Many of my readers have asked me whether the BHGS ADLG rankings for the U.K. are indeed an accurate representation of a player’s ability. Now I’m not saying that what has been exposed with regard to the Russian Olympic Team has any similarities to Chris Jackson being rated in the top twenty of the ratings but……..

Christoff Jacksomov’s vehicle…coincidence? I let you gentle reader to decide. Even the photograph on the side looks nothing like him by the way (disappointingly😡). So, Philip Mackie was desperate to get Athletico Cardiff to Devizes’ Attack last weekend. Lured by the promise of West Country scrumpy and pork scratchings, the team were tooled up and in the van by six o clock Saturday morning. I thought to take Feudal Spanish, painting my new Romans had been a nightmare.  Chris hurriedly packed a two hundred and five point ADLG force into a carrier bag and popped his list into the postbox in Aust services on the way.
Game number one was against the hungry youngster Steve Hacker. Known by all for his Arthurian hill fort tactic, Steve had stunned the field with Alexandrians. His phalanx would slice through my heavy spear command. He had skillfully mixed heavy horse with his Thracians so my almoghavars would have a hard time either in or out of rough ground.

I sent my crossbows forward on the right. Their bolts could not hit the Thracian hillmen. In 25mm, the enemy are on you in double quick time. Crossbowmen pavices are no protection against atwo-handed cutting weapon. 
But where are your legendary Spanish Hidalgos I hear you ask? To their shame, my left wing heavy horse were held back by dice. My jinetes through the odd javelin but with my centre smashed and my almoghavars falling back, it was time to head towards the buffet. What a start! 

Finishing early allowed me to look around at the skilled modelling on display. Above, Grizzly shows just what can be achieved with enough time , PVA glue and Colin C left in a terraced house in Yeovil for a week.

Saturday afternoon and that meant Grizzly’s Spartans. Mark chose an open battlefield for his central command of spearmen. To support these spearmen he positioned spearmen with a reserve of spearmen on the right. To his left Grizzly had a command of spears with a few spearmen to act as spearmen.

My reply was to put my spearmen against his spearmen on the right. Scrub in the centre was to give me a genius idea, I would disrupt his centre with crossbow bolts and then assault with my elite almughavars gaining advantage from the terrain. My knights and jinetes were on a march around the Spartan right.

The flank movement worked, heavy knights scattering javelinmen and heading towards the baggage. It was in the centre that I messed up. Grizzly hadn’t read the plan, instead of waiting to be shot, his spears charged the crossbowmen and good dice meant that he caught my crossbowmen blocking my elite swordsmen. By Saturday night I would need copious amounts of cider and pork scratchings to lift my spirits. Fortunately, both were at hand….Tomorrow would be another day!