[The Saucepan Man]

The Numenor v Buckland result doesn't surprise me. Numenor have one of the best defences in the tournament. And Buckland are hardly the team to breach it, as they have built their team around a lone striker, without giving him the support that he needs. However good Merry is (and he is), he's not going to score many with such an average midfield behind him.

Tol in Gaurhoth against the Misty Mountains was only surprising in the extent that Tol in Gaurhoth managed to put up a reasonable fight for the first half. The end result, however, was no surprise. Misty Mountains aren't an excellent team, but they are capable. Gwaihir is a class act and the Stone Giant is a powerful force up front. Tol in Gaurhoth, on the other hand, look distinctly average to me. The Cursed Villager's sending off was no doubt a result of frustration borne of the poor team spirit which I highlighted earlier.

The win over Mirkwood was an excellent result for Bree as, with the excellent Gondolin in their Group (and leaving aside the no-hopers of Wooton Major), it is likely to be between these two for the second qualifying position. The quality of Bree's defence is clear from the fact that they managed to keep out talented players like the Necromancer and the ace sharp-shooter, Legolas.

Finally, we were treated to a peach of a match in Rivendell v Ham. Bracing stuff! Rivendell aren't the team that they once were but, even though they lost, they still look to have something of the old magic about them. And Ham were a revelation. I knew that Farmer Giles and Tailbiter would combine well, but I was quite surprised by the quality of the support that they received from the Miller. I had thought him rather an average player, but I may have misjudged him. Ham could well give Rivendell a run for their money as Group runners up, although I remain confident that Doriath will top Group H.

PS Sleepy, any chance of posting the Group table in rich text format or pdf, as I can't open Word documents on my home computer?