CUP CHALLENGE ROUND B ROUND UP

Please forgive this humble soul a ramble......

Terry Pratchett wrote about a character (amongst many, many others) named Wen (not Juan) – The Eternally Surprised. Bongser applied the said sobriquet to a former boss who was late for work every morning by roughly the same time margin (picture Reggie Perrin making his office at Sunshine Desserts, eleven minutes late tous les jours and coming up with more and more outlandish excuses to his secretary, eg “11 minutes late – tiger on the tracks at Northampton”). Bongser knew full well that his own “Eternally Surprised” boss parked in a mile distant car park that opened only as we did.

Bongser feels that he is not running a WPL here but rather a memory clinic

Charles, you are well one trusts, it is only a fortnight since Round A of the Cup Challenge and yet you forgot. As seemingly did all others until a reminder of the CC scoring system. You will retain your misplayed Joker though, Chuckle Brother.

Round B kicked-off on Thursday with all but one amnesiac in attendance. Let’s begin with the main event and it’s titfers off to Zools who, with a spot on 4 point margin to HKR, gets a big fat 55. Evvo (26) was next closest with Van The Man (24) third followed by the peloton. Bongser and Atomic were left in the traps.

The sign for the abovementioned SUNSHINE DESSERTS always had at least one letter missing every episode. Nobody troubled the scorer in the other Thursday tie.

S_ _ _ _ HI _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ T _ !

Friday saw a couple of good hidin’s doled out. All present correctly called the executors of said wuppings but the Leeds mismatch saw only Chas & Pubbers pick up points (one apiece) on the margin. Scoring on the Salford match was higher generally with Pubbers (20) closest and Charlie (1icon_cool.gif & EVVO (12) filling the lower podium places.

Saturday came and so did Chayders, free from his first half long sin-binning.

This text from Sis Bongser a couple of days ago

Over half the walkers saw Bongser’s group PM to arms this round but it seems that you can lead a CL to water but you can’t make it drink. Chayders, your closed season series on 50 years of watching Leigh was excellent and a most enjoyable read (bravo) but you’re like Ol’ Granny Bongser who could recall minutiae from the best part of a century before but when asked by the memory clinicians to name the day of the week could merely stab in the dark.

Never mind, you made it for the second half and carried 8 points into Sunday. Another tonking (this inflicted upon York by Widnes) saw Atomic (16) top the scoring. All others correctly punted the victors bar VL.

Predictions for Sunday: All assembled (even Don Corleoworly) went for a Batley win. At HT all were wrong with Donny leading by 6. All bar Zools (THC) had Dewsbury down to win. An HT draw saw EVERYBODY zilching out and, just to compound a head-scratcher of an interval only, Odsal man out, B&B, was set fair.

In the end Doncaster defied both the odds and we bods to cling to a four point lead. SUNSHINE DESSERTS for all the walkers – but there’s one in our midst that will still be grinning!

Odsal man out was still set fair with Fev leading by 18 with 6 minutes to go on the Flashscore clock (yes, Bongser knows it isn’t the match watch). Your correspondent’s soft spot for the Bradfudlians is well documented. After the last regular season game of 2016, Bongser posted (IHRC) that he took no schadenfreude in The Bulls losing to Fev but that he’d rather Leythe face Fev in the Mid8s. Little did anyone know (possibly barring Green) what that would cost The Bulls. Furthermore he would have taken no schadenfreude from a Fev victory today. He would, however, have taken the points! He didn’t but everyone else collected in the twenties with Zools & Chayder topping with 29 apiece.

Last game to finish was at Close Street but wasn’t as close as it had been at HT. Thatto Heath CRUSADERS were a bogey side for Zools for a second round on the trot as he zilched. Chayders nearly had the last laugh and a 55fer but for a VERY late score for The Rams. Wanderer similarly thwarted. However, along with Pubbers, CL & DJ group hugged on the top of the pod with 26 apiece.

Lieutenant Caine successfully repelled all attackers with a round topping 103. Bongser ‘adda stinker and finished bottom with a mere 42 (the ultimate answer to yadda) even being trumped by a Johnny come lately that only turned up for the last “40 minutes”.

SCORES ON THE DOORS

Evvo 285
Pubbers 283
Vanners 273
Zools 265
Chazzers 263
Chayders 259
Donners 254
Tommers 243
Bongser 231

The Cup Challenge will continue without Leigh’s involvement but as the last SIXTEEN battle it out, Bongser and Atomic (with no loyalty issues) will be hunting the rest of you down.

If anyone remembers that is.

A parting thought or two from Rambling Sid.

When thine host was a youngster, there used to be some sort of factory on Chaddock Lane between Astley & Boothstown called FERODO. It had a (true, ie red) neon sign advertising its existence but it had similarities with Sunshine Desserts and often displayed F _ RODO or F _ _ OD_.

About the same time there was a 12 episode TV programme set in a certain hotel in Torquay. It also had a sign that, every episode, had been rearranged by some unknown, Devonian rapscallion, into such phrases as Farty Towels.

Bongser intends to cheer himself up by seeing what auto-moderation will make of the infamous FLOWERY TWATS

Well now he knows. Nowhere near as funny a "spiffing chap"!

Tune-in soon for the PLURAL Paschal puntables. Many points to be gathered you RL lovers

And all delightfully dignified by the juxtaposition of a Haydn String 4tet

ROUNDS TEN & ELEVEN TOGETHER!

Book early as Fred Pontin used to say.

Bongser, last eventide, happened to mention Mary Poppins in The Towers. La Jeunesse was previously unaware that said nanny had returned and enquired,

“Has Julie Andrews got her voice back?” Bongser informed her as to JA’s replacement at which point Natalie took the Saviour’s forename in vain.

“No, Emily Blunt,” rebuked the good Catholic (from the waist upward) Bongser, “The Son of God does not do sequels – well apart from the resurrection!”

All of which brings us nicely to Easter.

[sizeGOOD FRIDAY[/size kick off for all fourteen Championship clubs and here are the first Paschal mysteries sees another seven sets of predables:

Tools XX-YY ‘Fax
Batley XX-YY Swinny
Bulls XX-YY Barrow
Fev XX-YY Trannies
Leythe XXX-Y Dewsbury
‘Dale XX-YY Sheff
York XX- Chemics (the sequel with Julie Andrews suspendered)

Both Rounds will see a “weekly” winner’s bonus but there will be only one BBQ (THAT YOU WILL ALREADY HAVE ANSWERED MERELY BY PREDICTING THE SCORELINES OF ALL 14 MATCHES!!!!). GP scoring on the total number of points for all 14 (ties will be allowed this week, as will cravats and Leythe scarves).

The points from the BBQ will be added to the scores from both rounds (barring their own WWBs) for a further bonus of 25.

It’ll be Easter folks and so we’re going to gorge on chocolate this week. Eggs symbolise Jesus “hatching” from the tomb but we are going to immure some more time capsules. A third of the regular season has elapsed and things are starting to take shape, so Bongser asks you again (but for less points as promised in the rules on Page 61) to predict:

a) What position in the table will Leigh occupy after the Championship games (25 pts)?
b) What will be the TOTAL home attendance in their Championship games (Double Grand Prix)?
c) How many IN GAME points will they score in those games (Double Grand Prix scoring again)?
d) Which team will win the Challenge Cup (50 pts)?
e) Which team will win the Grand Final (50 pts)?
f) Who will be Man of Steel 2019 (80 pts)?
g) Which team will slip out of SL at the end of the season? (25 pts)

As a further Easter Egg from Bongser (and with only a few hours until the release of the climactic (six episode) season of Game of Thrones), for a winner takes all bonus of a mere five points, how many episodes will Bongser’s avatar survive. Seven (single-occupancy) slots available 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6. Only answers posted before Ser Jorah pops his clogs (or not) will count.

As ever, Good Luck!

I'm going to dive in early for the GOT question and say 4.
The rest I will need to think more about (not that it will likely make any difference)

Nope, me neither (despite having access to it).

Nor me - thought it was some weird 'reality' programme about sanitary ware!

Great win on Sunday, by the way, 'Wanderer'.

True. Apparently the draw was delayed by the tragic fire at Notre Dame, which was considered more 'newsworthy' Good job it wasn't delayed by Brexit!!

Sorry to be hijacking your forecast thread B&B - but it seems to be the only one anyone is posting on, these days!

Thanks Bongser, I'll set aside a morning off for the puntables..

Well done BnB. I've not seen episode 1 yet. Me n er'in doors decided to watch the last 2 episodes of season 7 to refresh our old brains and yadda yadda we still haven't seen both of them (mum in law pop'ins are killing us this week)
Jon Snow does have a look of John Snow. Maybe the whole show will end with a game of cricket to decide the overall winners. A War of the Rose's type battle fought over 3 days, where only the main players fight and the rest of us drink beer in the sun.