The Andover Subbuteo Club held its regular monthly Open Day on Sunday (28 November) Subbuteo enthusiasts travelled from Portsmouth and Didcot to compete in a friendly tournament with owner Chris Burford and local player Jon Willing.
Jason who travelled from Portsmouth was very impressed with the Andover club. He is a member of the Solent Subbuteo Club in Hedge End and travels all over the country to compete in league tournaments. He also paints and restores table football figures to a very high standard.
Jon and Shaun are both newcomers to the game with neither of them having played since childhood until they took it up again during lockdown. It was a new experience for Shaun to play against others as he has no Subbuteo clubs near his home in Didcot so has had no choice but to play on his own.
Jon, who is local, regularly plays at the Andover Club and is improving his game all the time with practice. The four players, including Chris, played a round robin tournament which was won easily by Jason. He beat Shaun 5.0 and went on to beat both Jon and Chris 4.0 to win the fabulous prize of a bag of chocolates.
Shaun, then had a second game with Jon. They were very evenly matched ability wise, and it ended in a 0.0 draw. Chris took on Jason for another match. Again Jason’s skill and experience shone through giving him a 3.0 victory but to Chris’ credit he did have one very good shot at goal.
Chris also has several other retro table soccer games, all in very good condition, which visitors to the club can play.These include Subbuteo Express 5-a-side, Pro Active Football and Striker League Champions 5-a-side.
Visiting the club is by appointment only and Chris can be contacted on 07956361149 or via his Facebook page, The Andover Subbuteo Club. The opening hours are Wednesday evenings 5.30 – 7.30pm and also on Sundays once a month 11.00am – 3.00pm. The open day will take place on 30 January. Booking is essential.
Chris told Andover Radio, “I am very grateful for the help and support I have received from all the visitors to the club so far and I would love to see more local faces like Jon popping in”
Go along and have a look and a ‘flick’. Help Chris to bring Subbuteo back and make it as popular as it was in the 70s!
