Lewis Mackay wins the 2022 British Matchplay Scrabble Championship

Wayne Kelly presents the winner's prize and a trophy to the champion, Lewis Mackay

Lewis Mackay won a very close and high-scoring game in the 25th and final round in the BMSC to claim the BMSC title for the third time.

The top 5 (L-R): Brian, Wayne, Lewis, Harshan and Paul

Going into the final day's play, the top 10 featured 5 Grand Masters and 3 Experts, separated by just 2 games, so everything was up for grabs through the final 7 games and the final Monday was filled with crucial matches between the players atop the standings.

Lewis defeated Brian Po 497-494 in their third matchup of the tournament which was a winner takes all match for the title, finishing with a 18-7, +1402 record, with Brian finishing as runner-up with a 17-8, +503 record. Tournament organiser Wayne Kelly also finished with a 17-8 record, but finished 55 spread points behind Brian, at +448. Harshan Lamabadusuriya won his final game to finish 16-9, +794 whilst the place prizes were rounded out by the only other player to win 16 games, Paul Gallen, who finished at 16-9, +746.

Adrienne Berger, winner of division B

Whilst the other divisions had tight finishes, Adrienne Berger clinched the division B victory with a round to spare, finishing at 19-6, +1553 - the highest spread of any player in any division. Alison Sadler won her final match to confirm her runner-up spot at 17-8, +659, ahead of Ginny Dixon who finished 15-10, +517.

Jake Berliner, winner of division C

The division C title came down to a final game, with Jake Berliner securing first place by just 24 points to finish 19-6, +1338 with Rosalind Wilson the runner-up at 18-7, +1676. Linda Barratt took the third and final prize with a final round victory to finish with a 15-10, +496 record.

A combined total of 68 players took part across the three divisions of the main event, and over 70 across the two events. Together with June's NSC, this was a chance to renew friendships and acquaintances after the recent difficult times. Players from across divisions were able to mix at breakfast, lunch and dinner - as well as in the bar after the day's games were done! For some people, 36 games across 4 days wasn't quite enough Scrabble, leading to additional consultation games going on in the bar. What better way to improve than being able to pick up hints and tips from players with more than 15 major championships between them!

Final standings: Division A | Division B | Division C