As one cup competition starts to warm up, the other is already at boiling point. Eight were reduced to four this weekend as the Members’ Paddy Power Cup reaches the Semi-Final stage. Before we move on to the draw for that, here is how the Quarters played out…
1 – Roostars 61 – 57 ryangal1982
A late Yaya Toure and Carlos Tevez-inspired fightback from the 1,921st ranked ryangal1982 wasn’t enough to avoid the upset defeat to, a Wayne Rooney-assisted, 18,251st ranked Fantasy Manager in the world, Roostars. It’s extremely unlucky for ryangal1982 to be making an exit this week, as had he faced any one of the other six Quarter-Finalists he would have progressed.
2 – Gooner dave 44 – 57 Kippax Kloggers
The shock result of the round saw FFS Cup III Champion Gooner dave given a crushing defeat by Kippax Kloggers. Rooney wasn’t the difference in this tie as both Fantasy Managers went in with the Manchester United forward, nor was it the captaincy choices that swung it (both skippered Robin van Persie). The key was in defence, where Kippax Kloggers trio notched 15 more points than did Gooner dave’s. He will be hoping that the wheels aren’t coming off what has so far been a fantastic season, in a similar fashion to his beloved Arsenal.
Our lowest-scoring tie saw The Hunt reach the Semi-Finals with ease. If ryangal1982 was the unluckiest Fantasy Manager of the round, then The Hunt was certainly the most fortunate. Having scored the second-lowest points tally in the round, the phrase “the luck of the draw” has never been more appropriate. Both will be ruing their miserable week (canetoad more so, obviously) and their unfortunate bench selection (The Hunt benched Peter Odemwingie, canetoad benched Kevin Nolan).
4 – Zophar 55 – 52 kapitidave
Deciding the final tie was, ultimately, kapitdave‘s transfer dealings. A four-point hit may look bad when you lose by three points, but when you consider Wayne Rooney was sold for Robin van Persie as part of that hit, then it looks decidedly horrific. So it’s another win and another green arrow for the now 13th in the world Zophar.
It’s participants decided, here is how the Semi-Finals shape up…
1 – ZopharVs. Kippax Kloggers
Mimicking the FA Cup Semi-Finals somewhat, the highest ranked Fantasy Managers have been drawn together, and the underdogs have an excellent opportunity of making a Cup Final appearance.
Once again, the prizes for the competition, provided by Paddy Power, are a free £150 bet for the winner, £75 for the runner-up and £50 for third place.
If you’re not with Paddy Power yet, then you can sign up via this site and get a free £20 when you register and bet £10. (All offers are only available to those aged 18 and over and are subject to Paddy Power’s terms and conditions.)
