PUTNEY INTERNATIONAL CHALLENGER EVENT

Saturday 4th November 2006

at The Platt Christian Centre, Felsham Road, Putney, London, SW15 1DA (Street Map)

The tournament formed part of the FISTF World Circuit, and was played in support of the charity REGENERATE.com

Italy challenge at all levels

Congratulations: Luca Lucheri - SC Putney Challenger 2006 winner

Italy have for years dominated the top honours in international table football, with a string of World Cup, Masters and Major triumphs, but Luca Licheri may have started a new trend after becoming the first Italian winner of a FISTF Challenger event.

Licheri was joined by two of his compatriots in the semi-finals of a closely-fought Stefan Corda Putney Challenger, however it was the south London-based Italian who proved the most consistent performer by taking the main honours.

Having made steady, rather than spectacular, progress towards the final, Licheri stepped up a gear early on in the ultimate match against Rob O'Hare, though after establishing a two goal lead, he was pegged back level by full time, and required shots to overcome O'Hare's challenge.

Licheri got off to the best possible start in the final, applying enough pressure on his first attack to force his opponent into a blocking error, which left him with a shot on goal after just 26 seconds.

There was still work to do, and the Italian skilfully managed to clip the ball just beyond the goalkeeper from close range.

Licheri went close again, hitting the keeper then post with a single shot, before he scored his second goal on 6 minutes, with a neat finish from out wide on the left wing.

O'Hare quickly tried to find a way back into the game, but Licheri was equal with his keeper to the Cypriot international's well-struck effort.

The pressure continued into the second half, and the breakthrough came six minutes in when, leaning awkwardly over the pitch, O'Hare converted from a central position in front of goal.

And four minutes later he was level, as a neat flowing move finished with a low shot past the keeper.

The equaliser sparked Licheri back into action and the pair traded chances for the remainder of the half, and the overtime period, though without success.

Licheri had the most clear-cut opportunity just 55 seconds into extra time, but he sliced his shot wide of the target.

The ensuing shoot-out mirrored the game. Licheri went two up - with the first goal coming somewhat from an error on his opponent's part, as the ball crept inside the near post off the keeper - before O'Hare fought back to 2-2.

However this time the Italian was able to make the decisive breakthrough as he scored to regain the lead at 3-2, and when O'Hare failed to score from out wide, it meant that Licheri claimed the first Challenger title for Italy.

Lucheri vs O'Hare - Open Final action

Apart from a 4-0 win over Paul Wilkinson in the group stage though, Licheri failed to score more than twice in any game during the day, but an unblemished defensive record enabled him to defeat TSPA White Star pair Matt Lishman and Simon Bryan, each by a single goal.

Victor Jones was the first player to breach the Italian's defence, when quick thinking enabled the ball to be snuck past the keeper on the move 20 minutes into their quarter-final clash.

But Licheri was soon on level terms, before scoring the decisive goal in the final minute on a breakaway attack.

That set up an all-London Italian semi-final with Paolo Barone - who had put Putney clubmate Simon Gale out in the last eight - and two unanswered goals gave the Cagliari player victory.

Their compatriot Ezio Orru meanwhile was a victim of his own success after reaching the semi-finals.

The Italian beat Paolo Baffone and his old-style heavyweight figures in the Barrage Round and then Martin Bellefontaine - who didn't concede in open play throughout the tournament - on shots after a closely-fought but goalless quarter-final tie.

However he had to depart before the end of the tournament in order to catch a return flight to Italy for the following day's national teams cup, giving O'Hare a free passage to the final.

O'Hare's path towards that match was not without its problems early on, as the Cypriot international went behind in the opening seconds of games with both Brandon Lavender and Lele Bontempi, albeit eventually winning both, whilst a poor second half display against Tony McCann meant that he just scrapped past the South Devon player by the odd goal in five.

However a more commanding all round display by O'Hare saw off the threat of Cardiff Grand Prix U19 winner Matt Lishman, 3-0 in the quarter-finals.

Lishman had beaten Nicky Chappel 2-1 in the barrage round, where Worthing's other contender, Brandon Lavender, lost to Victor Jones.

Lavender did though win the tournament's U19 play-off, beating Elliot Bellefontaine by a comfortable margin.

Number one seed Simon Bryan fell at first hurdle in the main event. A goalless draw with Lishman and the unfortunate 1-0 defeat to Licheri had left him with an identical record to that of White Star team-mate Lishman, but he lost 3-2 on sudden death in the pair's ensuing shoot-out.

The narrow defeat against champion-elect Licheri looked to be sufficient to secure Bryan's passage though, until a late Lishman goal against Paul Wilkinson ensured total group parity.

Paul Andreas - seeded fifth - also failed to progress past the preliminary stage, losing out in Putney club dominated group.

A number of players made their tournament debuts in the event designated for those ranked outside of the world's top 200, most noticeably John Phillips, who beat Martin Lavender 2-1 and restricted Orru to a one-goal victory.

In contrast, the Italian contingent proved old hands at achieving noticeable success.

All profits from the tournament will be donated to Regernerate.com, a registered charity responsible for a number of community-based projects to assist elderly residents of the London Borough of Wandsworth. They are also involved in work with young people in the local area.

For more information about their work, see www.regeneratecom.co.uk

A huge thanks to Nicky Chappell for supplying his beautiful San-Siro boards for this event

http://www.worthing-subbuteo-tablefootball.co.uk/sansiro.htm