Phil Appleby compiled the first Newsletter dated February 1985.
Although Sheila Hockey distributed the fixture lists to members from November 1971, she was part of a four person committee, newsy bits of information/committee decisions/rules/births and deaths were included on the same page as the fixture list/address list where spaced allowed to keep costs to a minimum. Phil Appleby produced it's first showing as a double-sided single page sheet in February 1985. He held the post for 12 issues before Brian Sugar (1986 - 10 issues) took over. Mike Willis followed later in the same year (27 issues) before Judy Moss took over from 1989 (13 issues). During this period Sheila Hockey (1), Mark Nyman (1) and Peter Dean (4) filled in when the regular editor was unavailable. Judy shared the editorship with Terry Kirk from 1990 (33 issues). When Judy stepped down in 1992 Terry shared editorship with Jackie McLeod (14 issues). Adopting a rota system, Terry then was editor with Graeme Thomas (1993 - 16 issues), Brenda Marsden (1994 - 16 issues) and Chris Keeley (1996 - 8 issues) - Harold Robinson breifly put together two issues during this period. From January 1999 Mauro Pratesi used his typographic skills and redesigned the presentation of the Newsletter and produced 60 issues consecutively until December 2003. He stepped down to concentrate on the London League website. Pamela Kikumu took over in January 2004 and produced 23 issues. Pamela gave up the job in November 2005. Richard Sheridan took over from December 2005 and produced the first emailable Newsletter, as well as the regular Newsletter. The Committee is always working on a suitable format in which to send the Newsletter and Fixtures which will agree to everyone with Internet access. The March 2008 issue saw Richard formally step down from his rôles as Editor and Vice Chairman of the Committee and from Arpil 2008 another Richard, Richard Woodward held the reigns. This lasted only 11 months as Richard Woodward had to move to Stafford to temporarily look after his ill father. From April 2009 Mauro Pratesi stood in as a temporary editor for four issues before a regular editor was recruited. David Holmes stepped into the rôle with his first issue in August 2009 maintaining the quality of the Newsletter. David got married and moved house in 2010, then got promoted in his work career. In August 2011, after two years in the role, he stepped down. Victoria Kingham quickly stepped into the breach and has provided a different perspective to Newsletter technology with the introduction of an "in-house", black and white printer! Victoria stepped down from being the editor early in 2013 and just concentrated on printing the monthly mailing. She has since stepped down and the monthly printing is done by Viv Bishop, while the distribution of 'paper' issues being organised by Jake Berliner. Barbara Morris deals with the distribution of electronic mailings. Mauro Pratesi again became temporary editor and is still doing it on a temporary basis until someone is kind nough to take over. Any interested party in editing the newsletter should contact Mauro/or submit any newsworthy items to email. Alternatively any Committee member will be able to assist.

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Highest Single Game Score

season	Player	score	date played
High score format	.	.	.
apr-sep 85	Viraf Metha	813	September 1985
oct 87-apr 88	Di Dennis	796	oct-nov 87
oct 89-mar 90	Janet Palmer	845	December 1989
apr-sep 91	Graeme Thomas	789	?
Play to win format	.	.	.
oct 97-mar 98	Elie Dangoor	726	27-Nov-97
apr-sep 10	Phil Cohen	750	09-Jun-10
oct 11-mar 12	Vince Boyle	715	03-Nov-11

Most successive League wins: 42 by Darryl Francis 1989

Highest evening total: 2030 by Viraf Metha September 1985

Highest word score: 374 for QUETZALS by Bob Violett (1988-89)

Highest scoring draw: 501 between Frank Moss and Tilly Moss (January 1995)

Highest winning margin over three games: +1087 by Darryl Francis (February 2002)

Largest winning margins in one game:
+578 by Elie Dangoor (Tuesday 14th November, 2023)
Elie beat his opponent 682-104
+545 by Graeme Thomas (April-September 1991)
Graeme beat his opponent 789-244

Longest word: 15 letters for DISENFRANCHISES by Bob Violett (1985?)
(It was a London League match somewhere in the depths of Buckinghamshire. Bob's opponent started with FRA, which Bob challenged, Bob added NCHISES [H was a blank] after his initial move of LACINESS [L was a blank] was challenged off, then spent 5 or 6 goes trying to collect DISEN on his rack to score 40 points and a claim to fame)

Most bonuses in one game: 7 by Mike Willis against Amber Sturdy (1983)

Most changes in one game: 10 by Gordon Payne (1990)

High-scoring moves not using all 7 letters - from Newsletter 19 dated August 1986:

• 6: Allan Simmons had RENAMING around the EN for 134
  ... Diane Pratesi had LIGHTING around the TI for 153
  
• 5: Mike Willis, EPIZOONS around the word ZOO for 144
  
• 4: Ron Hendra, VIZY above EARNINGS
  ... making YEARNINGS with the Y on the triple word score, for 108
  

Left on my rack 1: Hendon Drive on 17th September 2001.
Peter Thomas went out with SCREWED (S and D were blanks) and left Irene Woolley with a rack of ZQJKRU = 35!!

Left on my rack 2: League evening at Nellie Cox's on 18th March 2002.
Pat MacBean went out with SOARING for 68 leaving Mauro Pratesi with a final rack of DCCLVI (plus the blank).
Mauro's rack leave was 756 !?

Furthest League Match
In July of 1998 Phyllis Fernandez, Karen Game, Alison Stilwell and Richard Woodward defied temperatures of over 100 degrees to play two official League matches in a rented cottage in Sinalunga in Italy during a week long Scrabble holiday. Sinalunga is 50 miles south of Florence and about 1,000 miles from London and unless anyone knows different this is the furthest a London League match has been played.

Highest scoring League members:
Phyllis Fernandez scores 37 using ordinary English Scrabble tiles while Jennifer Turovski and Erica Cruickshank both score 33.

Shortest reported game by a League member:
It was between Graeme Thomas and his brother Steve. Graeme asked Steve "Do you want a game of Scrabble?".
Steve replied "No!".

Most blanks: Newsletter 201 - November/December 2001
Barry Grossman picked SEVEN blanks in an ordinary London League fixture.
One at the start when they picked to decide who plays who.
One at start of first game to decide who goes first (after Barry's opponent picked an A).
And 5 during normal play.

High losing score: League evening December 2003
Rachelle Winer lost to David Shenkin 506-525.

Oldest playing League member:
Nellie Cox who last played a League match aged 93 years.
Currently: Betty Balding is still playing at 90 years.

Youngest playing League member:
Allan Saldanha made his League debut in the winter season 1986-87 aged 9 and a bit
Andrew Perry made his League debut in the winter season 1991-92 also aged 9 and a bit.
Further information regarding youngest League members can be found here

600,000 to 1 chance of it happening:
At a fixture on 12th December 2005 between George Gruner, Les Nyman, Rob Kaczmarek and David Holmes. The first game started with George playing Rob on one board and Les playing David on the other board. About 20 minutes into each game, a move was made by George and by Les. No collusion took place in these moves. The two opponents simultaneously challenged the moves which Les and George had made. This does happen from time to time, but what was really spooky was that the word played by Les and George was the same word, namely YEAN.

10 move game with 6 bonuses:
In a game between Philip Cohen and Jackie McLeod on January 2008. Philip played four consecutive bonuses on his first 4 moves: RANCOURS, LOADING, (D)EFECATE, and HEADILY for 111. Two little rack-balancing moves followed, then a 5th bonus, with a blank and two esses, INKINESS. Again two little-uns, finally playing out with STRIATE, catching Jackie with 19 points! A 10-move game, 6 of which were bonuses. Final score 572-329. Jackie was scoring respectably with 20s and 30s, going flat out for turnover and score. Jackie's lowest score was 21 and highest 48 for BOXEN and 53 for QAT.

At a League evening on 25th March 2008, Philip Cohen played 6 bonuses in a game soon after performing the same feat in January 2008, but not in ten moves! Philip, after starting out tamely, scored 5 bonuses in a row from move four. TASTIER 86 (double-double), OVERDONE 78 (around a floating R), FIXINGS 83, fISHCAKE 72 (onto the E of OVERDONE, f was a blank), AREOLAE making OF,LI,AS and EH for 80 (running down side of FISHCAKE). Two moves later TEMPTINg for 74 was his sixth bonus (g was a blank, from a generous floating "e" supplied by opponent). Opponent tried hard to balance their rack with moves such as WUDU (UDU onto W) but could not find the right letters. Final score 608 to Philip - 290 to the opponent.

Most consecutive bonuses, 6:
At a League evening on 13th April 2010 Moira Conway increased her score from 36 to 481 having played six consecutive bonuses: JENNETS, ACTUATED, FLOATIER, REGRAFT, WONTONS and HAIRLINE. She had PENCILS on her last rack but had nowhere to play it. Final score was 594-342 to Moira. For picture of the board click here.

Most consecutive bonuses, 5:
At a League evening on 21st March 2006 Sandie Simonis opened the game with VITALLY then FOLIATED (around the T of vitally) then TROUNCED (around the O of foliated) then RETRIALS (off a generously given R) then CRUIsED. One letter different on her sixth rack and it would have been 6 in a row (She had SEWAGE + A). Sandie's final score was 571 (disappointing after that start) to opponent's 368 (opponent had the J, K, Q, X and Z).

Consistent evening performance:
At a League evening on 21st April 2009 Charles Gale scored 20 points at Freda Marcus'. Charles won each of his three games by the same game score: 484.

Highest score for one single play ABSP tournament record broken by a League member:
At the Swindon tournament on 14th March 2010 Ruth MacInerney scored 311 in one move! It was the last round in Division B and Ruth played fellow member Andy Gray. The game started quietly with Andy opened with AROUND, Ruth replied LAH, Andy added DEY, Ruth found an OX and Andy 'subbed' LIME to lead 78-45 leaving the E between two triples. Ruth, holding EESRWZ?, slotted tWEEZERS around the E of LIME for 311 points. This beat the existing ABSP record held by Adrian Tamas when he scored 257 for PECTIZED achieved at the UK Open in 2009! Ruth went further ahead with PASTIES for 73. Andy hit back with WAKE for 37, BRAVE for 38 and QI for 46. but Ruth got a third bonus: DARTING for 68. At the end Andy played STARVE for 40 and Ruth went out with REACTION for 78 leaving Andy with CON! Final score Andy 348 Ruth 696.
For a picture of the board click here.
This record has since been broken by Piotr Andronowski playing in the BEST 2017 Tournament having scored 347 for the word ADEQUACY.

Most bonuses in an evening:
Rick Joseph had a bonus-heavy evening on 30th January 2014. He played a total of TWELVE. Five were in game one, REQUOTE, PANTILE, WINDIER, ELUANTS, DRAGOON. Three in the next: GODETIA, QUANTISE 102, DONSIER and finished with 4 in the last; FLUORIDE, COUNTING, PERTAINS and SQUEALS.

Twelve was also the total achieved by Jared Robinson on the evening of 10th October 2017 at host Baldip Kaur. Six were in game one; FROMAGE, REPOINTS, RETREAD, CLEARING, FALSING and AIRTHED. Five in the next: OUTGAVE, AEGRINE, SOILAGE, STEALED and ALIMENT then finished with one in the last game MORALISE. His total aggregate score for the evening was 1668.

Scrabble magazines:
Can be found by clicking here

Highest score by a 4th Required:
Although Bob Berry is no longer a League member he kindly steps in occasionally to make up a four. On one such evening played on 9th July 2019 Janet Bonham opened the game with EGO for 8. Janet takes up the story from here: “Bob's first play in reply was OXYMORON for 113. My 3rd move was MALTIEST for 70 points opening up the triple triple at O11. Bob’s 3rd play was a 9-timer: LEATHERY for 212 around the T, his 4th was FENNIER for 66, his 5th DOMAINES for 62 and, as his 12th play, he played out with TOPSIde FOR 68. The game score was 692 to 283. Needless to say he had both of the high score points. He won the evening with an aggregate score of 1625 which would have got him 20 points had he been a member. As you will see, I was slaughtered. It was bad enough having 113 scored against me in Bob's first play but the 212 two plays later really hurt. He had five bonuses to my one ”.
You can see the board here

It's not often that high game points are split three ways:
In the match at Lee Graham’s on 11th October 2021, Stuart May (twice) and Jake Berliner tied for the second highest score point with 399. You can see the final scoresheet and how the final result turned out here

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Sunday Drives:

Drives played to High score rules

• Highest total score after three games: 1987 by Les Nyman (Hospitality Inn, Bayswater, 7/2/1988).
  (Game scores were 662, 725 and 600)
  
• Highest score for one game: 800 by Philip Nelkon (Hospitality Inn, Bayswater, 9/2/1985).
  
• Highest word score for one move: 239 for BRACKETS by Jackie McLeod (Hospitality Inn, Bayswater, 9/10/1988).
  

Drives played to Matchplay rules (Playing to win)

• Sunday Drives were changed from three games to four on 12th October 2008:
  The first winner was Ruth MacInerney with 4 wins and 352 overall spread at "Victory Hall", Chigwell, IG7.
  
• Highest winning spread with four wins (four game format):
  766 by Diane Pratesi ("Marion Hill House", New Malden, KT3, 12/05/2013).
  
• Highest winning spread with three wins (four game format):
  835 by Jessica Pratesi ("Swiss Cottage Community Centre", NW3, 1/5/2011).
  
• Highest winning spread with three wins (three game format):
  776 by Graeme Thomas ("77 Bridge Club", Hendon, 26/5/1996).
  (Included spreads of 332, 369 and 75).


• Highest winning spread with two and a half wins (three game format):
  638 by Les Nyman ("77 Bridge Club", Hendon, 11/4/1999).
  (Game scores; 388-388, 533-236 and 541-199).


• Highest winning spread with two wins (three game format):
  606 by Ruth Erskine [Morgan-Thomas] (Hospitality Inn, Bayswater, 22/10/1989).
  (Game scores; 649-234, 512-310 and 332-343).


• Highest winning spread with two wins (four game format):
  547 by Calum Edwards ("Victory Hall", Chigwell, IG7, 9/2/2014).
  (Game scores; 359-436, 661-301, 356-393 and 641-340).
  (This beat the 451 scored by Jessica Pratesi on 16 December 2012 (!) also at "Victory Hall", Chigwell, IG7).


• Highest winning spread with one win (three game format):
  358 by Ruth MacInerney ("77 Bridge Club", Hendon, 2/3/1998).
  (Ruth won by 582-129 in round one but lost her two other games!)


• Highest single game score for one game (3 and 4 game formats):
  693 by Calum Edwards ("Marion Hill House", New Malden, KT3, 19/1/2014).
  Picture of board click here.


• Highest four game total after four games:
  2206 by Philip Nelkon ("Swiss Cottage Community Centre", NW3, 6/3/2011).
  (Game scores, Philip's first; 639-341, 574-418, 500-398 and 493-312).


• Highest single spread for one game (3 and 4 game formats):
  486 by Danny Bekhor (Victory Hall, Chigwell, IG7, 27/1/2008).
  (Danny won by 639-153 in round one. His other scores: 438-355, 348-323 failing to get to the magic 600 spread by 2 points!)


• Highest word score for one move:
  203 for EXORCISE by James Burley (Swiss Cottage, 2/10/2016).
  203 for ENDEIXIS by Calum Edwards (Chigwell, 22/10/2017).
  

note: on 9/2/1985 Philip Nelkon won 800-220 with a spread of 580
(as Philip was playing to High Score rules his winning spread cannot claim the record).

Oldest Sunday Drive player:
Nellie Cox who last attended a Drive aged 92 years.

Youngest Boy/Girl Sunday Drive player:
Ronnie Bennett made his Drive début on the 7th October 2012 aged 6 years, 4 months.
Jessica Pratesi made her Drive début on 16th May 2004 aged 8 years, 5 months.
Further information regarding youngest League members can be found here

Lowest total wins/spread to gain Drive Cup points:
In the Drive of 5th December 2004 at Chigwell, Jessica Pratesi came fourth with 0 (zero) wins and scored two Drive Cup points.
In the Drive of 31st December 2006 at Hendon, Jessica came fifth having won two games by 359-355 and 341-339, drawn the remaining game 337-337 and finishing with a spread of just six, possibly the lowest ever winning plus spread to finish in the top five.
In the Drive of 29th November 2009 at Marion Hill House, New Malden, Malcolm Shaw came fifth with 3 wins, 0 (zero) spread and scored one Drive Cup point.

Games the same:
In the Drive of 25th February 2002 at Chigwell, Rachelle Winer won the drive by winning all three games by the same score: 479.

Same place of birth:
In the Drive of 7th November 1999 at Hendon, it was noted that the top three players, Karl Khoshnaw, Elie Dangoor and Danny Bekhor, had all been born in Baghdad, Iraq.

Triple word squares:
In the Drive of 2nd May 1999 at Hendon, The match between Graeme Thomas and Robert Richland which finished 457-381 to Graeme all the triple words squares were covered. Click here to see the final board.

Most draws by one person at one Drive:
In the Drive of 11th September 2005 at New Malden, Theo Kumi drew two of his 3 games. One with 395 and the other with 449.

Rack you can do nothing about:
In the Drive on 22nd January 2006 at Chigwell, Barbara Morris had on her rack EEEEEII on move 2 of the third round.

Highest scoring move at any Drive? :
In the Drive of 29th January 2006 at Hendon, with a rack of CDEILR plus a blank, Paloma Raychbart slotted CRINKLED around a floating N and announced her score; "70 K" she said pointing to the blank!

Blocked board:
In the Drive of 15th October 2006 at Chigwell, in the game between Danny Bekhor and Evelyn Wallace, the board after four moves was:

      Y A Y    (played by Evelyn)
      O B E    (played by Evelyn after Danny exchanged)
      S O X    (played by Danny)

Longest winning sequence at Drives :
With two games won at the end of 2012 until the Swiss Cottage Drive of 7th April 2013 Calum Edwards went 21 games without defeat before going down 397-481 to Vince Boyle.

Lowest scoring nine-timer :
At the Swiss Cottage Drive of 5th May 2019 Barabara Morris scored 104 for the word LINIMENT. (The first N and the M were blanks)

The Winter Trophy	Highest Word Scores	The Ivy Edmunds Memorial Trophy	The Graeme Thomas Memorial Trophy
The Summer Trophy	Sunday Drives	The Ivor Freedman Memorial Trophy	The Ron Hendra Memorial Trophy
Noteworthy achievements	Highest Game Score	The Most Improved Player Trophy	.

If any League member can help fill in the missing details or correct or add to the statistics shown, do get in touch with the webmaster.

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