As we approach the season of goodwill the sackings have already started, and wise men continue to encounter troubles on their travels. The rest of us have soldiered on, eking out the odd extra bench-point where we can, and at least we don’t have to wait too long for the next opportunity to feast. Just remember to check the warranty on those expensive purchases.
I’m back to have another rummage through the FFS Head-to-Head League archives to see who’s been good, and with 596 Divisions to work with, it should be quite a list. As always, my aim is to give Santa a little more detail than that provided by Red Lightning in his excellent weekly updates on Community Tournaments.
League One
Cak Juris (36 pts) ran into the reigning champion in Gameweek 16 but retains a healthy lead over David Bowman (31) and Qian Hao Ong (30). Michael Giovanni and Ignazio La Rosa (both 28) complete the Top Five.
League Two
Kevin Lamb (32) is the new leader in Division 1, with Alex Merchant a point adrift, and Khalid Ameen (30) dropping to joint-third alongside Derek Moore. Tim Hill (28) completes the Top Five. David Stanton and David Gladstone (both 34) are the joint-leaders in Division 2, with Jon Keates and Aarush Mittal (both 30) tied for third, and Bruce Savage (28) making up the numbers.
League Three
Ryan Gallagher and Jorge Polo Carraminana (both 33) continue to stride on in Division 1, with Michael Dabrowski (30) leading the chase. Michael Scott and Amit Tailor (both 33) are the joint-leaders in Division 2, with Gareth Mills two points adrift. Anoop K (36) has opened up a four-point gap over Oli O’Mahony in Division 3; however, it’s a three-way tie between Harry Vernon, Nathan C and Alastair Blackburn (all 30) in Division 4.
League Four
Terje Balteskard (36) is hitting the heights in Division 1, but Ishaan Bhatt (34) and Imran Hamid (33) are sticking around. Martin Bubak (33) has moved through the field in Division 2, but Wendy Darligton (32) is hanging in there. In Division 3, a stumbling Priyansh (34) is struggling to ward off EasyE ® (33); but Dom Richards and Socrates Olympios (both 31) have the winning philosophy in Division 4. Wayne Sturman is worlds apart from the chasing pack in Division 5; and Grey Head (34) continues to rule wisely in Division 6, albeit with close scrutiny from Swagart Satpathy and Geoff Browitt (both 33). Will Evans (37) has stormed through the field in Division 7; and following four successive wins, Christian Larisch (39) has opened up a six-point gap in Division 8.
League Five
Jordan Ross (36) is hanging on at the top in Division 1, but now has Matt Cherng for company. Zheng Huan Hoe (36) is the sole leader in Division 2, but Przemysław Rutkowski (34) and Doncho Georgiev (33) are on the case. Lance Pridham (36) has edged clear of Ali Mohsen and Anders Söder Wintergren (both 33) in Division 3; and James Cresswell (37) is a point clear of Sebin Jose in Division 4. Tony Wilkins (36) is the new leader in Division 5, with Chris Gallahue (34) dropping to 2nd place; however, it’s a three-way tie between Fraser Love, Vasanth M and Daniel Wilcher (all 33) in Division 6. George Petrou (36) has taken over in Division 7, but he’ll need more than one win in four to maintain his lead over Vipin Surendran (33). Alan Russell and Johan Wester (both 34) are the joint-leaders in Division 8; but Jamie McComb (37) has opened up a seven-point gap over Graham Langley and Philip Cragg in Division 9. Sirakhun Kawatkul (36) retains a three-point margin in Division 10, but it is Curtis Ledger who is now leading the chase. Matt Smith (39) has stretched his lead over Moray West in Division 11 to eight points; but we have a new leader in Division 12, where Rene Stoeckigt (31) is a point clear of Hampus Johansson and Paul Strange. Mark Duncan and Luke Jenkin (both 31) are the joint-leaders in Division 13; but Gavin Sousa (34) now has a three-point margin over Rob Roche in Division 14. Vincent Ho (33) has been joined by d c at the summit of Division 15; while FPL Ted (36) has extended his lead to six points in Division 16, with James Northrop the closest challenger.
League Six
Mohit Gang (40) has a six-point lead in Division 7, but now shares the honour of being the top scorer in League Six with Fritz Zangenberg (Division 9) and Jamie Gamble (Division 24). A further seven managers are leading their respective Divisions on 39 points: namely: Robert Massie (Division 8), Jervis Shiel (Division 11), Ben Reeves (Division 12), Joseph Skelley and Ade Harris (Division 21), Jon Xanthos (Division 25), and Josh Bembridge (Division 29). There are a further ten Division leaders on 36 points: Marcus Baptiste (Division 2), Stephen Brady (Division 6), Pete Bell (Division 13), Ken Davies and Sebastian Cornejo (Division 14), Paul Goodwin (Division 15), Steven Coupe and Sean Killick (Division 17), Mrinal Mohit (Division 23), and Abeselom Habtemariam (Division 30).
Paul Reilly tops Division 10 on 35 points, while Adam Shipway and Jathin Narayan and (both 34) are leading the way in Divisions 22 and 27 respectively. There are 12 Division-leading managers on 33 points: Rishaad Khan and Alex Tremble (Division 1), Andy Nash (Division 3), Michael Atherton (Division 18), Barthlomiej Ostrzechowski (Division 20), Ian Jackson and Gary Hughes (Division 26), Andy Wong and The Shadow (Division 28), Leo Darutto (Division 31), and Jake Thorne and John Gadd (Division 32). Magnum Clarsen is leading Division 4 on 32 points, and finally, Atang Bingana (Division 5), Don Davern (Division 16), and Tom Strong (Division 19) are all leading the way on 31 points.
League Seven
The top points-scorers in League Seven are Mark Cahill (Division 9) and Roger Butler (Division 38), with 42 points out of a possible 48, and they lead their respective fields by nine and six points. Moschino Munez (41) has also maintained his fast start, and has a 10-point lead in Division 26. Lovro Homer 40) has a seven-point margin in Division 15; and of the managers on 39 points: Øyvind Emblem is 11 points clear of the field in Division 53, Andy Rob has a six-point margin in Division 34, and Oleksiy Pawlowsky’s edge in Division 54 is five points. There are three divisional leaders on 37 points: Rik Andrews has a seven-point lead in Division 19, Stephen Brogan is six-point clear in Division 35, and Rhys Miller has the same advantage in Division 41. There are 21 managers that are leading their Divisions on 36 points.
League Eight
Kuba Büttner (42) continues to set the standard across League Eight, and now has a nine-point lead over his Division 124 rivals. He also has company at the top from Marco “Pep” Purves, who has a nine-point lead in Division 13, and from Ernesto Busche, who has also notched 14 wins from 16 matches, although he still has Matthew Fiveson (40) hot on his heels in Division 127. Vaidehi Patwardhan (41) has been almost as impressive in Division 42, where he has a six-point lead over the competition. Four managers have amassed 40 points to date: Chrissy Hogan leads Division 36 by nine points, Danny Messer (Division 33) and Elliot Pearce (Division 100) both have seven-point margins, and Adam Sibly has a four-point lead in Division 31.
There are 17 divisional leaders in League Eight on 39 points. Adam Houston (Division 19), John Hawkins (Division 22), Balasubramanya Basuvaraj (Division 38), Shakeen Shetty (Division 49), Christopher Dunlop (Division 51), and Paul Baker (Division 117) all have six-point leads. It’s a five-point margin for Brian Ferrasci-O’Malley (Division 87), Jonk Haglund (Division 96) and Johannes Ắkerøy (Division 110). Rob Tuck is four points clear of the field in Division 85; and the following managers have three-point margins: Hamish Paisley (Division 1), James Cain (Division 34), Derek Smith (Division 71), Egil Flagtvelt (Division 102), Chisha Mazimba (Division 115), and Ziyaad Gasant (Division 125). Lance Tammero has a two-point lead in Division 17. Finally, Niño Mànik (38) has a four-point advantage in Division 89; while the same score earns David Hahn a two-point edge in Division 16.
League Nine
The highest score across all H2H Leagues is 42, and it’s a reflection of the strength in depth that 12 managers achieved that standard in League Nine. First among equals in Danny Wise who has converted his fast start into an 11-point advantage in Division 81. Yurik Haines (Division 17), Jordan Blannin (Division 90), Stephen Aiken (Division 169), and Gemma Chierighini (Division 198) have all built up nine-point leads; and it’s an eight-point margin for Damien Cosgrove (Division 92) and Fernando Ayerdi (Division 159). Andrew Calverley (Division 30), Mohammad Matin Sororian (Division 83), Alex Dimitrov (Division 114), and Rowan Varty (Division 122) all have six-point leads; and it’s a three-point edge for Hoang Dung Pham in Division 164. A further four managers hit the 40 point milestone, which gives Shivansh Kopoor a nine-point advantage in Division 176; a six-point margin for Suhail Shah in Division 26; and four-point leads for Adam Farmerie (Division 89) and Pep Guardiola (Division 207). There are a further 38 managers on 39 points that are leading their respective Divisions, not counting Mr Average in Division 234, who I am pleased to report has now been caught.
I am also following the progress of six managers who are ranked in the Hall of Fame Top 100 as they endeavour to ascend through the lower reaches of the H2H Leagues. It’s been steady progress, with everyone recording at least two wins since the last update. In League Seven, Pete Richards is holding onto 4th place on 28 points in Division 30, which is only five adrift of the leader; and Ómar Olgeirsson’s 27 points in Division 12 is also good for 4th place, albeit nine points shy of the lead. Stephen Browner’s three victories and 27 points in Division 4 has raised him into the promotion berths; and Garry Murray (28) has edged into 5th place in Division 31. Colin Innes (25) is five points adrift of the promotion berths in Division 38. In League Eight, Widi Susanto (27) sits outside the Top Five in Division 123, but only has three points to make up.
I’ll be back with another update after Gameweek 20, but in the meantime you can keep track of your progress, and check out the competition, via MIR’s Head-to-Head Leagues page.
I’m off to darn the stress fracture in my Christmas stocking. Stay safe.
