The Club played outside at the Mississauga Valley Community Centre again, and this time Shan was compiling official statistics. Rain was in the forecast this evening and during the second game it had clouded over and lightning started to flash. By the end of the game it was a downpour. I did not want to stay even under a covered pavilion as the wind was blowing and rain was spraying, which might damage the equipment. It was also getting dark, at least for my eyes. Perhaps on other summer nights the light would have been sufficient but the clouds, as well as the roof we were under, impeded clear sight. Although we were playing in a sheltered area those on the benches closer to the elements felt the spray of the rain from the wind, so players moved their boards to concentrate in the centre of the pavilion. Once I reported the results of my second game to Shan, we left.
I won both my games to take my record to 66-14:
454-298 against Steve. I played FAIREsT (66), OATIEST (66) and DALLIeS (81). Two of my racks needed a Y to make a bingo. I held CEGIMNU which makes no 7LW and only one 8LW: GyNECIUM. I also held EFHLLS? and only saw FELLaHS, which wouldn’t play. Its only other 7LW was FLESHLy. I broke it up to play FEH (37) and then played DALLIeS on my next turn. In this game I played CINQ twice, both times along a DWS. I played it first horizontally, wrapping CNQ around an open I. And then four turns later I dropt CIN- onto the Q.
413-332 against Sid. I played STEMWARD (74)* and DITHERS (85) and Sid played OESTRIN (84). I fantasize one day extending OESTRIN to SHOESTRING but Sid’s placement wouldn’t allow this. I was not sure that my first bingo was acceptable yet it seemed familiar, so I chanced it and Sid didn’t hold me on it. In reviewing all the words that end in -WARD for the preparation of this post, I reacquainted myself with all the 678LW plus learned some of the longer words, such as EQUATORWARD and GREENSWARD(S). One of my racks was ABCDOPR which makes no 7LW yet all those high-point consonants combine with a U to make CUPBOARD and an even higher-point consonant, K, to make BACKDROP.
After a fortunate though brief respite from the rain, Mark and I rushed back to the car and played one more game at my place. The rain hadn’t let up for good, and continued to pour all evening. I won:
478-292. I played PINIEST (77), REALIGNS (70) and CoSINES (76). Mark played RETiRING (66). I had EGIILLS on my rack which makes GILLIES yet couldn’t play it. I looked for 8LW possibilities and only saw GHILLIES, which to my surprise is the only 8LW that can be made with that rack. There was no H available.