English Inter Series Cup 2026, 28-29 March 2026

In 2025, myself and the other Tournament Series Organisers (TSOs) from around England arranged a FUMBBL tournament which we called Champions of England, where all the regions were playing against each other in a round robin tournament to see which was the best region (answer: Yorkshire in 2025).

A few of the TSOs lead by littleleadperson decided that a table top event would be feasible - I was hopeful it would work but was unsure of the buy in from accross the country. It turns out there was a lot of buy in, with only the North East unable to field a side - replaced by a squad of freebooters - and a large number of the best coaches in the country were representing their region. 

Alongside this, there was a signles event with the winner of it earning a spot on their team for the 2027 event. As the 33rd best coach in the South East, I was in the signles event with the intention of trying to sneak into the South East coach for next year. 

The South East was represented by StarFerret, TotalFuzzyLogic, Torquemada and HexBaron. Here's me going full John Terry for a photo at the start of the event.

South East 2026 (l-r HexBaron, Torquemada, TotalFuzzyLogic, StarFerret, hanger on)

The South East team was very dominant and managed to take the title going 5/1/0 as a team. Yay South East!

The singles event had representation from most regions, although obviously locals were more prominent than us southerners. 

I've been trying different teams in most Season 3 tournamnets so far, and I decided to test out dark elves who I had not used in a tournament since the 2023 World Cup (I think). I'd been playing them a fair bit online, so I wasn't too out of practice with them, but I'd only had one practice game with the new roster. I went for 2 bltzers (with dodge), 2 assassins (with dodge), 2 witch elves (one block, one wrestle), 1 runner and 4 linos along with 3 re-rolls and an apothecary.

Round 1 v Steve (El_Spoonio)

I had previously played Spoonio at Thrudball in 2024. He was one of the more highly rated coaches, and was playing with orcs, with whom he is very experienced.

I chose to kick and he removed my players extremely quickly. By around turn 5 I had lost about 4 or 5 players (it ended up being 6). There were several opportunities for cage diving and I managed to knock the ball loose after a few of them (after I announced "I'm just going to keep trying to roll a 5). 

This meant his thrower had to try to pick up the ball again and he rolled a 2 into a 2, with the ball bobbling out and allowing me to recover and run away with it. I'm able to screen off and get the score at the end of the first half to go into half time a 1-0 up. 

On my drive, in this position my usual plan is to attempt to score quickly and get 2-0 up and kill the game off. However, I played a little more cautiously knowing the quality of my opponent (I did repeatedly complain about getting a very difficult round 1 draw). I kept a hold of the ball and kept it away from the orcs and kept screening off. I was looking to break through but at no point was there a gap where it was more likely than not that I would be able to do so. 

I managed this reasonably well and by my turn 8 I had the ball screened off deep in Spoonio's half, which menat that he did have an option at a crazy play to potentially get an equaliser but it didn't pay off and I got the win.

Two of the other favourites for the tourney both lost meaning the event was wide open from the off.  

Round 2 v David (daviusmajor)

As I had only won 1-0, I was the lowest ranked of the coaches who had won in the first round and was drawn against David who had drawn his first round. He was playing underworld and again I elected to receive. I move up the pitch - stabbing and punching the stunty players as much as possible - but unfortunately he gets a 1 dice shot on the ball. I elect to dump off which works but isn't caught and the ball is recovered by a gutter runner who takes it and runs off. I'm able to steal it back and run away, leavingDavid with just 3 players on the pitch when I score. With a keg, a number of these come back and he moves back and forth on his drive. 

I cage dive but no luck, however a jump up block allows me to get a 2 dice block on the ball but with no re-rolls left I fail to get a pow. A skaven lineman fails a blitz and this allows me to potentially surf the ball carrying gutter runner. However I pow it so instead I just run off with the ball for a second and win the game 2-0. 

Round 3 v Andy (barnacles)

I ask Andy if his name is pronounced to rhyme with Socrates. He says no but I insist on pronouncing it like that all weekend.

He had chaos chosen and a fairly standard strong build. I kicked to him and he moved slowly up the pitch.

He kept fouling my players off but I managed to have 11 for my drive after my apothecary worked wonders. Despite being spotted by the referee 4 times (out of probably 9 or so fouls in the game) he successfully argued twice. Which was obviously a little frustrating. 

I spent ages planning a chain push to try to move his ball carrier out of the cage and next to one of my linemen for a hit, but then realised it wouldn't work out. In desparation, my assassin does a series of dodges with the final one being into a half-cage and then successfully breaks armour on the ball carrying beastman. Unfortunately for me, the chosen are able to pick up the ball again and go in 1-0 up at half time.

In the second half, one of my players sits out due to a dodgy snack, and with my limited resouces, I move down a side and screen off. Andy leaves me an opportunity for a double surf with two uphill witch blocks - it works and I remove his break tackle wrestle warrior and one beastman. With a numbers advantage it allows me to fairly easily get deep into his half and screen off for a 1-1 draw.

Round 4 v Rob (Ichigokuto)

At the end of day 1, I'm second in the table behind who I assume will be my first opponent the following day. It turns out to be correct and I'm playing Rob and his humans. 

The game was played in a blizzard. I got out my big reminder cards but then promptly forgot about the weather when I first went to do a rush (Classic Stew). 

I'd not been looking forward to this match up as the combination of guard and tackle would likely make it tricky for me to successfully cage dive. 

As it happens, I needn't have worried as I just rolled a Charge! event and got my players around the ball. His catcher who happened to be underneath the ball caught it, but my assassin successfully shadowed them and this then allowed me to get a 1 dice block with my wrestle witch elf which popped the ball loose. It got passed back and forth between players and eventually I had it and was able to screen off on the left side of the pitch to score turn 8. 

Both assassins had been knocked out and unfortunately stayed knocked out. With an injured lineman, we were down to 8 and we spent the whole half moving around trying to avoid the humans. At one point Rob did manage to get a hit on the ball and it went into the crowd but fortunately wasn't thrown very far and this meant I was able to recover it. This half was similar to the one against Spoonio, and I was able to screen off - another turn would have meant I scored, with the final desparation blitz for my opponent failing, meaning I got a 1-0 win.

Round 5 v Adam (lordmaccrage)

After lunch on day 2 I was in first place knowing that a win against the only other player on 7 points would mean I'd only need a draw in the final game to take victory. I've not won a 2-day event previously, and I was really keen to nab a spot on the South East team for next year, however I was trying to make sure I took each game as it came. 

This game was snotlings. I knew Adam was a good snotling coach from the pre-event stats, and I know from my experience of snotlings that things can go either way depending very much on the dice.

I decided to receive to avoid taking 4 hits turn 1 and potentially being wiped out. However I then just got bombed on, fouled and removed. In desperation I pushed up the left flank but couldn't get the ball to a player in range. Largely because I had hardly any players available. I was perhaps a bit tilted as there may have been an opportunity to punt the ball in hindsight, however as my player failed to pick up the ball, missing it was quite academic. Getting into the mindset of being able to punt as an option is something I need to pick up on though. 

From this the ball went out and he'd positioned a player to potentially capitalise on this, and Adam was 1-0 up at half time. On the snotling drive, they made a mistake which allowed me to repeatedly 2+ dodge for a 5+ pickup, however the dice didn't allow me to do it and my witch elf snaked my best shot at the ball. The dice were not to be and I ended up being pitch cleared and having 2 players to set up for my final turn after Adam went 2-0 up. 

Round 6 v Wayne (tetra)

There was still the possibility that if Adam lost and I won I could take first place and as we were playing next to each other, I was able to vaguely keep up with what was happening in that game. 

Wayne had wood elves. The weather is sweltering heat and as such Wayne decides to receive. Initially I start with just stab and run blitzers, until such a point as it looks like it will be worth taking a shot at the ball. 

My wrestle witch does pop the ball loose but Wayne recovers. I manage to surround his ball carrying blitzer - I perhaps could have positioned slightly better has he has a blitz out option with a couple of dodges, however he fails a 3+ dodge and I'm able to have a shot at scoring, but I don't make a 5+ pass with my now reasonably good at passing blitzer.

On my drive, I move up the sideline in a big gang to try to dissuade from the cage dive. 

At this point, I am aware that Adam is losing on the top table, meaning a victory here might be the title. 

I manage to break through the lines but a lineman fails a crucial rush to close off the cage (perhaps a lesson is to plan slightly better to avoid rushes, especially against teams that could capitalise most). The strip ball wardancer comes in, knocks the ball loose and then a catcher comes in, picks it up, triple sprints, passes over my players to another catcher who grabs it and runs away, without a single 1 in sight. 

My attempt to stop him fails as he makes a 2+ dodge away to score. I do have 2 turns left and I throw a large number of players upfield but keep the blitzer back to pass with short options available to then hand off to a scoring threat. I calculate that the strip ball dancer can't get me but a lineman can with a couple of rushes. Fortunately the first rush fails so the re-roll is gone for the block. I'm able to push them aside and dodge out, pass and handoff for an equaliser, with his one turn winner attempt failing at the first dice roll. 

Conclusion

I'm disappointed as the possibility of stealing the tournament win slipped through my fingers but it wouldn't have mattered anyway, as Rob who I had beat in round 4 would have just had me on the 2nd tiebreaker (we would have had an equal strength of schedule) which was TD difference - and that would partly have been because I only scored 1 against him! 

It would have been super awesome to complete a South East double, but it wasn't to be. I am pleased with a 3/2/1 Dusty Bin record, though and I finished in 4th place. 

I really enjoyed the new dark elves. I don't think they're better or worse - probably about the same, but more interesting for sure. 

I am to be back at the tournament next year, hopefully representing the South East (I'm currently in 8th spot in the tournament series) but will try to make the open - and I encourage others to do so - if I don't. 

When game was maybe a win, the coach in first was losing which could have meant me taking the ov