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. A player must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident. Temporary visa holders are not eligible.
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
19.05.2025
Games
need 40
Peak (games)
Jun to Sep
Peak (games)
Oct to Jan
Peak (games)
Feb to May
VIC
David Eldar
2140.7597✓ 2130(41)2139(32)2147(24)
VIC
Edward Okulicz
1926.0091✓ 1949(58)1903(33)
QLD
Cameron Farlow
1911.25140✓ 1899(24)1914(50)1916(66)
VIC
Andrew Fisher
1903.7590✓ 1899(26)1930(40)1893(24)
VIC
Naween Fernando
1891.0083✓ 1947(26)1889(28)1864(29)
VIC
Peter Kougi
1876.25*23   1713(0)1948(16)1922(7)
VIC
Trevor Halsall
1846.00*115✓ 1880(58)1680(0)1912(57)
NSW
Joanne Craig
1813.00138✓ 1682(25)1820(58)1875(55)
SA
Daniel Piechnick
1797.50154✓ 1811(41)1811(47)1784(66)
NSW
Esther Perrins
1787.00*61✓ 1829(37)1629(0)1845(24)
NSW YES
Josh Watt
1782.25190✓ 1613(49)1810(91)1853(50)
NSW
Ryan Sutton
1770.75129✓ 1750(44)1743(54)1795(31)
SA
Max Mason
1733.25127✓ 1680(54)1675(20)1789(53)
VIC
Sumbul Siddiqui
1719.00*21   1643(0)1843(9)1695(12)
NSW
Tony Hunt
1717.50174✓ 1659(55)1713(60)1749(59)
NSW
Rod Talbot
1708.50207✓ 1763(67)1769(94)1651(46)
NSW
Bob Jackman
1707.75181✓ 1688(25)1697(102)1723(54)
TAS
Stephen Mooney Purse
1702.5022   1719(4)1686(18)

State Challenge


Contender
Q Stat
19.05.2025
Games
need 40
Peak (games)
Jun to Sep
Peak (games)
Oct to Jan
Peak (games)
Feb to May
SA1 MAYBE
Adam Kretschmer
1687.00113✓ 1641(42)1607(17)1750(54)
QLD1
Carmel Dodd
1686.00171✓ 1635(61)1683(46)1713(64)
VIC1
Michael Hornung
1678.50*5   1575(0)1782(5)
VIC2
Geoff Wright
1674.00162✓ 1642(60)1696(38)1679(64)
SA2
Jane Taylor
1663.00252✓ 1622(74)1710(89)1660(89)
VIC3
Nick Ivanovski
1658.75*67✓ 1431(8)1712(38)1746(21)
ACT1 YES
John Spaan
1655.25156✓ 1657(50)1696(50)1634(56)
ACT2
John Hamilton
1646.25126✓ 1653(46)1618(35)1657(45)
VIC4
Oscar Ivanovski
1631.75177✓ 1628(65)1661(59)1619(53)
VIC5
Mythili Rudra
1628.50*16   1511(0)1746(16)
ACT3
Noel Barrett
1620.50149✓ 1574(67)1624(35)1642(47)
SA3
Tony Miller
1618.00138✓ 1579(44)1599(34)1647(60)
NSW1
John Holgate
1595.00177✓ 1658(67)1592(72)1565(38)
QLD2 YES
Paul Richards
1568.50268✓ 1543(116)1621(77)1555(75)
VIC6
Alistair Kane
1564.75*11   1407(0)1632(6)1610(5)
QLD3
Jane Brown
1543.00106✓ 1568(50)1528(23)1538(33)
NSW2
Garth van Vliet
1539.00100✓ 1589(25)1543(51)1512(24)
TAS1
Jon Ford-King
1539.0075✓ 1489(29)1553(22)1557(24)
TAS2
Dianne Brumby
1535.5067✓ 1597(43)1474(24)
NSW3
Rocky Sharma
1534.0068✓ 1478(18)1542(42)1558(8)
VIC7
Nat Podesser
1513.7584✓ 1521(45)1506(27)1514(12)
NSW4
Rael Hayman
1509.00*6   1609(6)1409(0)
SA4
Antony Kimber
1505.00166✓ 1542(48)1538(45)1470(73)
SA5
Michael Vnuk
1505.00154✓ 1507(49)1489(36)1512(69)
NSW5
Graeme Lock Lee
1503.5079✓ 1517(14)1519(51)1489(14)
NSW6
Phillip Hamilton
1483.5050✓ 1457(18)1510(32)
NSW7
Greg Pinchbeck
1473.25164✓ 1469(50)1474(61)1475(53)
QLD4
Julie Brice
1469.00*51✓ 1526(17)1292(0)1529(34)
QLD5
Sheryl Davidson
1461.25138✓ 1482(60)1469(39)1447(39)
TAS3
Martin Rose
1454.5075✓ 1460(36)1440(18)1459(21)
SA6
Antonios Syrigos
1448.50*51✓ 1307(0)1515(6)1486(45)
ACT4
Tim Reddan
1447.25114✓ 1413(49)1470(41)1453(24)
QLD6
Guy Newsham
1427.00*34   1527(28)1327(0)
TAS4
Khen Meerding
1426.0035   1437(31)1415(4)
QLD7
Liz Blanch
1418.50157✓ 1481(76)1427(39)1383(42)
TAS5
Margaret Webb
1416.5027   1423(18)1410(9)
SA7
Francoise Finlayson
1390.25123✓ 1385(33)1366(18)1405(72)
ACT5
Caroline Scowcroft
1362.5087✓ 1353(23)1372(64)
TAS6
Ros Wilkinson
1314.2561✓ 1252(25)1321(22)1342(14)
ACT6
Lexia Smallwood
1311.5085✓ 1316(53)1278(8)1326(24)
ACT7
Madeleine Emerson
1272.00*16   1163(0)1381(16)
TAS7
Margaret Bishop
1241.2592✓ 1194(24)1221(23)1275(45)


Not going: Victor Tung, Karen Richards
Residency:
At this stage Carmel Dodd represents QLD (89 games as QLD and 82 games as SA).
At this stage Max Mason represents SA (79 games as SA and 48 games as WA).
Recently processed:
04.05.2025 Melville Tournament (WA) New peak for Sally Martin, Geoff Shepheard, Anne Zion
04.05.2025 Sunday Sessions 2 (VIC) New peak for Geoff Wright, Nat Podesser
09.05.2025 Friday Night (VIC)
10.05.2025 ACT May Tournament (ACT) New peak for Noel Barrett, Lexia Smallwood
10.05.2025 Seaford May (SA)
18.05.2025 May Mayhem (QLD) New peak for Sheryl Davidson
18.05.2025 SA May 4-4 (SA) New peak for Jane Taylor