WAKE FOREST, N.C. — The 2021 Blasters kicked off on Oct. 16 with unusually hot and humid temperatures for early fall. Highs were forecasted to be in the mid 80s with little wind and no clouds to be found. The teams came to battle for the coveted green jackets at Lonerider Brewing, just outside of Raleigh, North Carolina in Wake Forest.
Drilling was at a premium, as the grass was moved short and the ground was extremely hard. Kubbs were simply not being accepted by the pitches. Each kubb thrown needed to be precise and exacting. Any kubb that was even slightly less than a spiral was bounced to a place the inkaster didn’t want. This lead to plenty of advantage lines throughout the matches. One kubb veteran even commented, “These are the hardest drilling conditions I’ve ever experienced.”
Early play had four teams separating themselves from the rest of the field. Das Kubb (Nick Bartlett, Mike Davids) scored a big early win in round one with a victory over Boats and Hoes (Bob Hickes, Doug Paugh), while the two other favorites, Jaromir Loggers (Bryant Cook, Drew Gander) and Rim Shots (Dave Cantwell, Dan Corey) also scored victories. The remaining rounds all featured one of those teams knocking off one of the others, while the other two teams feasted on the rest of the field. The end result was Das Kubb taking the top seed and a first round bye in bracket play.
In the quarter-finals, Kubb a Cabra (Alicia Reed, Sean Reed) almost scored the upset as they took Rim Shots to three games before finally falling. Boats and Hoes and the Jaromir Loggers both finished off their quarter-final matches two games to zero.
In the semi-finals, Boats and Hoes defeated the Jaromir Loggers two games to zero, as the Loggers couldn’t quite get their best game going. Das Kubb started their semi-final matchup with Rim Shots with a quick win. In game two, the sky opened up and play was halted. After an hour delay, the two teams resumed their match. Rim Shots were able to take game two and push the match to a deciding game three. Now nearly two hours into their match, three if you count the rain delay, Corey stepped up to drill with seven kubbs in play. The ground was more accepting after the rain, and he was able to go triple, quad to clear. Cantwell then knocked over the king to score the upset of the tournament.
Unfortunately, that good play didn’t continue for the Rim Shots, as they met Boats and Hoes in the final. Rim Shots lost the first game, and then left an advantage line in game two which Boats and Hoes ate up for a victory. The match ended two games to zero.
In the third place match, the Jaromir Loggers defeated Das Kubb in three games to claim third place.
Kubb a Cabra took home the crystal plate as the winner of the Silver Bracket.
All money collected was donated to Saving Grace animal shelter. Entry fees, lunch, and a 50/50 king toss raised a total of $858. Nick Bartlett won the king toss and chose to donate all of his winnings back to Saving Grace. Kubb people are good people.
Tune in and subscribe to the Raleigh Kubb YouTube channel for full coverage of The Blasters in the coming weeks.
Final Results
- Boats and Hoes (Bob Hickes, Doug Paugh),
- Rim Shots (Dave Cantwell, Dan Corey)
- Jaromir Loggers (Bryant Cook, Drew Gander)
Silver Bracket Winner: Kubb a Cabra (Alicia Reed, Sean Reed)
