MM Links Results July 2012 Week 4

[gen2]

July's games reach a climax today but I'm afraid the budget doesn't run to holding a closing ceremony.

May I first of all remind players that a few months ago we changed the rule to say that any combined pair would NOT make a person's name. That is stated in the preamble to every game.
We also restrict answers to be words from 4 to 8 letters in length. Please count carefully.
Some players may therefore have wasted a guess this weekend.

I can now reveal the pairings set by King John II (aka rockfordill) were:

ROUND ROBIN
LAST POST
NEXT DOOR
TYPE SETTER

All were found very quickly and most generated points for players throughout the weekend.
In fact with 49 points distributed, this was the most generous week of King John's reign.

Details follow:

[gen2]

Fearless roslyn251254 dived straight in as usual and came up with two of the pairings: ROUND ROBIN & LAST POST.
Within the 2-minute bonus window, two others, decee131 & seekeerz, found the same two links all scoring 4 points.
Beejay1124, evsajo, fordward and Manxiemo collected a bonus on just one of those (2 points each)

Second player beejay1124 also found the third pairing of NEXT DOOR for another 2 points. Tearinghair, FoxLee2, Strix and Brenden were right on his heels for 2 points as well.

The final link of TYPE SETTER only survived until 9:03 before the thirteenth player, Brenden found it for another 2 points.

So with all the links found early on, it was only single points for later players though Lysander did manage a double hit.

This week's point scorers were:
4 beejay1124
4 Brenden
4 deecee131
4 roslyn251254
4 seekeerz
2 evsajo
2 fordward
2 FoxLee2
2 lysander
2 Manxiemo
2 Strix
2 tearinghair
1 albaqwerty (Mr)
1 albaqwerty (Mrs)
1 bigjack
1 boxtops
1 ChrisHewat (Chris)
1 cliffyg
1 Eiggam
1 Elspeth
1 Euphemia
1 jobjockey
1 kawakiri
1 Ont-ice (Mr)
1 sibton
1 wickedtongue
1 x-ray

As for Hotshot, I had another difficult decision to make. Six double-hitters, five top scorers and no elusive link so I will have to choose the most fearless player who, with no thought for the setter's scheming, hits the mark so regularly.
***** THE HOTSHOT *****
**** FOR THIS WEEK ****
*** IS ROSLYN251254 ***

So how does all that affect the final positions on the scoreboard for July?

[gen2]

Alone at the top on 10 points is Fearless Roslyn, so beat the drums and blow the trumpets, I declare

*** CHAMPION FOR ***
**** JULY 2012 IS ****
*** ROSLYN251254 ***

** CONGRATULATIONS ** on a fine performance Roslyn.

The rest of the table looks like this:
10 roslyn251254
9 seekeerz
8 beejay1124
8 deecee131
8 tearinghair
6 Brenden
6 evsajo
6 kawakiri
6 Manxiemo
5 Elspeth
5 foxlee2
5 owllady
5 Strix
4 bigjack
4 Christiana
4 fordward
3 Aquagility
3 Boxtops
3 ChrisHewat (Chris)
3 Euphemia
3 middlestump
3 regward
3 sibton
3 x-ray
16 on 2 points
& 5 on 1 point

My final task today is to nominate the setter for August.
Roslyn has already set them twice in the last year so will no doubt understand (and be relieved) when I offer the post to the second-placed player who last set the links in May 2009.
**** THE SETTER FOR ****
*** AUG 2012 WILL BE ***
**** - S E E K E E R Z - **** (subject to confirmation)

Well done seekeerz, I'll be in touch shortly.

And I can't leave you without saying a big thank you to July's setter Rockfordill, who has done a sterling job in the guise of 'King John II' setting up the challenges throughout the last 4 weeks.

So whether or not next month's links have an antipodean flavour, be sure to be there next weekend,
Same time,
Same place.
Happy Linking
gen2

[gen2]

. . . and a bonus point to anyone spotting the deliberate mistake.

[rockfordill]

Many congratulations R - you have done it again with your usual lightning speed.
I'm glad to see more points were scored this week so we could all end on a high.
Thanks to all for your support - especially gen2 - now I want at least a 2 year rest !!!
J

[Manxiemo]

Er ... wasn't it a five-week month, July, Gen?

[Psybbo]

Must do better, thanks gen2 and well done to the leaders

[Strix]

Steff will be THRILLED !!! </irony>

[twix123]

Thanks King John for an interesting month, and Gen2 for keeping the scores, although personally a very poor month scoring wise!
Congratulations to all the point scorers.

[tearinghair]

Thanks King John and gen2. Look forward to hearing more about Oz from skz next month.

[gen2]

To Manxiemo,
Er . . . No.
Weekends beginning 7, 14, 21, 28th = 4 weeks.
The weekend of the 30th June / 1st July was the 5th weekend in June.

I'm just back from my meal with neighbours/friends and glad to see all is well (so far). The S is yet to hit the fan when Seekeerz wakes up and realises where she is at.

Shhhhhh. Don't wake her up too quickly. Maybe Strix can calm her down enough to accept the reality of the situation. i.e. I'm up the creek without a paddle if she doesn't accept the most supreme honour of being invited to be setter after a prolonged period of 3 year's abstinence.

Good Morning Steff, How great to see you up so bright and early on this autumn morning, Here is just what you need to occupy these dark evenings. Details were given above.

[Sheenamf]

Can anyone play?

[gen2]

Of course they can Sheena.
Just log in to Q&P next Saturday morning and choose 4 words that when linked either before or after the declared words, make either a new word or a well known phrase.

There are two versions of the game.
1) There is the MM Game that is set by one of our own players. Managed and scored by myself. Starts with an intro in Q&P at 8:45am on Saturdays. It ends at 7pm on Sunday.
2) And the KM Game which is set by Kate Mepham via the Daily Telegraph GK Crosswords on Saturday and Monday. That game is scored by Seekeerz. It is started early on a Saturday morning and runs until midnight on Sunday.

The MM Game is named after Kate's father, Michael Mepham who died suddenly a few years ago.

Hopefully we'll see you on one or both next weekend.

A reminder is posted in Q&P every Friday around 8pm.

[Sheenamf]

Thanks for that gen2 I'll try and remember to join in next weekend

[seekeerz]

cor, gee whiz and blimey !!! I'm staggered !!! mainly cos I actually scored some points !!

thanks rocky for an excellent game, gen2 for doing 'his thing' and, I guess, for letting me loose for the month of August ... you may all choose to regret it but I'll try to behave

[roslyn251254]

Thanks all - yes it definitely pays off to be in there on the dot of 9am! Only just logged in this morning after a very long day on centre court yesterday at Wimbledon! The tennis was brilliant and the crowd went wild for Murray!