As the Northern Cocks annual Spring Tournament draws ever nearer, excitement is building and the queries are increasing! Hopefully this newsletter will answer most, if not all of your questions in preparation for the weekend. First, I want to send a very warm welcome to the clubs who are being represented this year:
Northern Cocks
GHAP
Wycombe Originals
Rainbow Rackets Leicester
Bristol Swifts
LYC London
Goslings London
Aberdeen Badminton Academy
Glasgow
Ledbury Badminton Club
Badminton Social Nottingham
Itinerary:
Friday – NC will be hosting Friday welcome drinks at the Molly House (M1 3NB) from 7pm. A great opportunity to meet your fellow competitors in a relaxed environment. But save the heavy drinking for Saturday!
Saturday – Where: The Velodrome (National Cycling Centre), M11 4DQ. When: 9am-4pm. How: Upon arrival, reception will be able to direct you to the courts (or follow the crowd). Entry is opposite the reception desk, turn left and go down the stairs.
Parking: There is plenty of free parking at the velodrome.
8am-9am – Registration and warm up. If you would like to arrive early to warm up and familiarise yourself with the shuttles and lighting, this is the time to do it. The lovey James will be checking everyone in and handing out goodie bags!
9am-9:10am – Welcome and pre tournament information by Pete.
9:10am-12pm – Round robin. The round robin will consist of 7 games per pairing, playing a selection (or all for C-) of the competing pairs in your grade. Based on game wins (with total points scored as a tie breaker), the top 8 pairs from each grade will move forward to the quarter finals. While every effort has been made to evenly spread these games for everyone, it’s important that games are played promptly when they are scheduled as there is not enough time for lengthy breaks. These games will be first to 21 with no setting (do not need 2 clear points to win). Each grade will have a pack of game sheets which will be numbered. Play the games in order where possible and use whichever court is free from your grades allocated courts. Toward the end of the round robin, use any free court should other grades finish their games earlier.
12-12:30pm – Group photos, grade photos, club photos. The photographer will line us all up in height order to then create the best aesthetic for the large group photo on the bleachers style seating. Once this photo is taken, there will be a photo for all participants in each grade, followed by club photos. If you would like to bring club banners etc, you are encouraged to!
12:30-1:15pm – Lunch. A light lunch is provided which will include sandwiches, fruit, and snacks. There is an Asda and McDonald’s right next door should you need anything more substantial throughout the day.
1:15-1:45pm – Quarter final games. These games will be best of 1, first to 21, with 2 clear points needed to win. (Max 30)
1:45-2:30pm – Semi-Final. These games will be best of three, with each game to 21 with 2 clear points needed for the win. (Max 30)
2:30-3:15pm – Finals and 3rd place playoff. These games will be best of three, each game to 21 with 2 clear points needed for the win. (Max 30)
3:15-3:45pm – Medal presentations and photographs.
3:45-4:00pm – Raffle draw.
Disclaimer: The timings for the day are going to be tight which is why we have brought the start time forward slightly. It is imperative that you play your games promptly when required. Should the timings fall short slightly, lunch may be cut short so that the quarter finals start promptly at 1.15. Should the timings fall short significantly, we may have to reduce the semi-final and final games down to best of 1. Please work collaboratively to ensure timings are kept to.
Goodie Bags! – Every participant will receive a goody bag upon registration with James at the beginning of the day. Please look after your bag and the contents as they are not labelled with individual names. Place them within your own bag or within your car for safekeeping. The goodie bags have been carefully curated to contain a variety of goodies suitable for most. Should any of the items within not be for you, pass them along to a friend to make use of.
Instagram Competition! – We want you to have a great day and take loads of photos. Please tag @northerncocks in all your posts and stories on Instagram. The best post throughout the day (decided by Pete) will win 5 free drinks at BarPop at the after party! Bonus points for making use of the goody bag itself or the contents within your photos!
Raffle! – We love a good raffle at Northern Cocks and this year is no different. There will be plenty of prizes up for grabs which will be on display at the registration desk. You can buy tickets from James at any point throughout the day up to 3.30pm.
4pm-8pm – Time to refresh, eat, and glam up for the after party! There are too many of us to book a table for dinner, but for those not from Manchester, here are a few local suggestions for dinner which have lots of options without the need for a reservation:
Mackie Mayor
Freight Island
Society
Hello Oriental
8pm-late – After Party at BarPop! We have the function room upstairs at BarPop all booked and ready to go at 8pm. It’s a great location providing the perfect space for socialising after a long day of sport!
Anyone who has won a BarPop drink voucher will need to speak to Pete to claim the drink. Not the BarPop staff who will be very confused if you try to cash it in with them!
Even more drinks?! After midnight the hardcore few often spilt between the goose or the eagle, but should you want to continue partying and are unsure where people have gone, a message in the WhatsApp social chat/tournament chat usually does the trick.
There may be interruptions to train travel over the weekend. Please double check any travel plans you may have to ensure a smooth journey.
In summary:
Friday:
7pm – welcome drinks at Molly House
Saturday:
8am – warm up/registration
9:00 – welcome
9:10 – round robin
12:00 – photos
12:30 – lunch
1:15 – quarter finals
1:45 – semi-finals
2:30 – finals
3:.15 – medal presentation
3:45 – raffle
8pm – after party at BarPop
We hope everyone has the best day, and should you have any questions, speak to one of the committee.
Pete, Mitch, Dean, Ritchie, Kirs, Rob, Gary, Katya, Neil, Keith, Sonny.
The Northern Cocks Committee.Â