Latest news with #WorldTeamChampionships
New Straits Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Sivasangari survives scare to reach British Open third round
KUALA LUMPUR: Asian champion S. Sivasangari is through to the third round of the British Open, but only after a stern test from India's rising star Anahat Singh in Birmingham on Monday. The world No. 9 Malaysian, who received a first-round bye, was made to work hard before finally subduing world No. 57 Anahat 12-10, 9-11, 11-8, 11-7 in a 45-minute battle. She will now face Japan's world No. 7 Satomi Watanabe on Tuesday for a place in the quarter-finals. Satomi, a finalist at last month's Palm Hills Open in Egypt, breezed through her second-round match, needing just 20 minutes to dispatch France's Melissa Alves 11-8, 11-5, 11-1. The clash between Asia's top two stars promises to be a fierce contest, with Satomi holding a slight edge after defeating Sivasangari at the World Team Championships in Hong Kong in December. National coach Ajaz Azmat said it was a solid start for the Malaysian, but warned that the scare from Anahat should serve as a wake-up call. "Anahat really gave Sivasangari some anxious moments," said Ajaz. "She took a 10-8 lead in the first game, and although Sivasangari clawed her way back, she had to dig deep after dropping the second. "A win is a win, and now she'll turn her focus to the next challenge." Looking ahead, Ajaz admitted the match against Satomi will be a major test. "Satomi has been in excellent form lately. Sivasangari will have to be at her absolute best to book her place in the quarter-finals," he said.
ABC News
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Albany tabletop gamer travels to UK for Bolt Action world championships
Bob Quinn describes himself as an avid miniature tabletop gamer, but says his friends often call him "one of the gamiest players in Albany". Based in the regional Western Australian city, about 420 kilometres south of Perth, his shed became a hub for preparations to join the team representing Australia at the World Team Championships for Bolt Action in the UK city of Sheffield. The World War II-themed game is played on a board, with each move of miniature pieces such as tanks and soldiers meticulously measured and dependent on your dice roll as you work to win the battle or carry out the mission. Bob Quinn has spent months preparing for the championship. ( ABC Great Southern: Rosemary Murphy ) "The prep is playing games, testing stuff, this works, this doesn't," Mr Quinn said. " The last three months I've been trying to get at least a game in a week and then getting people to tell me what they think. " Each individual piece is painted by the players. "There's two side to this; there's the playing of the games and there's what is called the hobby which is the painting, the building of the terrain," Mr Quinn said. Players paint their own miniatures and often make their own scenery. ( ABC Great Southern: Rosemary Murphy ) First time competing Australia has two teams competing at this weekend's event. Members are from various parts of the country, which means preparation has been challenging. World Team Championships organiser Dave Nolan said it was the first time Australian Bolt Action teams were competing. Organisers say the Bolt Action event continues to grow in popularity. ( Supplied: Dave Nolan ) Competitions are also held for Star Wars Legion and Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game. "Bolt Action has had a 10 per cent growth from last year where we're now up to 20 teams," Mr Nolan said. Mr Quinn is among eight Australians travelling to the competition. ( ABC Great Southern: Rosemary Murphy ) " Initially it was about flexing your muscles as a gamer, rolling some dice and showing you're the best, but after seven years it's now a case of the same sort of people returning and they get to see their friends. " Mr Nolan said he was excited for the event but wished travel costs were not such a barrier. "We could get to meet people a lot easier and it wasn't a case of we're coming, but only if we can afford it," he said. Mr Quinn began playing with a "starter army" about five years ago and has now expanded his game piece collection. 'It's a nice community," he said. Mr Quinn's two sons have been helping him paint miniatures. ( ABC Great Southern: Rosemary Murphy ) "They say men don't talk face to face they talk side to side, or in this case on the opposite side of table, and as you're playing you're talking about how it's going, you're talking about your wife and kids and just how life is." Gaming community Another Albany gamer John Gill echoed the importance of the community gaming could create. "When I first moved here I joined in because it was a mutual interest with a few other people," he said. John Gill says he likes the competitive aspect of the game. ( ABC Great Southern: Rosemary Murphy ) " I think there's a point as a guy where you either discover smoking meats or World War II. Bolt Action in particular piques my interest in World War II. " University of South Australia game design and digital media lecturer, Susannah Emery, said interest in miniature gaming increased significantly after the release of a popular TV series. Susannah Emery says Australia has strong gaming community. ( Supplied: Jacinta Keefe Photography ) "We actually saw a pretty huge influx after Stranger Things came out," Dr Emery said. "People started going back to Dungeons and Dragons and that resurgence and popularity of Dungeons and Dragons kind of got people into those gaming shops again. "You go into a store to buy some minis and there's people painting, there's people playing, there's a whole community ready to help people and engage with them on that."
