongst themselves, especially Carter and Evangelos Kalyftakis. They both knew that the Engine would be charging towards them and they didn't want to be in the way of that...but Carter managed to pull away at around halfway and never looked back, taking this win over Kalyftakis with the Sentient Engine in 3rd over Ted Pressley, Jyri Jatkola, Zebediah von Ziggler, Willum Bond and hometown hero Robin Dragonovic. Winning a race after all this time felt like a dream, like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, but the job is not done yet. The Engine, Carter, Kalyftakis, Pressley, Charlene J N M M Suh-Hyung, von Ziggler, Jatkola and Dragonovic (the final two tied on points, so both progressed) will now go to Newport to fight it out for the Trophy itself. The points are reset and the rules are simple: the first to cross the line wins it all.

by **Tumbra** » Sun Feb 18, 2024 11:45 am

MAX YOUNG WINS UNITED LEADERSHIP ELECTION IN UPSET FIRST-ROUND VICTORY; NEWELL PLEDGES SUPPORT, KIM CONCEDES GRACEFULLY

STRATON: Max Young, committed federalist, former Premier of Georgia and one-time presidential candidate, has won the United Party's leadership election and will become Prime Minister of Tumbra should he win a federal election scheduled for this autumn. Mr. Young, 59, who ran a largely low-key campaign focusing on working in tandem with his main opponent in the election, Prime Minister Lawrence Newell, was seen throughout the campaign period as a more 'electable' candidate than the incumbent Prime Minister, thanks to his less-outwardly defense of his conservative positions and his lack of involvement in federal politics, having only served one term as a federal MP early in his political career. The former Premier of Georgia will now seek to bring the Liberal Party to a fourth term in office, with polls showing the unified right-wing electoral vehicle neck-and-neck with the opposition, centre-left Labour Party. The result also saw Mr. Young avoid a run-off with the Prime Minister, potentially giving the newly-elected leader more time to focus on strategy for this autumn's federal election campaign.

Speaking at the announcement of the national primary result in Straton, Mr. Young spoke of his gratefulness to the "people up and down Tumbra who showed up to show their support," announced that his cabinet, should the United Party win would include both Mr. Newell and Mr. Kim, and spoke of the values of federalism and "getting the size of government down." Mr. Young rose to national prominence in 2030 when his bid for a Senate seat in Georgia failed to draw the endorsement of then-Prime Minister Stephen Williams over disagreements on the government's policy on federalism. He later made waves by running for President with former Labour premier of Marcato Elaine Cho on a bipartisan ticket singularly dedicated to stopping a proposed "flattening" of the number of states in Tumbra from 25 to 10; his ticket, to many political commentators' surprise, made the final round of the election, where they eventually lost to the Liberal/National ticket of Edward Merryweather and Julian Munro. Mr. Young then formed the Federalist Party in 2034 — aiming to draw together sections of the right that felt alienated by Mr. Williams' centrist form of governance — and then agreed to form a new, unified right-wing party with Lawrence Newell after the conservative ascended to the role of Prime Minister in 2035.

In beating the Prime Minister, Young is now one federal election away from becoming Prime Minister of the country; a position he never really thought he would be able to ascend to. "Seven years ago, if you told me that my Senate run would end up with me running for Prime Minister, I wouldn't have believed you," he said in his acceptance speech. "But I felt — and I feel a strong responsibility to the people of Tumbra, which has motivated my entire career in politics so far." The career politician, who served one term as Premier of Georgia, has taken broadly conservative stances on a variety of issues — but, unlike Newell, has "not been exposed to the public long enough for them to come to light," said Assoc. Professor of political science P.K. Jeyaretnam of the University of Couno. "Young's main advantage is that he is not seen as nasty," said Prof. Jeyaretnam in an interview with cable news channel TNN. "He will be able to paint his own narrative, but Labour will be looking forward to paint an image of him who is just as nasty as Newell, but with a smiling face."

The two defeated candidates in the race, cognisant of the upcoming federal election, chose to concede gratefully. Prime Minister Newell, who spoke after Mr. Young, spoke of his "disappointment," but was "glad that the Party was in safe hands" and would work "to ensure the re-election of the United Party and a successful transition to a Max Young-led government, which I will happily serve in." Billionaire Thomas Kim, a complete newcomer to the political scene, likewise chose to give a concession speech, albeit one that was more muted in its congratulations toward Mr. Young. "We will work together in government to produce outcomes that work for all — turning Tumbra into a hotbed of innovation for the next 50 years." Mr. Kim, whose candidacy was a surprise to both established candidates, surprised many by surging to 12% of the vote in the last few days before the primary — yet his support collapsed to only 5% at the ballot box. Pollsters put this down to a "very effective registration drive on the part of Mr. Kim's campaign, but this didn't actually translate into turnout at the polls."

Primaries to determine candidates for all 650 seats in Tumbra's House of Representatives, the lower house of the country's federal bicameral Parliament, also happened on Sunday. Mr. Newell easily won election in his home seat of Holsworth in Pesvern, while Mr. Young won a similarly-easy victory in the suburban Georgian seat of Carrington, where he will replace five-term MP Nigel Scott. Mr. Kim, meanwhile, had to fight in a crowded field in the nomination for the marginal seat of Foxchester West in Grantfeldt, narrowly triumphing over local council member Constance Watanabe for the nomination. The primary elections, which were set up as a means to determine "the direction in which local constituencies would go," saw candidates affiliated with the former Liberal and National parties win in 421 contests, while candidates affiliated with Mr. Young's Federalist Party and others only won in 229 constituencies, most of them seem as safe Labour seats. "The power of incumbency is very strong," said Prof. Jeyaretnam in the same interview with TNN. "It doesn't help Mr. Young's case that a vast majority of the United Party's members are also Liberal members."

The opposition Labour party sent its congratulations to Mr. Young shortly after his election. Leader of the Opposition Bertram Andrews, a former Deputy Prime Minister in the last years of the previous Labour government, has been eager to paint the Liberal leadership election as a contest between "two people who are basically the same, and a third candidate who doesn't know what he's doing." While not many wounds were opened between the two leading candidates in the leadership election, Thomas Kim's attacks on both Young and Newell may yet prove to be ample ammunition for the Labour Party in the anticipated summer-autumn federal election campaign.

by **The Plough Islands** » Sun Feb 18, 2024 12:53 pm

PLOUGH ISLANDS CRICKET ASSOCIATION
XI FOR "ESPO T20" VS. S. NEWLANDIA

        PLAYER           BAT   BOW
#8  AC  Leggett          RHB   RLB
#12 ANL Weaver           RHB      
#1  SLC Weaver (c)       RHB   RLB
#7  KCT Laing            RHB      
#10 ES  Nasrullin        LHB      
#6  HRS Laing            RHB   RLB
#3  TM  Bleasdale (w)    RHB      
#2  DV  Andreyev         RHB   RFM
#14 SH  Wilson           RHB   ROB
#11 NA  Salisbury        LHB   SLA
#4  TSF Gibbs            RHB   RLB

by **South Newlandia** » Sun Feb 18, 2024 1:59 pm

Cutoff! Good luck to everyone still in it!

If you notice any mistakes, please alert me ASAP!

Campionato Esportiva 37

Espo T20 IV

as a reminder, the first two games are played at the Black Dolphin Arena, the other two at Harrier Stadium.

Natanians and Nosts 149/5 (20 overs)
TJUN-ia 158/5 (20 overs)
TJUN-ia win by nine runs

The Plough Islands 172/5 (20 overs)
South Newlandia 163/5 (20 overs)
The Plough Islands win by nine runs

Sylestone 214/8 (20 overs)
Esportivan Darmen 177/6 (20 overs)
Sylestone win by 37 runs

Tumbra 141/7 (20 overs)
Lozho 170/4 (20 overs)
Lozho win by 29 runs

P Group                Pld   W  D  L    NRR   Pts 
1 Sylestone              7   7  0  0  +1.005   14
2 Lozho                  7   4  0  3  +0.309    8
3 TJUN-ia                7   4  0  3  +0.271    8
4 Tumbra                 7   4  0  3  +0.139    8
5 The Plough Islands     7   4  0  3  +0.041    8
6 South Newlandia        7   3  0  4  -0.360    6
7 Natanians and Nosts    7   1  0  6  -0.546    2
8 Esportivan Darmen      7   1  0  6  -0.864    2

SEMIFINALS

(1) Sylestone - Tumbra (4)
@Black Dolphin Arena, New Colk

(2) Lozho - TJUN-ia (3)
@Harrier Stadium, New Colk

Esportivan Baseball Trophy III

Esportivan Ice Hockey Trophy II

Esportivan Handball Trophy II

Esportivan Karting Trophy

Week 4: Training and Qualifying

Conditions:      	Dry
Nation:         	SNL
Circuit:        	Southern Newport Karting Track

Training results are up to the roleplayers.
Each racer has two laps to set their qualifying time. The faster time is counted.

POS # DRIVER                   	FASTEST LAP	GAP TO LEADER
 1 17 Ted Pressley             	00:00:53.043	00:00:00.000
 2  5 Evangelos Kalyftakis     	00:00:53.124	00:00:00.081
 3 18 C J N M M Suh-Hyung      	00:00:53.270	00:00:00.227
 4 10 Zebediah von Ziggler     	00:00:53.289	00:00:00.246
 5 15 Sentient Engine          	00:00:53.434	00:00:00.391
 6 14 Robin Dragonovic         	00:00:53.743	00:00:00.700
 7 16 Lane Carter              	00:00:54.109	00:00:01.066
 8  1 Jyri Jatkola             	00:00:54.989	00:00:01.946

by **Sylestone** » Tue Feb 20, 2024 5:32 am

SENTIENTS BATTER XANNERIA TO SAUNTER INTO THIRD CONSECUTIVE CAMPIONATO SEMIFINAL

SOUTH NEWLANDIA - For a few years, there were lingering doubts over Sylestone’s longevity in football - many thought that after racing onto the scene with a promising campaign in the 34th Campionato Esportiva and coming just a step away from qualifying for the World Cup itself the year after, they would simply fade away into nothingness like so many others. Not to be, though - four years on from that disaster playoff against Huayramarca, the Sentients reached the final eight in a home World Cup before losing out to regional rivals Tumbra but by then, any notions of being a flash in the pan were long gone. This side was one that was here to stay, with no signs of plateauing in sight. In a regional competition - arguably one of the weaker ones out there, too, many were expecting a drop off in performance, with only the lifting of Mojmir Anac’s first trophy as a manager an acceptable response. Most notably, many were keen for revenge against old foes Tumbra, a side that they have never won against in seven encounters throughout history, including failing to score in the most recent six since Sylestone’s return to football.

Sure, neither of those have been accomplished yet. Tumbra are on the other side of the bracket and of course, no matter how well the Sentients do in all of the other games, they will not know if they will hold the trophy until the final whistle blows in Elephant Valley at the conclusion of the games. But boy, do the signs look promising.

Seven games. Ten goals scored. Zero goals conceded. The statistics are almost otherworldly, and they’re only improving with each and every game. The group stage passed without a truly commanding performance at both ends of the pitch, but that changed as soon as the quality of opponents ramped up - intending no disrespect to Irithoren, the only team that have so far taken points off the Sentients, and the likes of Josifovo and South Newlandia, who were are not disrespecting solely due to the fact that we are playing on their home turf. Eshialand were knocked off by a comfortable Charlotte Eastwood brace, but that was nothing compared to the first half performance in the quarterfinal against Xanneria.

Xanneria, whose left-field rough 3-2-2-3 formation has caused chaos amongst opposition teams this Campionato Esportiva, including regular World Cup qualifiers TJUN-ia, who were knocked off by the Maroons in the group stage as they staked an early claim for their second regional title as a nation. Basically ignoring both of the wings of the pitch, they back their defenders and midfield to cut down any attacks in the centre before launching a series of rapid fire attacks, always looking to press their opponents and get on the front foot. It’s more or less worked so far, but against Anac’s strategy that uses the wings just as much as the centre of the field, many were expecting a change. Particularly when on one side, you’ve got one of the most in-form wingers in the world in Alexandra Arnold and on the other, you have Jade Wettenhall and Jack Ryland roaming around.

It took Xanneria half an hour to revert from their usual formation, moving their attacking midfielders wider to the wings to transition into a 3-4-3, still allowing them to press but at least providing more protection to the flanks where the Sylestonean wingers and fullbacks were roaming freely. But by that time, it was already too late. Sylestone were 2-0 up and having not conceded all tournament, were not about to let Xanneria change that.

Just in case their star-studded attack did change that, though, Charlotte Eastwood ensured that the the Maroons’ deficit would be too much to catch up, with Arnold breaking past Kevin Young on the wing and crossing the ball into Brett Sarcav-Jones, whose tap between defenders Trey Dillon and David Iowa left the Lakewood United striker all alone with Evan Jefferson Jr. From that range, she was never going to miss, calmly slotting the ball past his outstretched body, rattling the back netting of the Xannerian goal for the third time in a horror 45 minutes for the northwestern Esportivan stronghold.

It was probably the most delicate goal of the lot. Jake Blackall’s clean tackle on Dillon Hailey, his pass out to Holly Statton and her inch perfect ball over the top for Arnold, all amounting to Sarcav-Jones’ touch and Eastwood’s calm, collected finish. The first goal was a brilliant strike in just the seventh minute of the fixture, with Jack Ryalnd’s pass into the middle reaching Rodway, who knocked it on to Sarcav-Jones. Tip-toeing in and out of the Xannerian back line, he made his way into a bit of space and sent the ball flying into the far corner, Jefferson Jr with no chance. The second goal, coming in the 31st minute, had Capitol Athletic centre back rising above all to secure his first goal for his nation, and such a vital one, too, as it gave his side the cushion they so desperately desired. So 3-0 up at the break, and the fourth semifinalist was all but locked in.

Xanneria did in fact put the ball in the back of the Sylestonean net in the 77th minute in what appeared a consolation goal for roughly half a second - as long as it took everyone to realise the linesman had their flag up for what turned out to be a fairly obvious offside. From that point, any simmering life was snuffed out of the Maroons - they knew they were done for. They’d had a strong campaign and it was difficult for them to go out this way, but on the day, the Sentients were just a class above all as the Sentients reached their third consecutive Campionato Esportiva semifinal. They’d lost the last two against Tumbra and more recently Cap Nord, but both times, their opponents had been the favourites to progress, and progress they did, both recording 1-0 wins over the Sentients.

On paper and to someone not necessarily keeping tabs on the tournament, Lozho are a significantly easier opposition than either of the aforementioned two. However, as we know, the Campionato Esportiva is not played on paper. Interestingly, this marks the third consecutive regional in which these two teams have faced off against one another - in Sylestone for the 35th edition, they were both part of the same group, with the hosts racking up a 3-0 win. And two years ago, they came across one another in the round of 16 in Tumbra, where the Sentients disposed of their western Esportivan rivals by one goal to nil to eliminate them from contention.

But Lozho is a different beast this time around. In fact, courtesy of Irithoren, they remain the only team remaining with a perfect record, whilst both Tumbra and Fhulghamous Peninsula in the other semifinal have lost - Tumbra to Schimata, and Fhulghamous Peninsula to the Black Eagles themselves way back in the group stage. They are on an absolute tear, and even beat another of the tournament’s surprise packages in Josifovo in their quarterfinal to reach this stage. It’s their first semifinal appearance, and they will not back down against a formidable foe. It won’t be easy for Sylestone, but they’ll be fuelled by a brilliant opportunity to reach their first ever final. Can they record the win and more importantly, not concede a goal?

In other sports, Sylestone’s opponents in the handball grand final have been confirmed, with the hosts running away with it in the semifinal with a thumping 31-21 triumph over a nation ranked in the worldwide top ten, guests HUElavia. In go-karting, the Sentient Engine has set itself quite a challenge, and will start from fifth position in the championship in Newport, but considering its form earlier in the tournament, many are still expecting it to finish with a medal, although gold may be a little bit of a stretch. And in the EspoT20, the Hawthorns have completed a perfect group stage with a dominant display against Esportivan Darmen, Brianna Eastwood and Lachlan Cocrine playing the main roles in a 37-run win over the side captained by Darmeni international Kynaston Kerr. Kerr himself made the top score of the game in an always doomed chase of 215, recording a 47-ball 84 before falling to Samuel Cross’s tricks in the 16th over to seal the game for the defending world champions. Now, they face a tricky opponent in Tumbra in the semifinal, the winner facing either Lozho or TJUN-ia in the final to determine the champion. Sure, the Hawthorns might be the undoubted favourites, but all three nations have shown in their respective games against Luke Tiati’s side that they have the ability to pull off a shock upset, so they must be wary. These teams are not ones to sleep on, and may provide a crushing blow just when it will matter most.

CAMPIONATO ESPORTIVA 37 QUARTERFINAL @ EsportivArena, Newport, South Newlandia

Sylestone (4-4-1-1): Macleay; Wettenhall ( 28’) (Curmi 62’) - Mornington (Nutt 79’) - Blackall - Statton; Ryland - Rodway - Lawson ( 13’) (Woodfull 62’) - Arnold (Jones 79’); Sarcav-Jones; Eastwood

Xanneria (3-2-2-3 → 3-4-3): Jefferson Jr; Dillon - Iowa ( 38') ( 86’) - Selltick (Satterfield 46’); Jordan - Cowper (Iowa-Burroughs 68’); Young - D’arcy (Ghilcrest 32’ ( 70')); Ross (Juups 6’) - Hailey - Burnes

Sylestone 3-0 Xanneria
                                      Sarcav-Jones 7’
                                      Blackall 31’
                                      Eastwood 43’

Quarterfinal Starting XI vs Lozho @ Elephant Dome, Elephant Valley, South Newlandia

Macleay; Wettenhall - Mornington - Blackall - Statton; Ryland - Rodway - Lawson - Arnold; Sarcav-Jones; Eastwood

ESPOT20 MD7 @ Harrier Stadium, New Colk, South Newlandia

Sylestone Batting
Batter                                                R   B  4s  6s   SR
L Tiati (c) (+)    b Grover                          24  13   5   0  184.62
C Freehill         c Yoxall (+) b Adamson            36  17   1   4  211.76
B Eastwood         c House b Hargraf                 62  45   6   1  137.78
L Cocrine          c Hackett b Michaels              44  21   3   3  209.52
N Lovia            lbw b Grover                      17  10   1   1  170
J Martin           b Hargraf                          3   4   0   0   75
A Stealom          not out                            9   6   0   1  150
S Cross            c Michaels b Hargraf               5   3   1   0  166.67
J McMillan         run out (Dobson)                   0   1   0   0    
B Hall             not out                            0   0   0   0        
       EXTRAS      (5 b, 1 lb, 8 wd)                 14
       TOTAL       for 8 wickets                    214   (20 ov; 10.7 RPO)
Did not bat:     K Sonnel

FOW: 1-41 (L Tiati (c) (+), 3.4 overs); 2-68 (C Freehill, 6.4 overs); 3-140 (L Cocrine, 13.1 overs); 
     4-170 (N Lovia, 15.6 overs); 5-186 (J Martin, 17.3 overs); 8-207 (B Eastwood, 19.1 overs); 
     7-214 (S Cross, 19.5 overs); 8-214 (J McMillan, 19.6 overs)

Esportivan Darmen Bowling
Bowler                Ov   M   R  W   Econ  Ext
H Dobson               2   0  26  0     13  (1 wd)
H Michaels             4   0  42  1   10.5  (2 wd)
A Grover               4   0  34  2    8.5  
M Adamson              3   0  35  1  11.67  (1 wd)
L Hargraf              4   0  40  3     10  (3 wd)
H Butler               3   0  31  0  10.33  (1 wd)

Esportivan Darmen Batting   (Target: 215)
Batter                                                R   B  4s  6s   SR
K Kerr (c)         lbw b Cross                       84  47   8   3  178.72
H Hackett          c Tiati (+) b Hall                11  13   0   1   84.62
J Peters           c Freehill b Sonnel                1   4   0   0   25
W House            c Cross b Sonnel                  33  22   4   1  150
H Dobson           c Cocrine b McMillan              12   9   2   0  133.33
H Butler           not out                           15  12   0   1  125
T Yoxall (+)       c&b Cross                         10  10   1   0  100
H Michaels         not out                            1   3   0   0   33.33
       EXTRAS      (1 b, 5 lb, 4 wd)                 10
       TOTAL       for 6 wickets                    177   (20 ov; 8.85 RPO)
Did not bat:     L Hargraf, M Adamson, A Grover

FOW: 1-49 (H Hackett, 5.3 overs); 2-50 (J Peters, 6.2 overs); 3-119 (W House, 12.6 overs); 
     4-147 (K Kerr (c), 15.2 overs); 5-153 (H Dobson, 16.4 overs); 6-176 (T Yoxall (+), 19.3 overs)

Sylestone Bowling
Bowler                Ov   M   R  W   Econ  Ext
J Martin               2   0  21  0   10.5  
C Freehill             3   0  28  0   9.33  (1 wd)
J McMillan             4   0  29  1   7.25  
B Hall                 4   0  38  1    9.5  (1 wd)
K Sonnel               4   0  31  2   7.75  
S Cross                3   0  24  2      8  (2 wd)

Venue: Harrier Stadium, New Colk, South Newlandia
Match number: Match 27
Toss: Sylestone won the toss and elected to bat
Season/Tournament: EspoT20 IV
Matchdays: Matchday Seven
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 37 runs

Semifinal XI vs Tumbra @ Black Dolphin Arena, New Colk, South Newlandia

1. Luke Tiati (c) (+)
2. Caitlyn Freehill
3. Brianna Eastwood
4. Lachlan Cocrine
5. Nicholas Lovia
6. Jack Martin
7. Samuel Cross
8. Samuel Asaskia
9. Broughton Hall
10. Samuel Scron
11. Kate Sonnel

by **Valentine Z** » Tue Feb 20, 2024 8:21 am

Part 3 – No New News.

Head Diplomat Charlene Jeannie Natalia Adeline Marceline “완벽한 협상가” Celestie Christine Irelle Dv. Arianna Rees Edith Novena Annie Ciara Whitney Esther Iris Bethany Myong Suh-Hyung here once again, and I must say, that was quite a lovely surprise, isn’t it? At first, I thought I would not be able to make it in, especially considering how difficult and tough the competition out there is. Still, I placed quite decently in terms of the overall points, and then here I am, going to compete for the championship! With 7 other drivers and myself, that is going to be a small but very tough series of races. I have made it this far, and for that I am happy! I would like to also use this opportunity to thank my Valentian friends, along with many of the people and fans for supporting me and for giving Charlene Myong Suh-Hyung quite a name for herself. I am grateful and elated, and more importantly, I am also quite excited and even a little anxious for it. You will never know where your life might take you, right? I should know about this more than everyone else, for you see – as I have told you all previously, life and Fate can have very different plans!

It was a front seat to Hell. All of the Valentians that have existed in the Pre-Valentian Era would tell you about how much of a crapshow – pardon my language – it really was. Fighting all over the entire world, both the official and the non-official representatives of the countries and territories getting shot as soon as they stepped up onto the podium – risking their lives for almost nothing, knowing full-well that they were about to get shot at (and did). And yet, at the end of the day, all of them simply wanted to give peace a chance. Neither side wanted a compromise and so it went – over and over again. I have seen it all, and I have reported it all. For some of them, you could tell that they knew what they signed up for, and yet they were filled with some resemblance of hope. Well, it was either that, or to be killed or exiled from their motherland for not trying; I reckon they also have guns pointed at their backs from their own people as well, so it was not just the assassins that one would have to worry about. My reporting went from happenings all over South Korea, to deaths, deaths, and more deaths all over the world. For better or for worse, I got used to the nauseating effects of the violence and blood that was happening on a regular basis. Some days I got sick (both physically and emotionally), other times, I powered through it. Maybe I was just persistent.

I have no idea how many times I have said this to you folks already – if I have repeated this a lot, then please do pardon me! I will still say that every time, the fact that we- and I, especially, are determined to get the footage, not just for me to get awards, but to make sure that everyone knows about what is happening. In other words, simply to get as much footage as possible, raw footage that is not tempered with. If it shocked the audience, with correct rating systems being implemented, then I believe that we made such a great job at it. The news agency I was working for believed in such a goal, and it was noble and just. At least, in that Pre-Valentian Era where everyone and everything was going to hell, that was more or less something I wanted to do. I passed off being a conscript already, and I certainly did not want to work in places where shooting means killing someone instead of getting a good side of theirs for media purposes. Good news agency that covers for me, great friends and co-workers, and the whole nine yards. As far as job security and sanity was concerned, I hit a jackpot. Of course, good things did not last.

As the years passed by, our news agency’s people were getting replaced. At first, I have no idea what was happening, even if I had just a small amount of suspicion that something was up. People were leaving in droves, and then other people would take their positions. As many as 60% of them were replaced, and I didn’t exactly get a definite answer – some were drafted into the army, others simply to look for new opportunities elsewhere, others said that they were simply tired, others stated that they needed a mental break (understandable, seeing the things I have seen), and many more along the way. These were all true at least from my ex-coworkers, though it was nice to see and to hear that I still have maybe 2 out of 10 people I have worked with to remain with me here in this place. As more time went on, however, that was when things started to get more problematic especially for me. New higher-ups were not the most sympathetic of persons, they would give you the most vague of tasks and yell at you for not being to complete it up to their standards, the usual stuff. Once, I got yelled at by a senior higher-up for, in his words, “Not recording according to the number of minutes he needed,” even though I could have sworn that he never gave such a thing. As a result of this, he called me an idiot in Korean, my co-worker decided that he did not like it, and then yelled back in Korean. Things quickly escalated, and my co-worker threw a punch in Korean as well; as cliched as it was, he did some Taekwondo moves on the guy that was berating me. Naturally, he got fired for this altercation and soon learned that he was drafted into the army. “Worth it, though,” he said with a smile on his face before bidding me farewell, “You should get out of there soon, Charliane,” with me being too nice to correct him.

At first, I did not exactly want to, mostly because I am also a bit stubborn. As much as the people around here are getting worse as time went on, I still wanted to prove myself, to be that one above the rest. I am not that fiercely competitive with my coworkers, and in fact, I wanted them to do the same amount of good job as I do. Eventually, however, that coworker’s suggestion became more and more true and sound as time went on, once again. You see, a good journalist or a reporter should be able to record everything that is happening, and interpret it in the most honest way possible. Sure, there are other things along the way, but that’s the more important thing – to not lie in a news outlet. I know there is a certain amount of bias everywhere and hell, I am also guilty of it! Still, as best as possible, right? Yes, that was supposed to be like that, but over the weeks, it went more and more… censory, for the lack of a better word. Our troops doing some unspeakable things? Block that! Other countries did as much as accidentally knocking down a tree with a tank? Say that they are killing Earth too, why not! And that was simply for the things that happened; you also have total fabrications and baiting articles and news segments in our newspaper and on our website. “You won’t believe what the Western Hemisphere did!” I mean… Why wouldn’t I not believe? It marked the downfall in the quality of our news agency and outlet. The worse thing, however, is that we were relatively the tamer ones; there were a LOT of other outlets doing all this scummy tactics, and thus the misinformation.

And you know what? They are doing that on purpose, obviously! We could not win the war on the fronts, so began the disinformation campaign and all that. Come to think of it, I am surprised that it took truth this amount of time to end up as a casualty in this war. I have heard all the nonsense from each side about the other side, it’s quite maddening. Maybe some of you might think that at this point, I, Charlene, is a little of a dreamer and way too much of a naïve girl in this industry of news reporting. A fully honest newspaper, really? In a way, as I have said, I have had my moments of being gullible. However, I also truly believed that we could do all the reporting without borders and censors, to show what it really is like to everyone at home, to everyone on the other side, even. Truth be told, I have no want and desire to be holier than the other side because both sides were guilty. I was simply dragging my feet and myself until it also became my job to write propaganda. No, I thought. I simply handed over my resignation letter, went back home, and hoped for the worst to come. Maybe I might end up on a battlefield as a shooter, or a war photographer or reporter. It would still be the same job, anyway. The methods would be the same, it’s just different uniforms. As I waited for days and days, making full use of the savings I have, I came across an envelope in my mailbox. It was addressed to me, but there was no sender and there was no name on it. “I looked around for a best and most honest journalist across this whole world. Looks to me like you got what it takes. Come meet me at the town hall at 2 AM. Do NOT bring anyone else. -J” Okayyy, so that looks to me like a trap set up to murder me, I thought to myself. They obviously didn’t like what I did back there, or it was that guy who got slapped. That wasn’t even me! Still, at the same time, it looked… genuine? Hard to tell. The writing looked genuine, like it came from someone that did NOT want to hurt me. I decided to go for it – it was either the worst and last decision… or the best.

by **Tumbra** » Tue Feb 20, 2024 9:35 am

Straton

It was a humid night in the nation's capital; but Bencoolen Globe journalist Jennifer Lee was still up, her apartment illuminated with the faint blue glow of a computer screen as she stared at an empty word processor document. It was absurdly muggy; she was sipping on a cup of cold tea to keep out the heat. She was researching her next story; but nothing was popping up in her mind. She stared blankly at the television screen, which was currently playing the Campionato Esportiva semi-final; but really it was on there for a bit of background light. It was muted, and she'd never cared for the sport, anyway. A man with a shirt named "MADDISON" was currently on a run; his shot, however, was saved by the Fhulgamous Peninsula goalkeeper. Hadn't they played already, anyway?

The folders she'd been given by the man on the train had turned out to be a veritable treasure trove of information on the man who would be Prime Minister, Max Young, and the man who was Prime Minister, Lawrence Newell. The stuff she'd been given was very disorganised, but...very salacious. All the information, too, seemed to have a cutoff of mid-2035; but that seemed to be enough for years upon years of dirt gathered on the two men who'd just fought a placid leadership election. Restaurant receipts, photos, second homes, Kotzellach¹ bank statements...nothing too damaging to end a career, but something that could cause major embarrassment if she ever needed something to fall back upon. The thing about Newell was that as much as she disliked his politics, and was quietly happy to see him have to admit defeat when the result of the leadership election came out, he was...by and large, quite fastidious; no secret drug habit, no unpaid taxes (beyond the Kotzellach thing), and did seem to put his money where his mouth was when it came to his personal dealings.

And the other one. There wasn't much on him — which Jennifer thought was because Young had mostly been involved in provincial politics — but there was still some stuff that was interesting. Unpaid bills, and...pictures of the Prime Minister-to-be with a woman.

Max young wife was her next Google search. The woman that popped up, Tricia Harkin-Young, definitely did not look like the woman in the black-and-white photos in the folder. Tricia was about the same age as her husband; the woman in the photos looked like she was barely out of her 20s. The photo was dated 2029, a year before the Senate election that started his ascendancy into federal politics; and Young looked about ten years younger in that picture, too. She looked at the back of the photo; on it was scribbled a brief description. "M YOUNG PREM. GEORGIA WITH UNNAMED WOMAN ENTERING HOTEL IN RIDGEWELL." She flipped through the other photos; one finally had a name. "SARAH TURNER — INTERN."

Her stomach crawled at the sight of the caption. She thought back to the bio of Max Young she did for the Globe at the beginning of the leadership campaign, and was reminded of the words she used to describe him — "a conservative crusader eager to conceal his credentials with a charismatic smile, who chatters about family values at campaign events, and, those who've met with him say, often has conversations surrounding platitudes about national unity. This, of course, while masking a less-than-stellar record on the environment, social issues, and immigration..." She shuddered. Why was it always the conservatives that ended up having the worst secrets?

Jennifer opened up an incognito tab and searched on LinkedIn for the intern's name. It was true; Sarah Turner had indeed worked for Max Young from 2029 to 2030, and also served as campaign staff on his ill-fated Senate campaign. She'd moved on, and out of the country, it seemed, for the better part of three years; now it seemed she lived somewhere in Hannasea, working for one of the many banks there. Vice President — Central Esportivan Investment and Liquidation Division was her self-styled title on LinkedIn. One of her other social media pictures showed her with someone who was presumably her husband; Jennifer wondered if he knew. Soon, though, Jennifer found what she was looking for; a picture of her with Young, with the two standing a somewhat-respectable distance apart.

She looked at the long document that accompanied the folder; it was apparently written by a private investigator. Jennifer got through about two pages before giving it up as a bad job. The PI had plenty of material on Young and Turner, but the writing was so...disjointed. Maybe because it was late. She looked at the television again; the Fhulghamousians had the ball, and were doing a good job of counterattacking, but again, the sport was fundamentally meaningless to her. Maybe it was time to sleep.

Jennifer looked at her word document, typed in "MAX YOUNG POTENTIAL AFFAIR WITH EX-INTERN; RESEARCH STORY FOR ELECTION CAMPAIGN?", switched off everything, and decided to head to bed. Her mind, however, was left wondering whether the third candidate in that particular election — Thomas Kim — had any dirt on him. Surely he did; those private sector types were probably dirtier than a pig's trough after feeding-time. But because he wasn't a politician, there was nothing on him...

Couno

Thomas Kim stared idly at his computer screen, attempting to make sense of what exactly was going on in the Tumbra-Fhulghamous Peninsula game. He appreciated football, but now that he was the owner of an actual football team, he figured it wouldn't hurt to try and understand the game a little more. He'd never given much thought to it; he always thought it was a sport for jocks rather than anything, and the game when he tried to watch it was so mind-numbingly boring he didn't get it. But mind-numbingly boring helped deaden the embarrassment that was finishing with 5.5% of the vote in the leadership election, at least. The excitement of politics was fast-wearing off; he'd considered disclaiming his primary victory in Foxchester West. He blamed the local campaign for dragging too much time away from his national one; constantly trying to fend of attacks from the runner up, Catherine or whatever her name was, that he was a carpetbagger with no links to the local community. Well, she was right, but who was she to talk shit about him, the fastest-rising billionaire in Tumbra?

But now he owned a team. And not just any team; the Couno Rangers, the second-most successful team, all-time, in Tumbran footballing history. And he was the owner of what was basically Yoknapatawphaia's entire supply of rare earth minerals; something that would definitely give Tuskoles Yagaras something to diversify his growing business empire. But as to the man he'd signed the deal with to defend it...Kim felt a pang of regret cross his mind. It wasn't something he'd particularly wanted to sign; but considering the Pridnestrovian had come all the way from Rushmore to seek confirmation and looked like he was about to murder him if he didn't walk out of the building with a signed contract, all he could do was placate him...with said signed contract.

Hopefully they didn't kill anyone. The last thing he needed was blood on his hands.

He looked back at the game; it was just one pass after another. Tumbra, in black, were playing against the Colonists in white and green; and to him, the completely untrained eye, it just seemed that they were just passing the ball between each other. It could have been downright heretical, but he found himself actively enjoying Ranorian football more than global football; it was easier to follow, resembled a war more than anything, and was far more tactical. But say that, and he'd become a laughing-stock.

Thomas Kim sighed, and tried to follow the football game once more.

¹A small, mountainous nation with a reputation for exceptionally secure banking and secrecy. Ergo, money laundering heaven.

by **Fhulghamous Peninsula** » Tue Feb 20, 2024 11:11 am

“Wait, hold on a minute, slow down, let me get this straight. So only the top eight drivers in points actually go through to the final race of the karting event?”

“That’s how I understand it, at least,” Iraklis Babalioutas shrugged.

“So what you’re telling me, Ira,” Evangelos Kalyftakis asked, “is that there was a non-zero chance that I wouldn’t have even made it into the final race of the karting event if I hadn’t been so consistent in the past three races?”

“Seems like it to me,” Iraklis nodded.

“Well, then, um, uh…” Gelo trailed off. “Actually, I have no idea how to respond to that at all. But I still made it through, right? I made it through to the final eight?”

“Right on through, man,” Iraklis assured him. “You may not have won those three races—but I gotta admit, you did come close in that last one—but you were still best of the rest behind Sentient Engine and Lane Carter. That clearly counts for something for the organizers of this whole thing, so now it’s your turn to make it count as well.”

“Gee, man, thanks for the inspirational speech,” Gelo rolled his eyes. “I never would have figured that out without you.”

“Hey, that’s why I’m here, right?” Iraklis raised his arms in another shrugging gesture. “Be your cheerleader and all that.”

“Speaking of cheerleaders, shouldn’t you be doing that for your brother over in Elephant Valley or something?” Gelo asked Ira.

“Gelo, I’m not even sure if they made it past Irithoren,” Iraklis replied in a matter-of-fact tone. “Frankly, I’d be surprised if they did. Like, remember, the Fhulghamous is just as cursed in the Round of 16 as Abanhfleft is. Then again, they just went on this little winning streak at the start of the Campionato and they only lost narrowly to Tumbra, so maybe they might actually have a chance at making a deep run. Don’t quote me on that though. If I find out that the Peninsula lost because I said that, you can’t force me to get on that plane back to Port Thim.”

“I mean, South Newlandia looks like it’s a nice place to live,” Gelo conceded. “All right, man, get out of here. I gotta qualify for a championship race.”

Gelo spent the rest of the day familiarizing himself with the Southern Newport Karting Track. Gone were the sweeping right angles and wide hairpins of the Northern Coast Track in Trunkst; it was now time to tackle a track with many twists and turns. An upscaled version of the Southern Newport track wouldn’t look out of place in an actual motorsports calendar, and that was probably the reason why it was chosen to be the site of the championship race for the karting event of the Campionato Esportiva Sporting Festival. Gelo knew that he would have to have his wits about him for the entirety of the race if he wanted to stand a chance of actually winning the whole karting event. Consistency was no longer enough for him, at least in this particular situation. This was the last race of the entire event, and with the points of the top eight resetting to zero going in, it was now up to everyone to bring their A-game and grab the victory. Whoever crossed the line first was going to win the whole event, plain and simple. No more points standings; it was all about being ahead of everyone else.

Gelo wasn’t the only one feeling a sense of urgency going into the qualifying session. Everyone else was doing everything that they could to put together the fastest lap times that they could to make sure that they were in the best position possible to claim the victory. Sentient Engine was still the odds-on favorite to take the title thanks to its two victories to start off the karting event, while Lane Carter’s win in Trunkst made the TJUN-ian a late contender. As for Gelo Kalyftakis, his consistency was both a pro and a con. His ability to remain in contention for the entirety of the event was a good thing, but he needed to be able to finish a race ahead of everyone else and not just be satisfied with rounding out the podium. Of course, Gelo wanted to win just like anyone else; he just hadn’t yet had the opportunity to do it in the Sporting Festival. And with the championship race being what it was, Gelo also knew that his time was running out. It truly was a now or never situation.

With Gelo pretty much focusing his attention on both Sentient Engine and Lane Carter, it was easy for another driver to slip under the radar and stake their own claim for the karting event title, and it was none other than the other WGPC driver still in the competition: Ted Pressley. Gelo thought that he had pole position down pat once again, only for Pressley to come out of nowhere (not literally, of course) and snatch it from right under his nose. Ted Pressley had started off the karting event on hot form, claiming pole position for the first race before finishing in second place behind Sentient Engine. Pressley then fell off a little bit, but now that everything was at stake, it appeared as if the Tumbran was now coming back to form at the best time possible. Nobody said that winning was going to be easy, Gelo reminded himself. All it meant was that he would have to watch out for three drivers and not just two. And that wasn’t even counting the others who were still in contention and could still throw a spanner in the works of the “championship protagonists.”

Gelo Kalyftakis was about to be in the most intense race of his life, and he also needed to produce the best race of his life if he wanted to come out of it as the victorious one.

The Fhulghamous Peninsula had finally managed to survive the Round of 16 of the Campionato Esportiva, but could they do it again in the quarterfinals against a TJUN-ia squad seeking to make their own impact in their new region?

That was the question being asked of the Fhulghamous Peninsula national football team as they prepared to go into action against the Jaguars of TJUN-ia in the quarterfinals of the 37th Campionato Esportiva. For the first time in a long time, the Colonists had managed to survive the challenge of making it through the Round of 16 of a football tournament against lower-ranked opposition. Many times (too many, some would even claim), the Peninsula had been on the receiving end of massive upsets, and it didn’t really matter whether that team was also a Campionato regular or a team that qualified for the tournament only once and was never able to come back for all sorts of reasons. Irithoren had been to the Campionato Esportiva before twice before CE 37, making this their third appearance in the competition overall. But this was the first time that they had made it through to the knockout rounds, and the Fhulghamousian fans had been in this situation so many times before that they were just waiting for the inevitable flurry of Irithoren goals to knock their team out of the Campionato. But instead it was the Peninsula that scored the flurry of goals against their opponents and now, for the first time in some time, the Fhulghamous Peninsula was in the quarterfinals of the Campionato Esportiva, aiming at the very least to get past that stage.

Unfortunately for the Colonists, their path to the semifinals just got more difficult, and not just because a lot of people were thinking that they were pushing far beyond their own capabilities. Unlike Irithoren, TJUN-ia was not a regular participant in the Campionato Esportiva; in fact, this was the Jaguars’ first time in Esportiva’s premier football competition. But one tournament in which TJUN-ia had been regularly participating was none other than the World Cup itself. The Fhulghamous had tried to get there through the multiversal qualifiers but failed on all occasions that they did so, and after the last one, Governor General Petrarchos Kulbano decided that the Fhulghamous Peninsula Football Association should just focus on the Campionato Esportiva instead. And now their decision not to play alongside and against the best teams that the entirety of the multiverse had to offer may have come back to bite the Peninsula right where it hurts.

There was an air of uncertainty hanging over the Fhulghamousian changing room as they got ready for their quarterfinals meeting against TJUN-ia. There was a sense that, despite everything that they had done to even get to this point, it was all about to be for nothing once they played the Jaguars. Some of the players were trying to psych themselves up by reminding themselves that they had finally gotten over one of the biggest speed bumps in their campaign by beating Irithoren in the Round of 16, but there was at least one player who felt that the team had reached its absolute limit. “This is it, man,” Silas Babalioutas said to anyone who would listen, a list that was growing shorter and shorter by the minute. “This is where it ends. This time, we’re finally going to lose. We’re not expected to beat fucking TJUN-ia of all teams, guys! This is where it stops. The quarterfinals is as far as we’re ever going to get now and forever!”

“Dude, can you chill out even for just one second?” Polynikis Kalyftakis asked his teammate as he dragged Silas away from the rest of the team, who were beginning to give the defender some worried and concerned glances. “This isn’t the time and place for you to be spreading your doom and gloom right now. We’re about to play the biggest game of our lives and the only thing you can think about is this fucking curse. There’s no more curse anymore, Silas! There never was one. It’s all just a product of your mind that seeks patterns in everything that’s happened.”

“No, Nick!” Silas insisted. “You’re the one with the wrong timing for everything. This run, whatever it is you want to call it, isn’t gonna last forever. We might have made it through Irithoren, yeah, but we’re not going to make it past TJUN-ia now. They’re almost always in the World Cup, Nicky. What about us? We barely can make it into the knockouts sometimes, and that’s only in the Campionato Esportiva. You really think we’re going to be the ones to beat the Jaguars this time around?”

“I mean, why not?” Polynikis shrugged. “If we don’t beat every team we come across in the playoffs, how on earth are we even going to win the Campionato Esportiva?”

“You just don’t get it, do you, Nicky?” Silas muttered. “We are never ever going to win the Campionato! Doesn’t matter what we do or how many World Cup-caliber teams we beat along the way. We’re never winning that championship at all.”

“Well, if that’s your attitude to this whole thing, then of course we’re not going to win anything,” Polynikis said. “But I have to admit, I’m impressed. There’s no way that someone can remain this pessimistic for this long despite everything practically going our way, and yet here you are. I’m both impressed and disgusted.”

“You just don’t get it, man,” Silas shook his head. “You just don’t get it.”

Ninety minutes (amounting to two hours of real time) later, after the Fhulghamous Peninsula had emerged victorious against TJUN-ia courtesy of a 25th minute goal from Silas Babalioutas of all people (heading in a Priamos Kontoulis corner kick), the man in question was still convinced that the run was going to come to a screeching halt sooner rather than later. “It’s Tumbra!” he shouted. “They beat us before, and they’re going to beat us again! We won’t ever win the Campionato Esportiva! They won’t let us!”

“Who’s they?” Polynikis Kalyftakis asked.

“It doesn’t matter! They won’t let us win though, and that’s the only thing that matters,” Silas insisted.

  FHULGHAMOUS PENINSULA 1 - 0 TJUN-IA   
   S. BABALIOUTAS (25')

by **TJUN-ia** » Tue Feb 20, 2024 1:03 pm

By Peter Davis

Jaguars
Out of all the teams to fall first, it was the Jaguars themselves? Now that is a plot twist! The Jaguars knew they were up for a test against #4 seeds Fhulghamous Peninsula in Elephant Valley, but to be so utterly outplayed? It certainly was a shock. Donovan Chase's team simply knew what to do and Silas Babalioutas's strike in the 25th was all that was required to take us down. TJUN-ia made it to the quarters on debut and fell to #12 in the region. Some lessons learned for the WC to come.

Bowlin' Jags
Back in New Colk, it was the Final Day of Group action at Espo T20 and the Bowlin' Jags were taking on Natanians and Nosts to end proceedings at the Black Dolphin Arena. Once again, we won the toss and elected to bat first and we did what we felt we needed to do to ensure we were progressing from this group without a shadow of a doubt. Ion Petrescu did cook us somewhat along the way with 3 wickets but the main driving force in this attack would be Captain Roger Ntini, who managed to put up 68 before being dismissed. That helped us get all the way to 158/5, not too shabby at all, but then run defence became tougher than expected in this crunch match. Mihai Petrescu would manage 59 as the team in blue got oh so close to overhauling our score...but in the end, we just about held on for 149/5 and a 9-run win. Knockouts start at the semifinals and we will rematch with Lozho at Harrier Stadium across town.

Battin' Jags
Speaking of Semifinals, the Ratzupalfu Dome was hosting our Final 4 matchup with Group B winners Super-Llamaland, ranked #7 in the region, and as they would "host", no DH once again as Kimi Holvanen faced Solveig Jørgensen in do-or-die baseball. This contest was expected to be a banger and originally, it started that way with Santino Fenatti hitting for home on pitch #5 to get this one underway. Two innings later, Fenatti did it again as he brought 3 more home to send the alarm bells flying for the Tigers and force August Tai out to play. Both teams got one more run in the 5th, Martina Andrade de Souza countered by Von Gunther, before the 6th inning might as well of ended the game altogether as the Jagaurs managed seven (yes, 7) runs. Khin Marlar Tun Grand Slam, Lucy Walker-Diaz comes in and then concedes 3 more via Holvanen himself. There would be no more after that...because it wasn't needed. 12-1. Twelve-One. A Demolition that sent shockwaves through all of South Newlandia...who we will play in the Final. The Elephants were the only ones to beat us in the group stage...and we will be looking for revenge in Elephant Valley.

Ice Jaguars
Meanwhile in Newport, the Ice Jaguars were also the "road" team in a semifinal - this time against Group B winners and debutants Esportivan Darmen. The fact that ED managed to make it this far on debut was certainly impressive for a regional team...but unfortunately for them, that fairytale had to end at the Prosperena. They did score first, a brilliant goal by Woodrow Emmett...but all that did was get in into high gear and we never looked back after that. Saffron Allen (2), Lan Yih-Wen, Fatma Alhaddad and Shane McKraken all contributed to a 5-1 win that sends us off to Elephant Valley to also face the only team that beat us in the Group...Tumbra. The Ice Jagaurs have never been in a Championship Game before...but neither has Tumbra, as far as we can tell. Someone has to win it...and both teams will fight for this, that is certain.

Lane Carter
Finally, we have Lane Carter in the Top 8 Shootout for the EKT at the Southern Newport Karting Track. This place was certainly twisty, a fitting challenge for this Championship Race, but qualifying wouldn't go so well for the Galarian at all. Ted Pressley ended up with pole over Evangelos Kalyftakis and Charlene J N M M Suh-Hyung with Zebediah von Ziggler, the Sentient Engine, Robin Dragonovic, Carter and Jyri Jatkola rounding out the grid. Being 1 second down in karting terms was disastrous...but it was far from over yet. Remember the mission: finish 1st and you win it all.

by **South Newlandia** » Tue Feb 20, 2024 1:35 pm

Cutoff! Four gold medals are on the line today. Do you have what it takes?

If you notice any mistakes, please alert me ASAP!

Campionato Esportiva 37

Espo T20 IV

Esportivan Baseball Trophy III

Esportivan Ice Hockey Trophy II

Esportivan Handball Trophy II

Esportivan Karting Trophy

Week 4: Race

Conditions:      	Dry
Laps:              	21
Nation:         	SNL
Circuit:        	Southern Newport Karting Track
Event:			Race 4 - Newport
Cars on Grid:		8

POS  # DRV Name                     Team                     	Time	
  1  5 EKA Evangelos Kalyftakis     FHU                      	00:19:01.328			
  2 17 TPR Ted Pressley             TMB                      	00:00:03.324			
  3 15 SEN Sentient Engine          SYL                      	00:00:10.825			
  4 16 LCA Lane Carter              TJU                      	Laps Down: 1			
  5 18 CSH C J N M M Suh-Hyung      VEZ                      	Laps Down: 1			
  6 10 ZVZ Zebediah von Ziggler     LOZ                      	Laps Down: 2			
  7  1 JJA Jyri Jatkola             ABL                      	Laps Down: 2			
  8 14 RDR Robin Dragonovic         SNL                      	Laps Down: 2

by **Sylestone** » Thu Feb 22, 2024 6:56 am

BEST GAME IN CAMPIONATO ESPORTIVA HISTORY? HELLYER THE HERO AS SENTIENTS DOWN LOZHO IN EXTRA TIME THRILLER

ELEPHANT VALLEY, SOUTH NEWLANDIA - What have we just witnessed? The greatest game of football ever played by a team of Sylestonean representatives, that’s for sure. The best game in Campionato Esportiva history? Of course, it’s subjective, but the Campionato Esportiva 37 semifinal between Sylestone and Lozho at Elephant Valley’s Elephant Dome has got to be way up there.

Not that you’d know it after the first 45 minutes, though. It was a typical Mojmir Anac football match, the Mytanar’s team steadfastly refusing to open up their world class low block against arguably the most in-form team in the region right now, giving them zero genuine chances at goal, while the Sentients helped themselves to only very few, the ball finding itself in their half of the field most of the time, while Lozhoan goalkeeper Bonzo de Jong vanquished any counter attacks launched when his side lost the ball in transition.

Despite holding strong in the first half, though, he was not good enough in the 53rd minute. Marc Benson’s misplaced pass to Pazron Droozle left Gemma Rodway in plenty of space but opted against using it, instead firing a long pass forward, bisecting Lozho’s two centre backs and finding the run of Charlotte Eastwood.earlier in the game, she’d fired a very similar chance straight into de Jong, but there were no thoughts of that in her mind as she stepped up and slammed it home, de Jong standing njo chance against an absolute rocket that found the back of the net on the full. With under forty minutes of regular time to play, Sylestone were 1-0 up and considering their defensive record this Campionato Esportiva, were officially the firm favourites to reach their first final.

But Lozho had other ideas. While the match regained its normal tempo after the goal, there was something about the Lozhoan style of play that had everyone on edge. Against the odds, they were not about to give up. Alexandra Arnold, who has continued her breakout year with a sublime performance in blue and orange after an astonishing showing for Whitepool that led her club well and truly safe of relegation and more importantly, to an SFA Cup triumph that will see them take part in next season’s CEdC, had a moment to forget on the right wing. While she may be known for her gifted touch and skills, she simply could not latch onto a circumspect pass out from the back by Jack Blackall as the Sentients looked to progress another attack. Instead, it let star midfielder Henry Blyth take the ball off her and send it high, long, over Jade Wettenhall’s head and right into the path of winger Zed Zoan. He didn’t even need a touch, firing the ball on the full across goal, in front of a cramble of diving bodies as the Sylestonean defence looked to protect it from Paxton Obamovich’s run in front of goal. Alas, Obamovish was a step ahead, Ryan Macleay left with no chance as the deflection towards goal sailed into the top corner, far enough away from the Pesfield Trees goalkeeper that even his outstanding reaction time left him hopeless.

Just three minutes after going 1-0 up, the Sentients found themselves back at square one, Obamovich having achieved something no other player had done so far - score a goal against Sylestone. And if they could do that once, who said they couldn’t do it again?

But as time ran out, the chances of that appeared less and less likely. Substitutions were made, players began taking more risks, drawing ire from the referee as several went into the book and yet, no one could find the back of the net. In the 82nd minute, Lozho had a great shout for a handball inside the box, but VAR ruled it to have hit Jack Lawson’s shoulder and not his arm, so play went on, albeit after a significant delay. However, it was what the Sentients needed, with Lozho taking some time to return to their senses.

The result? A goal to Mojmir Anac’s side to plant one foot firmly into the final for the second time that evening. Jack Lawson’s brilliant ground ball into the box, the flick back from Kye White, and Thomas Hellyer’s finish. It was clean as a whistle, with the shot even somehow evading the billion bodies in the Lozhoan box before creeping just inside the post, inches off de Jong’s despairing dive. In the 87th minute, the Sentients had regained the lead in a topsy-turvy, evenly matched game, and a return to the Stadium of Friendship seemed destined for Anac’s star studded, ever improving outfit.

As we know, though, Lozho are not a team to back down from a fight. Even though Sylestone’s back four was reigning superior in their half of the pitch, they refused to back down and kept coming, eager to press them right till the death. The 90th minute came and went, with a whopping ten minutes added on at the end to keep two nations on their toes, fingernails long gone in the heat of the situation. Little did they know that it’d only get crazier from here on.

The Sentients had a goal ruled offside via obstruction of the goalkeeper six minutes into stoppage - one that would have surely sealed the game - but with the referee making the correct call, play continued with the buffer just one. At the other end, the game began to take a familiar route, Lozho getting more and more outlandish with their strikes, with seemingly one every ten seconds from outside the box. At this point, fans in Sylestone might have just relaxed a little, for this strategy was one that indicated their opposition was on their last legs and knew they were all but done.

That was, until Henry Blyth peeled away with the ball with just a minute and a half to go, dancing past Kye White and taking a shot from the edge of the box. At first glance, it appeared directly on course for Macleay’s bottom left - tricky to save, but Macleay’s reaction was quick, and he was going to get there. Instead, the ball clipped the inside of Jake Blackall’s foot and trickled back towards the centre of the goal…

Macleay was too far into his dive to react. Instead, he had to lie helplessly as the ball nestled into the back of the net, ensuing wild celebrations from the Lozhoan portion of the crowd and back home in the northwestern Esportivan nation. They were cut short, though - the goal had only tied it up and all but sent the game to extra time, the result was still up in the air. They couldn’t celebrate too early. Anything could happen in the next thirty minutes, it was that kind of game.

And so they got going again, marking alien territory for the Sentients, who had not played a game past the ninetieth minute since the 34th Campionato Esportiva six years ago in Newport against Brenecia (source: Tumbra’s World Cup), where the returning Sentients, led by a largely unknown manager in Mojmir Anac pulled off a remarkable upset by defeating one of the tournament favourites on penalties. To this day, Sylestone are still yet to lose a game in a shootout and should this one come to that, then they will be more than confident of their ability to get the job done.

Tensions rose during the first half, several players showing tempers as they clashed, teammates and referee alike having to pull them apart and give them stern warnings. Despite close calls, though, no player received a yellow card and more importantly, no one was able to gain a lead. Kye White had the best chance of the period after dribbling past a couple of Lozoan midfielders dropping back and shooting, but de Jong’s left hand was enough to parry the ball out for a corner, the game entering the final fifteen minutes with nothing to show for an advantage either way. Yet, it seemed as though the experience of the Sentients was just beginning to take its hold on the game and ever so slightly, grind their opponents down.

The second half started off with an immediate booking to Jake Blackall, whose simmering temper got the better of him as Obamovich attempted to break past him, pulling his shirt back aggressively out of frustration. Several times the Lozhoan forward almost got the better of him throughout the game, and his youthful exuberance did not like that one bit. So while it did draw a booking, from the Capitol Athletic centre back’s perspective, it was a win over a fierce opponent. Not a sign of weakness, but rather a sign that he’d be willing to go to any extent to win this game for his team.

It would catalyse the breaking point, the point where the tensions finally boiled over. Two minutes later, Holly Statton would go in the books for an erroneous foul, before just three minutes after that, unleashing a vicious slide tackle that while partially getting the ball, also clobbered Herezoikaokaka Forrozonich to the ground.on its own it was probably a red card but being already on a booking, there was no way it wasn’t going to signal the end of her tournament. Matters were only made worse when Harron Stanisic gave her a push and several members from both teams came to break up the situation. In the midst of it all, both Stanisic and Cameron Milligan received bookings, with Milligan entering the fray later and grabbing Stanisic’s shirt, prompting the locking of heads between the pair.

And so all of Sylestone’s advantage on the field dissipated as they went down to ten and all of a sudden, the ball was in Lozho’s court.

Playing three at the back - Wettenhall moved in and Blackall pushed a touch wider, with the wings being solely the responsibility of Milligan and Abigail Jones - the Sentients were always going to be on the back foot. And yet they continued to wear down their opponents, quenching their attacks one by one and every now and then, firing off their own ones just to keep everyone on their toes. 116 minutes, 117, 118. And still the timer ticked down. Four minutes were added on at the end to account for the delay in play for Statton’s red card, and finally, a penalty shootout seemed imminent.

That was when Blyth, the hero of the past half hour with his strike to take the game to extra tiem, went from hero to villain in a flash. A rough tackle on Jack Lawson just fifteen seconds into stoppage time and just like that, his game was done. Already on a yellow after another poor tackle back in regular time, the referee didn’t need asking twice. Out were the cards again and ike clockwork, out came the fists. Thankfully, most players had the quick-wittedness to keep Stanisica dn Milligan away from one another, only for Kye White to deal himself a booking by grappling at the face of Drew Zaratrianias, successfully winding the attacking midfielder up enough to force the referee’s attention.

Lozho had wasted their advantage and with just minutes to spare, so had their best chance at sealing the three points. Now, they had to fight off a rejuvenated Sylestone to reach the shootout, and then do something no other team in history has been able to do: defeat the Sentients in penalties.

It seemed to take forever for the referee to blow the whistle. The red card had taken well over a minute out of the game, but as time ticked past the 123 minute mark, whistles began blowing in the crowd. Any second now, thought the Lozhoans. Any second now, and then it’s all down to luck.

Forty seconds into overtime, Jack Ryland escaped his defender on the left wing and began weaving his way towards the Lozhoan box - surely the last attack of the game. The crowded nature of the area left him with no choice but to try and find the fresh legs of Riley Strathfield amongst the sea of bodies and did so, nailing the ball between three Lozhoans right to the Cleorough striker’s feet. Such an accurate, fast ball through the lines does need pace, though, and Strathfield’s touch was not quite up to scratch, the ball caught between his striking foot and the outstretched leg of centre back Romulus as they grappled for control. The ball ballooned into space, towards the edge of the box, right where no one was.

All of a sudden, there was a seven horse race between Sylestoneans and Lozhoans alike to see who could reach the ball first and boot the stuffing out of it. For Lozho, if they could get it out of play then a shootout would be confirmed by the referee’s whistle; for Sylestone, if they could have a go at goal, then it would seal their inaugural Campionato Esportiva final. Either way, whoever reached it first would have the final touch of the game.

It was Thomas Hellyer, the goalscorer who so nearly won the game earlier - seemingly an aeon ago now - and proceeded to take a huge risk. Going first time would leave him without much control of the bouncing ball, but it would definitely let him get a shot away. Instead, amongst the incoming traffic that were human bodies, he took a touch, somehow avoiding not being bundled over by red and blue shirts alike, and took the shot.

As soon as he hit it, he knew it had gone in. He’d scored many absolute beauties for Betham FC before, but never had he struck a football as sweet as he did here. de Jong stood no chance - his despairing dive didn’t even get close to the shot as it clipped the underside of the crossbar and bounced into the back of the net.

Chaos broke out, one half of the stadium collapsing to their knees while the other stormed the pitch. Amidst all of it, the referee’s whistle blew three times, but no one really registered that untl it was announced over the loudspeaker and shown on the screen. After two hours of uncanny warfare, with tensions simmering and breaking, Sylestone had emerged on top. Sure, it had come at the dear price of their defensive clean sheet that had lasted all tournament, but no one cared anymore. That was in the distant past. And now, the only thing ahead of them was the Campionato Esportiva final.

Lozho had fought hard and would have been deserved winners but it just didn’t go their way on the night. Their never say die philosophy should be commended, though, coming back from a deficit twice only to lose on the final kick of the game. Thomas Hellyer is a hero in Sylestonean football and now will surely start the final ahead of Gemma Rodway, Jack Lawson or even Brett Sarcav-Jones.

Ahead awaits the Fhulghamous Peninsula in the final, as the title awaits to be handed to a new recipient for the third year running. No Tumbra again - they lost in the other semifinal, and no Cap Nord, who aren’t even participating in this edition. Just two new kids on the block, fighting it out to see who is truly the best of them all.

Will it be Sylestone?

CAMPIONATO ESPORTIVA 37 SEMIFINAL @ Elephant Dome, Elephant Valley, South Newlandia

Sylestone (4-4-1-1 → 3-4-1-1): Macleay; Wettenhall (Curmi 106’) - Mornington - Blackall ( 106’) - Statton ( 108’) ( 111’); Ryland (Milligan ( 111’) 81’) - Rodway (Hellyer 81’ ( 120+5’) - Lawson - Arnold (Jones 66’); Sarcav-Jones (White ( 120+1’) 66’); Eastwood (Strathfield 117’)

Lozho (4-3-3 → 4-2-3): de Jong; Srejzjajk (Drezhon 58’) - Cerezaki ( 34’) (Zaratrianias 101’) - Romulus - Zohzo; Blyth ( 69’) ( 120+1’) - Benson (Stanisic 81’ ( 111’)) - Droozle; Smith (Forrozonich 58’) - Obamovich - Zoan (Crickport 82’)

Sylestone 3-2 Lozho (aet)
                                  Eastwood 53’             Obamovich 56’
                                  Hellyer 87’ 120+4’       Blyth 90+9’

Grand Final Starting XI vs Fhulghamous Peninsula @ Stadium of Friendship, Elephant Valley, South Newlandia

Macleay; Wettenhall - Mornington - Blackall - Molineux; Ryland - Hellyer - Lawson - Arnold; Sarcav-Jones; Eastwood

ESPOT20 IV SEMIFINAL @ Black Dolphin Arena, Elephant Valley, South Newlandia

Sylestone Batting
Batter                                                R   B  4s  6s   SR
L Tiati (c) (+)    c Galloway b Greenwood            33  28   2   1  117.86
C Freehill         c Mukhtar b Wilson                10  11   1   0   90.91
B Eastwood         b Galloway                        68  47   5   3  144.68
L Cocrine          c Tiati (+) b Greenwood            0   1   0   0    
N Lovia            not out                           37  24   1   3  154.17
S Cross            not out                           16  10   1   1  160
       EXTRAS      (3 lb, 5 wd, 1 nb)                 9
       TOTAL       for 4 wickets                    173   (20 ov; 8.65 RPO)
Did not bat:     J Martin, S Asaskia, B Hall, S Scron, K Sonnel

FOW: 1-15 (C Freehill, 2.6 overs); 2-84 (L Tiati (c) (+), 10.2 overs); 3-84 (L Cocrine, 10.3 overs); 
     4-148 (B Eastwood, 17.1 overs)

Tumbra Bowling
Bowler                Ov   M   R  W   Econ  Ext
D Wilson               4   0  26  1    6.5  
P Kornbluth            4   0  40  0     10  (1 wd, 1 nb)
D Galloway             4   0  44  1     11  (2 wd)
P Greenwood            4   0  29  2   7.25  
O Chowdhury            4   0  31  0   7.75  (2 wd)

Tumbra Batting   (Target: 174)
Batter                                                R   B  4s  6s   SR
R McMahon          run out (Lovia)                   26  26   3   0  100
K Ferguson         c Martin b Freehill                5   4   1   0  125
A Milne            c Tiati (+) b Asaskia             11  10   0   1  110
E Rackham (c)      b Freehill                         0   3   0   0    
S Mukhtar          c Tiati (+) b Freehill            25  18   3   1  138.89
D Galloway         c Cocrine b Cross                 31  19   3   2  163.16
P Anderson (+)     lbw b Cross                       15  16   0   1   93.75
P Kornbluth        not out                           15  14   2   0  107.14
P Greenwood        c Hall b Scron                     1   3   0   0   33.33
O Chowdhury        not out                            2   7   0   0   28.57
       EXTRAS      (1 lb, 3 wd)                       4
       TOTAL       for 8 wickets                    135   (20 ov; 6.75 RPO)
Did not bat:     D Wilson

FOW: 1-6 (K Ferguson, 1.1 overs); 2-35 (A Milne, 4.6 overs); 3-36 (E Rackham (c), 5.5 overs); 
     4-50 (R McMahon, 8.1 overs); 5-86 (S Mukhtar, 12.2 overs); 6-107 (D Galloway, 15.2 overs); 
     7-129 (P Anderson (+), 17.3 overs); 8-132 (P Greenwood, 18.3 overs)

Sylestone Bowling
Bowler                Ov   M   R  W   Econ  Ext
S Scron                3   0  17  1   5.67  
C Freehill             4   0  21  3   5.25  (1 wd)
S Asaskia              4   0  33  1   8.25  (1 wd)
B Hall                 3   0  25  0   8.33  
K Sonnel               4   0  22  0    5.5  (1 wd)
S Cross                3   0  16  2   5.33  

Venue: Black Dolphin Arena, New Colk, South Newlandia
Match number: Match 29
Toss: Sylestone won the toss and elected to bat
Season/Tournament: EspoT20 IV
Matchdays: Semifinal
Player of the Match: Caitlyn Freehill (SYL)
Series result: 
Debut: None
Umpires: Unknown
TV Umpire: Unknown
Reserve Umpire: Unknown
Match Referee: Unknown
Match Result: Sylestone win by 38 runs

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

1. Luke Tiati (c) (+)
2. Caitlyn Freehill
3. Brianna Eastwood
4. Lachlan Cocrine
5. Nicholas Lovia
6. Jack Martin
7. Samuel Cross
8. Samuel Asaskia
9. Broughton Hall
10. Samuel Scron
11. Kate Sonnel

by **TJUN-ia** » Thu Feb 22, 2024 7:50 am

By Peter Davis

Jaguars
QF Exit

Bowlin' Jags
At Harrier Stadium, the Bowlin' Jags were put up to bat first...and it didn't work at all this time. Lozho restricted us to 137/4 and with how Zhill Zohnzohn was cooking us, we knew it was over...and Lozho chased down that total with over 3 overs to spare. There's a 3rd Place Playoff in Cricket? Who knew? We'll rematch with Tumbra in that.

Battin' Jags
It was time for some history to potentially be made in Elephant Valley. The Battin' Jaguars of TJUN-ia vs the Elephants of South Newlandia for the right to call themselves regional champions. When we played the first time, this wasn't close at all...and with Maddison "Missy" Jembembe taking on Wolodymyr King in this one, one couldn't help being scared about facing the World #2 from last WBC on their home turf for a regional title...but as things would play out, something strange would happen in Elephant Stadium. Against the World #1 on rankings...we were the better team. And that was proved in these 9 innings. Missy Jembembe played the game of her life and she more than proved the faith behind her by Phillip Hellas-Verona, pitching a fucking shoutout in a regional final. Anastasia Mykvinich set the tone for proceedings with a 3-run bomb in the 3rd and while we expected SNL to respond...they never did. Two more runs via Martina Andrade de Souza in the 8th silenced the crowd here...and when Jembembe got that final out, the celebrations began. On enemy territory, the Battin' Jags has beaten the almighty Elephants to claim the 3rd Esportivan Baseball Trophy. No word as yet from back home if this counts as Hall of Fame worthy, but no one cared. TJUN-ian Baseball had a crown to call their own...and it felt good.

Ice Jaguars
Meanwhile, across town, the Valley Rink was hosting another final as the Ice Jagaurs of TJUN-ia took on the Golden Deer of Tumbra in the Final of the 2nd Esportivan Ice Hockey Trophy. Just like the Baseball, this was a rematch between us and the only team to have beaten us in SNL...but unlike the Baseball, the crowd here would be neutral between TJUN-ian Blue and Orange and Tumbran Gold, Red, Black and Blue. Ølson Rasmussen and his Tumbran counterpart knew that this game was going to be close, considering how close our last encounter ended up being...and so it proved to be. This one was tough in the 1st and 2nd periods, with both Nicholas Artiaga-Tapia and Nicholas Dutton working for every save they could make as both Luis Olivares and Emile Weeks came within inches of breaking the deadlock. In the end, someone had to write their name into the history books...and that ended up being Yun Pong-chol, who found a gap with 5 minutes to go and punished it for existing. It was a siege after that but one which we held...and cemented our names into the history books. The Ice Jaguars, long seen as the weakest link of the Big 5 sports in this country, were now regional champions. Finally, they had something they could point to and say "yeah, we did that". Finally...Finally.

Lane Carter
As for the Galarian? He came P4 in the end, Robin Dragonovic in 8th. Evangelos Kalyftakis ended up coming from nowhere to take the crown over Pressley and the Engine...a fact that earned a handshake from the Galarian when all was said and done. Lane just wanted to regain the old confidence...and that mission was complete.

by **Fhulghamous Peninsula** » Thu Feb 22, 2024 10:00 am

Every step of the way that the Fhulghamous Peninsula took on their way to the Campionato Esportiva title seemed to be making the rest of the path more difficult than ever before. They started off the 37th Campionato with four wins out of five in the group stage, their only defeat coming at the hands of the best team in Esportiva (according to the rankings at least), Tumbra. The biggest obstacle to the journey in the opinion of most fans had been the Peninsula’s meeting in the Round of 16 with Irithoren, because even though Irithoren was lower down the Esportivan regional rankings, the Fhulghamous had suffered defeat to such lower-ranked sides in the Round of 16 in the rare times that the Colonists did make it that far. But this time the Fhulghamous Peninsula made it past the Jerboas, but then in the quarterfinals they would come across the Jaguars of TJUN-ia. TJUN-ia were regulars in the actual World Cup itself, and for all intents and purposes it looked like the Colonists’ journey was about to end in the quarterfinals. Against all odds though, the Peninsula managed to triumph over the Jags, with the deciding (and only) goal coming from the man who had the biggest doubts about the Fhulghamous’s entire run, Silas Babalioutas. Now though, it seemed as if the Colonists’ luck had actually finally run out because their semifinals opponent was none other than the very same team that had beaten them in the group stage: Tumbra.

Donovan Chase and his men were well aware of what Tumbra was capable of on the pitch; they had been on the receiving end of such treatment a few weeks earlier. The Colonists had put up a valiant effort of their own to keep the Black Eagles from finding the back of the net back then, but Tumbra was just too good for them. And during the first thirty minutes of the semifinals at least, Tumbra once again had the upper hand over the Fhulghamous Peninsula. The Black Eagles had the Colonists pinned to their half of the pitch for most of the first thirty minutes, and they even took an early lead courtesy of a long looping shot from Valerie Wells that could well have been an attempt at a cross that ended up flying into the back of the net without assistance from another Tumbran player. And Tumbra could have definitely gotten at least two or even three goals up in that period of time were it not for the near-superhuman efforts of Thanasis Tsiros and his back line to keep their own team in contention.

But it seemed as if all that the Peninsula needed was to withstand that initial pressure from Tumbra in order to get back into the game, and while the last fifteen minutes of the first half was more inconclusive than the start, the second half was when the Fhulghamous Peninsula not only started growing into the game but gained more and more of an advantage until they were the ones with more attempts on the goal than Tumbra. And when all of that effort finally paid off with substitute Zakaria Fihraoui finding the back of the net in the 70th minute, the Fhulghamousian team and the fans realized that somehow, in some way, their team might actually have a chance.

Both teams had already known what was at stake in this match, and with only ten minutes of playing time remaining (plus time added on at the end) before the match went into extra time, both Tumbra and Fhulghamous were determined not to have to play those extra thirty minutes. Polynikis Kalyftakis had never been in a war before, but he had seen many match recaps about football matches describing one team conducting relentless attacks on the other as a siege, and Polynikis had a feeling that that was exactly what he was experiencing right now. Tumbra wanted to claim their fourth Campionato Esportiva title just as much as the Fhulghamous Peninsula wanted to win their first ever title, and both sides were definitely throwing everything that they could at the other team to win the match without needing to resort to extra time or penalties. At first everyone thought that Tumbra was surely going to win this match because they had already beaten the Fhulghamous before, but then the Colonists got enough momentum to score an equalizer, and now it was anyone’s game to win. And Polynikis wanted the Fhulghamous Peninsula to win, not just because he was a Fhulghamousian and wanted his own silverware to lift, but because he also wanted (and needed) to prove a point to his friend and teammate Silas Babalioutas.

Silas Babalioutas had long been a doubter of the Fhulghamous Peninsula’s ability to win the biggest footballing prize in all of Esportiva. This doubt didn’t emerge from out of the blue, however. Silas, like many other Fhulghamousians his age, had seen how the Colonists had failed to get further than the Round of 16 of the Campionato more times than they actually did. But what Polynikis couldn’t understand was why Silas was still so insistent that the Fhulghamous was doomed to failure when, even if the Peninsula lost to Tumbra in the semifinals, the team was still on course to replicate its best ever result in the Campionato: winning the third place playoff for the third time in their history. Heck, the Fhulghamous wouldn’t have even made it this far had it not been for Silas scoring the deciding goal in their quarterfinals match against TJUN-ia, which was why Silas’s insistence that they would never win anything meaningful was mystifying Polynikis to this day.

However, if the Fhulghamous was indeed going to win against Tumbra, Silas would have to watch it from the bench as he had been hauled off the pitch on the hour mark. But some could still claim that he played a part in the comeback as it was Silas’s replacement, Zakaria Fihraoui, who had actually scored the equalizing goal for the Colonists. For his part, Polynikis was doing what he could to stop Tumbra from getting past him and into the box as that was easier than having to rely on Thanasis Tsiros saving the day. Not that Polynikis didn’t trust his goalkeeper to make an important save should it happen, but it would be much better for everyone involved if it didn’t get that far. That said, the pace at which things were going, it was really only a matter of time before someone finally got past the defending team and scored the winning goal. It could come from a moment of brilliance or a moment of sheer stupidity; either way, all that was needed to win this game was one moment.

Now it was the Fhulghamous’s turn to try to breach Tumbra’s defenses with a set piece, specifically a free kick just a yard or so from the corner of the box. Priamos Kontoulis and Krystallis Antonakakis were standing over the ball, both to give the Colonists options and to confuse the Tumbrans even if just a little bit. Kontoulis could use his left foot to swing the ball into the box for someone to put a header towards goal, while Antonakakis could whip it straight into the top corner of the net with his right foot if he was so inclined. And, while both men remained standing next to the ball once the referee gave the all-clear to take the kick, it was only Kontoulis who moved, and he did indeed swing the ball into the box for a header. Or at least that was the plan, but as soon as the ball went up in the air, the plan was thrown right out of the window. Unfortunately, Tumbra’s plans were also thrown out of the water because instead of punching away the ball like she intended, Victoria Jones ended up handling the ball more like a volleyball player, and the ball flew straight up into the air while everyone else in both black and light green shirts jostled for position.

Polynikis Kalyftakis was one of the many Fhulghamousian players trying to find a place from which he could strike the ball once it fell from the sky, but like almost everyone else, he had a Tumbran marking him with the explicit purpose of preventing that from happening. He, like pretty much the rest of his teammates still in the box, was trying to work their way out of their marker, but that was more often than not easier said than done. But for this one moment, Polynikis did manage to slip past his defender, and he was now only one or two yards away from mouth of the goal itself. At the same time, the football actually looked like it was going to fall just in front of him. Polynikis knew that this was his opportunity, his chance to win the game, but only if he could actually get good contact with the ball for a shot at the goal. He had been in similar situations before, and more often than not he just ended up kicking the ball over the crossbar. If he was a rugby player then that wouldn’t actually be too bad, but he was playing football, and kicking over the crossbar was usually frowned upon. Also, would he even have the time to hit the ball on the half volley, or should he just go for the actual volley and hope for the best?

“…and that’s not the best punching clearance from Victoria Jones there. Looked more like a volleyball pass than anything resembling goalkeeping. The ball’s up in the air now, and everyone wants to be the first to get their foot or head on it, regardless of allegiance. There’s chaos all over the box because everyone wants to be the one to score the goal or clear the ball, depending on if you’re Fhulghamousian or Tumbran. Here comes the ball… and it’s in the back of the net! I don’t believe it! Who’s put it in there? Polynikis Kalyftakis is celebrating, but there are just so many people inside the box that it’s hard to tell who’s who. But it doesn’t matter! The Fhulghamous Peninsula have the lead in the semifinals of the 37th Campionato Esportiva, and if it does go down as a Polynikis Kalyftakis goal then he could be the second person in his family to bring sporting glory to the Peninsula after his younger brother Evangelos won in the Sporting Festival’s karting event! The Kalyftakis brothers, Fhulghamousians through and through!”

Ivan Iosifovich Radchenko looked at the contract in his hand, specifically at the freshly dried signature at the bottom from one of Tumbra’s richest men. The work to get Thomas Kim’s signature on paper had been long and hard for Radchenko, but the rewards that he would reap from that few milligrams of ink were about to make that entire wild goose chase around Tumbra, Baker Park, and Yoknapatawphaia worth it.

As his private jet flew out of Tumbran airspace, Radchenko took out his satellite phone from its holder in his seat and called his de facto second in command Valentin Georgiyevich Mironchenko. “Yes, Ivan?” Mironchenko asked upon answering the call.

“Get the boys ready, Valentin,” Radchenko said as he looked at the signed contract in front of him once again. “We are good to go.”

       TUMBRA 1 - 2 FHULGHAMOUS PENINSULA       
  WELLS (13')       FIHRAOUI (70')
                    KALYFTAKIS (87')

by **South Newlandia** » Thu Feb 22, 2024 2:45 pm

Cutoff! Who wants to be a first-time champ?

If you notice any mistakes, please alert me ASAP!

Campionato Esportiva 37

Espo T20 IV

by **Sylestone** » Fri Feb 23, 2024 2:29 am

Lozho Batting
Batter                                                R   B  4s  6s   SR
T Crawford         c Lovia b Scron                    2   3   0   0   66.67
Z Zohnzohn         c&b Sonnel                        46  38   4   2  121.05
R Zrumhammer       c Lovia b Hall                    23  26   2   0   88.46
A Drezhen (c)      c Tiati (+) b Cross               48  27   4   3  177.78
Z Zaddam           b Sonnel                           0   2   0   0    
F Horzhonhille     b Cross                           17  13   2   0  130.77
Y Dumfries (+)     not out                            5  10   0   0   50
G Hozhe            not out                            1   2   0   0   50
       EXTRAS      (2 lb, 6 wd, 1 nb)                 9
       TOTAL       for 6 wickets                    151   (20 ov; 7.55 RPO)
Did not bat:     Z Qaraq, G Hinckley, Moz

FOW: 1-2 (T Crawford, 0.3 overs); 2-69 (R Zrumhammer, 10.3 overs); 3-75 (Z Zohnzohn, 11.3 overs); 
     4-75 (Z Zaddam, 11.5 overs); 5-121 (F Horzhonhille, 15.2 overs); 6-150 (R Zrumhammer, 19.2 overs)

Sylestone Bowling
Bowler                Ov   M   R  W   Econ  Ext
S Scron                4   0  36  1      9  
C Freehill             2   0  10  0      5  
S Asaskia              3   0  27  0      9  (1 nb)
B Hall                 4   0  27  1   6.75  
K Sonnel               4   0  28  2      7  
S Cross                3   0  21  2      7  (2 wd)

Sylestone Batting   (Target: 152)
Batter                                                R   B  4s  6s   SR
L Tiati (c) (+)    c Horzhonzille b Moz              37  32   3   1  115.63
C Freehill         b Qaraq                           19  12   4   0  158.33
B Eastwood         lbw b Qaraq                        5   8   0   0   62.5
L Cocrine          lbw b Hozhe                       51  30   3   3  170
N Lovia            not out                           32  22   4   0  145.45
S Cross            not out                            1   2   0   0   50
       EXTRAS      (1 b, 4 lb, 4 wd)                  9
       TOTAL       for 4 wickets                    154   (17.4 ov; 8.72 RPO)
Did not bat:     J Martin, S Asaskia, B Hall, S Scron, K Sonnel

FOW: 1-44 (C Freehill, 4.4 overs); 2-52 (B Eastwood, 6.5 overs); 3-76 (L Tiati (c) (+), 9.5 overs); 
     4-149 (L Cocrine, 17.1 overs)

Lozho Bowling
Bowler                Ov   M   R  W   Econ  Ext
Moz                    4   0  29  1   7.25  
G Hinckley             3   0  29  0   9.67  (2 wd)
Z Qaraq                4   0  26  2    6.5  (1 wd)
F Horzhonhille         3   0  32  0  10.67  (1 wd)
G Hozhe              3.4   0  31  1   8.45  

Venue: Black Dolphin Arena, New Colk, South Newlandia
Match number: Match 32
Toss: Sylestone won the toss and elected to bat
Season/Tournament: EspoT20 IV
Matchdays: Grand Final
Player of the Match: Lachlan Cocrine (SYL)
Series result: 
Debut: None
Umpires: Unknown
TV Umpire: Unknown
Reserve Umpire: Unknown
Match Referee: Unknown
Match Result: Sylestone win by six wickets with 14 balls remaining

by **TJUN-ia** » Fri Feb 23, 2024 11:27 am

By Peter Davis

Jaguars
QF Exit

Bowlin' Jags
Aaaaay! We got 3rd! We beat Tumbra by 25 runs...and so, a bronze will come back alongside our two golds. Good job by the Bowlin' Jags, that's a well-needed reward for all of their efforts.

Battin' Jags
The Baseball Champs of Esportiva

Ice Jaguars
The Ice Hockey Champs of Esportiva

Lane Carter
P4, Over and Out With Hope Anew.

And so, that's that. Our debut in the Esportivan sporting scene was complete. Two Golds and a Bronze is certainly a haul and one that cements our arrival to this unique space. The Sporting Festival will be back in a long while...but in terms of the Campionato Esportiva? We Will Be Back!

Campionato Esportiva 37 & Sport. Fest. 3 - Everything Thread

Orange and Black (VI)

Orange and Black (VII)

Orange and Black (VIII)

Orange and Black (IX)

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