Not long until the Coronation, and we still don’t know who’s name will be inscribed on the Crown, but we did learn that you need to get to your seat early if you follow a North London Club. No such concerns for our overperforming H2H League Managers, many of whom have already clinched promotion but, just like the Grand National, we reward 5th place in fields this large, so there’s still plenty to play for. Time to check out the front runners, and those who excelled in heavy going.
As always, this update complements Red Lightning’s weekly reports on FFScout Community Tournaments, which includes the race for H2H League One honours, where, in a GW32 clash of titans, Sameer Sohail (60 pts) defeated Ignazio La Rosa to regain top spot. This report focuses on those striving to reach this lofty status.
League Two
Richard Clarke (74 pts) stirred from his extended nap in Division 1 to secure the victory that confirms promotion, and one more point will seal the title. Well done to him and, who knows, maybe Daniel Levy is watching. In other news, Dylan Penhallurick (56) leads the chasing pack, followed by Mark Craig (53), and Alex Merchant and David Bowman (both 52).
Qian Hao Ong (65 pts) now has a four-point lead over Owen Walker in Division 2, with Michael Giovani a further three points adrift, followed by Liam McAllister (55), with Paul Machin and Mark Reynolds (both 52) disputing the final promotion berth.
League Three
It’s nip and tuck in Division 1, where John Lambert (59 pts) has regained top spot, ahead of Andrew Blackwell (58), Dave Dolman (57), Dave Nea (56), and Kevin Lamb (52).
In Division 2, Simøn Stevens (62 pts) has maintained his six-point advantage over Derek Moore, with James Wong-You (55), Christopher Green (53), and Chris Blackburn (52) completing the promotion berths.
Simon MacNair (67 pts) has extended his lead in Division 3, with Daniel Hooper (61) still leading the chase, with John Davidson (58), and Jon Oliver (53) and Stig Hermansen (both 53) making up the numbers.
Stewart Robinson (60 pts) is the new leader in Division 4, but Bob Woby and Carl Price (both 57) are still on the case, while Mark Mews (55) and Marc B (53) continue to cling to the remaining promotion slots.
League Four
Alan Robertson and Dave Spooner (both 68 pts) continue to set the pace in Division 1, and one more point will seal promotion. Garry Mackay (60), Hubert Sochaj (55), and Martin Bubak (54) still have work to do, but I like their chances.
Jack Clark (60 pts) has extended his advantage in Division 2, and Ben Ashworth (56) leads a congested chasing pack comprising Marcel Schweiler and Anoop K (both 54), and Chris Wain (53).
Deren Loh (59 pts) continues to lead the way in Division 3, but Neil Halmagyi (56) is still in the hunt, as are Sagar Manoar (55), Chris Madeley (53), and Ivan Frederick and Michael Casterns (both 52).
Five successive wins has taken Daniel Stickells (62 pts) to the summit in Division 4, but Ivan Leshtarov (61) and Youssef Rophael (60) are still on the case. Erik Aasen Aukland (58) and Iwan Atherton (55) complete a competitive Top Five.
It’s even more competitive in Division 5, where Seán Óg Coneely (59 pts) continues to lead, but has Martin Rapp (57) knocking on the door, closely followed by Teo R, Charles Garnier, and Sam Bonfield (all 55).
It’ll soon be time for the ticker tape parade in Division 6, where Mat Gilbert (66 pts) has a 10-point margin over the field. Sam Trafford (56) leads the chasing pack, which also includes Daniel Loebjer, and Paul Norris (both 55), with Socrates Olympios (51) having designs on the final promotion slot.
Barry Lawrence (64 pts) picked the right time to hit form in Division 7, and is the new leader ahead of Michael Dabrowski (60), with Peter Kidd, Mark Pearson, and Tim Ward (all 55) completing the Top Five.
Bill Loullis and Serkan Kaygun (both 62 pts) are the joint leaders in Division 8, but Dominic Superville (61) is gaining ground. Jia Xiang Woo (57) and Per Øyvind Bonkerud (56) have fallen off the pace of late, but still hold the remaining promotion berths.
League Five
Andrew Boddy (63 pts) is the new leader in Division 1, with Radoslaw Wojtaszek just a point adrift. Allister Rees (59), Seamus Lyons (55), and Aki Ali (54) make up the numbers.
It’s also all change in Division 2, with Sayan Das (61) leading the way ahead of Casey Moore and Yordan Dimitrov (both 58). Christopher Betteridge and Louise Chennell (both 56) complete the Top Five.
David Bowman (64 pts) now leads on his own in Division 3, with Josh Stickland (60) heading the chasing pack, which also includes Taymur Reza Hossain (59), Martin Felton (58), and Ryan Paddock (57).
Swagart Satpathy (67 pts) still leads in Division 4, but Tom Nickalls (63) has halved the deficit. Richard Harte (61), Conor Slattery (57), and William Crichton-Stuart (53) fill the remaining promotion berths.
It’s looking like a second term for El Presidente (63) in Division 5, whose majority over Tim Oldfield is four points. Ryan Thompson and Benjamin Fink (both 58) are tied for third, with Per Loholmen (54) completing the Top Five.
Ishan Bhatt and Josip Grgic (both 64 pts) are the joint leaders in Division 6. Iain McMahon (61) has dropped to third, with Paul Buchanan a further two points back. Andy Kiely and Michael Atherton (both 52) are lagging in joint fifth.
Wayne Sturman (65 pts) has extended his lead in Division 7, with Tharun Nair (58), Juho Kalliokusi (56), and Nick Fincher (54) struggling to keep up. John Choy and Melvin Mbabazi (both 55) are contesting the final promotion slot.
Claire Lodge (59 pts) has now taken residence at the top of Division 8, with Dejan Nikolic (56) dropping to second, and Robert Dovenberg, Ryan TMGB and Ilan Melchior (all 53) tied for the remaining promotion berths.
Michael Du Toit (59 pts) is continuing to keep the proles at bay in Division 9, but John Brooks and Stephen Woods (both 56) are on the case, and J Fletcher (55) and Tristan Maw (both 53) might still have something to say about it.
An explosive run of form has elevated Paul Whittenden (61 pts) to the summit of Division 10, ahead of Gareth Wynne (57), Alex Lau (56), and Sarang Samejo (55). The former leader, Simon Moran (54), is now languishing in the final promotion slot and nervously looking over his shoulder.
Andrew Gibson (67 pts) is the new leader in Division 11, and has a two-point margin over Andrew Dunbar. Both have daylight over a chasing pack led by John Cameron (58), Manickam P (55), and Nick Charlton (53).
Ken Liston’s lead in Division 12 has now been pegged back to three points, and Alex Daish (56), Dibbendu Mukherjee (55), Martin Savov and Wendy Darlington (both 52) will all fancy their chances.
It’s a quality Top Five in Division 13, where Steve North (62 pts) leads the way ahead of Robert Turner (61), Karl Morten Kringen (58), Aled Lewis (57), and Gavin Bendall-Bram (56), with the field trailing a further five points back.
The competition is just as hot in Division 14. Chris Spencer (59 pts) now has his nose in front, but Peter Cooper (58), Atte Kinnunen (56), Daragh Shirazi (55), and Ewan Price (53) are still in the reckoning.
In Division 15, Simon Smith (68 pts) and Geoff Browitt (65) continue to set the standard for a chasing pack led by Przemysław Rutkowski and Matty Delaney (both 58), and Ritesh Raichura (54). The winning post beckons for the Top Two.
There’s nothing between John H and Erik Void (both 66 pts) in Division 16, but FPL Connect (58) has lost contact, and Rima Gudka, Stephen Puddicombe, Danial Schallmayer, and Dohwodese Ohwovoriole (all 57) are disputing the remaining promotion slots.
League Six
With 76 points, a 13-point margin over his Division 30 rivals, and promotion already secured, Danny Schiffelers continues to set the standard in League Six. Dan Lambe (73) has also been fleecing the competition in Division 16; promotion is already assured, and one more point secures the league title. Aleksi Harri (71) has also secured promotion, and with a 16-point lead in Division 2, the title could be clinched as early as next week.
Peter Zelenika (70) has maintained his two-point lead in Division 6, and could clinch promotion next week; however, in Division 14, Lindsey Hurley (70) already has promotion in the bag, but with a five-point lead over second place, there’s still work to do to secure top spot. Vikas Mohandoss (70) has a seven-point lead in Division 31, but is already a shoo-in for promotion.
It’s a two-way race in Division 21, where John Hamilton-Ward and Dan Byrom (both 69) have opened up an 11-point gap over the competition; and as with Shales Moor (68), who leads by seven points in Division 12; and Matt Eyre (68), who leads by four points in Division 17, promotion should be secured imminently. That job is already done for Nat Chapman (68) in Division 26, but with a three-point lead, clinching the title still needs work.
Of the Managers on 67 points, Allen Houston (Division 19) won’t have a problem with his seven-point lead, which is matched by Kiernan Walsh in Division 29. David Hale has a two-point lead over Kunal Basu in Division 13, as does Adam Bell over Andrew Ray in Division 25. All are two wins away from securing promotion to League Five.
Gareth Aspden (66) has a seven-point lead in Division 10, but it’s tighter in Division 9, where Zoran Uzelac (65) leads Daniel Owen by a single point, and tighter still in Division 1, where there’s nothing to choose between Austin Fragzurp and David Hughes (both 65).
Of the Managers on 64 points, Paul Dryland, with an eight-point lead in Division 3, is the only one with daylight over the competition. Hampus Johansson has a three-point margin over Tin Nguyen in Division 20, as does Anders Söder Wintergren over Sean Baker in Division 22, and Carl Tetley over Steven Grieve in Division 28. It’s two-point leads for Adam Ryan over Christoffer Gundersen in Division 15, and for Mark Boland over Tanvir Ahmed in Division 18. Pratham Batra and Curtis Ledger are joint leaders in Division 23, as are George Derbyshire and Mike Steel in Division 32.
Chris Wojcikowski (62) has a three-point lead over a crowded chasing pack in Division 27; while Philly Blackett (61) has a five-point margin in Division 11; which is also the case for Matt Morgan (61) in Division 24. It’s just a three-point lead for Gavin Sousa (61) in Division 4; and finally, Ayan Saha (58) is the new leader in a very competitive Division 7.
League Seven
Samuel Price (75) offers the best value for money in League Seven, where he has already clinched promotion, and has a 17-point lead over his Division 27 rivals, so one more win for the title. Miroslav Basarić (74) has also clinched promotion from Division 52, but with a seven-point lead, still has work to do to finish first. It’s much the same for Simon Pyke (73), who has an eight-point lead in Division 11; however, Brannon Heath (73) still needs a win to confirm promotion from Division 9, but with a 10-point lead over the field, the title will surely follow. Swapnil Gupta (72) is also on track to confirm promotion in the next week or so, and has an eight-point margin in the battle for top spot.
David Wilson (71) has confirmed promotion from Division 42, and with a 13-point lead, it should soon become a title celebration. Donato Di Cicco (71) has also clinched promotion, but still has Imran Soomro (67) on his heels. Jeremy Rowe (70) has a 10-point lead in Division 39, and needs one more win to confirm promotion. Dali Milanovic (70) still needs a couple of wins to confirm promotion from Division 15, which would also help in seeing off the challenge from Amit Patil (65). Djordje Zivkovic (69) is nearly there in Division 13, and has a seven-point lead over the field.
Of the Managers on 67 points, Ivo Georgiev leads Carles Steve Fossi Fotso by three-point in Division 2; as does Ben Foster over Atang Bingana in Division 25; and Brian Melican over Jarvis Sheil in Division 41. Žyimantas Boguševičius leads Stefán Jóhannsson by just two points in Division 4; as does Miguel Ferriera over James Zhao in Division 7; Dan Smith over Ole Petter Hobbesland in Division 16; and Keith Walker over Michael Dodd in Division 54.
League Eight
Steve Coppins (78) is the top dog in League Eight, and has already clinched promotion, but still has Craig Miller (70) for company in the Division 8 title race. Filip Stamenov (77) has also secured promotion from Division 25, but has yet to shake off El Timbo (70). The four Managers on 76 points have all clinched promotion, but Sunny H (Division 4), and Glyn Francies (Division 71) only need four more points to win their respective Divisions. Tipsey Pee has an 11-point lead over the competition in Division 104; but Dan Furneaux still has Matt Tarmio (71) on his heels in Division 49.
Slavcho Zdravkov (75) has a 14-point lead in Division 41, so should soon be adding the title to his promotion celebrations. Daniel Beaver (74) still needs a point to confirm promotion, but with a 12-point lead in Division 121, there isn’t much jeopardy. Ian Turner (74) has confirmed promotion from Division 58, but Andrew England (68) is still hanging around in the title race. Aris Kovalenko (74) has also clinched promotion, and has opened up a five-point margin over his Division 113 rival, FPL Neil (69).
Of the Managers on 73 points, Paul Kaye maintains a 14-point advantage in Division 127, and has already secured promotion. Nathan has also clinched promotion from Division 88; as has Nick Dolamore in Division 109, and both have nine-point leads over their respective fields. Lionel Jacobs needs one more point to confirm his elevation from Division 62; as does Nigel Bennet in Division 82. The other League Eight Managers that have clinched promotion are Jason Royal (70) in Division 42, and Scott Rouse (71) in Division 95. Well done all.
League Nine
The star performers across all H2H Leagues are Rich Fox (Division 7) and Dai Thomas (Division 175), whose 80-point hauls are good for 12-point leads in their respective Divisions and, of course, promotion to League Eight. John Webb (79) has been equally impressive, but still has Ali Abdulla (71) in his rear-view mirror in Division 39; and in Division 15, Nikhil Narang (78) has a 10-point lead to go with his ticket to League Eight.
Of the Managers on 76 points, Andrew Kennedy leads his Division 216 rivals by 16 points; þorsteinn Magnússon’s advantage is 15 points in Division 59; while Adissen Vayavoory (Division 43), and Akshat Pardiwala (Division 186) both have 14-point margins. Gavin Cochrane has a nine-point lead in Division 70, but Lee Mason still has Toby Paul (70) for company in Division 55. All have clinched promotion; however, Andrew Rink still needs another point to seal the deal in Division 166.
Nomen Nescio (75) has an 11-point lead to go with his exit visa from Division 115; and the same score is good for an eight-point lead, and promotion from Division 117, for David Shead. Of the Managers on 74 points, Danny Brown (Division 50) and Helge Martens (Division 189) have 14-point leads; Richard L (Division 53) has a nine-point margin; and Matthew Short’s edge in Division 56 is eight-points. All have secured promotion, but Arkadiusz Loda (Division 57) still needs one more point.
The following Managers have also secured promotion to League Eight: Neil Kemp (Division 2), Samarth Bhardwaj (Division 6), Michael Price (Division 47), Majko D (Division 49), the other Neil Kemp (Division 52), Neil Fardy (Division 78), Alfie Weatherill (Division 98), Simon Honey (Division 103), Richard Emerson and Filip Beźnicki (Division 113), and Nick Robertson and Rajko Gojkovic (Division 130). Bravo.
We are continuing to follow career Hall of Fame leader, Fábio Borges, in his endeavours to escape from Division 172. With four successive wins since the last update, prospects should be on the rise; however, 49 points is only good enough for 10th, and is still 10 points short of the promotion slots, so more of the same is needed. Richard Joseph (70) continues to set the pace, followed by Chris Sparrow (66), Darren Lyttle (64), David Deasy (61), and Andy Tang (59).
I’ll be back with another round-up after GW36, but in the meantime, you can keep up to speed on your success, and get the goods on your competition, via MIR’s Head-to-Head Leagues page.
I’m off to update my CV. Stay safe.