2025 AUSTRALIAN MASTERS

Twenty of the top players will play the Australian Masters as a round robin in Victoria (The Glasshouse Caulfield Racecourse). At the same time, teams of three players from each of seven states or territories play the State Team Challenge as head-to-head matches.

Rule variation

Masters section has 5 point penalty for each word challenged but correct.

The contenders

The table below shows the teams according to qualification criteria set by the Council of the Australian Scrabble Players Association.
IMPORTANT: Selection processes will now give priority to Australian players who have told CASPA that they will attend or might attend. Send an email to nro@scrabble.org.au with the subject line including AMSC25, and an indication of YES, NO or MAYBE. Any Australian ASPA member may ask to be considered, not just the ones listed as contenders.

Australian Masters

The selection comprises the best twenty active players (those players who have played at least one game during the qualification period) ranked by Q statistic.

State Team Challenge

Each state team will comprise three eligible players who have not already been selected for the Masters event and are the next best three from their state, ranked by Q statistic.
If insufficient eligible players are available … If insufficient eligible players are available, the state will not be permitted to participate in the State Team Challenge for that year unless a maximum of one stand-in can be fielded before the tournament from any state (generally, but not necessarily, that state in which the tournament takes place). That stand-in must also meet the above criteria.
An eligible stand-in may also be fielded in the event of illness or other unforeseen circumstance during the tournament.

Selection by ratings

The primary criterion for ranking candidates is the Q statistic
Details

Players may appeal to CASPA for a special dispensation in exceptional circumstances. In the event of any unforeseen issue the decision of CASPA is final.



The Qstat is Q = (P1 + P2 + 2 x P3)/4 where P1, P2, P3 are peaks from Jun to Sep, Oct to Jan and Feb to May. Extrapolated Qstat is shown, together with the peak(games) in each period. 40 games required.



Australian Masters


Contender
Q Stat
09.02.2025
Games
need 40
Peak (games)
Jun to Sep
Peak (games)
Oct to Jan
Peak (games)
Feb to May
David Eldar (VIC) 2134.5073✓ 2130(41)2139(32)
Edward Okulicz (VIC) 1926.0091✓ 1949(58)1903(33)
Andrew Fisher (VIC) 1914.5066✓ 1899(26)1930(40)
Cameron Farlow (QLD) 1906.5074✓ 1899(24)1914(50)
Naween Fernando (VIC) 1891.0059✓ 1947(26)1889(28)1864(5)
Trevor Halsall (VIC) 1841.50*63✓ 1880(58)1680(0)1903(5)
Peter Kougi (VIC) 1830.50*16   1713(0)1948(16)
Daniel Piechnick (SA) 1781.0094✓ 1811(41)1811(47)1751(6)
Rod Talbot (NSW) 1766.00161✓ 1763(67)1769(94)
Joanne Craig (NSW) 1751.0083✓ 1682(25)1820(58)
Ryan Sutton (NSW) 1746.5098✓ 1750(44)1743(54)
Esther Perrins (NSW) 1729.00*37   1829(37)1629(0)
Josh Watt (NSW) YES 1711.50140✓ 1613(49)1810(91)
Stephen Mooney Purse(TAS) 1702.5022   1719(4)1686(18)
Bob Jackman (NSW) 1692.50127✓ 1688(25)1697(102)
Tony Hunt (NSW) 1686.00115✓ 1659(55)1713(60)
Michael Hornung (VIC) 1678.50*5   1575(0)1782(5)

State Challenge


Contender
Q Stat
09.02.2025
Games
need 40
Peak (games)
Jun to Sep
Peak (games)
Oct to Jan
Peak (games)
Feb to May
John Spaan (ACT1) 1676.50100✓ 1657(50)1696(50)
Geoff Wright (VIC1) 1669.0098✓ 1642(60)1696(38)
Carmel Dodd (SA1) 1659.00107✓ 1635(61)1683(46)
John Hamilton (ACT2) 1635.5081✓ 1653(46)1618(35)
Oscar Ivanovski (VIC2) 1631.75133✓ 1628(65)1661(59)1619(9)
Mythili Rudra (VIC3) 1628.50*16   1511(0)1746(16)
Jane Taylor (SA2) 1625.00183✓ 1622(74)1710(89)1584(20)
John Holgate (NSW1) 1625.00139✓ 1658(67)1592(72)
Adam Kretschmer (SA3) MAYBE 1624.0059✓ 1641(42)1607(17)
Karen Richards (QLD1) YES 1618.50215✓ 1656(136)1581(79)
Noel Barrett (ACT3) 1599.00102✓ 1574(67)1624(35)
Tony Miller (SA4) 1589.0078✓ 1579(44)1599(34)
Paul Richards (QLD2) YES 1582.00193✓ 1543(116)1621(77)
Nick Ivanovski (VIC4) 1571.50*50✓ 1431(8)1712(38)
Garth van Vliet (NSW2) 1566.0076✓ 1589(25)1543(51)
Alistair Kane (VIC5) 1564.75*11   1407(0)1632(6)1610(5)
Jane Brown (QLD3) 1548.0073✓ 1568(50)1528(23)
Dianne Brumby (TAS1) 1535.5067✓ 1597(43)1474(24)
Jon Ford-King (TAS2) 1521.0051✓ 1489(29)1553(22)
Graeme Lock Lee (NSW3) 1518.0065✓ 1517(14)1519(51)
Nat Podesser (VIC6) 1513.5072✓ 1521(45)1506(27)
Rocky Sharma (NSW4) 1510.0060✓ 1478(18)1542(42)
Rael Hayman (NSW5) 1509.00*6   1609(6)1409(0)
Michael Vnuk (SA5) 1498.0085✓ 1507(49)1489(36)
Carol Johnsen (VIC7) 1484.0039   1494(19)1474(20)
Chris Ostrowski (NSW6) 1483.50131✓ 1472(37)1495(94)
Phillip Hamilton (NSW7) 1483.5050✓ 1457(18)1510(32)
Sheryl Davidson (QLD4) 1475.5099✓ 1482(60)1469(39)
Antony Kimber (SA6) 1475.0099✓ 1542(48)1538(45)1410(6)
Liz Blanch (QLD5) 1454.00115✓ 1481(76)1427(39)
Tim Reddan (ACT4) 1441.5090✓ 1413(49)1470(41)
Martin Rose (TAS3) 1439.5068✓ 1460(36)1440(18)1429(14)
Guy Newsham (QLD6) 1427.00*28   1527(28)1327(0)
Khen Meerding (TAS4) 1426.0035   1437(31)1415(4)
Margaret Webb (TAS5) 1416.5027   1423(18)1410(9)
Antonios Syrigos (SA7) 1411.00*6   1307(0)1515(6)
Julie Brice (QLD7) 1409.00*17   1526(17)1292(0)
Caroline Scowcroft (ACT5) 1362.5087✓ 1353(23)1372(64)
Ros Wilkinson (TAS6) 1314.2561✓ 1252(25)1321(22)1342(14)
Lexia Smallwood (ACT6) 1297.0061✓ 1316(53)1278(8)
Madeleine Emerson (ACT7) 1272.00*16   1163(0)1381(16)
Margaret Bishop (TAS7) 1232.2561✓ 1194(24)1221(23)1257(14)


Not going: Victor Tung, Sumbul Siddiqui
Residency:
At this stage Max Mason represents WA (48 games as WA and 26 games as SA).
At this stage Carmel Dodd represents SA (82 games as SA and 25 games as QLD).
Recently processed:
26.01.2025 CITY OF SYDNEY MASTERS (NSW) New peak for Josh Watt, Joanne Craig, Ryan Sutton, Carmel Dodd, Graeme Lock Lee, Noel Barrett
01.02.2025 40th Birthday Event (VIC) New peak for Trevor Halsall, Naween Fernando, Oscar Ivanovski, Alistair Kane
02.02.2025 SA February (SA) New peak for Daniel Piechnick, Antony Kimber, Jane Taylor
07.02.2025 Friday Night 070225 (VIC)
08.02.2025 Ulverstone Saturday (TAS) New peak for Margaret Bishop, Ros Wilkinson, Martin Rose
09.02.2025 February Bisection (WA) New peak for Russell Honeybun, David Vanzyl, Ian Ting, Benjamin Lee, Geoff Shepheard, Anne Zion
09.02.2025 Ulversstone Sunday (TAS) New peak for Margaret Bishop