GREETINGS SPORTS FANS AND WELCOME TO "THE BLITZ", YOUR ROUND-UP OF PHOENIX BLOODBOWL. I AM BJORNE MADMAN AND MY CO-HOST AS ALWAYS IS "SPLAT" THUMP-N-MAUL..

​

RECENTLY FIVE COACHES FROM PHOENIX TOOK A TRIP OVER TO FOREIGN LANDS TO TAKE PART IN AN ALL-COMERS TOURNAMENT AND WE SENT OUR ROVING REPORTER, JAKSA PENGADILAN, TO THE EVENT TO KEEP YOU ALL INFORMED OF THE GAMES.

​

SO LET'S GET DOWN TO THE ARENA AND OVER TO YOU, JAKSA....

​

WELL HERE WE ARE IN SUNNY BEDWORTH WAITING FOR THE KICKOFF FOR ROUND ONE. THERE IS TENSION HERE AS SOME BIG NAMES HAVE MADE THEIR WAY TO THE EVENT SO THIS ISN'T GOING TO BE STROLL IN THE PARK FOR ANYONE HERE...

​

I CAN SEE KARL HAS COME IN WITH HIS SKAVEN, ALEC HAS HIS NECROMANTIC TEAM IN TOW, MARTIN'S ORCS ARE FOLLOWING CLOSE BEHIND, OLLY HAS COME WITH GOBLINS AND MARCUS HAS DRAGGED THE GNOMES OUT FOR MORE STUNTY CHAOS TO ENSUE..

​

WELL HERE COME THE FIRST ROUND FIXTURES AND PHOENIX GET HANDED A BIG ONE IN ROUND ONE. MARTIN FACES OFF AGAINST PETE ROBINSON'S IMPERIAL NOBILITY, MARCUS STARTS OFF WITH LOUIS MCCLEOD'S NURGLE, OLLY TAKES ON BEDLAM AND HIS OGRES, ALEC COMES UP AGAINST ARCTICANTARCTICWINDS' CHAOS CHOSEN AND KARL GETS THE BIG ONE FACING ANDY DAVO AND HIS OLD WORLD ALLIANCE...

​

SO AT THE END OF THE FIRST ROUND LET'S GET DOWN TO THE PITCH AND GRAB A FEW INTERVIEWS...

​

MARTIN, HOW DID GAME ONE GO?

​

ENTERING THIS GAME WAS HARD WITH AN UNTESTED LINE-UP AND THE FINAL SCORE REFLECTED THIS WITH A 2-0 LOSS. MY OPPONENT WAS A TREMENDOUS HELP IN REMINDING ME OF CERTAIN SKILLS THAT I HAD FORGOT.. BUT I DID MANAGE TO CAUSE TWO CASUALTIES THOUGH

​

MARCUS, HOW WAS YOUR FIRST GAME?

​

JACK SAID THEIR WAS A FEW SPOTS PRIZES INCLUDING FIRST THROWN TEAM-MATE TOUCHDOWN SO GNOMES DID WHAT GNOMES DO BEST AND FLEW THROUGH THE AIR. ONE TURN AND A FEW INJURIES LATER IT'S 1-0 GNOMES. AFTER THAT IT WAS DAMAGE LIMITATION AS THE NURGLE SLITHERED TO TWO SCORES AND THE AMOUNT OF DISTURBING PRESENCE LIMITED MY TREES THROWING AND FINISHED WITH A 2-1 LOSS.

​

OLLY, HOW DID YOUR FIRST EVER TOURNAMENT GAME GO?

​

FIRST GAME I HAD OGRES AND IT WAS A CLOSE GAME. THE GUY WAS A GOOD LAUGH AND WAS CLEARLY HAVING FUN WITH IT. I HAD A GREAT BOMB THAT TOOK OUT THREE GNOBLARS FOR THE GAME SO DEFINATELY MADE IT EASIER AND THE CHAINSAW WAS MOWING DOWN A LOT OF PEOPLE ON THE FLOOR. ARGUED THE CALL AND GOT A SIX TO STAY IN FOR FREE. I HAD THREE TIMES TRYING TO EAT MY OWN GOBLINS. FINAL SCORE 1-1

​

ALEC, CAN YOU GIVE US A RUNDOWN OF YOUR FIRST GAME?

​

WAS A GOOD EVEN GAME AGAINST THE CHOSEN. I HAD KILLED ONE OF THEIR BLOCKERS BEFORE THE APOTHECARY WORKED THEIR MAGIC AND BROUGHT THEM BACK. THEY SCORED RELATIVELY QUICKLY IN THE FIRST HALF AND THEN I SCRAPED IT BACK TO A DRAW IN THE SECOND HALF TO FINISH 1-1

​

AND FINALLY OVER TO KARL, HOW WAS YOU FIRST GAME BACK IN THE TOURNAMENTS?

​

WELL THAT WAS DEFINATELY A BAPTISTM OF FIRE. THE WORDS "DAD'S GOT DAVO!" WAS THE FIRST I KNEW WHO I GOT IN ROUND ONE AND I WAITED FOR THE CARNAGE TO BEGIN. WITH A QUICK LINEUP CHANGE WE GOT DOWN TO THE GAME. BY THE END OF TURN THREE MY KO'D BOX WAS SLOWLY FILLING UP AND BY HALFTIME IT WAS 1-0 AGAINST ME. THE RATS CAME OUT IN THE SECOND HALF WITH A LITTLE MORE FIRE IN THEIR EYES AND MANAGED TO CLAIM A SCORE BUT ENDED UP 2-1 LOSS BUT A PROUD COACH.

​

SO THATS 0-2-5 FOR THE PHOENIX TEAM AFTER ROUND ONE SO NOW TO ROUND TWO. HERE COME THE FIXTURES FOR THIS ROUND. FIRST UP ALEC AND OLLY SWAP OPPONENTS AS OLLY FACES ARCTICANTARCTICWINDS' CHOSEN AND ALEC GETS BEDLAM AND HIS OGRES, MARCUS TAKES ON SECONDBUCKFAST'S HALFLINGS, MARTIN GETS FRANKIE C'S DWARVES AND LASTLY KARL FACES RUSS BURNS' GNOMES.

​

SO NOW THE GAMES HAVE FINISHED LET'S GET BACK TO SEE HOW THE COACHES ARE GETTING ON.

​

OLLY, HOW DID THIS ONE GO?

​

THE SECOND GAME WAS AGAINST CHAOS CHOSEN AND WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE ABOUT SQUEKY DUCKS EVERY TURN OR REROLL? GREAT GUY AND WAS HAPPY ENOUGH TO HAVE A DICE POOL BETWEEN US TO SHARE. LOTS OF BLOCK DESTROYED MY TEAM BUT WE BOTH LAUGHED ABOUT IT EVERY TIME MY DICE FAILED MORE OR THE TWO TIMES I ALMOST ATE MY DOOM DIVER. ENDED UP WITH A 3-0 LOSS

​

ALEC, DID YOU FARE BETTER THIS TIME?

​

THIS GAME WAS BRUTAL FOR MY OPPONENT AS I SCORED QUICKLY AGAINST THE OGRES AFTER KICKING THE BALL TO THEM AND THEN THE SCORES KEPT COMING. AT THE SAME TIME MY WOLVES AND GOLEMS WERE CREATING A BLOODBATH OF GNOBLARS AND I ENDED UP COMING AWAY WITH A 3-0 WIN AND SEVEN CASUALTIES.

​

MARCUS, HOW WAS THE GAME WITH TWO STUNTY TEAMS?

​

MOVING ONTO GAME TWO AND IT WAS A RARE SIGHT, ONE DICE BLOCKS AS THE GNOMES FACES HALFLINGS IN A STUNTY-OFF. TREES THREW, GNOMES AND HALFKINGS BASHED EQUAL HEIGHTED HEADS AND BOTH TEAMS WALKED AWAY WITH TWO TOUCHDOWNS. WITH EIGHT STUNTY TEAMS SIGNED UP IT WAS GREAT TO FACE ONE OF THEM.

​

MARTIN, HOW DID THE ORCS COPE WITH THE DWARVES?

​

I CAME INTO THIS GAME HOPING FOR A BETTER PERFORMANCE, ORCS VERSUS DWARVES EXPECT A HARD FIGHT AND WE GOT IT. NO CASUALTIES BUT A TOUGH 2-0 WIN THE THE GREEN FOLK.

​

AND FINALLY LET'S GRAB KARL, HOW DID ROUND TWO GO FOR YOU?

​

RATS AGAINST GNOMES ISN'T REALLY A FAIR FIGHT BUT THEY DEFINATELY AIMED AT REDUCING THE NUMBER OF RODENTS ON THE FIELD. THIS WAS TURNING INTO A ROUT WITH RATS DOING WHAT THEY DO WELL BUT THE GNOME COACH TOOK IT ALL IN HIS STRIDE, EVEN STOPPING FOR A SNACK ALONG THE WAY. GETTING THE TREE SENT OFF FOR FOULING AND THE PITCH INVASION IN THE SECOND HALF DEFINATELY WORKED IN FAVOUR AS THE RATS CAME OFF WITH A 3-1 WIN. I DID MANAGE TO CLAIM A SPOT PRIZE BUT NOT THE ONE I WANTED AS REROLLED DOUBLE SKULLS INTO DOUBLE SKULLS AND THEN THE FOX RAN IN FOR THE SCORE TO STOP A CLEAN SHEET.

​​

SO WITH TWO ROUNDS DOWN THAT'S 3-3-4 TO PHOENIX. NOW LET'S SEE WHO THEY ALL DRAW IN FINAL ROUND. ALEC GETS DRAWN FIRST AGAINST AUSTIN BARRETT'S SKAVEN, KARL AND MARTIN GET DRAWN AGAINST EACH OTHER IN A PHOENIX HEAD TO HEAD, MARCUS GETS JUSTCHRIS01'S KHORNE AND OLLY COMES UP AGAINST GNOMECHOMSKY AND HIS GNOMES.

 

SO FOR THE LAST TIME LET'S GRAB THE COACHES FOR THE RUNDOWN OF THE FINAL GAMES OF THIS TOURNAMENT.

 

ALEC, DID YOU TAME THE RATS?

 

EVERYTHING FELL APART IN THIS GAME AGAINST THE RATS. I HAD MANAGED TO CASUALTY THEIR THROWER BUT COULDN'T STOP THEM FROM RUNNING PAST ME. THEN LATE IN THE SECOND HALF THE SCORED A SECOND TIME BUT ON THE FINAL TURN I HAD MANAGED TO CAUSE ANOTHER CASUALTY.

 

MARTIN, HOW DID IT GO AGAINST ONE OF YOUR OWN?

 

COMING INTO THIS GAME, BOTH PLAYERS KNOW EACH OTHER SO WELL ACROSS THE PITCH, AND BOTH KNEW IT WAS NOT GONG TO BE EASY. A 1-1 DRAW WAS THE RESULT BUT ONCE AGAIN THE SKAVEN GOT CRUNCHY WITH TWO CASUALTIES.

 

AND KARL, HOW DID YOU SEE THIS PLAY OUT?

 

I'VE FACED MARTIN ON AND OFF FOR THE PAST 5 YEARS SO WE BOTH KNEW THE OPPOSITION'S PLAYBOOK. IT DID MAKE FOR A RELAXED FINAL GAME AS THE ONLY THING ON THE LINE WAS BRAGGING RIGHTS. WITH A 1-1 DRAW THE BRAGGING RIGHTS STAY QUIET... FOR NOW.

 

MARCUS, DID YOU MANAGE TO KEEP PLAYERS ON THE PITCH AGAINST KHORNE?

 

AS THE FINAL GAMES WERE DRAWN I SAW SOMETHING I DIDN'T WANT TO SEE... KHORNE. THEY HIT, THEY FRENZIED AND THEY KILLED. BY THE END OF THE GAME I HAD TWO GNOMES LEFT ON THE FIELD AND A TREE WHO FELT SAFER STAYING ON THE GROUND. TWO SCORES DOWN BUT SIX CASUALTIES WAS THE REAL STORYLINE.

 

AND LASTLY, OLLY, ANOTHER STUNTY-OFF. DID THIS GO IN YOUR FAVOUR?

 

THE THIRD GAME WAS AGAINST GNOMES AND HE WAS A VERY EXPERIENCED GNOME PLAYER AND HELPED ME WITH SOME OF THE GNOME RULES AND HELPED ME TAKE BACK THINGS AFTER LEARNING SKILLS. GREAT GUY, I HAD NO COMPLAINTS. AFTER THE GAME I GAVE HIM SOME PRONED AND STUNNED TOKENS AS HIS TWO TREES WERE BIG MODELS AND WAS NICER FOR THE PITCH AND MODELS. THIS TIME I HAD FOUR TIMES TRYING TO EAT MY OWN TEAM IN THIS 2-0 LOSS​​

​

SO BEFORE WE HEAD BACK TO THE STUDIO LET'S GET A FINAL WORD FROM ALL THE PHOENIX COACHES. WITH THREE WINS, FIVE DRAWS AND SEVEN LOSSES, HOW DO YOU ALL FEEL AFTERWARDS AND WHO DID YOU VOTE FOR SPORTSMAN OF THE EVENT?

​

ALEC: OVERALL THE EVENT WAS GOOD FUN AND BECAUSE OF THAT FINAL CASUALTY AGAINST THE RATS I CAME HOME WITH THE CASUALTY TROPHY AND A BRAND NEW GNOME TEAM. I VOTED FOR ARCTICANTARCTICWINDS AS HE WAS A LAUGH TO PLAY AGAINST AND YOU CAN'T NOT HAVE FUN WHEN THEY HAVE SQUEAKY DUCKS

​​

OLLY: THE WHOLE EVENT WAS A GOOD LAUGH. I EXPECTED THREE LOSSES AND CAME OUT WITH A DRAW SO I'LL HAPPILY TAKE IT. BRILLIANTLY RUN BY JACK AND DAVE. I DIDN'T WIN ANYTHING OTHER THAN A BIT OF CONFIDENCE AND WILL BE AT FUTURE EVENTS... MAYBE WITH A COMPETANT TEAM THIS TIME. MY VOTE WENT TO ARCTICANTARCTICWIND THAT WAS PLAYING CHAOS CHOSEN AS HE MADE IT FEEL LIKE AN EXHIBITION GAME WITH HOW LENIENT AND FUNNY HE WAS WHEN PLAYING. AFTER THE THIRD GAME HE CAME UP TO ME AND ASKED HOW MY LAST GAME WAS.

​​

MARTIN: THIS WAS MY FIRST EVER BLOODBOWL TOURNAMENT AND REALLY ENJOYED THE EXPERIENCE WITH A FRIENDLY GROUP. I HAVE TO MAKE A SPECIAL MENTION TO THE ORGANISER OF THE EVENT FOR HIS HELP WITH MY LACK OF TECHNICAL KNOW-HOW AND PUTTING IN MY DATA DIRECTLY... THANK YOU. MY NOMINATION WAS PETE ROBINSON AS HE HELPED ME WITH REMEMBERING MY SKILLS AS IT WAS MY FIRST MATCH WITH THIS PARTICULAR ORC LINE-UP

​​

MARCUS: ALL IN ALL A GREAT TOURNAMENT. A MASSIVE THANKS TO AFTERHOURS FOR ORGANISING AND TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED OUT. MY SPORTSMANSHIP VOTE WENT TO SECONDBUCKFAST. IT TAKES AN UNHINGED PERSON TO PLAY STUNTY SO HAVING ANOTHER ONE ACROSS THE FIELD MADE IT EVEN BETTER. A STUNTY COACH LIKES IT WHEN THOSE LITTLE GUYS FLY SO HAVING TWO PEOPLE ON ONE PITCH CHEERING WHEN IT HAPPENS MADE IT AN EASY CHOICE.

​

KARL: THIS ONE BROKE THE ICE FOR ME AFTER LEAVING THE TOURNAMENT SCENE FOR MANY YEARS. I HAD LEFT BEHIND TOURNAMENTS BEFORE THAT WHIPPER-SNAPPER DAVO CAME ALONG. TO DRAW HIM ON ROUND ONE WAS POETIC JUSTICE AFTER STATING I'D LOVE TO FACE HIM SO THANKS FOR THAT NUFFLE! THE EVENT AS A WHOLE WENT BRILLIANTLY WELL AND A CREDIT TO JACK AND DAVE RUNNING IT, EVEN IF MY FURRY FREINDS WERE GIVEN ABUSE FROM THE SIDELINES. I HAD TO HAND MY VOTE TO RUSS BURNS AS EVEN WHEN ALL WAS GOING PEAR-SHAPED HE WAS CHUCKLING AWAY, A TRAIT I TRY TO INSTIL IN ALL PHOENIX PLAYERS WHEN THEY ARE WINNING OR LOSING.

 

MY FINAL THANKS HAVE TO GO TO THE PHOENIX PLAYERS WHO CAME ALONG TO THIS ONE AS ALL APART FROM MYSELF CLAIMED THIS AS THEIR FIRST EVER TOURNAMENT. BOTH ALEC AND MARTIN HAVE NOW CLAIMED THEIR FIRST EVER TOURNAMENT VICTORY. MARCUS AND OLLY MANAGED TO HOLD OFF THE CLEAN SWEEP WITH BOTH CLAIMING DRAW WITH STUNTY TEAMS. ALL PLAYERS DID PHOENIX PROUD AND SHOWED GRACE IN THE FACE DEFEAT AND HUMILITY WHEN WINNING. I THINK THIS ATTITUDE HELPED US POSSIBLY SECURE A COUPLE MORE PLAYERS FOR THE NEXT SEASON AS WELL.

​

HOPEFULLY FOR THESE PLAYERS THIS WILL BE THE START OF THEIR TOURNAMENT EXPERIENCE AND NEXT TIME WE MAY BE BRINGING MORE ALONG.

​

SO BEFORE WE HEAD OFF LET'S GRAB HOLD OF THE ORGANISER, JACK AKA THE AFTERHOURS HOBBYIST. HOW DO YOU FEEL YOUR FIRST EVENT WENT AND ANY WORDS FOR THE PHOENIX PLAYERS THAT ATTENDED?

​

I FEEL THE EVENT WENT WELL FOR MY FIRST TOURNAMENT, DEFINITELY THINGS I WOULD IMPROVE OR DO DIFFERENT BUT IT WASN'T ME THAT MADE THE EVENT GREAT IT WAS EVERYONE WHO ATTENDED.​

​

I WOULD LIKE TO SAY A MASSIVE THANK YOU TO THE PHOENIX TEAM FOR COMING. THE ETHOS THAT EVERYONE IN THAT CLUB PLAYS WITH IS WHAT BLOODBOWL IS ALL ABOUT AND ITS PEOPLE LIKE THEM THAT MAKE EVENTS LIKE MINE WORTH HOLDING AND ATTENDING.

​

WE CAN REVEAL THAT THE NEXT EVENT IS ALREADY PLANNED FOR LATER IN THE YEAR AND DETAILS CAN BE FOUND AT WWW.AFTERHOURSHOBBYIST.CO.UK. 

​

​WELL THAT'S ALL FROM HERE IN BEDWORTH. IT HAS BEEN A TALE OF FLYING GNOMES, ANGRY WOLVES, SQUEAKY DUCKS, PILEDRIVING ORCS, DODGY RATS AND WHEN FIVE WENT DOWN TO BEDWORTH AND CAME BACK AS SEVEN....

​​​​​​​​​​​​​

​

​