Sunday 27th January saw Rich Jones run a fantastic one day tournament for Dreadball called Copperbowl. He organised it for the charity 'Help for Heroes' and hoped to get a few like-minded friends turn up and play a few games. What he ended up with was a monster of a tournament with players battling it out on a variety of pitches including the coveted Tabletop Nation pitch!

Rich Jones brings us the details hot from his blog:

Evenin’ Dreadball fans! Its Quentin Barnes and Vic the Orx with the impossible to pronounce name here to bring you all the news on today’s Copper Bowl… Proudly Sponsored by ManticCorp Games. ‘The best in holo-reality table top gaming’; Tabletop Nation Enterprises ‘the only places in the Universes to be seen playing’ and Twisties, ‘the snack every species loves’. Let me begin by saying if you missed the action today you missed an awesome day of DB action…

They sure did QB, I was so excited all day I almost forgot my second lunch, at one point I almost had to resort to eating that Veer-myn reporter next to me…

Now now Vic, don’t tease the listeners like that… Some may think you are serious, apologise to the gentle folks …

Sorry QB, sorry folks at home, I wasn’t serious … He was a skinny little un, wouldn’t have filled me …

Anyway folks, we could tell at the start of the day that there were going to be quite a few shocks during the day with new coaches and new teams stamping their presence on the more established sides.

That’s right QB there were quite a few new coaches in there, some even with teams in borrowed or ‘no sponsored’ kit who caused quite a stir. Like my bruvvers from the outer hot zone reaches, the Tohn Gaah, they gave a good account of themselves all day with their new coach, Stevo ‘the scarf’ Fase.

And the turn up of the tournament, the Plecostomus Knights Corp team, they arrived in borrowed kit, with no sponsor and James B. as their coach, rumour has it they were only formed 24 hours earlier yet breezed through their first two matches with landslide victories, if they hadn’t have run themselves into the pitch by the last match they would have placed higher than their 5^th place I feel.There were 18 teams in all and everyone played 3 matches except for the Kekoa Nai’a and the Corporate Crashers who fell foul to the late arrival of the Crashers meaning they only got to play 3 matches.

Hah hah, there were reports the Kekoa coach Rich ‘surfer dude’ J was not that laid back and relaxed in the dug out when he heard last minute drop outs to the tournament meant he missed out on any chance of the trophy… You humans are funny, if he’d been an Orx it would have been easy … Quick visit to the dressing rooms, one quick meal later, one missing coach … equal teams again, all sorted …

Vic, Vic, you know those days are over, the DGB agreement on diplomatic immunity for visiting teams doesn’t even stretch that far, you can’t just eat your opposition anymore…

Maybe not QB but things were a damn lot easier when you could …

To me the major shock of the tournament was how the Green Tray Stackers performed. We had been watching this Forge Fathers team in the pre-season games and their coach. Ian ‘Angry Boss’ Dawes had them playing awesomely well. On the day they couldn’t seem to do a thing right with a final score of just the one point and a huge strike difference. I’m sure though the Stackers will be a team to watch out for around the tournaments this season.

Or maybe the stuntie little f…

VIC! … Sorry folks Vics a bit hyped up, he’s been drinking Rad Orx and eating Roast Veermyn flavoured Twisties all day.

Sorry QB, sorry folks at home… What I meant to say was maybe the Forge Fathers are a bit out of their depth playing in the major leagues where they have to play in modified G arenas, not the high G ones of  the FF Minor Leagues…

Try telling that to the teams that got trounced by the Asgard Devils. Their coach Ole ‘Smiley’ Ellenhoj had them firing all day… their 3^rdrush landslide 7-0 win in the second round of games was on of the highlights of the day. With 3 wins out of the 4 games with the only loss being an over time loss he was doing the Forge Fathers proud.

QB I loved watching the big hits those nippers were putting in on the last game against the Kekoa Nai’a …Reminded me of my early years, how Alva, the Nai’a striker survived that big hit was beyond me.

The dolphins would have been in trouble if Alva had gone down, Foo was already in line for the re-juve tank after the rush 2 hit, literally, took his head off. Alva looked finished, the gasp the crowd gave when he pulled himself to his feet, even the Asgard Guard shook his hand. (Alva survived a 9-1 slam ) . The long multi-jump journey from Denmarkius Sector didn’t seem to tire them. Certainly a team to look out for in any tournaments in the Europia Quadrant.

It was probably their kit that put their opponents off QB … I ain’t seen anything like that since I walked into that bar in So-Ho last time we were in Londonia 1. Asgard Devils more like Asgard…

Vic… what did you make of the eventual winners, the ‘Golden Turtles’ … only recently formed but with a long time ManticCorp coach they look like they might be the team to beat this season. Having a clean run, winning the trophy with four landslide victories the human team worked well together.

I don’t know QB, on the face of it it looks like they will stamp over all their opposition this season. But they were not as dominant as they looked. To me it was the shrewd tactic of their coach Leon ‘It’s mine’ Chapman who took the ‘Enforcer’ for the last two games while most other coaches were opting for the legal team ‘performance enhancing’ implants. Granny Orx, was that Enforcer on fire! Although to me QB a jet pack has no place on the DB pitch… No matter who it belongs to. If someone wants to jump so high and long they should have to settle for the old method … my size 28 boot up their ar…

Vic… I know lots of people would agree with you there but all coaches had access to him and the other DGB MVPs who had been flown in for the tournament. (from round three the coaches could choose between a MVP, an extra card for 2 coach dice, most went for the dice). He did make a big impression, especially in that last game where the Hamon Outlaws and their coach Mike Clark could have stolen the trophy if they had pulled off a landslide win. But it was not to be.

The day didn't pit the father and son coaches against each other thankfully, no one wants to see a family dispute erupt on the benches. Luke ‘MR’ Wilson and Dominic ‘the kid’ Wilson had very differing fortunes on the day… MR and his human side came a very close second place, only the failure to secure a landslide win in the last game kept him out of contention. Meanwhile, I’m afraid the newly formed Orxland Raiders have a lot to learn if they are planning to stay in the Major Leagues…

QB I was ashamed to call them bruvvers … they even only managed one kill during the day. If I was their clan master there would be some backside whuppin’ going on tonight I can tell you. Wilson had better get his act together before the sponsors get hungry I can tell you …. Might be the dearest bit of sashimi ever seen if he don’t get his shi…

Vic… remember we are going out Galactic wide, we don’t want to upset our viewers even more…
Yeh, Sorry QB, sorry folks at home but I was ashamed of them man… At least the Tohn- Gaah bought pride to the Orx family. They took home a trophy, which makes me so proud…
But Vic, wasn’t that a trophy for the best kit, in other words a fashion trophy … I thought you always said that fashion should stay in the western reaches of the Galactic Quadrants and has nothing to do with the ‘one true game’ …

Well QB, I’s got to move with da times … A trophy is a trophy after all… And in my opinion The Prowlers deserved the most kills trophy…

I’ll remind you of that next time Vic… Talking of Trophies the ‘most kills’ trophy went, perhaps surprisingly. to the Big Moon Buccaneers, a human team not known for their hard hitting. Their coach must have riled them up before their last game where there two kills made 4 for the tournament and meant they just snatched the trophy.

Let’s turn our attention to the Veer-myn teams, before the tournament the rumour was that this season would be dominated by the Veer-myn teams…

Well QB they sure do taste good with a little garlic, they been dominatin’ Orx haute de cwisine for centuries now… Dem roast Veer twisties are growing on me two, last pack I ate only saw me hurlin’ like a human on all you can drink and eat galactic cruise…

Vic, you can’t keep going on about how they taste, people find it offensive…

Offensive … You just have to make sure you cook them well and bang them about a bit to start with to make them more tender like… NO… I mean your comments Vic…
Oh… Sorry QB, sorry folks at home…

The highest placers were the New Orpheus Sneaks, their coach Nick ‘beardo’ Ellingworth made sure they showed that they were worthy winners of the 15mc third prize chip. Another team to look out for during the season… LV426 Raiders were another Veer-myn team who caused their opposition trouble during the day. White, their coach proved they could, contrary to belief, strike! Teams will not be looking forward to visits from the Raiders this season. The Veerminators, a new team, who were formed just before the tournament impressed with their mid table finish, Jonah, their coach, would have taken a lot from the tournament and I’m sure will be figuring in the top places around the quadrant this season. The team which probably, based on what we had seen pre-season, underachieved the most in the tournament was the ‘Beer Money’ human franchise. Some of us oldies might still remember the franchise from the UFC/WWF glam tournaments shown in the reruns on ISPN channel 00LD…

Only this time QB it appears they were using their Beer Money just before the tournament, they didn’t seem to start playing until the 3^rd match… no Beer for them for a while I imagine, serves them right I reckon, waxing belongs on the car not on a chest…

Now, now Vic… It’s true though many people expected more out of the team, including their coach Rich ‘the hair’ Cooke… I still feel that there is a lot more to be seen from the Beer Money this season, especially in the ‘Twisties Intergalactic Snack’ – the snack every species loves – League where they currently head the League.

So all in all a fantastic start to the season proper for Dreadball fans throughout the galaxies… Perhaps the words of Chris Wall,  the C3PO human team coach (the team comprises of penal officers who get together for the love of the game) sums the day up when he said,“That was a jolly bloody good day out chaps. I thoroughly enjoyed playing and not beating some of you.”

Rest assured myself and Vic (if they haven’t fired him by then) will be here to bring you all the latest DB news as the season unfolds… Keep safe and may all your strikes be on target!

Hey QB we finished? I've been dying to tell you, I figured why they are called Golden Turtles … when you put them on their back and smash through the shell the sweat makes them taste just like sea-food … here’s one I’m just trying…might make me shi…**********TRANSMISSION CUT BY STATION MANAGER**********

Many thanks to Rich Jones for this ace bit of reporting! If you want to get involved with Dreadball grab a team and head on over to the events pages to see when the next one is running!