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Message-ID: <395C85E1.DC7D569E@srv1.mech.ed.ac.uk>
Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2000 12:34:57 +0100
From: Tim Rogers <trogers@srv1.mech.ed.ac.uk>
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To: britdisc@csv.warwick.ac.uk
Subject: The top 8
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Isn't the whole top 8 issue is getting out of hand?

I realise that there are advantages to being in the top 8: getting beat
(so you can improve) by the best teams in the country, and some sense of
achievement due to quantifying team improvement.  However, being in the
top 8 is becoming some kind of status symbol.

The fact is that that there is only a minute difference between teams
positioned 8 and 9, and that the variance in standard of a given team is
pretty high:  most teams never field exactly the same set of players for
every tour.

People generally seem to be opposed to the idea of a nationals where a
team can drop out of, or move up into the top 8.  Personally, I think it
is silly, especially when a team which clearly should be able to win
Nationals will not have the opportunity.

If people bother to read it, the tourny format that I put forward would
allow such a system and would avoid the so called "Pool of Death".  Note
also that if people really do want to keep top 8 seperate from 9-16, the
system works equally well for 8, just with one less game.  5 games in a
weekend, as opposed to 6.

Usual disclaimers apply.

Tim
Ro-Sham-Bo