The Peterborough Boom-A-Rang Air Squash Championships

In addition to the main LaserForce Laser Tag, the Laser Games Arena in Peterborough had a fine selection of Arcade Machines - including a fantastic and quite rare Boom-A-Rang 'Crazy Air Squash' Air Hockey Table!


Back in August 2010 we contested The Undisputed International Worlds Crazy Air Squash Championships on a similar Air Hockey Table in Hastings - that World Title Competition was also covered by the excellent Montegue Blister's Strange Games Blog.

On this visit to the City, we felt it only right to contest the 'Peterborough Boom-A-Rang Air Squash Championships'!

The first match saw 'Squire' Richard Gottfried (whipping boy of The Undisputed International Worlds Crazy Air Squash Championships, and perennial Air Hockey underdog) facing off against Emily '9 Lives' Gottfried. The score - an unexpected 9-2 victory to the 'Squire'!


The Grand Final saw Richard face-off against Rebecca 'The Fen Tigress' Evison. The match started slowly, with both players trading Goals, but it soon became clear that the home-town favourite had the fans on her side, and eventually ran out a 9-5 winner, and become the new Peterborough Boom-A-Rang Air Squash Champion!

Photos from the Grand Final.






Link to a multitude of other Ham & Egger Files Blog Posts about Air Hockey and the like!

'LaserForce' Laser Tag in Peterborough

We were visiting friends in Peterborough today and found out there was a LaserForce Laser Tag Live Action Laser Games Arena in the City.


In the last month we (I!) seem to have become addicted to playing these futuristic warfare games! They're quick and easy to play, and great fun at a good price.

In this edition of the eternal struggle between the RED and GREEN Laser Tag teams, the GREENS were triumphant. Our team, the REDS, scored 33,653 to their 40,455.


I was the RED team's 'Top Gun' with a score of 8703, which was good enough for third place overall. Our friend Rebecca 'The Fen Tigress' Evison was third in our team on 3801, while Emily '9 Lives' Gottfried was fourth in the RED team with 3753.



The LaserForce in Peterborough was set over two levels and had some great theming. There were also eight bases/targets for players to hit, as well as a 'friend or foe' non-player-character in the battlezone known as 'The Navigator'! There is also a LaserForce in Leicester which we'll have to check out next time we're there.


Other Ham & Egger File Blog Posts about Laser Tag Games:

Laser Tag in Birmingham and London

Laser Quest in Bristol - The Minigolfers Challenge

Harry's Buttons in Bristol and a Closed-Down Quasar!

The Laser Games Arena also had a fine selection of Arcade Machines - including a fantastic and quite rare Boom-A-Rang 'Crazy Air Squash' Air Hockey Table!


Back in August 2010 we contested The Undisputed International Worlds Crazy Air Squash Championships on a similar Air Hockey Table in Hastings. This time we played the Peterborough Boom A Rang Air Squash Championships - full report to follow...

BMGA Minigolf Rankings for Richard & Emily Gottfried

The latest BMGA Minigolf Tour Ranking Lists have been published following the second tournament of the 2011 season.

I am now ranked 14th of 79 players in the BMGA Order of Merit Rankings. In the BMGA Season Only Rankings I am currently 11th of 36 players.

Emily is 43rd in the BMGA Order of Merit, and 30th in the BMGA Season Only Rankings.

End of 2010 Minigolf Season - Gottfried Minigolf Rankings in 2010 - BMGA, WMF, WCGC, MMGC, GMGC

The Green Indoor Mini Golf Course and Club get a new website

The Green Indoor Mini Golf Course and Club now has a new website. It's well worth a look. Check it out here.

All-time Dodgeball Win/Loss Record for Richard Gottfried

On Monday night my team celebrated a 9-8 win at Dodgeball in Luton.

My all-time Dodgeball win/loss record now stands at - P. 257, W.111, L.139, T.7 - WIN/LOSS = 43.19%

The 'Buttons Committee' - First/Impromptu Meeting at Reading Services on the M4!

Following a great weekend in Bristol I was heading back up the M4 when, feeling tired, I decided to stop off at Reading Services for a bottle of Mountain Dew, when I was spotted by Oliver Florence and Richard Skeggs, who had stopped off on their way home for a break too!

This became the First/Impromptu Meeting of the 'Buttons Committee', as we headed to the arcades at the Service Station!

Our 'haul' included a Bouncy Ball (Oliver) and a Minigolf Player Lookalike Action Figure from the £2 a go play til you win prize every time 'Grabber' (Richard G).

Great fun!

Harry's Buttons in Bristol and a Closed-Down Quasar!

Following the Laser Quest Challenge in Bristol we headed over the road to Harry's Amusements, where the neon sign outside said there was a Quasar Laser Tag inside!


However when we enquired, 'Harry' told us that the Quasar there closed four years ago!


Instead we played some old retro arcade machines, had an Air Hockey tournament and played a Table Football competition - this resulted in a ten-nil victory to the Richard-Richard/Gottfried-Skeggs Combination!

In 'Harry's Air Hockey Tournament' Oliver beat Richard G 7-3, Richard S beat Marc 7-2 and in the Grand Final Richard S beat Oliver 7-2 (or possibly 7-3).

Laser Quest in Bristol - The Minigolfers Challenge

Following the BMGA Rumble in the Jungle Minigolf Tournament me, Marc Bazeley, Oliver Florence and Richard Skeggs headed to Bristol's Silver Street and the Old Fire Station for a Laser Quest Challenge!

Oliver and Richard had beaten us to it and by the time Marc and I arrived they had scouted out the 'course' and already played one game! With 'Ice Man' Richard Skeggs runner-up at a seven-year-old's Birthday Party!


In the following match-up the 'Ice Man' stuck with the RED team, while the rest of us joined the mighty GREENS.


The Individual Rankings:
3rd Overall - 'Squire' Richard Gottfried
5th Overall - 'Ice Man' Richard Skeggs
6th Overall - Oliver 'The Machine' Florence
14th Overall - Marc 'Snag*' Bazeley

* Marc actually gave his nickname as 'Snake' lol!?

Website of Laser Quest Bristol.

Gluten Free in Bristol - Gourmet Burger Kitchen and Carluccio's

As a Coeliac, finding places to eat out in a new town that can cater for Coeliacs by offering Gluten Free and Wheat Free options can be a nightmare.

Therefore I was very happy indeed in finding excellent service in both the Gourmet Burger Kitchen at Cabot Circus, and Carluccio's while I was in Bristol for the BMGA Rumble in the Jungle Minigolf Tournament last weekend.

I had a fantastic meal at the GBK at Cabot Circus in Bristol on Saturday night. The member of staff I spoke to there was brilliant and very knowledgeable. She made sure that my food was cooked and prepared to minimise the risk of cross-contamination. It was excellent to be able to have a main meal and a side order (the Grilled Halloumi Bites were very tasty).

At Carluccio's on Sunday afternoon I was able to have a large choice of meals and opted for the Rib Eye steak which was very nice indeed.

Both meals out were hassle-free - a big change to many experiences of eating out as a Coeliac - and both added to the enjoyment of a great weekend away in Bristol :-)

I recommend both GBK and Carluccio's - not just to Coeliacs - but to 'normal' people too ;-) I hope I am able to eat at other branches of both in the future too.

Rock Paper Scissors Tournament at The Crown in Bristol

While at the Geoffrey Oi!cott gig on Saturday night we held an impromptu Minigolfers Rock Paper Scissors Tournament (following on from the GoRPS Rock Paper Scissors Championships in Birmingham in January)

Irchester's Marc 'The Roller' Bazeley had triumphed at the Star City event, with an impressive undefeated streak of 4 wins in a row, in the 'best-of-3-throws-winner-stays-on' format event. But this time out he lost to a slightly confused Alan Norman, who was DQ'd in his next match for using an illegal RPS throw!?

Full Results from the GoRPS Rock Paper Scissors Championships in Bristol
Match 1 - Marc Bazeley beat Richard Gottfried
Match 2 - Marc Bazeley lost to Alan Norman
Match 3 - Alan Norman was disqualified for using an illegal throw of 'Sausage' in his match versus Brad Shepherd
Match 4 - Brad Shepherd beat Chris 'Lobster Scrumpy' Jones in the final

No photos from the matches exist, although there is a great video of Alan Norman's dancing following the Punk Gig!

Punk Gig - Geoffrey Oi!cott at The Crown in Bristol

While in Bristol on Saturday night I went to my first-ever Punk Gig (as you do!?) as the 'Cricket Punk' band Geoffrey Oi!cott were playing at The Crown Pub. I'd been tipped off about the gig by my fellow BMGA Tour member Brad Shepherd - himself a member of Punk Rock Band Monkish.

An excellent night and a band I'd definitely recommend seeing!

Watch and listen to the brilliant song Glory Glory Garry Thompson by Geoffrey Oi!Cott.

Me and fellow Minigolfer and Geoffrey Oi!cott/Garry Thompson fan Marc 'The Roller' Bazeley sporting our new 'Umpire Strikes Back' t-shirts at the Adventure Golf course on Sunday.

Results of the CB Classic Irregular Mini Golf Tour Minigolf Tournament

Played amongst the minigolfers who visited the Cabot Circus Gourmet Burger Kitchen in Bristol on Saturday 12th February 2011, the 'CB Classic' Irregular Mini Golf Tour Minigolf Tournament saw seven minigolfers compete for the 10p prize money.

The full results* were:
1st - Richard 'Gentle Touch' Skeggs
2nd - Oliver 'The Machine' Florence
3rd - 'Squire' Richard Gottfried
4th - Brad 'The Fist' Shepherd
5th - Alan 'Stormin' Norman
6th - Chris 'Stretch' Jones
7th - Marc 'The Roller' Bazeley

* Based on the results of the BMGA Rumble in the Jungle tournament

Final Irregular Mini Golf Tour Rankings for the 2009/10 Season.

Minigolf Report - Richard Gottfried 12th in the BMGA Rumble in the Jungle minigolf tournament in Bristol

13th February 2011
Press Information
For Immediate Release

Minigolf Report – Gottfried 12th in the BMGA Rumble in the Jungle in Bristol

Luton Minigolfer Richard Gottfried finished in 12th place in a 28 player field in the British Minigolf Association’s second tournament of the season at the BMGA Rumble in the Jungle held at the 36-hole Jungle Rumble Indoor Adventure Golf at Bristol’s Cabot Circus on Sunday 12th February.

The tournament was played over three 18-hole rounds and Oxford’s Michael Smith picked up his second consecutive win of the season with a 54-hole score of 92(-16). Richard had a three-round total of 103(-5) which included scores of 36(par), 34(-2) and 33(-3). All three rounds were new personal bests for him on the course.

Richard said “This was a much better result than I had here last year when I was 24th. I’m very pleased to have scored three new personal bests too.”

The main Rumble in the Jungle tournament also held a team competition within it, with players drawn together and their cumulative scores counting. Richard and team mates Cwmbran’s Jas Kukielka and Bristol’s Matt Caple finished in 4th place of nine teams. The team of Michael Smith, Oliver Florence and Leo Kukielka tied with the team of Owen Johnson, Kevin Moseley and James Rutherford to win the event.

Ends

Minigolf Report - Scrap Iron Cup 5 - Bristol - Jungle Rumble

Fifth Scrap Iron Cup Minigolf Competition - Results and Report

On Saturday 12th February four members of the Midlands Minigolf Club (MMGC) and a player from the Green Mini Golf Club took part in the Johnson's Scrap Iron Cup competition played at the 36-hole Jungle Rumble Indoor Adventure Golf course at Cabot Circus in Bristol. The tournament used a two-round mixed strokeplay and matchplay format.

With Richard Gottfried, Paul Johnson and Owen Johnson paying members of the Green Mini Golf Club, as well as being long-time members of the Midlands Minigolf Club, an offer to compete for the Scrap Iron Cup was extended to Seth 'Clockwork Orange' Thomas (who was part-way through a practice round with Richard ahead of the following day's BMGA Rumble in the Jungle tournament). Seth accepted his 'Day-Pass' to the MMGC.

As at the previous staging of the Scrap Iron Cup, last month in Birmingham, five players lined-up, with the field including:

- 'Squire' Richard Gottfried
- Paul 'The Overtaker' Johnson
- Owen 'Jackpot' Johnson
- Peter 'The Crazy Aced Assassin' Jones
- Seth 'Clockwork Orange' Thomas

The top ranked player after round one was up and coming GMGC player Seth Thomas, who scored the only under-par round with a good 17(-1).

Much like the Star City hosted 4th Scrap Iron Cup in Birmingham, a play-off was again needed to decide who would join Seth as the other finalist after Paul Johnson and Richard Gottfried had both tied on 18(par). A sudden-death play-off followed and was won at the third extra-hole by Gottfried. The play off saw Paul and Richard score 2-2, 1-1 and x-2.

In the 9-hole Matchplay Match final-round Seth Thomas won 1-up in a very close match that saw both players trade Aces in the early holes, and Thomas win the match and the Johnson's Scrap Iron Cup at the 18th hole (the 9th of the match).

Full details and results are below:

Scrap Iron Cup
Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf Course, Cabot Circus, Bristol
12/02/2011
Venue: Jungle Course (Strokeplay & Matchplay)

Round One - Strokeplay
Rank Player Score
1. Seth Thomas 17
2. Richard Gottfried 18 – won sudden-death play-off at the 3rd extra hole
3. Paul Johnson 18
4. Peter Jones 20
5. Owen Johnson 21

Round Two – Matchplay

Seth Thomas vs. Richard Gottfried

Seth Thomas wins 1-up

Photo: New Scrap Iron Cup Champion Seth 'Clockwork Orange' Thomas holds aloft some thin air, where the trophy should be, if it were not in the boot of the outgoing champion's car!

The Scrap Iron Cup 'originally' came 'packaged' in a disposable Iceland carrier bag. Somewhere between Scrap Iron Cup competitions 3 and 4 this bag was lost, so ahead of the Bristol event an Iceland Bag For Life was bought to house the prestigious trophy!

The Scrap Iron Cup Minigolf Championship will be contested again at The Green Indoor Mini Golf in February and the Jungle Rumble Course in Liverpool in March.

Scrap Iron Cup - Hall of Fame
2011 - #5 - Seth Thomas beat Richard Gottfried - Bristol
2011 - #4 - Richard Gottfried beat Cindy Kukielka - Birmingham
2010 - #3 - Owen Johnson beat Richard Gottfried - Birmingham
2010 - #2 - Richard Gottfried beat Paul Johnson - Weymouth
2010 - #1 - Richard Gottfried beat Paul Johnson - Sandbanks

Rules of the Scrap Iron Cup
• Played between members of the Midlands Minigolf Club
• Played in either groups of two, or one group, in round one
• Groups are drawn at random (often using the 'balls in a hat' technique)
• Round one is a strokeplay match played over 7, 9, 11, 12 or 18 holes
• The two players with the top scores after round one qualify for the second round/final
• Round two is a matchplay match played over 7, 9, 12 or 18 holes
• The winner of the matchplay match becomes the Scrap Iron Cup* Champion**

* The Scrap Iron Cup (aka the 'NABBA ENGLAND 95 CLASS TWO WINNER' Trophy) remains the property of Owen and Paul Johnson
** The Reigning Scrap Iron Champion retains the cup until the next defence whereupon it is given up until the next Scrap Iron Cup tournament has been completed

Piers we've visited and a new Coast Magazine 'Pier Campaign'

The excellent Coast Magazine has a new campaign that is encouraging people to walk as many of Britain's piers as possible so they can raise funds to help restore the Grade II-listed pier in Hastings - which was almost all destroyed by fire in October 2010. A terrible shame indeed. More information about the community-led campaign by the Hastings Pier and White Rock Trust can be found on the HPWRT website.

Looking at the Coast Magazine 'Pier Prom Tick List', of the 51 surviving Piers in the UK, we've visited 32 of them on our travels! We hadn't realised we'd visited quite so many since we made a resolution to visit as many different seasides all over the UK back in 2006.

Here's the Coast Magazine Pier Prom Tick List, along with a note on those that Emily and I have been to:
1 Aberystwyth Royal -- Visited
2 Bangor Garth
3 Blackpool Central -- Visited
4 Blackpool North -- Visited
5 Blackpool South -- Visited
6 Bognor Regis
7 Boscombe -- Visited
8 Bournemouth -- Visited
9 Brighton Palace -- Visited
10 Burnham-on-Sea
11 Clacton -- Visited
12 Cleethorpes Pier 39
13 Clevedon
14 Cromer
15 Deal
16 Dunoon
17 Eastbourne -- Visited
18 Falmouth
19 Felixstowe -- Visited
20 Gravesend Town -- Visited
21 Great Yarmouth Britannia -- Visited
22 Great Yarmouth Wellington -- Visited
23 Harwich -- Visited
24 Herne Bay -- Visited
25 Llandudno -- Visited
26 Looe Banjo
27 Lowestoft Claremont -- Visited
28 Lowestoft South -- Visited
29 Mumbles -- Visited
30 Paignton
31 Penarth -- Visited
32 Rothesay
33 Ryde -- Visited
34 Saltburn
35 Sandown Culver -- Visited
36 Skegness
37 Southend-on-Sea -- Visited
38 Southport -- Visited
39 Southsea Clarence -- Visited
40 Southsea South -- Visited
41 Southwold -- Visited
42 St Annes -- Visited
43 Swanage
44 Teignmouth Grand
45 Torquay Princess
46 Walton-on-the-Naze -- Visited
47 Weston-super-Mare Grand
48 Weymouth Bandstand -- Visited
49 Weymouth Pleasure -- Visited
50 Worthing -- Visited
51 Yarmouth

We've also been to Colwyn Bay Pier (closed) and Hastings Pier (Burned Down) on our coastal tour of the UK.

You can join Coast's Great Pier Promenade by visiting the Coast Magazine website.

Link to the National Piers Society website.

Photos of some of the Piers we've been to.

Southwold.


Brighton.


Eastbourne.


Walton-on-the-Naze.


Herne Bay.


Clacton.

Blackpool.

Southend-on-Sea.

Southsea.

Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Seasides Visited on Our UK Coastal Tour to Date.

All Four Home Nations Visited on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Minehead & Southend on Sea - pre-Crazy World of Minigolf Tour course visits

The Crazy World of Minigolf Tour began on the 30th September 2006 and the Irregular Mini Golf Tour has grown alongside it. We've also been involved in British Minigolf Association competitions since 2007 and played in a WMF/EMF tournament in Finland in 2008.

However, before all this began Emily and I, like many other Brits, had been playing Crazy Golf and Minigolf since we were kids. One of our first holidays together was to Butlins Minehead in 2004 where we were to play the Arnold Palmer Putting Course there.

The pre-Crazy World of Minigolf Tour archives are very patchy, so results from the match-up are thin on the ground. All we remember is that there were no scorecards, it was £2.50 per player, and we were offered a second round for free, but didn't take up the offer as the course was in such poor shape!

Another, even earlier, pre-Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Minigolf visit was to the Aztec and Inca Adventure Golf courses at Adventure Island in Southend on Sea in 2003. Again, results of this contest are lost in the ether!

The Adventure Island course in Southend was the location for my BMGA Tour debut in 2007, at that year's BMGA British Masters tournament.

British Tourism Week - 12th - 20th March 2011

Britain is being urged to get involved in British Tourism Week from 12 to 20 March 2011. Drawing national awareness to tourism’s critical importance, it will galvanise organisations and individuals to take pride in being part of the £115 billion visitor economy.

Visit http://www.britishtourismweek.com/ for more information.

A good chance to visit the seaside, walk some Piers and play some Crazy Golf!

What the Dickens?

I spotted a piece in yesterday's Daily Express about Charles Dickens in a list of 'Ten things you never knew about...Dickens'. I never knew he "hated the game of Croquet."

I wonder what he would've made of Minigolf?

An unplayed Mini Golf Putting Green in Luton - £625,000 a go!

Back in April (the 1st no less) the Property pages of the Luton Herald & Post newspaper had an advert for a house for sale on the Old Bedford Road in Luton that had a 'feature golf lawn' - a Putting Green - in the back garden!

A quick Google Search found a website showing the property.

'Only' £625,000 for a 3-hole Putting Course!

If you haven't got that much to spare, then just over the road are a Crazy Golf and Putting Course. These two were the 18th and 19th played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

If you're in Luton there's also a good little Minigolf course and Putting Green at Tea Green Golf at Wandon End.

Dodgeball in Luton 2011 - Gottfried vs. Gottfried

The new Dodgeball season has got underway in Luton, Bedfordshire, with the 'Alumni' of the local Get Back Into programme continuing to play in 2011, along with picking up a few new recruits too.

Emily has un-retired from the sport and so 2011 will see a battle in the Gottfried household!

Last week we were on the same team and suffered an 8-4 defeat!

This week we were on opposing teams in our first face-to-face Dodgeball match since the glory-days of Dodgeball UK back between 2005 and 2007! Nine-matches were played, and the result was a 5-4 victory to Emily's team, with '9 Lives' getting me 'out' three times!

Photo - Luton Dodgeballer 'Stentorian' Richard Gottfried wearing an apt sweatband given to him following his Christmas excesses!


Links:
Dodgeball in Luton - End of the 2010 Season

Get Back Into

Dodgeball - Then & Now

strange games: Beer Pong - New UK tournament.

strange games: Beer Pong - New UK tournament.: "Strange Games has been contacted by Ben Newham, a leading light in the UK Beer Pong scene. He is staging a major UK Beer Pong..."

Laser Tag in Birmingham and London

In the last week we've played two games of Laser Tag. The first at Laser Station at Star City, Birmingham, followed by the Star Command Laser Tag at The Trocadero in London.

Both were great fun and reminded me of playing Quasar and Laser Quest years ago in Oxford, Minehead, Bognor Regis and Barry Island.

The last time we played the Laser Station in Birmingham Emily defeated me, Mark Swain, Craig McAllister and Angela McAllister. This time out I was the 'Top Gun' amongst the Minigolfers. At 'The Troc' yesterday I was runner-up.



The players in The Trocadero Laser Tag Briefing Room


Richard & Emily post-battle.


The weapons at the Star Command Laser Tag in London have a number of different Ammunition types which add a whole new dimension to the 'sport'.

I've also heard there's a Quasar/Laser Quest in Hemel Hempstead, and remembered there's one in Bedford too. Not too from us here in 'Parts Unknown' (Luton). Plans are also afoot for a re-match from the Star City Contest amongst members of the BMGA Tour when they head to Bristol soon.

We're also big fans of Shooting Shacks here at The Ham & Egger Files, and whenever we head to Blackpool we always head for the Pirate Flyer Indoor Laser Game Monorail at the Coral Island Amusement Arcade.

Gluten Free Options at the Carnaby Burger Company in London

While in London yesterday we walked past the Carnaby Burger Co and noticed that they had Gluten Free Options on the menu.


Later that day we headed back for dinner and I ordered the very good 'Plain & Simple' Burgers - two Burgers and Salad. Very tasty they were too (as was the Mai Tai Cocktail).

I will be back for more in the future :-)