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
21.04.2025
Games
need 40
Peak (games)
Jun to Sep
Peak (games)
Oct to Jan
Peak (games)
Feb to May
David Eldar (VIC) 2140.7597✓ 2130(41)2139(32)2147(24)
Edward Okulicz (VIC) 1926.0091✓ 1949(58)1903(33)
Cameron Farlow (QLD) 1911.25123✓ 1899(24)1914(50)1916(49)
Andrew Fisher (VIC) 1903.7590✓ 1899(26)1930(40)1893(24)
Naween Fernando (VIC) 1891.0083✓ 1947(26)1889(28)1864(29)
Peter Kougi (VIC) 1876.25*23   1713(0)1948(16)1922(7)
Trevor Halsall (VIC) 1846.00*115✓ 1880(58)1680(0)1912(57)
Joanne Craig (NSW) 1813.00138✓ 1682(25)1820(58)1875(55)
Daniel Piechnick (SA) 1797.50150✓ 1811(41)1811(47)1784(62)
Esther Perrins (NSW) 1787.00*61✓ 1829(37)1629(0)1845(24)
Josh Watt (NSW) YES 1782.25190✓ 1613(49)1810(91)1853(50)
Ryan Sutton (NSW) 1770.75129✓ 1750(44)1743(54)1795(31)
Max Mason (SA) 1733.25119✓ 1680(54)1675(20)1789(45)
Tony Hunt (NSW) 1717.50166✓ 1659(55)1713(60)1749(51)
Rod Talbot (NSW) 1708.50207✓ 1763(67)1769(94)1651(46)
Bob Jackman (NSW) 1707.75181✓ 1688(25)1697(102)1723(54)
Stephen Mooney Purse(TAS) 1702.5022   1719(4)1686(18)
Adam Kretschmer (SA) MAYBE 1687.00108✓ 1641(42)1607(17)1750(49)

State Challenge


Contender
Q Stat
21.04.2025
Games
need 40
Peak (games)
Jun to Sep
Peak (games)
Oct to Jan
Peak (games)
Feb to May
Carmel Dodd (SA1) 1686.00163✓ 1635(61)1683(46)1713(56)
Michael Hornung (VIC1) 1678.50*5   1575(0)1782(5)
Geoff Wright (VIC2) 1673.00157✓ 1642(60)1696(38)1677(59)
Jane Taylor (SA2) 1661.00239✓ 1622(74)1710(89)1656(76)
Nick Ivanovski (VIC3) 1658.75*62✓ 1431(8)1712(38)1746(16)
John Spaan (ACT1) YES 1655.25148✓ 1657(50)1696(50)1634(48)
John Hamilton (ACT2) 1646.25126✓ 1653(46)1618(35)1657(45)
Oscar Ivanovski (VIC4) 1631.75172✓ 1628(65)1661(59)1619(48)
Mythili Rudra (VIC5) 1628.50*16   1511(0)1746(16)
Noel Barrett (ACT3) 1620.00141✓ 1574(67)1624(35)1641(39)
Karen Richards (QLD1) YES 1619.75301✓ 1656(136)1581(79)1621(86)
Tony Miller (SA3) 1618.00129✓ 1579(44)1599(34)1647(51)
John Holgate (NSW1) 1595.00177✓ 1658(67)1592(72)1565(38)
Paul Richards (QLD2) YES 1568.50254✓ 1543(116)1621(77)1555(61)
Alistair Kane (VIC6) 1564.75*11   1407(0)1632(6)1610(5)
Jane Brown (QLD3) 1543.0098✓ 1568(50)1528(23)1538(25)
Garth van Vliet (NSW2) 1539.00100✓ 1589(25)1543(51)1512(24)
Jon Ford-King (TAS1) 1539.0075✓ 1489(29)1553(22)1557(24)
Dianne Brumby (TAS2) 1535.5067✓ 1597(43)1474(24)
Rocky Sharma (NSW3) 1534.0068✓ 1478(18)1542(42)1558(8)
Rael Hayman (NSW4) 1509.00*6   1609(6)1409(0)
Antony Kimber (SA4) 1505.00153✓ 1542(48)1538(45)1470(60)
Michael Vnuk (SA5) 1505.00141✓ 1507(49)1489(36)1512(56)
Graeme Lock Lee (NSW5) 1503.5079✓ 1517(14)1519(51)1489(14)
Nat Podesser (VIC7) 1500.2579✓ 1521(45)1506(27)1487(7)
Phillip Hamilton (NSW6) 1483.5050✓ 1457(18)1510(32)
Greg Pinchbeck (NSW7) 1473.25164✓ 1469(50)1474(61)1475(53)
Julie Brice (QLD4) 1469.00*51✓ 1526(17)1292(0)1529(34)
Martin Rose (TAS3) 1454.5075✓ 1460(36)1440(18)1459(21)
Sheryl Davidson (QLD5) 1451.25121✓ 1482(60)1469(39)1427(22)
Antonios Syrigos (SA6) 1448.50*51✓ 1307(0)1515(6)1486(45)
Tim Reddan (ACT4) 1447.25106✓ 1413(49)1470(41)1453(16)
Guy Newsham (QLD6) 1427.00*34   1527(28)1327(0)
Khen Meerding (TAS4) 1426.0035   1437(31)1415(4)
Martin Waterworth (QLD7) 1416.75175✓ 1351(83)1414(39)1451(53)
Margaret Webb (TAS5) 1416.5027   1423(18)1410(9)
Francoise Finlayson (SA7) 1390.25118✓ 1385(33)1366(18)1405(67)
Caroline Scowcroft (ACT5) 1362.5087✓ 1353(23)1372(64)
Ros Wilkinson (TAS6) 1314.2561✓ 1252(25)1321(22)1342(14)
Lexia Smallwood (ACT6) 1303.5077✓ 1316(53)1278(8)1310(16)
Madeleine Emerson (ACT7) 1272.00*16   1163(0)1381(16)
Margaret Bishop (TAS7) 1241.2592✓ 1194(24)1221(23)1275(45)


Not going: Victor Tung, Sumbul Siddiqui
Residency:
At this stage Max Mason represents SA (71 games as SA and 48 games as WA).
At this stage Carmel Dodd represents SA (82 games as SA and 81 games as QLD).
Recently processed:
11.04.2025 Friday Night 11 April (VIC)
11.04.2025 Mindsport April (QLD)
13.04.2025 Joy Deans Memorial (WA) New peak for Anne Zion
13.04.2025 LansVale Minds (NSW) New peak for Tony Hunt
17.04.2025 Warmup (SA) New peak for John Hamilton, Julie Brice
18.04.2025 Mindsport Adelaide (SA)
19.04.2025 National Championship and Plate (SA) New peak for David Eldar, Adam Kretschmer, Joanne Craig, Josh Watt, Esther Perrins, Max Mason, Jane Taylor, Ryan Sutton, Andrew Fisher, Tony Hunt, Sally Martin, Noel Barrett, Antony Kimber, Geoff Shepheard, Jon Ford-King, Garth van Vliet