Loughborough Blood Bowl League - Latest News

Current Tournament: The Dungeonbowl 2503

Apologies for the unfinished state of this site - it'll improve over time...

1st January 2504

Qualifying has ended for the Dungeonbowl. A disastrously poor number of teams entering has spelt at end to the Loughborough Blood Bowl League for the foreseeable future, however, the three teams who did enter all qualify... The Woodcutters and KKND must now play a semi-final to determine who meets Tournament favourites The Redpeak Roosters in the final.

1st December 2503

Sigmar's Open 2503 has ended, and we have a new Tournament winner! The Redpeak Roosters, in their second tournament final, have finally achieved a victory, running out 2-0 winners against Karak Vlag Wanderers. The winning Ogre team now have a rating of 253, and their star Goblin has a massive 77 Star Player Points.

The bright news is that it is possible that the League will continue. With the same four teams entering this tournament as the last, there were fears that the League would have to admit defeat and enter an indefinite halt to proceedings. However, there are provisionally at least eight teams entering the next Major tournament, the Dungeonbowl, so it is possible that it will continue.

27th November 2503

Qualifying for Sigmar's Open 2503 passed almost without comment; with only four teams entering for the second tournament running, it looks as though the league will be suspended indefinitely, until sufficient interest is generated to resume play. Nevertheless, those that did enter enjoyed it immensely; Karak Vlag Wanderers beat The Woodcutters 2-1 in the first semi-final, and will face the winners of The Ice Raiders and Redpeak Roosters in the final.

29th October 2503

The 2503 Bretonnian Open has finished, and the Dwarf team Karak Vlag Wanderers have emerged as champions in their very first tournament, beating fellow newbies the Ice Raiders in the final. Qualifying may now begin for the next tournament, Sigmar's Open 2503.

Stat-blast:
- Karak Vlag Wanderers' team rating has gone up to 162 in just five games. The Ice Raiders have risen to 154 in just as few.
- Their MVP and team captain is Caleb Rockfoot on 23 SPPs.
- Before the knockout rounds, neither Wanderers nor Raiders had won a game.
- Player of the tournament by far was a Goblin from the Redpeak Roosters with a massive 64 SPPs.

26th October 2503

Qualifying has finished for the 2503 Bretonnian Open. Despite a disappointingly low number of teams entering the tournament, some entertaining Blood Bowl matches have been played in qualification. The Redpeak Roosters qualified top, inflicting a massive 13 casualties in just three games, and are joined by The Woodcutters, Karak Vlag Wanderers and The Ice Raiders in the semi-finals.

13th October 2503

The 2503 Bretonnian Open is underway! And it's two brand new rookie teams who've started the contest, the Karak Vlag Wanderers and the Ice Raiders. The game finished in a 1-1 draw. As a Norse team, the Raiders increase the number of different races represented in the League yet further.

8th October 2503

The 2503 Mithril Spike! Trophy is over... The thrilling Death Bowl final saw four teams competing for the ultimate honour. Casualties were amazingly low with nobody suffering any lasting harm, and in the end it was Ulthuan Athletic who scraped through 2-1-0-0. Luck was involved in both of their touchdowns, but it was also a great display of tactical ability. Full tournament details may be found here.

Coinciding with the tournament comes the Player of the Year Award!

7th October 2503

Qualifying has ended for the 2503 Mithril Spike! Trophy, and the four top teams, who will go on to play in a chaotic and thrilling Death Bowl extravaganza, are: Ulthuan Athletic, Black Poison, The Redpeak Roosters and The Woodcutters. The team with by far the best pedigree - and highest Team Rating - is of course Ulthuan Athletic but they've struggled in their last couple of games and there may well be an upset in the final.

The Player of the Year Award looks certain to be won by either Mesaana or Lanfear (both from Ulthuan Athletic and currently on 54 SPPs), with only Katchmi from The Qualapec Krocs even approaching their performance this season (52 SPPs).

Mesaana currently has 15 TDs, 2 casualties, and 1 MVP while Lanfear has 1 completion, 17 TDs, and an interception. But that could all change in the Death Bowl!

25th September 2503

As a Major Tournament, it is fitting that  the 2503 Mithril Spike! Trophy has become the most popular tournament so far, with eight teams so far having entered and the possibility of more in the next week before the finalists are decided. Currently, Black Poison and Ulthuan Athletic look certain to qualify, and the remaining two places are still up for grabs. The tension is palpable!

Stat-blast:
- With an income of just 40,000gp in four matches, and two fatalities, Ulthuan Athletic are in the grip of a financial crisis.
- Black Poison are going from strength to strength, their Team Rating has gone up by more than 30 in this tournament alone.
- Teams from eight different races have entered so far, with the possibility of a ninth - Norse - entering next week.
- Redpeak Roosters have conceded a massive 12 TDs so far but are currently still in a qualifying position.
- The Player of the Year Award looks set to be won by either Mesaana or Lanfear of Ulthuan Athletic, with 52 and 54 SPPs respectively.
- The Khemri team Silverpeak Reavers have put on an impressive show of strength, inflicting a massive seven casualties on Black Poison alone.

+++ STOP PRESS +++ Ulthuan Athletic just crashed to a 4-2 defeat to The Woodcutters - their first defeat in seventeen games, and only their second defeat ever!

18th September 2503

After a slow start the number of matches being played in qualifying for the 2503 Spike! Mithril Trophy is picking up. Results include a shock victory for KKND over the Redpeak Roosters, who lost an Ogre in the defeat. Tournament favourites Ulthuan Athletic have accused Black Poison of giving them Nurgle's Rot - their team has been struck down by a mysterious illness in three of the four games since their last match against the Rotters, which has hampered their performances and led to the Elves' first two fatalities in this League.

14th September 2503

The first games have been played in the 2503 Mithril Spike! Trophy, which of course culminates at the end of the month with a spectacular Death Bowl match. The new Ogre team, the Redpeak Roosters, have achieved instant notoriety by becoming the first team to inflict a fatality upon an Ulthuan Athletic player - the Lion Warrior Cauthon was trod on by a careless Ogre and had his skull crushed, killing him instantly.

The Links page has a report on the Blood Bowl coverage in the Fanatic Games seminar with Jervis Johnson, at Games Day.

7th September 2503

The 2503 Kwik Slit Cup is over! Eventual victors in a hotly-contested final were Ulthuan Athletic but only after the Qualapec Krocs had forced them into overtime. Indeed, the Krocs had an opportunity to score early in overtime but a mistake led to Athletic scoring a dramatic and desperate winner. Although both the contestants, and the result, were the same as the last tournament (Bugman's Best Blood Bowl Bonanza) both teams found it more difficult reaching the final and the game itself was a much closer affair.

Qualifying for the next tournament may now begin. The Mithril Spike is a Major Tournament and thus prestige and vast sums of money are on offer to the victors. The final will be an immensely entertaining four-way Death Bowl extravaganza! Qualifying will last for three weeks, though there is the possibility this may be extended to four weeks as there will be no semi-finals.

Stat-blast:
- Katchmi of the Qualapec Krocs leads the Star Player tables with 52 SPPs.
- However, he has only scored 14 TDs whereas Lanfear of Ulthuan Athletic has scored 16.
- A Qualapec Saurus has become the first player to take his Casualty tally into double figures.
- The team as a whole has inflicted a terrifying 42 Casualties in just two tournaments.

31st August 2503

Qualifying for the 2503 Kwik Slit Cup has finished! The semi-finalists are Ulthuan Athletic, The Qualapec Krocs, The Woodcutters and Black Poison. In qualifying, the most successful team was the Qualapec Krocs, who despite the fact they did not finish top of the table, scored the most touchdowns and inflicted the most casualties. After finishing as runners-up in the last tournament, will they improve on it this time or will Ulthuan Athletic make it two in a row - or will one of the underdogs pull something out of the bag?

Stat-blast:
- Although seven teams entered the Open round, only three teams played at least three games. Hopefully this will improve for the next, Major, tournament.
- The Qualapec Krocs were top scorers with 17 TDs, and also the most dangerous side, inflicting 14 casualties - no other team came close.
- Black Poison qualified without a single victory but having played many high-rated teams, their team has improved quickly.
- The Shadowchasers propped up the qualifying table and must be hoping to improve in the next campaign.

New Website Address: www.loughboroughbloodbowl.co.uk

24th August 2503

One week remains for qualifying for the 2503 Kwik Slit Cup. The two top-rated teams, Ulthuan Athletic and the Qualapec Krocs, look sure to qualify, but anyone could potentially fill the two remaining places in the semi-finals. Important: could all coaches ensure the League Commissioner is informed of their results.

Stat-blast:
- The Woodcutters join the league, with immediate impact as they beat Black Poison and make Ulthuan Athletic work very hard for a win.
- There are ten coaches nominally in the league, although only seven have yet played any games in this Open tournament.
- The Qualapec Krocs have gained the ability to score in a single down thanks to an extremely quick Skink.
- The league's top scorer is now Lanfear (Ulthuan Athletic) with 14 TD's.

If all ten coaches enter teams in the next tournament, it is possible that there will be an extra round after the Open-format qualifying (quarter-finals before the semi-finals). However, this will only happen if all or nearly all teams who enter the tournament play at least three games, otherwise it's just not worthwhile. The League Commissioner will make a decision nearer the time.

16th August 2503

The Tournaments page has been given something of a revamp, as the first qualifying results for the 2503 Kwik Slit Cup (sponsored by Kwik Slit) start to come in. There are a number of new teams and new coaches that will soon be entering the league, including a Khemri team, the foul Nurgle's Rotters, Dark Elves, Dwarfs, and more!

Very Important: A new rule has been added to the Rules page. Please use this rule in ALL your games from now on.

6th August 2503

Bugman's Best Blood Bowl Bonanza 2503 is now officially over! The Qualapec Krocs and Ulthuan Athletic both won their respective semi-finals 4-1, but it was Ulthuan Athletic who impressed in the final, taking advantage of their own skill, their enemies' misfortunate and Krocs' mistakes to put the game beyond doubt. With the score-line at 4-0 and five downs left to play, the Krocs' fans rioted in protest and by the time the pitch was cleared, time was up. Prize money was 70,000gp to the winners and 40,000gp to the runners-up. Qualifying may now begin for the 2503 Kwik Slit Cup (sponsored by Kwik Slit).

- Ulthuan Athletic now have a Team Rating of 181 and a Fan Factor of 10.
- Their Most Valuable Player is the Lion Warrior Mesaana, with 11 TD's and 40 SPP's.
- They have scored 29 TD's in 9 games, and only conceded 8.
- In that time, they have also managed 29 completions and 13 casualties.
- They've won the last five games running.

3rd August 2503

Qualifying has finished for the Bugman's Best Blood Bowl Bonanza 2503! According to the Open qualifying format, the semi-finalists are Ulthuan Athletic, The Qualapec Krocs, The Middenheim Maniacs and The Roughnecks. Semi-finals and the final will be played this week, and next week, the next tournament starts: The Kwik Slit Cup (sponsored by Kwik Slit). See the tournaments page for more details.

27th July 2503

The site has undergone some minor improvements, most notably to the Tournaments page... it's a drop in the ocean but more will follow, maybe even today!

Stat-blast:
- Mesaana takes his TD tally to 10 as Ulthuan Athletic romp to the top of the table with a 7-0 win over Ya Beasties.
- In the same game, four Beasties players are sent off; their Head Coach Kipper is quoted as "disappointed" it wasn't more.
- Ya Beasties begin to wonder why they played the highest-rated teams first as they also lose 4-1 to the Qualapec Krocs.

25th July 2503

Stat-blast:
- Two new teams enter the Bugman's Best Blood Bowl Bonanza 2503, KKND and Ya Beasties. Both lose their first games against more experienced teams.
- Qualapec Krocs brand new Kroxigor gets injured in the first down of the first drive he takes part in!
- Ulthuan Athletic become the first team to enter double figures for TDs, with Mesaana taking his tally to 8, but they still lag behind the Krocs in the qualifying table.
- Yet another three teams, including Orcs and Dwarfs, are set to join the League.

17th July 2503

Stat-blast:
- Mesaana (Ulthuan Athletic) streaks to the top of the scoring charts with 6 TD's in three games, including a hat-trick against the Middenheim Maniacs.
- The Maniacs lose two linemen in two games, but still manage a win against the much-fancied Qualapec Krocs.
- The Krocs' financial troubles continue, with hardly any proceeds from their first three games.
- Blake Spence, head coach of the Roughnecks, goes on holiday just as his team begin their comeback from a disastrous start to the season.
- Loughborough Blood Bowl League set to expand with at least two new teams joining the Open format.

13th July 2503

The site is launched, to mark the official start of the Loughborough Blood Bowl League. The site is still under development and will have lots more added to it including flashier graphics, more links, all that sort of thing.