Ham and Egging in a Bridlington Amusement Arcade

What a prize!

As a big fan of the 2p falls machines in seaside amusement arcades AND a ham and egger what better things to find in a Bridlington penny falls than these pieces of tat!

Ham & Egger Key Rings - now there's an idea for merchandise...

Related blog posts:
- The Ham & Egger Files – An Introduction
- Amusement Arcades
- Tat Challenge

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Report from the 2015 Worlds £2 Tat Challenge in Hastings

Results from the off-course shenanigans at the amusements in Hastings.

What the sport is all about

Since 2010 Crazy Mini Golfers from around the world have descended on the amusement arcades of Hastings to compete in 'Tat Challenge' tournaments.

One of the machines not in use this year

2015 would be no different at 23 competitors lined-up to fight for the honour and prizes that come with being the World Tat Challenge Champion.

The competitors receive some last minute instructions from The Buttons Committee

Following the first day's play of the World Crazy Golf Championships the group headed over the road to the Old Town Amusement Arcade for 20-minutes of non-stop tu-penny pushers gaming to see who could land the largest haul of prizes. There had been some doubt as to whether the event would take place, as in the lead-up to the contest on Saturday there had been reports that the Old Town Buttons had closed down and the site was up for sale!

Afternoon of the Living Dead - a shocking sight indeed

Fortunately the Old Town ones were open and buzzing on the big day itself. Rendering the recce to the buttons next to The Deluxe pointless. Speculation that an alternative venue would be 'Keith's' buttons down by The Stade were also dismissed as hogwash. Especially when the rumour included something about the use of ten pence pieces. A ridiculous notion.

Tatters Buttonsing

The 2015 champion was Helen Dodd with a total of seven bits of tat, leaving her closest rivals trailing in her wake with a mere four bits. The defending champion Kate 'Mrs' Kelly was unable to hold onto the crown as she slipped to a disappointing last place after drawing a blank.

The Champ Helen Dodd shows off her winnings as a character looks on

The modern era of the sport has quite possibly seen advances in technology that favour 'the house' as the days of one person winning an event with 40 pieces of tat (as veteran James Rutherford rocketed into his pocket during the great summer of sport in 2012).

Sussex's finest

With a total prize bag of 51 tats Helen declared that the toys and stuff would be put to good use as the 'second best Crazy Golfer in the Dodd household' (Emily Dodd) would be given them when Helen and Matt arrived back home.

Results of the 2015 Worlds £2 Tat Challenge (all competitors GB & NI except where stated)
1 - Helen 'Lucky 7' Dodd = 7
2 - John 'Forgot his Waffles' Moore = 4
2 - Richard 'Seen Better Days' Gottfried = 4
2 - Steve 'Stay Puft' Le Velle = 4
5 - 'Peter Peter Ice Cream Eater' Jones = 3
5 - Martin 'Alien' Greenhead = 3
5 - Ollie 'Little Alient' Greenhead = 3
5 - Steve 'The Treasure Hunter' Sturdy = 3
9 - Will 'Donnelaney' Donnelly = 2
9 - Tony 'Better than Kate this year' Kelly = 2
9 - 'The Portuguese Man o' War' Nuno Cunha (POR) = 2
9 - 'Big' Stevie Gow = 2
9 - Ed 'Dressed for the weather conditions for a change' Haynes = 2
9 - Chris 'Tusk' Wood = 2
9 - Adam 'On Par with Pa' Kelly = 2
9 - David 'Local Competitor' Hartley = 2
17 - Marion 'Local Athlete' Hartley = 1
17 - Mark 'Character' Wood = 1
17 - Matt 'Not top' Dodd = 1
17 - Steven 'Bonnie' Langford = 1
21 - Kathryn 'Debutee' Haynes = 0
21 - Ed 'Friend of Le Velle' Pope = 0
21 - Kate 'Oh dear what happened this year' Kelly = 0

To date ten official Tat Challenge competitions have been played with 800 bits of tat won for a total of £382.

Hands like lightning! Peter Jones in action

Local competitor Marion Hartley made her debut this year

The former People's Champion 'Big' Stevie Gow in action, with Johnny Waffles eyeing up some 'rattin' opportunities

Not winning this year

Keith Kellard stalks the floors for some loose change while David Hartley is in the zone. Kellard would eventually find over £2 in dropped money while everyone else competed

An Essex-based character playing the Buttons

Ed Haynes uncharacteristically wearing a jacket

£2 Tat Challenge Hall of Fame:

#1 - Paul Johnson - 9 pieces of Tat (World Title)

#2 - Richard Gottfried - 10 pieces of Tat

#3 - Alan Norman - 6 pieces of Tat +1

#4 - Polly - 11 pieces of Tat (World Title)

#5 - James Rutherford - 40 pieces of Tat

#6 - Richard Gottfried - 23 pieces of Tat (World Title)

#7 - Richard Gottfried and Mike Small - a tie with 32 pieces of Tat each

#8 - William Edwards - 8 pieces of Tat (World Title)
#9 - Kate Kelly - 10 pieces of Tat (World Title)
#10 - Helen Dodd - 7 pieces of Tat (World Title)

Related Blog Posts:

- Report from the 2013 World £2 Tat Challenge in Hastings
- Report from the 2013 World £2 Tat Challenge in Hastings

- Tat Challenge blog posts

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Amusement Arcading in Felixstowe and the one penny pence piece pusher

A potential venue and 'course' for a Tat Challenge tournament in the future.

While on a recent visit to the Suffolk seaside resort of Felixstowe we spotted a rare sight in one of the seafront's amusement arcades - a 1p pusher machine!

It's not often in this day and age that you see a one penny pusher in the arcade. They're normally 2p or 10p machines

Related blog posts:
- Amusement Arcades
- Tat Challenge
- Felixstowe

Latest Tat Challenges in Hastings

Results of the first-ever 60p Tat Challenges.

Tat Challenge veteran in action at the first 60 pence Tat Challenge in Hastings

Last month saw Kate Kelly crowned the Worlds £2 Tat Challenge Champion at the Old Town Amusements in Hastings and this month saw two more Tat Challenge contests take place in the East Sussex seaside resort.

The variation on the classic format of the sport saw competitors use 60 pence worth of two penny pence pieces to win as much tat from the buttons at the amusement arcade next door and a few from the Old Town Amusements.

The loot won by the winner of the first-ever 60p Tat Challenge

The first shootout took place on the evening of Saturday 22 November and five of the finest exponents of the endurance game took on the challenge to see how much they could win with just thirty bronzes.

The gold medal went to Will Donnelly who scored an amazing four pieces of Tat with his stake.

Will 'The Winner' Donnelly and his haul at the amusement arcade in Hastings

Results from 60p Tat Challenge Player's Championship #2 - Hastings, 23 November 2014
1st - Will Donnelly - 4 pieces of tat
2nd - John Moore - 3 pieces of tat
3rd - Seth Thomas - 2 pieces of tat
4th - Richard Gottfried - 1 piece of tat
5th - Dave Donnelly - 0 piece of tat whatsoever

A happy/surprise John 'Big Al' Moore with three minions in his winnings

Seth 'Two Bits' Thomas and his winnings

Richard Gottfried and a 'lego' man from the tupenny falls

The biggest hands in the sport of Tat Challenging, but Dave Donnelly drew a blank in the first-ever 60p Tat Challenge

Shootout two in the short form of the game saw Seth, Richard and Big Al return and were joined by Huntingdonshire's newest son and avid tatter Steve Lovell. Local competitor John 'Big Top Ted' McIver was unfortunate as he missed the start of the contest, as well as the end, as he was waylaid en route to the arena by his need to buy some chips.

With a bit apiece Steve and Seth picked up the win. The other competitors blanked. But at least Ted got some chips.

Steve Lovell and Seth Thomas are happy with their 'haul'. Each winner got to keep the one piece they'd won

Results from 60p Tat Challenge Player's Championship #2 - Hastings, 23 November 2014
1st (tied) - Steve Lovell and Seth Thomas - 1 piece of tat each
3rd (tied) - John Moore and Richard Gottfried - 0 pieces of tat each
DNS/DNF - John McIver

Following both contests the players continued to amass quite a haul of prize goodies, including an awful lot of minions and 'lego'.

Lots of Minions in the Buttons

A Lego logo above some not Lego bricks and figures in the two pence falls

60p Tat Challenge Hall of Fame
#1 - Will Donnelly
#2 - Steve Lovell and Seth Thomas

Related blog posts:
- Report from the 2014 Worlds Tat Challenge in Hastings
- Tat Challenges

Report from the 2014 Worlds Tat Challenge in Hastings

Results of the World Tat Challenge Amusement Arcade Tournament in Hastings.

Much like the World Crazy Golf Championships the 2014 World £2 Tat Challenge would not see an appearance by the defending champion, and with many new entrants mixing it up with the veterans of The Buttons the competition was set to be quite thrilling.

Why are they so happy? They didn't win.

As usual the players - all 33 of them - were ably led by The Buttons Committee straight from the first day's play of the World Crazy Golf Championships to the Old Town Amusement Arcade where they received the instructions and rules. Not for the first time a few of the more eager competitors had jumped the gun and already changed up their gold into coppers. This included Paul 'Johnson Paul Johnson' Johnson - a real veteran and the first-ever World Tat Champion - who had made a rookie error and only changed up a quids worth!?

A newcomer and a veteran at the 2014 World Tat Challenge in Hastings

With the countdown counted down the athletes were off and running and the battle for the tat was underway.

Paul Preston may be good at quizzes, but he's not much good at tat challenges

With some players scouting out the arcades in the preceding days (most notably the Greenheads and Lovell) the predictions were that the winning haul would be low and those halcyon days of winning as much as 40 bits o' stuff were long gone.

One of the most notable events of the competition was that after eighteen minutes of the twenty minute time-limit John 'Big Al' Moore still had about £4 left in change and hurriedly tried to win some more tat, but to no avail.

A bull and a donkey

Helen Dodd plays the buttons as Adam Kelly wins nothing

Peter Jones eyes up Steve Sturdy's machine, ready for a sharking perhaps

Mark Wood in action

Playing as a Stormtrooper proved difficult for Steve Ragless as he couldn't bend down to pick up any change or prizes!

A guilty looking John Moore!

It's just not Cricket. No, it's Brian Smith. Short-changed perhaps...

Fast hands Squire

Marion Homer took a two on her debut and drew a blank

Owen and The Johnson amid a flurry of tatting

This is what 90 pieces of tat looks like

2014 World Tat Champion Kate Kelly with her bag of winnings

With the challengers for the title declaring their winnings to Emily Gottfried there were rumblings of a tie, with the pace set at seven pieces of tat, but this was slightly blown out of the water by the ten pieces of tat that Kate 'Mrs Kelly' Kelly had managed to win from the 2p pushers to see her declared the winner.

Results of the 2014 World Tat Challenge

Results list from the 2014 World Tat Challenge (click to enlarge)

To date nine Tat Challenge competitions have been played with 799 bits of tat won for a total of £336. This year saw one less piece of tat won overall with 90 prizes won.

The Tat Challenge Order of Merit Rankings List

Tat Challenge Order of Merit Rankings List (click to enlarge)

£2 Tat Challenge Hall of Fame:

#1 - Paul Johnson - 9 pieces of Tat (World Title)

#2 - Richard Gottfried - 10 pieces of Tat

#3 - Alan Norman - 6 pieces of Tat +1

#4 - Polly - 11 pieces of Tat (World Title)

#5 - James Rutherford - 40 pieces of Tat

#6 - Richard Gottfried - 23 pieces of Tat (World Title)

#7 - Richard Gottfried and Mike Small - a tie with 32 pieces of Tat each

#8 - William Edwards - 8 pieces of Tat (World Title)
#9 - Kate Kelly - 10 pieces of Tat (World Title)

Related Blog Posts:

- Report from the 2013 World £2 Tat Challenge in Hastings

- Tat Challenge blog posts

Report from the 2013 World £2 Tat Challenge in Hastings

Rookie Player Wins World Title on his Debut in Hastings!

As has become tradition, following the first day’s play of the World Crazy Golf Championships an open-call went out to all of the players to participate in the World £2 Tat Challenge.

For the second year in a row a total of 30-players heeded the call and headed over to the hallowed venue that is what Wembley is to football, Twickenham is to Rugby Union, The Crucible is to Snooker (and indeed what Hastings Seafront is to Crazy Golf) – the Old Town Amusement Arcade!

The winner and losers from the 2013 World £2 Tat Challenge

With players changing their £2 stake into 2 penny pence pieces the rules briefing was given by Messrs Lancley and Gottfried before the call to arms was given.

2013 also saw the Buttons Committee make a radical change to the rules – with a 20-minute time-limit imposed! This meant that the play would be even more fast paced than usual and that bit more risky for the more canny ratty competitors who will often wait until their opponents are out of tuppenny bits to make their move and clean-up.

Scott 'Donkey Gringo' Lancley enforcing the rules

The frenetic competition took some of the newcomers by surprise and with some of the veterans sticking to tried and tested methods that weren’t quite right for the new format the results were very interesting indeed.

With time ticking down the players entered their scores with official referee Emily ‘Lemony’ Gottfried to record for the ages.

Taking an early tie in the clubhouse was the reigning and defending champion ‘Squire’ Richard Gottfried on five bits, with the lead shared by debutees Chris Hillman and Helen Dodd, along with Tat Veteran Trevor Exall and second time competitor Chris Wood.

Fast-paced action from the ratters, tatters and sharks - Steve Sturdy looks particularly confused/angry at being robbed of a prize by the looks of it!

Former World Tat Challenge Champions Paul ‘Johnson Paul Johnson’ Johnson then scored seven pieces to scoop the lead.

This group was soon trumped by William Edwards who amassed a total of eight pieces. With a few players left to declare at the end of the twenty-minute contest the contestants awaited the result. Sly old fox Terry ‘Cockney Tel’ Exall approached the ref with quite a haul, but 2013 was not to be his year, as he had managed to score an impressive, but not quite good enough unlucky seven pieces of tat to tie for second place.

Lemony and Donkey Gringo count up the final rankings

That meant that the new and undisputed 2013 World £2 Tat Challenge Champion was William ‘Insert Nickname’ Edwards who was elated to be crowned champion, receive the entire bag of goodies and the respect of his fellow competitors.

The 2013 World £2 Tat Challenge Champion - William 'Sideshow Bob' Edwards

Over the weekend William scored a remarkably unique Grand Slam of victories – winning the World Title in the Tat Challenge and finishing last of all the competitors (that managed to finish the six qualifying rounds) in the World Crazy Golf Championships!

While a grand total of 91 pieces of tat was won by the 30 players, there were two-player who ‘did a Chappers-Smith’ and drew a blank – these were Christian ‘Anthony Pope’ Fuchs and Steve ‘Teen Wolf’ Lovell who remarked he “should of put his mask and wolf hands in the prize pot.”

Top international player was Finland’s Pasi ‘Bruiser’ Aho from Germany who scored three, just edging out Spain’s Núria Meléndez Orriols who recorded two. ‘The Fox’ Christian Fuchs got the international ‘bronze’ after scoring nil.

Rank Player Country Tat Won

1 William Edwards ENG 8

2 Paul Johnson ENG 7

2 Terry Exall ENG 7

4 Richard Gottfried ENG 5

4 Trevor Exall ENG 5

4 Chris Wood ENG 5

4 Chris Hillman ENG 5

4 Helen Dodd ENG 5

9 Adam Kelly ENG 4

9 Keith Kellard ENG 4

11 Pasi Aho FIN 3

11 Steve Sturdy ENG 3

11 Kate Kelly ENG 3

11 John Moore ENG 3

11 Matt Dodd ENG 3

11 Ollie Greenhead ENG 3

11 Ruth Burke ENG 3

18 Will Donnelly ENG 2

18 Martin Greenhead ENG 2

18 Mark Wood ENG 2

18 Elizabeth Edwards ENG 2

18 Núria Meléndez Orriols SPA 2

23 Marc Chapman ENG 1

23 Steve Gow ENG 1

23 Brian Smith ENG 1

23 Gillian Edwards ENG 1

23 Neil Cottam ENG 1

23 Daniel Cottam ENG 1

29 Christian Fuchs GER 0

29 Steve Lovell  ENG 0

£2 Tat Challenge Hall of Fame:

#1 - Paul Johnson - 9 pieces of Tat (World Title)

#2 - Richard Gottfried - 10 pieces of Tat

#3 - Alan Norman - 6 pieces of Tat +1

#4 - Polly - 11 pieces of Tat (World Title)

#5 - James Rutherford - 40 pieces of Tat

#6 - Richard Gottfried - 23 pieces of Tat (World Title)

#7 - Richard Gottfried and Mike Small - a tie with 32 pieces of Tat each

#8 - William Edwards - 8 pieces of Tat (World Title)

£2 Tat Challenge Order of Merit Ranking List:

The £2 Tat Challenge Order of Merit Ranking List

Related Blog Posts:

- 2013 World Adventure Tat and Air Hockey Challenges!

- Report and Results from the off-course Shenanigan Competitions in Hastings

- Tat Challenge blog posts

2013 World Adventure Tat and Air Hockey Challenges!

Report from the off-course shenanigans in Hastings.

When in the Miniature Golf mecca that is Hastings, East Sussex it is almost guaranteed that after a hard days practice or competition on the seafront courses you'll find a bunch* of Crazy Golfers spending their time in one of the amusement arcades (or 'The Buttons' as a wise man once termed them, Christian Fuchs wasn't it). 

Pasi 'Bruiser' Aho was keen to get in some early practice

At the 2013 WMF World Adventure Golf Masters tournament it was no different as sixteen Minigolfers adventured into the Old Town Buttons for the 2013 World Adventure £2 Tat Challenge and Air Hockey Championships!

New Buttons Committee Member Johnny Waffles

With a truly international field competitors from Great Britain faced Swedes, a Finn who resides in Germany and an Englishman from the United Arab Emirates lined up for the seventh ranking Tat Challenge tournament.

Sweden's Bjorn Dinau approaches the field of play

With a number of debutees in the tourney it was left to new Buttons Committee member John 'YI' Moore to gather the players ready for the big event and also explain the rules of the contest, with some help from Richard Gottfried.

Thrilling action

In a truly enthralling contest there were a number of players racking up a nice haul of tat, while others fared less well, including veteran players including Emily Gottfried and Will Donnelly.

Will Donnelly had a bad day at the office

A shocking result came from former Worlds number one player James Rutherford who limped out of the contest with a meagre two bits of tat.

Even a double fire approach from James 'Ruthers' Rutherford was not enough to help him this time

Young gun Adam 'AK47' Kelly was heading for last place, but by tactically not declaring his score of zero until he'd done a bit of ratting enabled him to move up the leaderboard to lucky seventh.

Newcomer Craig Small is watched by veteran competitors Richard Gottfried and Adam Kelly

With a strong score of 32 (second only in the all-time list to James Rutherford's massive score of 40 in 2012) Richard Gottfried declared.

A smug Richard Gottfried on course for the win?

With Mike Small, Craig Small, John Moore and Torgny Kjellstrom the final players left with any two-pees in the contest it looked like the win was all but secured.

A mighty haul is shown to adjudicator John Moore

However, in an extraordinary debut from the Dubai-based player Mike Small managed to keep on winning tat and replenish his tuppenny bit ammo stockpile. With the crowd gathering and excitement building Small eventually ran out of money and his big haul counted.

The crowd are in awe of Mike Small's tatting

Astonishingly he also scored 32!

The crowd waiting to see the (tup)pennies and tat fall...

Deciding against a play-off, or even the traditional argument decider of Rock Paper Scissors the players agreed that the contest would be a draw.

Here are your winners - Mike Small (l), big bag of tat (m) and Richard Gottfried (r)

Each competitor in the event was allowed to choose one piece of tat as a memento from the 151 pieces the group had won, before the big bag of it was given away to other players in the arcade who had been watching in equal measures of amazement and confusion as the group of players had been in action!

The £2 Tat Challenge Order of Merit has been updated following the contest and now sees 54 players from seven countries ranked!

The next Tat Challenge takes places in Hastings in October and will be the WORLDS title match!

World Adventure Air Hockey 2013

In the World Adventure Air Hockey contest fourteen players faced-off to take the crown. With Sweden's Filiph Svensson and Torgny Kjellstrom receiving byes in the first round the results were:

- Chris Wood lost to Will Donnelly 5-6

- Ruthers beat Mark Wood 5-4

- Big Al Moore lost to Peter Eisenschmitt 2-7

- Pastie Aho beat Craig Small 7-1

- Mike Small beat AK47 3-2

- Paulli lost to Bjorn 6-7

In the quarter finals:

- Filiph bested Will D 7-4

- Ruthers beat Peter E 4-4

- Pasi defeated Mike Small 6-1

- Bjorn beat Torgny 7-3

In the semi finals:

- Filiph beat Ruthers 6-5

- Pasi beat Bjorn 3-2

Pasi and Filiph in Air Hockey action

In the grand final Pasi (the reigning World Crazy Air Hockey Champion) was bested by Filiph 4-3. Watch the video of the final moments of the match-up.

* Not sure what the collective term is for a group of Crazy Golfers is. Suggestions on a Postcard 

Related Blog Posts:

- Report and Results from the off-course Shenanigan Competitions in Hastings

- Tat Challenge blog posts

- Air Hockey blog posts