Cope Cup - Return of the QuasiCanadian

Three weeks since Duncan Shadie returned from the UK, ultimately unsuccessful in his bid to wrest the World Championship from the grasps of Toby Short, the handminton ether has been aflame. The focus of the East Sydney Elite has shifted towards the Cope Cup, The trophy to be awarded to the best and most consistent handminton club in Australia of the 2010-11 season. Enthusiasm is palpable.Another First for the WHA, the Cope Cup, named for the Cope family and their huge contributions to the game, will be the first team championship awarded in handminton. Having played a regular season since November 2010, seven clubs vied for top spot. With the regular season ending, Kings Cross taking out the Minor Premiership and the other clubs finishing in the following order:

The Cope Cup, designed and constructed
 by famous central coast artist,  Greg Cope.

1. Kings Cross Royals
2. Bondi Bluerings
3. Edgecliff Handminton Club
4. Clovelly Gropers
5. Greater Western Wasps
6. Waverley Cocktails & Dreams
7. South Bondi All-Whites


Following a system similar to the NRL's McIntyre, Kings Cross would go automatically into the second round with the remaining clubs playing out the following fixtures;


BondiBluerings (2nd) V SBAll-Whites (7th)
EdgecliffHC (3rd) V WaverleyC's&D's (6th) 
CloGropers (4th) V GWWasps (5th) 



                                                                                     The opening fixture of the playoff series proved the biggest upset so far of round 1 where Ben Spurrier of the All-Whites, having lost only the previous week to the same man, defeated his longtime foe, Cain Price. A huge boost to the All-Whites at a time of uncertainty for fans of the Leeds inspired club. A slightly more predictable result in game two with C's&D's Max Cope going down to Duncan Shadie of the fighting mice of Edgecliff. 

(from left to right)John Leary Clovelly Gropers &
 Jaymee Hejduk Greater Western Wasps

Max however gave Duncan a big scare in the opening game, proving to many that Cope's game is well and truly on the rise. The case would be much the same in the third game with cop-to-be, gym-junkie, emo-haired Jaymee Hejduk almost recording a first win over Champion, John Leary since he won the sash. 
However the Champion Groper overcame the Wasp to ensure normality was resumed. Handminton Australia hopes the cup to be awarded some time in late October or early November but it is yet to be seen how long fixtures will take to be played out.

         The palpable enthusiasm coursing through the veins of the Sydney Elite encountered a real ripple last week when rumours were confirmed that HE has returned. Early murmurings have been confirmed that indeed it is true.

Alex "Subtlecock" Voitin is back in the country after his Canadian sojourn and is understood to be raring to go. One of the most feared competitors in the early days of Australian handminton so many questions have been raised since his return. Has he lost any of that ruthless competiveness? How long will he have to wait to get a title shot? when will he return to the court? while these questions are yet to be answered surely one is obvious. This must be the man to end Ice Cold Courtney Jones' undefeated streak in 2011.

As mentioned earlier the future of the South Bondi All-Whites club is in jeopardy as it looks like team captain and founder Ben Spurrier will soon leave antipodean shores. What will happen to the club and colours is yet to be seen though it seems unlikely that the All-Whites will compete in the East Sydney Elite in 2012. Updates when known.

Finally a huge thank you to the the greatest radio station in the Shire, 2SSR and in particular, James Raxworthy of Raximum Capacity for a massive shout out to the boys on the 21st. Hoping to get the shout out onto www.handminton.com soon, letting us hope that this is the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship between the two massive brands that are the WHA and 2SSR. Go like Rax----> Raximum Capacity on FB

Shadie falls well Short in the UK

     What was all the fuss about? Who had the naivety to actually believe that the result would be different? How silly we all felt actually believing Duncan Shadie may have had a chance at bringing that red velvet sash, that he himself made from the curtains of his London flat, back to antipodean shores. Thirteen days in what remained of North London following the riots, Toby Short convincingly beat Duncan Shadie in straight sets 15-9, 15-5.

      Yet there was a glimmer. Early on in the opening game, the concentrated face of Toby Short, if not fazed showed for a moment that maybe today things would be different and that indeed the president of the Authority had perhaps done enough training mentally and physically to cause the upset. Yet no, Shadie held the champion close to evens up to about the nine point mark, but that was about it . Obvious to the crowd, Toby looked the less fussed of the two, he easily gained the upper hand as Duncan struggled to keep up. Where every point scored by the Australian looked to come at great cost and exertion, Short's scoring opportunities seemed to come from the merest of touches... 

     And so the match proceeded, the straight sets win was over all too quickly. In minutes The world Championship, it was clear, would be residing in London upon the shoulders of the tiny, tiny frame of Toby Short. Having hardly touched a cock for two years, it was clear that the his skills in the "other code" continued to be a force on the handminton court. Toby looked as if he hadn't lost one bit of his determined competitiveness or full court coverage that has enabled him to be the only player in handminton to have maintained an undefeated recorded for any serious length of time.

the diminutive champion

Questions will inevitably have to be asked at Handminton Australia and the WHA. It was embarassingly clear that Duncan was no great hurdle for the champ, and the board at Handminton Australia must ask themselves if he was the right person to be sent on this European jaunt to play the best of the best. From the end of that second set the Handminton ether went into overdrive with one question, why had John Leary not been offered the chance? while the European Tour had been in the pipeworks for months it has been clear for months that Leary is the benchmark in Australia. Would the result have been any different? hard to know but also hard to argue with the fact that really this is the world championship match the ether wanted to see. Talk is already being made of an expanded European Tour for 2012, already Handminton Australia have spoken of the desire to send a larger contingent of players next year. Unfortunately for us 'minton maniacs it is only then that we may finally see the worlds best play off. 

                   --------------------------------------

     

"chile"

     The WHA would like to acknowledge the contribution "Chile" has made to the game. Returning to Chile this week, the South American brought an unpredictable flair to wednesday nights often resulting in some of the most exciting match ups on the card. Good luck on your return mate, hoping you keep up the 'minton. 


With the weather in Sydney improving it seems as if a return to midweek is close. The elite in Sydney have already started chomping at the bit, with the WHA now assessing when best to resume Wednesday night proceedings. With rumours of a format change to the weekly events, the next session of play will surely be more exciting than ever.

Month of Midweek

Over the last four weeks the WHA has realised a long term goal. Since the dawn of the game, it has been the ambition of everybody involved in the upper echelons of the Authority to have some form of regular handminton played. Initially conceived as a bi-weekly event, WHA Midweek Minton has been played every wednesday, four weeks running. While the sport still revolves around the marquee, Supercard events, the opportunity to hone one's techniques on a weekly basis will ensure that the quality of handminton witnessed at major events will be of the highest quality. Midweek Minton also gives new players the opportunity to get involved and earn valuable ranking points in a competitive environment without the glitz and glamour of the Supercard. Since the reemergence of Midweek Minton on the 9th of March the East Sydney Elite has been bolstered by three new emerging talents as well as the reinvigoration of a large number of players who all look as if they will be challenging for the title in the very near future.

Max finally gets a win

Reg Bartley Oval Grandstand, known by the handminton ether as "Reg @ the Edge", named for the former Lord Mayor of Sydney has been the epicentre of Handminton for the last month, being the venue for each of the Midweek events. The new home of Duncan Shadie's Edgecliff Handminton Club, the venue provides a large concrete court, beautifully floodlit with a crowd capacity of over 300. Over the four weeks a variety of improvised tables have been used. Maintaining the DIY ethos of Handminton, each week various building materials have been used to separate the gladiators on each side of the court. Ranging from witches hats to fluro orange bollards and information placards the varying tables has meant that players have had to adapt their styles on a weekly basis, further driving home the training ground that is Midweek Minton.

the importance of stretching

Midweek has given everybody an opportunity to prove themselves, however it has been a select few who have grabbed this opportunity with both hands and throttled the life out of the opportunity. To kick off the new weekly program, the WHA offered up a new trophy, The Midweek Triple Crown. The player who performed the best over the first three weeks of Midweek would walk away not only with a drawn on computer monitor, but the collective respect of the East Sydney Elite. With a record of 3,1 Alex Shadie proved himself worthy of the honour and was last week presented with the prize. Having been intermittently present in the early days of the game back in the UK it was no real surprise that Alex showed the determination to win the first trophy of 2011. Somebody few would have believed had the ability or desire to make something of himself on the circuit has been Jaymee Hejduk. proving his doubters wrong Jaymee has impressed many throughout the last weeks with a real development of his own unique style of play. An impressive array of aerial inspired serves has led to good results for the young Western Wasp, proving to those less refined players that the special serve well and truly has a part to play in the modern game. Week four of Midweek proved to be smattered with Latin flair as the enigmatic "Chile" graced the court of Reg@The Edge. The skilled juggler proved his hand-eye coordination with some of the most entertaining handminton ever seen. with no overstatement the now infamous exchange between Chile and Alex Annand was the greatest ever rally seen in the World Handminton Authority. With a certain aloofness in his game, the naturally talented South American will surely reach the summit of the game with only a teaspoon of discipline. Almost knocking of John Leary, WHA Easts Champion in a scintillating Midweek Main event last Wednesday, i do not think it will be long before these two meet on a grander stage playing for that barmat sash.


MIDWEEK MINTON results
March 9


Max Cope v Alex Shadie 10-15, 23-21, 11-15 (Alex)


Cain Price v Jaymee Hejduk 16-14, 11-15, 17-19 (Cain)


Tora Kemp v Matt Blanch 11-15, 13-15, x-x (Matt)


Duncan Shadie v Matt Blanch 15-9, 13-15, 15-12 (Duncan)


Jaymee Hejduk v Max Cope 15-11, 12-15, 12-15 (Max)


Alex Shadie v Cain Price 15-10, 14-16, 15-8 (Alex)


March 16


Duncan Shadie v Jaymee Hejduk 12-15, 15-10, 15-13 (Duncan)


Max Cope v Cain Price 11-15, 17-15, 10-15 (Cain)


Jaymee Hejduk v Alex Shadie 15-12, 10-15, 15-13 (Alex)


March 23

Alex Shadie

Ben Spurrier v Duncan Shadie 9-15, 15-9, 18-16 (Ben)


Jaymee Hejduk v Cain Price 11-15, 15-16, 15-7 (Jaymee)


Eric Swenson v Tora Kemp 17-15, 15-8, x-x (Eric)


Jaymme Hejduk v Alex Shadie 11-15, 15-13, 13-15 (Alex)


Eric Swenson v Cain Price 15-12, 15-13, x-x (Eric)
         With the best results over the first three weeks, Alex Shadie is awarded the Midweek Triple Crown.


March 30


Duncan Shadie v Ben Spurrier 15-10, 15-10, x-x (Duncan)


Max Cope v Eric Swenson 12-15, 10-15, x-x (Eric)


Alex Annand v "Chile" 10-15, 15-17, x-x ("Chile")


Alex Shadie v John Leary (champion-non title match) 11-15, 15-12, 11-15 (John)

Cain v Eric

Cain Price v Jaymee Hejduk 15-13, 15-13, x-x (Cain)


Tora Kemp v Duncan Shadie 10-15, 11-15, x-x (Duncan)


Ben Spurrier v Alex Annand 15-10, 9-15, 15-9 (Ben)


Alex Shadie v Jaymee Hejduk 14-16, 15-8, 18-16 (Alex)


Cain Price v Eric Swenson 15-13, 10-15, 15-13 (Cain)


John Leary (champion, non title match) v "Chile" 6-15, 15-10, 15-11 (John)

"Chile" v John Leary- a possible future championship match?

Midweek Minton is an open event so if you think you can mix it with East Sydney's handminton elite, join us at Reg@ The Edge this wednesday or any wednesday from 1930 and, play handminton.

Handminton on Swiss German TV

This was from paleo 2008 where SF1, the main german speaking channel in switzerland did these feature piece on the sport of Handminton. note the Handminton World Cup 2011 will be held at the paleo festival later this year.


SF1 Paleo Handminton und more

Team Registration

February 28th is the deadline for teams wishing to compete in the 2010-2011 season.
 to date the following teams are registered.

• Waverley Cocktails & Dreams
• Kings Cross Lovelands
• Bondi Bluerings
• Edgecliff Handminton Club
• Clovelly Gropers
• Greater Western Wasps

 the following teams are pending registration:

• Malabar Rangers
• Surry Hills Icons
• Ben Spurrier's All Whites 
• Canberra Capitals

contact the WHA on Facebook to register interest. just a reminder that jerseys are available for all teams and can be purchased through the World Handminton Authority.

ESE Rankings

Helol to all of you out there in the handminton ether.... here are the official East Sydney Elite Rankings as of the tenth of February 2011, note only supercard matches have counted towards points, though this will change in the near future...


championship win: 5 pts
straight set victory: 3 pts
3 game victory: 2 pts


1) John (WHA Easts Champion) 7 pts
2) Duncan 11 pts
3) Courtney 6 pts
3) Joseph 6 pts
4) Cain 4 pts
5) Jaymee 3 pts
5) Pat 3 pts
5) Matt 3 pts
6) Ben 3pts
7) Max 0 pts
7) Jess 0 pts
7) Amanda 0 pts
7) Neil 0 pts
8) Jeremy YTP
8) Jimmy YTP
8) Alex. S YTP
8)Alex. A YTP
8) Craig YTP
8) Locchie YTP
8) Matty. B YTP
8) Keira YTP

John Leary is new WHA Easts Champion

   John Leary shocked the handminton world this past sunday at Sandminton, defeating WHA President and Easts Champion, Duncan Shadie in a 3 set win.

    After 3 hours in the blistering sun of Tamarama, Leary was just to strong for Shadie outplaying him in almost every facet of the game. Despite Duncan showing his class in game one, pegging back a 10-2 deficit to win, strong serves and an emphasis on strong returns were enough to win on the outdoor court where wind levels meant few rallies were seen in the encounter. 
   The championship win is the culmination of the Clovelly lad's meteoric rise through the Sydney Elite. almost knocking Shadie out in round one of the Inaugaral Easts Champion in November, John did away with Max Cope very easily at December Supercard, Uncanny Xmas to gain the no.1 contenders position. At this point in time it is unclear when or if Duncan Shadie will invoke his rematch clause, as very little has come out of the Edgecliff camp since Sunday. Regardless of who John will face in his first defence of the title, only a silly, silly man would believe that John will be losing the famous "barmat sash" anytime soon...


WHA EASTS CHAMPIONSHIP


DUNCAN SHADIE (EHC)         17     11     6                   
              V
  JOHN LEARY (CG)               15     15     15


   Other matches on the card proved just as exciting. Max Cope and Cain Price battled it out in the first half of their BondiBluerings vs WaverleyCocktails&Dreams team challenge. these two gentlemen have come along in leaps and bounds with either man close to a championship match.
   Cain would post the first win in this local derby, though Max far from embarassed himself getting closer to a win than Duncan could manage in his title match.


TEAM CHALLENGE
BLUERINGS v COCKTAILS&DREAMS


MAX COPE (C'S&D'S)       9     15     13
               V

Left to Right, Ben Spurrier , Cain Price, Jaymee Hejduk in their respective team colours

CAIN PRICE (BB)             15     13     15


   In a rematch of their epic Ashes Anguish match at Uncanny Xmas, Jaymee Hejduk recorded his first win over young backpackin' brit, Ben Spurrier. Initially thought of something of a weakling in the heavyweight world of handminton, Jaymee "La Roux" Hejduk proved his doubters wrong. Ben however has the skills but often seems to lack the mental intensity required to gain victories on the WHA court.
   I doubt we have seen the last battle between these two rivals.


ASHES ANGUISH 2


JAYMEE HEJDUK (GWW)       15     15     X
                V 
BEN SPURRIER (C'S&D'S)      13     10     X

   The second match of the day saw competitve handminton debuts granted to two players. Bolstering the ranks of the East Sydney Elite, Bondi's gorgeous Matt Miler would face the teagardens trivia intellect of Neil in the debutant's ball match at Sandminton. Neil however could not architect a win on the sand, with the dreamboat cleaning him up in two games.


DEBUTANTS BALL


MATT MILLER (BB)     15     15     X
             V

NEIL (CG)                     13     12     X


Nobody thought it would happen, but somehow the planets aligned this last sunday as the filipino machino, the comeback creep, lily pants, Joseph Batol confirmed AND actually attended a handminton supercard. 
   Jo was, prior to Johns victory, the only man in the ESE to have notched a win over Duncan Shadie (it may surprise some to realise that Alex Subtlecock Voitin never beat Duncan and indeed it was Duncan that defeated him to win the Island Idol). Since that victory it has been a rocky road for Batol. at the inaugaral Easts Championship supercard, many were looking forward to a tasty rematch between Shadie and Batol and this was realised in the semi final stage of that tournament. However one of the most controversial decisions in Handminton history put a mark on that match which has not yet been yet been erased. due to time restrictions, the two semifinals were reduced to farcical 7 point affairs, meaning that rather than play to the traditional 15 points in three games it would only be to 7. Before one could sneeze, the anticipated rematch was done. Jo would wallow in misery as Duncan went on to the first ever handminton champion in Australia.

   Fast forward to Uncanny Xmas last month, the cards co main event was reserved for the jilted one, Joseph Batol to face John Leary for the no.1 contenders position and a shot at the title at Sandminton. We all know how that unfolded, hours before the event Batol pulled out with a mystery illness. The WHA were left red-faced to say the least, having upset many people by promoting Batol to the co main event, the WHA now felt jilted themselves with Jo's apparent lack of commitment to the game. 
   Hence Jo played Cain in a fairly minor opening game, he did however record a win over cain who many are now touting as a possible challenger for the title. the question remains though, has the filipino machino just burnt too many bridges at the Authority.


CAIN PRICE (BB)                   15     12     13
           V
JOSEPH BATOL (GWW)        8     15     15


Sandminton was significant for a number of reason:

• the first wholly outdoor supercard in WHA history
• the highest number of matches played in a non-tournament supercard
• the first time a handminton title has ever changed hands
• the first use of the vertical netting system
• the first handminton event to be recorded on www.handminton.com

wise words

In the build up to "Sandminton" tomorrow, i thought it apt to ask WHA World Outdoor Champion, Ben Wright what attributes make up a great handminton player? With particular focus on the outdoor game, Ben sent me this most eloquent reply from his North London home:

                       "Well, a handminton champ requires a stoned transcendence of the usual sporting forms of balance and coordination in ordered to garner the greater reasoning of the skill and form required to excel at the sport's highest levels; light and low on the balls of his feet with firm yet supple hands and wrists for optimum cock handling and court dominance. Loads of spliff, whiskey and rad - yes, rad - intro music helps.

Furthermore, attempt to become one with your court and its natural conditions. Visit the court's terrain in the days before a tournament. Attempt to understand the court ands its needs. What does it require from you? If you can answer these question of the court, it will present you its previous unseen fruits of victory."

Sandminton

"I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere."
                                 -Anakin Skywalker


Sandminton is this sunday at glamourous Tamarama Beach! Midday play gets underway. wind forecast is fair to gentle, ideal for beach handminton.


MAIN EVENT CONFIRMED
Duncan Shadie (EdgecliffH.C)


 will defend his Easts Championship against no.1 Contender


 John Leary (CovellyGropers)




expect confirmation later this afternoon for:
TEAM DOUBLES
BondiBluerings
Cain train Price & Easy E (or Dreamboat Matty Miller)


vs


Ice Cold Courtney Jones & Arrogant Max Cope
WaverleyCocktails&Dreams


Other players expected to appear include Ben Spurrier, who many believe to be the next no.1 contender for the title, Jaymee Hejduk who will sport the brand new Greater Western Wasps colours and perhaps even the elusive Joseph Butole will turn up. Rumours surrounding Amanda Kalache, Jimmy O'Regan, Matthew Blanch persist but have yet to be confirmed. 

THIS IS HANDMINTON

The sport of Handminton is an attempt to establish a new sport from the ground up. Through the wonders of the internet and social networking, we genuinely believe that we can expand this game throughout the world and really make something of our lives.


Independently invented throughout the world (just google handminton) in places as far apart as Canada, New Zealand and Finland. The World Handminton Authority was established in 2006 in the East London district of Shadwell. It was high above in a council flat overlooking the DLR that the basics of the game were formed by the six founders. Five men and one woman formed the Uncle Handminton League (a naming reference to former mayor of Tower Hamlets, Manir Uddin Ahmed) a 6 man, 72 game league complete with playoffs and a final ensued. the people's game had captured the imagination.


Following the successes of the UHL, handminton went through a period of upheaval after the move away from Shadwell, but to everybody's surprise the game went from strength to strength. The North London Elite Circuit was created holding regular "Supercard" events throughout London. These events consisted of a card of the most tantalising matchups the Authority could muster, and produced some of the most memorable moments in the life of this young sport. It was during this time that the first Handminton Championships were played for and won. Toby Short was awarded the World Championship at "Birthday Bonanza", the first Supercard, and Ben Wright was later awarded the WHA Outdoor Championship in fading light, one evening, at the Holloway Handminton Complex.


In 2008 the World Handminton Authority relocated its world headquarters to the eastern suburbs of Sydney, Australia. Leaving a strong organising body in the guise of HandmintonUK in Britain, the game got off to a promising yet slow start in the antipodes. That all changed toward the latter half of 2010 with the introduction of the first new handminton championship in over four years, the Eastern Suburbs Championship. Initially intended as a championship for staff members of Easts Leagues Club, it has since come to represent the best player in Australian Handminton. The 2010-11 season is in full swing on the Sydney Elite Circuit with over 12 players, representing over 6 clubs contributing regularly to competitive play. Three supercards have been played, "The Island Idol Invitational tournament", "The Inaugural Easts Championship" (where the title was first awarded to Duncan Shadie) and "Uncanny Xmas" have taken place monthly since October 2010. On January 23rd 2011, Handminton will grace the golden sands of Tamarama beach for the first ever outdoor supercard, the main event seeing Duncan Shadie defend his title against Clovelly Gropers youngster, John Leary.


Handminton is on the cusp. 2011 is set to be the biggest year since those heady student days back in London. A huge marquee Supercard is planned for later in 2011 as well as an international series held throughout the European summer, coupled with the possible return of weekly midweek 'minton and other new and innovative forms of the game there is no better time to get involved. All this with the most comprehensive coverage yet seen of this sport, A youtube Channel, Facebook page and Podcast will all compliment the hub of handminton.com. Handminton allows the sports obsessed fan a new outlet, rankings, rivalries, jerseys, cup competions, special stipulations, shuttlecock design and amateur competition are just some of the elements that one can obsess over. in time the influence of other sports such as badminton, rugby league, Pro-wrestling, pro-darts and cricket will become more apparent. bear with us as we get the site up and running, in the mean time keep checking the site and above all, Play Handminton.