ACC Internet Cribbage

It's official: Mike Fetchel wins it all

July 2004 wrap-up:
The final standings are in for our inaugural 2004 ACC Internet Cribbage season, and Mike Fetchel (mfetchCT425) of Middlefield, CT is cribbage's first official Internet Champion by an impressive margin. Scott Buhrow (MrB_IA218) of Louisville, KY rode a strong July to grab Second Place, while Kelly Ann Burgar (lil_thummper) of Edmonton, AB headed up the 300 IRP club that fills out our All-Internet team, with Marie Harrington (ma_lobs) of Ipswich, MA, Donald Olney (olney_1147) of Carievale, SA, Don Eastwood (NC310Crib) of Hillsborough, NC, William MacMillan (Bristlecone_1) of Cheyenne, WY, Ronald Ralston (rdr1231) of Hartford, IA, Mark Van Dyke (loosespokes1135) of Grand Haven, MI and Tom Lewis (pegfast) of Albuquerque, NM. All-Internet honors go to the ten players who amass the most IRPs in a season.

Fetchel's total of 669 IRPs (Internet Rating Points) in 50 tournaments is a remarkable accomplishment, giving him a 180 point margin of victory over his nearest competitor. By comparison, the range between 2nd and 10th Place was only 163 points. It was in April that Mike made his move, beginning the month in Third Place, but winning three tournaments and reaching the Finals in a fourth to assume the lead he never relinquished.

Our 2004 All-Internet team presents an interesting geographic mix, with two Canadians and a distribution of players from the Mountain, Central and Eastern time zones. Curiously absent were West Coast players, who make up the largest group of Grass Roots and Tournament Trail participants. This may be due in part to the early start time for our Monday evening tournaments, but it is also a reflection of the ability of ACC Internet Cribbage to reach players who don't have as much opportunity for sanctioned over-the-board play. Note the presence of players from places such as Kentucky, Saskatchewan, Wyoming, New Mexico and Iowa, none of which hosted more than one Tournament Trail event last season.

In all, 209 ACC members participated in our abbreviated first season (which ran from February 12 to July 31), with 169 earning IRPs. The top 10% of these (17 finishers in all) will receive invitations to the 2005 ACC Tournament of Champions. There were a total of 66 online events, including twelve double elimination events that count as multiple tournaments. These attracted over 5000 total participants (members and nonmembers), for an average of more than 75 per event — a huge number by Internet standards!

Our 2004–5 season will be a full year of exciting competition. It’s already underway, and we’re adding new member-only events in the longer and more challenging formats, such as double elimination. Single elimination tournaments will continue to be open to both members and non-members, as this has proven to be a great way to help publicize the ACC and expand its membership.

ACC Internet Cribbage tournaments take place at MSN Games by Zone.com. Read here about how to join us, and maybe be the next Internet Champion!

July Pegging Pals single elimination winners:

• Thursday, July 1
  Don Eastwood (NC310Crib) Hillsborough, NC
   
• Saturday, July 3
  Marie Harrington (ma_lobs) Ipswich, MA
   
• Saturday, July 10
  Linda A. Partain (cheeky_parrot1) Haverhill, MA
   
• Thursday, July 15
  Les Collins (puppieluv1745) Grants Pass, OR
   
• Saturday, July 17
  Jon Taylor (AZ389) Gilbert, AZ
   
• Thursday, July 22
  William MacMillan (Bristlecone_1) Cheyenne, WY
   
• Monday, July 26
  Donald Olney (olney_1147) Carievale, SA
   
• Thursday, July 29
  Tom Lewis (pegfast) Santa Fe, NM

July Double elimination winners (32-player maximum brackets):

• Monday, July 5
  Timothy Julkowski (Tim_Oregon2854) Portland, OR
  Ronald Ralston (rdr1231) Hartford, IA
   
• Monday, July 19
  Craig E. Jensen (firstfifteen) Salem, OR
  Kalei Anne Lundberg (pakratus) Bluemont, VA

(back...)

Copyright © 2004 by American Cribbage Congress. All rights reserved