2012 Fish Balloon Birdbath Cup.

As with my Slurpee-related reports, the 2012 Birdbath write-up has been languishing in my Drafts folder for too long, so I’ll have to keep things short.

The 2012 fixture saw the six competitors divided into two groups. Over three rounds everyone played both opponents in their group. The group winner then played the second-ranked opponent from the other group in a semi-final. The two semi-final winners then met in the grand final. Make sense? 

Let the bottle drop!

GROUP A: Bart, CK, JJ Glamma
GROUP B: Post, Davet, Ahab

ROUND 1
A: Bart v CK (CK wins 5-7)
B: Post v Davet (Davet wins 7-0)

It was the most dramatic opening round in the history of the game as reigning champ Bart fell to the Crocs-wearing CK 5-7 and Davet flattened Post like a pancake 7-0 in what is the first recorded instance of someone failing to score a single point. We have seen two 7-1 results, with Post playing a role in both (mauling Bart in 2007 and Davet in 2008), but this time he was on the receiving end.  

ROUND 2
A: Bart v JJ Glamma (Bart wins 7-2)
B: Post v Ahab (Post wins 8-3)

The two champs were back in form for round two, though, chalking up easy wins against Glamma and Ahab. One highlight was Bart’s attempt to blow the bottle under the bench after it came to rest right on the line. Glamma’s foot ensured he was not successful. 

ROUND 3
A: CK v JJ Glamma (CK retires injured at 6-2. Match abandoned)
B: Davet v Ahab (Davet wins 9-6)

Crocs have never been considered high-performance footwear, and there’s a good reason why. Despite making it through round one unscathed, when CK took on Glamma he managed to stumble and tear off half a toenail, forcing him out of the competition just when he looked to be home at 6-2. Davet and Ahab traded blows to 6 apiece, before Davet knocked home a three-point shot and took the day.

SEMI-FINALS
Bart v Post (Bart wins 8-5)
Davet v JJ Glamma (Davet wins 2-7)

Post battled Bart to 5-all before another game was decided with a 3-point shot and Bart moved into the grand final. With CK’s withdrawal from the competition Glamma got a reprieve and stepped into the semi-final. Davet showed no mercy, however, and dispatched him 2-7.

GRAND FINAL
Davet v Bart (Bart wins 7-1)

Davet’s reward for winning his semi-final was a brief moment to catch his breath before heading straight into the grand final against Bart. He did have one thing in his favour, however. Where Bart’s semi-final had been a real knock-down, drag-out affair—as so often the case when he and Post meet—Davet’s semi had been far less taxing and he was fired up and ready to go. Could that be the difference between vict… nope. Bart took him apart 7-1, claiming the Oath and adding some more plasticware to his cabinet.

Bart, 2012 Keeper of the F'nOath.

FURTHER READING
2011 Fish Balloon Birdbath Cup
2009 Fish Balloon Birdbath Cup
2008 Birdbath Olympic Cup
2007 Birdbath World Cup
A Concise History of All Things FNO
F'nOccer Career Stats