The Northants Masters VII has sadly been cancelled due to the enforced shutdown as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. We will now, similar to the Jim Wilson, play a virtual tournament. Virtual matches will now commence on Monday 20th July 2020 and will proceed for seven weeks of play. Each division will play their matches according to the following schedule:

how it works

There are a few factors that help to make this competition both interesting and realistic and we shall attempt to set this out as clearly as possible.

calculating a player’s average

Unlike with the Virtual Jim Wilson event, where a player’s Winter League averages over the last three year’s were used, for The Masters we have used a player’s Masters scores for the last three events. We noticed early on that some players perform very differently in The Masters compared to League play – some far better, and some not so well(!) – and so we felt it desirable to bring this element into the calculation.

All Masters leg scores from the 2017, 2018 and 2019 events have been used to create a player average – a player is neither advantaged or disadvantaged if they have not played in every event. For players that have not played in a Masters event yet – we have used the same average as was used in the Virtual Jim Wilson.

What about the difference in venues?

Great question! One of the key elements of The Masters which makes the event unique is that players have to play on a range of different tables. This has, in previous years, helped to inject real theatre into the event – where shocks and upsets can often be found. Where Master’s are crowned or found wanting!

A player’s average at each venue, again based on the last three Masters events (or the VJW average), will be used rather than the same average for each venue. This will ensure that those tables which tend not to give up many points are retained where high scoring tables will also enjoy the same effect. We anticipate that this will help to ensure that match results and scores are realistic.

The average single leg score at each venue over the last three Masters across all divisions (so with over 130 legs at each venue) can be seen in the table below. Please note that some venues have been amalgamated – such as The Red Lion and The Stirrup Cup or St Jimmy’s and the Rose & Crown as they use the same table. You can see what a difference a table makes!

how are my scores calculated?

‘Now for the Science bit!’. A player’s average at the particular venue will be used as the basis of their scoring range in any leg. Further some other parameters are then added into the mix – the amount of time on the table in minutes – a table playout, for example, would demand 18 minutes on the table. This number is then randomised with the additional weighting based on the table. For example, there are rarely single breaks lasting in excess of 10 minutes at the Foundryman’s or Cock ‘C’ and so the parameter for any one player’s table time will be narrowed. You may see the parameter at the Cardigan as between 1-18 mins – which means that the randomiser has the freedom to select the option to have a player have all of the table time in a single leg. At The Cock ‘A’, however, the parameter may be reduced to something like 1-14 mins. This means that the most table time for any one player is 14mins which reflects that it more likely there will be scores achieved in more than one single break. With that element in place you will see that a match will mean that a player will enjoy more or less table time according to a randomiser.

The next factor is also a little complicated. Table time alone does not determine whether a player will win or lose – there needs to be a scoring metric. This is where a player’s average comes in to play. Your average is used to calculate a notional points per minute. A player with a high average – let’s use Simon Coleman as an example – will be able to score more points in a minute than someone with a very low average. This means that he can accumulate enough points to win a leg even with fewer minutes on the table. However, this is also randomised as a deviation from his average points per minute. So, in any given match the randomiser could state that his points per minute in a match is maybe 30% lower than his average. This would mean that he would need more time on the table to achieve the same score.

Still with us?

With these two factors randomised, but based on real data for each player at each venue, you will see the right balance of realism with enough unpredictability which is the hallmark of Masters matches. We expect to see scores similar to that in real Masters events as well as some very close matches. This is because, unlike the Virtual Jim Wilson, players in each division are very evenly matched – the differences in their averages are very small indeed and so match results will be finely balanced. This is the case in the real Masters events.

We hope you enjoy it!

Fixture Schedules

The matches in each division shall proceed with an identical fixture schedule and can be accessed by clicking the links below.

Virtual Masters – Premier Division Fixtures & Results 2020

Virtual Masters – Division 1 Fixtures & Results 2020

Virtual Masters – Division 2 Fixtures & Results 2020

Virtual Masters – Division 3 Fixtures & Results 2020

Virtual Masters – Division 4 Fixtures & Results 2020

Virtual Masters – Division 5 Fixtures & Results 2020