WM 2010: Who knows the score?

For every major football championship since the Circus first opened its doors back in 1997, the staff and friends of the company have taken part in a Tipping Competition. The rules have been tweeked over the years, but the basic principle remains…we all have to tip the results of every since game at the World Cup, as well as predicting who will win each group, which four teams will reach the Semi-Finals, and which nation (Argentina) will emerge victorious in the final on the 11th July.

Now, modesty prevents me from telling all the lovely readers of the Circus Blog exactly how well I myself am doing…let’s just say that a good number of teams and players at this tournament have let me down, and yes, I am taking it personally (I’m looking at you Slovakia).

With only two more games to go before every nation has played at least once, the current leader of the Circus Tipping Competition is Jim with 14 points, followed closely by Andreas and Sophie who both are on 13. Here’s the evidence:

So at least through Jim we have one Englishman performing creditably during the 2010 World Cup, even if his own patriotism might possibly hamstring his attempts to take the coverted victors crown by the end of the tournament.

If this all seems a little self-indulgent, then please forgive us, but we do also have a tipping competition that is available to everyone who comes down to the Circus to watch the games. For €1 people predict the score down in the bar, and the winner or winners share the pot at the final whistle. If nobody picks correctly then we have a roll-over, and by the start of last nights game the pot had risen to €50 and one english pound.

Fittingly, the first big winner of the daily tipping competition was a South African. Kathline is staying with us all week, having been involved in the preparations for the tournament back home before her travels began. Last night she tipped the result of Brazil vs North Korea with unearring accuracy, and therefore ended the evening taking home the entire pot:

Kathline seemed less impressed with the English pound. Can our national pride take this continual battering? I’m not sure I even dare to watch on Friday…