Skitterleap Predictions

So this weekend we have Skitterleap and as is traditional before these events I like to run my eye over the field and give my predictions.

So without further ado here are my Top Five:

#5 - Joel Van de Ven-Long (Empire)

I pick Joel to finish in the Top 5 every event and he always let's me down. Now the astute amongst you will know that Joel is not attending Skitterleap this year…..however I am not going to let a little thing like that impinge on the long record of disappointment he has built up.

#4 - Sam Campbell (Daemons of Chaos)

Sam will try and kid you that he is bringing a soft or fluffy army, however that is a lie. As a founder member of the "Kapiti Push-It-Forward Club", he would have to sell his house if he brought anything but nails. A list with Bloodthirster, ambushing Flesh Hounds and two Skullcannons is not soft. I will be keeping a very close eye on his game with Hamish Gordon to ensure that no shenanigans occur. Rumours have started to surface that he is going to lie on his back and let Hamish tickle his tummy to ensure Kapiti has two participants at the upcoming Masters.

#3 - Peter Williamson (High Elves)

He'll try and fox you that he's a good player, list builder and tactian…..but we all know better than that. Peter's strategy is not to drop too many points when he plays with the Big Boys Day One so he can score 40 points Day Two clubbing baby seals and sneaking into Third Place. Pride, Peter! It's not just a word in the dictionary.

#2 - Hamish Gordon (Warriors of Chaos)

"Finally….Hamish has come back to the Warriors of Chaos"

For those of you who don't know Hamish rage-quit WoC earlier in the year as the new book had neutered the army and it had all the hitting power of a sick puppy. In this, I believe, he may have been unique in the world. The intervening months have shown that WoC may not be quite as week as he first thought. And surely if he need any further evidence that his initial view might have been a little awry, the fact that Charlie St. Clair is all over them, like Len Brown at a Yum Char, should give him a clue.

This will be the event Hamish emerges from the cocoon of disappointment. The only thing standing between him and the podium is the Painting Judge.

#1 - Rory Finnemore (Vampire Counts)

It pains me to do this but I am picking someone from "up North" to take it out. They are a pretty motley bunch but fresh from his success in Tauranga and Guardcon, Rory….this is your time.

The big question is whether the switch from Empire to Vamps will slow him down. Many of you might remember Rory's bold claims earlier this year that "Any idiot can win with Skaven" before displaying by his abject failure with the rats at Equinox that he perhaps overestimated his own capabilities and didn't reach the bar of that particular idiot.

Still the world loves a trier and I am picking Rory to march off with this event.

As to the other awards, I'm not keen to pick the painting prizes. However I am expecting myself to be a shoo-in for Best Sportsman (given my previous Best Sportsmanship wins at GW GTs). The only thing that can hamper my securing this award is the fact that I am having a molar removed this afternoon and may still be a tad ornery come the weekend. However I'm sure my sunny disposition will overcome even this hurdle. On that basis, "C. Lock it in Eddie".