Although there were many surprises along the way, there was little surprise as to the winner of the first annual Coppa di Primavera. As expected, the current holder of the Golden Hammer, EBMB, took home the hardware at the end of the evening. It wasn’t without a few very, very good fights along the way. Kong followed up his first round loss to Fosbury with a commanding march up the consolation bracket and into the finals. There he became the only player to beat EBMB on the night, forcing a finals replay in the double elimination tournament. It was there that the march abruptly stopped. The Snipper ended the Good King’s bid the same way he had opened his tournament: with a decisive shutout. Fosbury added to his growing reputation as a deadly singles draw, edging out SA in the second round. He then fell to EBMB in a tight match before being swept out of the tourney when Kong emphatically avenged his first round defeat. Zulu lived up to his pre-match billing as a dark horse by shutting out SA, but ran smack into the Kong-train, ending his night. Statty put up an effort, but was no match for the night’s elite, losing to the Snipper and then Kong. SA’s night was surely a disappointment, as the Silent Assassin was silenced by Fosbury’s  strong efforts and the aforementioned surprise shutout. Chairman made SA work in the first round, but became the first to exit, becoming one of the many to be swiftly dismissed by Kong. Despite getting shut out and going winless, Ellsmore was in it until the end. In fact, there is still a slim chance that he could still win. There is also a slim chance that he and Zulu are still playing their tediously long match. All in all, the tourney was a great exhibition of shuffleboard skill. It also served as great first part of the celebration of 4000 years of the Thirsty Fathers.

The second part of the celebration was nearly as beautiful. Following a exquisitely chosen route by the Good King Lebold, the group traveled to the Vendetta in perfect riding conditions. The sights, sounds, and smells of the early spring night were a feast for the senses. The group arrived at the Vendetta to a magnum of champagne and glasses all set out. A whiskey round followed, for which Fiona Ritchie joined us from the Thistle & Shamrock radio show. The visit came as no surprise, it being Robert Burns birthday and all.  The night made an abrupt turn when the lights of the Vendetta came on …