Howard Atkinson

Glad I had Belclare as my main hope after the scratching of La Crique, cos gee that Pearl Of Alsace was poor (again !) No more chances from me.

Rest in peace now, Pam. A long-time, very respected member of the PJ Comp community, Pam will be very much missed. I'm sure that yours was a life fully lived, Pam.

That's Comp R5, PJ, thanks.

Scratching Replacement for "Teflon" 😁. Well that's a poor start ! My Best Bet 'La Crique' scratched a few minutes ago. 1 now out 6 now in ('Pearl Of Alsace' let me down badly a couple of starts back. I'll give her one last chance). 🙂

Here's my 'go' for our Styx match against an ailing Reapers outfit desperate for a big result to keep their remote play-off hopes alive ! Their endeavours will be aided by a Triple Joker play here (lucky them 🤨), coming as they do well within criteria in having just about everyone ahead of them 🙂, unlike us Styx. Gordy, mate, can ya pass me the Styx corporate calculator please, I'm just wanting to work out 3 x 0 points to see exactly how the Triple Joker will likely work for the Reapers. 😁 Secret Squirrel, good luck to you my esteemed opponent, I've slithered past 9 of 12 opponents so far this campaign, and once I am adorned with the trusty teflon jacket come race start-time tomorrow you might well be the vanquished # 10. That's my masterplan anyway, I've just got to sell it now to the 20 horses I've chosen. 🙂 R1) 2x6 R2) 3x4 R3) 5x9 R4) 8x11 R5) 1x3 Best Bet NZ R6) 2x3 R7) 1x13 R8) 1x7 R9) 1x5 Best Bet Aus R10) 12x17 Wishing the best to my well-performed Styx team-mates Gordy, Smiler, Our Maizcay and Robert. We'll keep the foot hard down on the accelerator, to notch up another good win. Many thanks for another fine comp, PJ.

You're treading a thin line, Hesi. 😁 I feel an explosion is imminent . . . but upon reflection we'll instead take it out on you Reapers on the scoreboard on Saturday. We're due another win . . . surely. 😊 A big win will feel great . . . we've diarised it in.

Look, thanks PJ for explaining that in such a reasoned way. As I just said to Pete, I felt "triggered" for some reason, a short-circuit somewhere between the ears. It's all done-and-dusted as far as I am concerned. I should really have pm'd you with my rare annoyance rather than me opening up in the very public forum of the thread, and my apologies for not having done so. The other side of the coin Howie, is that if we eliminated the TJ completely and you were only awarded the 5 points instead of 15 for that first round win then Styx may not be leading at all right now. Would you prefer that position ? Just asking. In regards to your above query, PJ, I'm just gonna come out and say it. It's just my own personal opinion, and is most likely an opinion not shared by many. I've never liked the Triple Joker from the day of its inception. For many, many years there was never a TJ, and to my mind there was no detraction from the contests in those years due to its absence. To my mind the 'TJ' had an unnecessarily high impact on overall results - a team could play consistently well through a round but be trumped at the end by a much less well-performing team that just happened to strike 'TJ' Gold on one day with a massive one-day points haul. Then we had the situation where some teams could play a TJ, and some couldn't. To my mind, and no doubt it's only my mind 🙂, it brought a "lop-sidedness" to proceedings. Our own Styx situation in this particular comp is a perfect example. We're sitting 2nd, and have been almost entirely 1st or 2nd right through. . . but interestingly with many more losses than wins overall. We were inflated by the 15 points TJ haul the second week of the comp. In all honesty, we don't deserve the ranking we have. So to get back to your question . . . yes . . . if we eliminated the TJ completely and on that basis we Styx were only awarded the 5 points for our first round win instead of 15 and therefore Styx would not be enjoying its current high ranking would I prefer that position ? . . . the answer is yes, I would prefer that. No undue enrichments ! 😊 We want to be judged by our skill (or lack thereof 😁) rather than by bonuses. PJ, your comps are absolutely brilliant and always have been . . . hence me being addicted to them for the best part of 20 years. I've always taken the view that if someone is not running a comp then they shouldn't ever be questioning any one part of it, as that would be discourteous and disrespectful. For that reason I've endeavoured to just "suck it up" regarding the TJ over the recent years, and have played on, not always continuously, regardless. Many thanks, PJ, for your unwavering and peerless time, skill and effort into your comps over the many, many years. It really is very, very much appreciated. Let's roll on to Saturday's comp day . . . and all the fun, excitement and suspense that these comps bring ! 😊 Thanks, PJ.

No problem, Pete. 😊 For some reason I short-circuited, and took an umbrage unnecessarily. Sorry about that. The good news . . . I only short-circuit about once every 3 years, so everyone's got a respite until early 2027. 🙂 We're all intelligent, reasonable people and I'm glad that there is a good level of civility even when we disagree on something occasionally. Roll on Saturday . . . when we're back do doing what we do best . . .picking winners ! 🙂

Nope . . . the comment directly followed this :- 1) Styx and Kaos will quite likely make the Finals even without a TJ play. The post in its entirety read as :- Interesting..... what it does highlight is that: 1) Styx and Kaos will quite likely make the Finals even without a TJ play. 2) Team captains will need to consider in future an earlier deployment of the TJ rather than leaving it to the later rounds. Contemplative perusal of the draw at the start of the Round Robin looks critical. But as I said a moment ago, let's forget and move on.

Forget I spoke, people. 😊 I regret I "saw red" over something, and although some people's subsequent posts indicated only a limited level of comprehension of the core issue that I "saw red" over, I can confirm that my tantrum is now over. Let's get back to focussing on what a wonderful competition this is. I look forward to it every Saturday.

You don't think so, Maria ? Really ? How else do you think I am supposed to interpret this :- "what it does highlight is that: Team captains will need to consider in future an earlier deployment of the TJ rather than leaving it to the later rounds. Contemplative perusal of the draw at the start of the Round Robin looks critical."

Not concerned about team Styx missing out on the finals because of not being able to execute a Triple Joker play. I believe we have a great chance of making the Finals without it . . . and even if we didn't make the Finals in all honesty that wouldn't cause me to miss a moment's sleep. Fun comp, with nothing on the line. What I was concerned about was the implication that as Team Captain I had mismanaged the playing of the Triple Joker this round. That I did take offence to, and if you think I need to take a chill pill as Maxi suggests then fair enough. I felt I had a point to make . . . and I was damn well gonna make it !

Not worried about points at all, Maria . . . just a fun comp with nothing on the line . . . just concerned about the implication that somehow Styx (or more specifically, me) mismanaged the playing of the Triple Joker in the 2nd round, whereas as I pointed out, and pointed out right at the start of the 2nd round, there was going to be almost certainly no chance whatsoever of team Styx getting to play the Triple Joker.

Not at all,Pete. But I take exception to this :- . . . as it implies that I have been mismanaging my position as Captain in respect to Triple Joker plays this round. For the clearly set-out reason I gave in my post . . . I have not been mismanaging my position as Captain in respect to Triple Jokers this second round. If you think I have . . .then you are encouraged to point out which round I could have played it.

Data below verifying my previous post of a few minutes ago. ROUND 14 DRAW - next week STYX (Currently 2nd) vs MAX FACTORY (currently 8th)

Styx were looking to play the Triple Joker from the very first match of the second round . . . were not able to play the Triple Joker then . . . have not been able to play the Triple Joker since . . . and will not be able to play the Triple Joker in our two remaining matches in this second round. Styx never have problems playing the Triple Joker early in a round . . . indeed, we played it only two weeks in to the first Round. The good news was . . . it earned us 15 points ! The bad news was . . . those 15 points, together with the vagaries of the draw, cost us the opportunity of another crack at playing the Triple Joker. Many other teams got that second crack, which on the face of it appears somewhat incongruous. We have been a victim of our success, particularly the early success . . . and I have made a note to myself to be very slow out of the gates next time I am leading a team in a Draft or Inter-Provincial comp. No 15 points in week 2. 😊 Triple Joker issues aside, a wonderful, wonderful fun comp run by an absolute comp genius. Thank you for all your time and skill, PJ.

The Reapers. Phew ! That's more our 'go' . 😉

Can't wait to see Jammo's Uncle Murray's photo next week ! Worst Scores 46.60 Jamison I'm sensing it's not gonna be pretty ! 😁

G'day, PJ. Just alerting that the Seagulls-Styx result was 3-2 and not 4-1. (Howie & Our Maizcay with wins for Styx). Thanks for another magnificent afternoon's entertainment. Always appreciated.

If he stays awake long enough to get past the first three paragraphs. From memory he's not getting any younger, and sustained concentration to the job at hand is not easily achieved ! 😁

Thanks, Moz. There's no tougher opponent than you, as you've proven over the course of many, many seasons. Sunshine In Paris almost got you up and through in the last. I was holding my breath. Who would have thought Zapateo ! Not even the guy who thought Diss Is Dramatic. 😊 I'm gonna put a patent on my teflon jacket . . . it's the best investment I ever made. 🙂

Hey very well done today, Pete & the Seagulls. Put us to the sword early on and sustained the momentum to run out comfortable winners with a big, big aggregate. By no means a one-trick pony today with Rees' standout Tauranga BB - you all chimed in afterwards and got the good result. Hard luck my guys ... Lady Camelot was our bright spot but unfortunately there weren't enough of them. It would have been nice to pin hopes on Gordy in the last, but it wasn't to be with both his selections being taken also by Seagulls team-members who would have turned around individual outcomes if successful. Anyway, a very good, fun day all round as life in PJ Comps always is, and team Styx remains well-placed as the play-offs loom. Best of luck Pete & the Seagulls in your surge towards the playoffs, our best wishes to you in that pursuit. Thanks, PJ, for a great day's entertainment. Please leave Tauranga off the card next time . . . it's a hell-hole ! 😆 Just-kidding, those who hail from Tauranga. But 5 from Riccarton would suit team Styx just fine ! 😄

Now there's 3 words run together that you don't see very often ! 😊

Blimey ! Now Steve P is chiming in too, for the Seagulls. Looks like I better hold on to my precarious lead. We Styx can't be looking at a 0-5. Not cool ! 🙂

Rees might be too expensive for your Seagulls now, Pete. You might need to start looking for a sub for the play-offs ! 😁