A Tale of Two Leagues

I’ve always been fascinated by pictures of Scots with the European Cup. Sir Alex Ferguson has won two of course, in ’99 and ’08. In Somewhere Else we have our very own Fergie – Neil Ferguson to be exact – and although he’s an incredibly well travelled chap Google failed to return any pictures of him with the ultimate prize in European football. It came as a big disappointment to me… I thought his luck knew no bounds! Okay, expecting our Fergie to have fluked a European Cup win with the Gowkhall Colts is a bit farfetched, but he’s been fluking everything else. Jim ‘Two Scoops’ Kirkpatrick is the lone voice of reason proclaiming Fergie as the best player “statistically,” whereas the rest of us think the statistics simply confirm Fergie as the luckiest man alive, or at least the luckiest poker player in the greater Dunfermline area. Fortunately, for me, Fergie’s luck ran out last Tuesday. Before I sneaked a hard-fought head-to-head, there’d been amazing scenes around the table. With five or six players left, Fergie lost two big hands on the trot. There was actual cheering amidst wild outbreaks of joy. Chanting broke out and with a bit more room to play with I reckon Fred would’ve either performed a victory dance or quickly fashioned a two-fingered salute out of pointy balloons (we all know he secretly carries balloons around with him for just such occasions).

Despite losing two big hands in quick succession last Tuesday, Fergie mounted an incredible comeback to finish as runner-up and give him a 2010 Tuesday League record of:

With three points for a win and one for a second-place finish, Fergie has 21 points in only 21 games and a phenomenal points average of one point per game – almost twice as good as the Tuesday League winner, Billy.

Will Billy care? Nah, I doubt it, he’s this year’s Tuesday League Champ. However Fergie’s record is so good it seems to defy the bounds of good play and stroll into I’m a lucky sod territory. So, who’s right? Jim, who says Fergie is the best player (statistically), or the majority, who think he’s a lucky sod (and sod is putting it mildly)? Well, the Tuesday League is only half the story. There’s also the Trophy League of big monthly games. Stephen Brown is this year’s Trophy League winner and his points average is pretty impressive too.

I suppose it’s a tale of two leagues, although there is one Trophy game left to play this year and it’s tonight. No one can catch Stephen’s overall points total, so he will be crowned as the Trophy League Champ whatever happens, but all eyes will be on Fergie. With Christmas pushing the Trophy game from Sunday to Tuesday, will Fergie’s Tuesday League form/luck make an appearance, or has he won his last for 2010? There’s only one certainty tonight. If Fergie does win it’ll be luck, but if he loses it’ll be someone else’s good play… well, in the eyes of everyone but the fair-minded, and the fair-minded are usually in short supply at any poker table.