YoungWillz

Awful news. RIP. The Leisure Hive is such a clever story, definitely one of my favourites, including an early appearance of that guy who was the inspector in The Thin Blue Line. Stones Of Blood was broadcast during the fifteenth anniversary, remember it well.

FFS second theme team miss in hours! I didn't even know he had cancer. 1982 UK #17 - Zambesi:

Oh, he has to live with his 24 names....I asked for a replacement, replacements must be named before a hit occurs, now we've had three hits. Could still win though....

A couple of teams thought Falkholt was a good punt for this pool. Away Home!

Technically a miss for my 1982 Theme Team, here's their 1982 #29 Iron Fist:

Motorhead's Fast Eddie Clarke reportedly dead at 67: http://teamrock.com/news/2018-01-11/motorhead-ex-fast-eddie-clarke-dead-at-67 Edit: Sun Obit: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/5317874/eddie-clarke-dead-motorhead-guitarist-age/

Jessica Falkholt's life support turned off: http://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/jessica-falkholts-life-support-turned-off-following-boxing-day-crash-that-killed-her-family/news-story/5fe8311410cd5b879bc15fa8b06c274c

It's been 10 years since Sir Edmund Hillary reached the top and had to stop, aged 88. Perhaps we could mark this anniversary by tagging his thread as "dead". https://forums.deathlist.net/topic/6234-edmund-hillary/

Times: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/pioneering-architect-neave-brown-dies-aged-88-bhlwvl928

Michael Hare, 2nd Viscount Blakenham, former Chief Executive and thereafter Chair of the Financial Times, has bought it in the most final of ways: https://www.ft.com/content/ccff5f90-f54b-11e7-88f7-5465a6ce1a00 Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Hare,_2nd_Viscount_Blakenham

First page update. Noice! Edit: Just realised I got a mention.

Unsurprisingly, Daily Mail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-5252433/R-B-singer-songwriter-Denise-LaSalle-dies-Tennessee.html Edit: One less name to include in the "Hits of 1985" list I'm now preparing...

Denise LaSalle reportedly dead: https://twitter.com/Echoesmag/status/950672788838338561 Usual confirmations awaited, yada, yada....

Widow dead: http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/15814908.Wife_of_cricketing_legend_dies_aged_84/

People win these things? I never know, I'm normally somewhere near the bottom....

Shucks, thanks for your kind words, but I'm doing nothing else! I shall get the money off to your nominated charity and may I say that is a mighty fine gesture on your part to match it. Homelessness is a growing issue in the UK and for no good reason in a rich economy such as ours. A worthy nomination and topical at this time of year too.

Quite frankly, it was the strongest hold on a tournament I've seen! Unfortunately, as is the way with these things, your hits just dried up and never really returned, and King Michael dying soooo late in the year really put paid to you. So don't write yourself off quite yet. You've seen how it can play out, might be your turn next year.

Okey dokey, I'll get on that this week when I can get out from looking after the old man. Congrats again.

The ones that spring up are The Dogs Trust (Glasgow), The Cats Protection Adoption Centre (Glasgow) or more generally for all animals, the SSPCA's Animal Rescue and Rehoming Charity. Any of those ring your chimes?

Well, what a year it has been! Firstly, thanks to everyone who had a team. It has been much fun spending the last 12 months watching this as it has developed over the year. Unluckily for this pool but luckily for some players, December was rather a Spartan month, bringing few of the really juicy points that this pool craves! We had many leaders. msc bounced up early, only to begin flagging and being overtaken by Death Impends. In fact, it looked like all the world that his team would totally expire within the first half of the year. msc regained some ground only for the magical run of Joey Russ to occur. From a standing start, he gained numerous consecutive hits which led to an iron grip on the lead for several months. But as we all know, this game is all about gaining in the latter stages. Grim Up North started an inevitable climb, as did Sean, The Unknown Man and The Dead Cow, who eventually all came to hold places in the top part of the table. Even Death Impends, whose challenge looked doomed, started gaining points as well, but failed to gain his 3rd consecutive 30 December hit. And there we have it folks, a debutante who won quite convincingly. I also have to mention the following for @Deathray record purposes: Deathray gains the most points for a single hit of 614 for this pool's first 31 December hit. Grim Up North and msc now hold the record for the most hits in a single year (15). Edit: Grim Up North holds the record for most points in a year: 2715. Congratulations to @Grim Up North and remember I did say your team was my favourite, when it looked like all was lost! £24 goes to the UK charity of your choice. So, in the spirit of this pool, hop to it and let me know where you wish your donation made. And so we move on to 2018....

FINAL LEADERBOARD 2017: (*=Joker) 1st: Grim Up North - 2715 Points [15/25] (Wetton; Westhuizen; Coward; Skellern; Morano; Christie; Fawkes; Campbell; Forsyth; Meads; Booth; Dawn; Downie; Berkowitz; Michael) 2nd: Shaun Of The Dead/Sean - 2507 Points [13/25] (Hollingworth; Skellern; Kaufman; Noakes; Sallis; Christie; Meads; Hall; Bettencourt; Booth; Downie; Berkowitz; Michael) 3rd: The Unknown Man - 2373 Points [11/25] (Wetton; Noakes; Christie; Kohl; Campbell; Meads; Lewis; Booth; Downie; Berkowitz; Michael) 4th: Death Impends - 1994 Points [14/25] (Youguang; Nakamura; Hale; D. Carrington; Corey; Skellern; Rockefeller; Sallis; Hart; Forsyth; Bettencourt; Downie; Darrieux; Michael) 5th: The Dead Cow - 1987 Points [12/25] (Sarstedt; D. Carrington; Westhuizen; Skellern; Morano; Sallis; *Van-Zandvliet; Campbell; Hall; Zazu; Booth; Downie) 6th: msc - 1941 Points [15/25] (Snuka; B. Simpson; McGill; Wetton; Coward; Skellern; Hewlett; Lakovic; Sallis; Christie; Van-Zandvliet; Meads; Bradley; Downie; Michael) 7th: JoeyRuss - 1854 Points [13/25] (Snuka; *Wetton; Westhuizen; Langhorne; Morano; Pirsig; Bayldon; Allman; Sallis; Campbell; Kristal; Booth; Downie) 8th: Deathers - 1668 Points [8/25] (Westhuizen; Kaufman; Berry; Morano; Campbell; Dawn; Domino; Keogh) 9th: Toast - 1583 Points [10/25] (Sims; Westhuizen; Sumner; Coward; McGuinness; Sallis; Campbell; *Forsyth; Hall; Dotrice) 10th: JiroemonKimura - 1478 Points [10/25] (*Snuka; Cordero; Mohren; Skellern; Christie; Hofer; Del Rio; Campbell; Bradley; Downie) 11th: Sir Creep - 1476 Points [12/25] (Soares; McGiffin; Wetton; Skellern; Morano; Lakovic; Carey; Christie; Van-Zandvliet; Campbell; Meads; Qureshi) 12th: Whoaml - 1431 Points [9/25] (Sarstedt; Hale; Westhuizen; Berry; Rockefeller; Lewis; LaMotta; Michael; Marie) 13th: gcreptile - 1380 Points [11/25] (Hollingworth; Youguang; Snuka; Mohren; Rockefeller; Morano; Kaiser; Kristal; Zazu; Brown; Ruzickova) 14th: Captain Chorizo - 1347 Points [7/25] (Hollingworth; Suzuki; Morano; Darc; Downie; Barber; Gass) 15th: drol - 1284 Points [9/25] (Soares; *Snuka; Bossom; Clifton James; Sallis; Hart; Campbell; Darc; Dotrice) 16th: Book - 1120 Points [7/25] (Sarstedt; Tyler-Moore; Kohl; Bergmann; Campbell; Wain; Hefner) 17th: RadGuy/Phantom Of The Midway - 1051 Points [8/25] (Snuka; Tyler-Moore; Westhuizen; Morano; Sallis; Christie; Kristal; Michael) 18th: Rotten Ali - 840 Points [6/25] (Hurt; Wetton; Christie; Kohl; Blazer; Booth) 19th: Widows Peak - 796 Points [2/25] (*Forsyth; Michael) 20th: Pedro67 - 766 Points [5/25] (Skellern; Walcott; Sallis; Lewis; LaMotta) 21st: Bibliogryphon - 682 Points [5/25] (Dalyell; McCowen; *Freeman; Norman; D. Simpson) 22nd: YoungWillz - 376 Points [3/25] (*Snuka; Bayldon; Campbell) 23rd: ImNotHades - 307 Points [2/25] (Fresco; Sarosy) 24th: Rockhopper penguin - 223 Points [3/25] (Westhuizen; Berry; Dreyfus)

We're closed but I have a leaderboard and then a summary to post. Be with you shortly...

Oh, I should mention I will donate a crisp £10 note (Scottish) to the UK charity of @Death Impends choice. Please let me have your nomination. (If it's Gamblers Anonymous, I'll be amazed...)

Right, first of all, thanks to everyone who participated in the inaugural Poker Tournament. I know some of you may have been perplexed, nay, baffled by the rules but submitted a team anyway! I would have been too had there been a Backgammon Tournament, or some such craziness. It seems that the fame level didn't deter participants and indeed didn't deter the Reaper taking them. Cards were played and bonuses won. In the end, the winner was the team who actually had the most low cards, but hit practically all the bonuses you could get. Also the person who randomised his team....something for future players to consider if we run this again. We have a final leaderboard, the link to the detailed board is on the first page. In summary: 1st: Death Impends - 1605 Points 2nd: The Dead Cow - 1375 Points 3rd: Captain Chorizo - 1190 Points 4th: gcreptile - 1133 Points 5th: Toast - 1080 Points 6th: JoeyRuss - 1059 Points 7th: Zsa Zsa's Leg - 1038 Points 8th: msc - 1035 Points 9th: RadGuy/Phantom of the Midway - 1020 Points 10th: Grave Danger - 725 Points 11th: Shaun Of The Dead/Sean: 653 Points =12th: JiroemonKimura - 610 Points =12th: RishCast - 610 Points 14th: Bibliogryphon - 605 Points 15th: YoungWillz - 415 Points 16th: Gooseberry Crumble - 200 Points Honourable mentions to Joey Russ who had more subs die than anyone else, to Captain Chorizo who finished way up despite not using any of his subs and to Toast who looked like she was going to romp this until her challenge came to a shuddering halt. The Dead Cow, having valiantly scored hits quite highly and gained some bonuses towards the end just fell short, but I'm sure we applaud the challenge. Congratulations to our (now official) winner, Death Impends. The cards and chips have been packed away. If there's enough demand, we'll convene again in the summer.