OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE 

Newt updates to
​scroll down for:
Run down the Players' Roster 
Get on the WTSC Waiting list
Peruse our T-shirts
Read the Responses to questions
​Check the WTSC25 details
Watch the WTSC24 Orientation Film
Picture
Click the pic to the DropBox link
''What a cracking evening, you absolutely smashed it , never had so much fun at a toads event (possibly even any night of my life), I can tell you put a lot of hard work in to it and thank you for that, but also know it definitely paid off.''

WTSC25

Now in our fourth glorious year

Saturday 4th
​October 2025

Entries
SOLD OUT

WTSC25 
​Players'
​Roster​

Entries are now closed for the WTSC25, as we now have sixty-four players.

​However, in the months leading up to the big day we do expect a ten per cent drop-off due to calendar clashes, family emergencies and livelihood commitments. It's worth getting on the list so send us your number via the DropBox

We will alert the Waiting List group when they come up. It will be first come first served where entry is still only £10 and payment confirms attendance.

1. Stu Sampson
2. ​Niall Duke 
3. Finn d'Ascoli
4. Richard Crossland 
Double Champ 2023, 2024
5. Wayne Saunders
6. Noel Wilkins
7. Jonny Wills
8. Ross Hossack 
9. Ed Hill 
2022 Champ, 2024 R-Up
10. David Crowther
11. Rob Swabey
12. Roly Dean 
13. Matt Mahoney
14. Mark Doig
15. Damon Bloomfield
16. Noel Halleron
17. Alex Wallace
18. Nick Cooper
19. Christian Cronauer 
20. James Porter
21. Declan Rowell
​22. Joseph Weller
23. Jake Saunders
24. Dan Saunders 2022 R-Up
​25. Paul Maynard 
26. Ian Macquire
27. Ross Ashley
28. William Platts
29. Tom Rogers 
30. Mark Brown
31. James Ward 
​32. Reg Martin 2023 R-Up
33. Dominic Tubb
34. Tim Parry
​35. Jordan Johnson
36. Ian Bliszczak
37. Ciaran Armstrong
38. Toby Lewis
​39. Guido Möller 
40. Ben Robinson
41. Edward Emmerson
42. Phil Smith
43. Misza Pawlicki 
44. Jerzy Pawlicki
45. Mark Bruce
46. Mark Madonna
47. ​Will Entwistle
48. Tom Marcus-Walker
49. Jon McGeough
50. Tom Mills
51. Harry Carruthers
52. Aaron Montgomery
53. Tayla Evans
54. Brad Langley
55. Mark Bell
​56. Simon Barris
​57. Tim Walker
​58. Pete Jarrett
​59. Anthony Collins
​60. Brian Corr
61. Jamie Gibb
62. George Reynolds
63. Paul Austen
64. Anders Wilson

WTSC25 Waiting List
39 names
If you don't want to receive news about a spare place simply remove yourself from the group list on WhatsApp. When a space comes up we will simply alert the group with the payment details and its first come first served. If your name is marked in pink below we need your number for the WhatsApp group. Please send it to our DropBox. 
​​
  1. Rachel Conway
  2. Dan O' Shea
  3. Leo Agthe
  4. Joe Mockford
  5. Christian Dew
  6. Joe Mockford
  7. Laura Bellamy-Mockford
  8. Conal Jacks
  9. Harry Douch
  10. Matt Douch
  11. Steve Burrlock
  12. Andy Sanders
  13. Chris Lloyd
  14. Josh Saunders
  15. Louise Beck
  16. ​Bekhim Dushkaja
  17. Dan Springford
  18. Joel Whitaker
  19. Mat Smith
  20. Saul Fowler
  21. ​Ben Ward​​​
  22. John Edmondson
  23. Rob Pettitt​
  24. Toby Grimes
  25. Alex Simmons
  26. Michael Siddell​​​​
  27. ​Robert Bishop
  28. Boz Davison​​
  29. Rachel Thomas
  30. Mark Jones 
  31. John Miles ​​​​
  32. Paul Richardson
  33. James Edecki​​
  34. Thomas Andrei​​
  35. Steve Homewood​
  36. Lewis Rawlinson​
  37. Daniel Harris
  38. Simon Wall ​
  39. ​Tom Harrington 
  40. ​Adam King​

WTSC25 
​Responses to Questions

When is the draw? The night before at BN6 Tap in Hassocks, so that's Friday 3rd October. Home of the current World Teams Champions, we expect at least 20 regulars as well as curious WTSC25 players. Plus it's also James' Porter's 30th so come along and buy him a beer or as an alternative gift: destroy him at toads. Warning: it's his home table. The pic above is clickable.
I didn't get in, what do I do? Just keep an eye out for WTSC25 updates on the Game of Toads group on Facebook and in the WTSC Waiting List WhatsApp group. We expect a ten per cent drop-off of players come nearer the time. There are no guarantees and no refunds I'm afraid, the latter being due to website and admin remuneration for work and planning.

'I don't want to waste a tenner because I don't think I'll get past the first round'. Is that a winning attitude? Yep, it's the same for everyone. But it is best of 5. Straight knockout is the most fair and certain system we have so far. We'd need a bigger venue for group stages or a Swiss style tournament etc where there would be more participants.

​Personally I haven't made it past Round One yet myself so I've invested thirty quid - yes I did pay - but it was an amazing time even though I was understandably sometimes stressed - being the host and main organiser. We're remunerating for the admin, planning, hire, the sense of occasion and being with toad mates from 3pm to late in a lovely long bar with reduced prices - as well as entry to the competition. With the 8 different toads tables the warm up hour is also a busy version of toad heaven.

'It's all a bit serious for me.'  You'll find you'll be with like-minded people who understand the game is a mix of the absurd with a paradoxical, almost pathological desire to win. Is there such thing as a toads player who doesn't want to do well?
House of Toads
T-shirts and
​Sports Tops
AVAILABLE NOW
The exclusive Sussex-style toads triangle array with the WTSC logo in forties-Helvetica designed by Jonny Wills
For more info and ranges go to the
House of Toads page
​©Copyright 2022-25
Exclusive WTSC toads t-shirts and long-sleeve sports-style tops available in dark blue, dark green, dark blue and black. The quality is excellent, like you'd expect.
​Just drop us your size and colour preference. Prices on DropBox page
Join the Facebook group
​Game of Toads for updates.
''Actually, my favourite Toads tournament.''
Picture
©Copyright 2022-25
WTSC2025 
​Specifics
VENUE
@ St Marys Supporters Club, ​Lewes
​- no admittance before 3pm -
3pm
​SIGN-IN and WARM-UP 
When you come in please walk straight through to the sign in room at the back.  DO NOT enter the the bar area
​until signed in. No spectators are permitted till the matches are live.
Thank you.

4pm approx.
The famous
WTSC ORIENTATION FILM and
Super-tense
TABLE DRAW for ROUND of 64

Straight Knockout
Please be available for
​the Table Draw for each round

​Please refrain from parking in St Marys car park as we need room for the helpers and the food truck to manoeuvre. There are plenty of weekend car park spaces around in Lewes.
''Genius film. What a great night. You really put the work in. Superb organisation.''
Click for Benton's
​WTSC Rules Page
No Seeding
As an experiment for 2025 there will be no seeding, so this gives us a chance to experience what that looks and feels like. New players may feel they will benefit from this but now they won't be able to tell who the good players are to prepare for 😂 

Secret Seeding
Renowned toadsplainer Benton Wieldy will do a sealed secret seeding list which no one will see till after, just to see if the stats and form are replicated and help make a decision for the following year. For seeding details check Benton Wieldy's WTSC rules page.

The Draw
The WTSC25 Draw will take place the night before at the BN6 Tap in Hassocks, and we welcome witnesses. As usual it will be a completely fair and random draw. I will take a pic of the fixtures and send them via WhatsApp on the morning of the tournament. This means we can go straight knockout and save an hour chasing people and dropping our bingo balls 😂 And please don't worry about the tension and drama, we'll still have the Table Draws for each round and the Randomizer x8 for the final 32. Once randomised the names in the knockout will be left as is.

The Semi-Finals
... will be played at the same time like 2023. It worked really well then. This means spectators can watch the action of both matches simultaneously and we can save even more time.
''Brilliant.''

TRAVEL INFO

🚂Walk from Lewes train station

🚌​Bus from Brighton (Lewes Prison stop) Regency Route 28/29
​
🚗On-street parking in Lewes or outside the club, Christie Road. Saturday parking usually free. Check on Parkopedia.  Please refrain from parking in St Marys as we need room for the food truck to manoeuvre​
WTSC 
​Champions
2022 Ed Hill
2023 Richard Crossland
​2024 Richard Crossland
Picture
Join our Facebook group for more
updates and news about the leadtacular Game of Toads and the
​World Toads Singles Championship

FOOD AVAILABLE

Finest Neapolitan Pizzas
from 500 Degrees Sliced
''The pizzas were fantastic.''
In a collaboration with 500 Degrees Sliced there will be a trailer providing pizzas bespoke for the WTSC. 
Authentic Ten-inch Neapolitan Pizzas for a tenner each with vegan options in the flavours you see on their website.

The 8 Table
​Selection Notes
WTSC25

For the WTSC25 we're aiming for at least a minimum of four cast leads, one sheet, one alloy, one slider, a low-down table and a bucket-lead or crazy table in some variation. This reflects venues across the main toading communities and regions.

The tables will be chosen to reflect the differences in the game in general, with the same distance kept from their respective venue and respect for play-developed leads.

Venues providing tables are welcome to put on a new lead for fairness. We have had at least one confirmation of this happening.

If the WTSC house table is being used it will have a new lead. The St Mary's lead may already constitute the bucket-lead criterion from the list.

​There are no league standardisations or house rules, as these vary and some are a bit silly or designed for novices.

​If it's an old table, we believe the lead should have it's own characteristics from being played on over time, but the hole should not be impassable, and should have reasonable amount of maintenance and charm. ​ 

As befitting a toad in the hole competition the holes are for the most part designed for toads to go in the hole, or on the lead surface, in order to find the best player who can do that.
​
A World Champion would need to be able to negotiate and overcome any challenges, including different leads and coins, sizes and heights of tables and in situ toad-house oche distances. And by the way, you really need to stop whingeing about 'difficult' tables, proffering agendas, or sledging me assuming I'm trying to get a competitive edge: it's really cringeworthy. This is about facilitation. 
Last year's table selection
1. St Mary's Supporters Club House Table: 6ft 9'' from the front
2. The Black Horse League Team House Table, Lewes: 7ft 1 and 1/2'' from front - a similar table exists at The Howard, Brighton
3. Country House 'Shelf' Table, Earlsfield, London: 7ft from the lead
4. WTSC Tournament Table w/ virgin lead: 7ft 3'' from the front
​5. Lincolnshire 'Roving' Table currently in situ at The Three Horseshoes, Waddington, Lincoln: 6ft 5'' from the front - similar to the Lewes Teams Worlds tables
6. The Hand in Hand Table, Kemptown, Brighton: 7ft 6 and ¼'' from the front 
7. Cast-Lead Black Table with Brass Front courtesy of Syc Toad Tables and Leads: 7ft 3'' from the front - sister table to the one at The Caxton Arms, Brighton
8. Rodmell Table by Wayne Saunders: 7ft from the front
Table Selection
​Methodology in Detail

We're simply looking for a mix of tables for fairness. They represent known venues, regions where players are from, lead type and oche distance, which in turn will reflect in the score by visits for each game.

A guesstimated optimum number for any table is of course assuming you have a seasoned player on form. In reality a whole afternoon and evening of the WTSC is also a test of nerve, nerves and stamina, as well as consistent accuracy.

Before assessing the ease or difficulty of a lead you need to look at the landing quality of the lead, the size of hole and the distance of the oche. One player's 5-visit can easily be another's horror-show.

The WTSC aims to represent the game as a whole, not cater to player preferences or regional league rules. If we listened to every single person's dislike, we would  end up with no tables. Incidentally, thanks to the random draws, table suppliers have a one-in-eight chance of playing their own table.

Players also have different definitions of a good table - it might be because it's easy or challenging that they like it, or say a table is bad, because the lead, distance or whatever doesn't suit the player or current form or mood😂.

​The intention behind the variations is to balance the score-ability over all eight tables to find the champion toads player who can master them all, and so the game. 
FYI: THIS IS NOT THE
​'WORLD' TEAMS EVENT. 
​CONTACT THE CSBS IN LEWES TO SIGN UP TO THEIR EVENT IN SPRING AND
​THEIR WAITING LIST. THANK YOU
WTSC NOW IN OUR FOURTH YEAR
'Impossible really to
​improve upon.''
Click for the RULES 
More REVIEWS for
​the WTSC now in it's fourth glorious year
''Class.''

''Thank you very much for organising, as always''

''Great day. Thanks for hosting mate. Looking forward to next year already.''

''Why are you asking me? You knew it was good.'' 

''I've just watched the film ten times.''

''The smoking cage was funny. The atmosphere was brilliant. So different to other tournaments. Just nice to see everyone in that environment.''

WTSC MUSIC PLAYLIST

Here is the bespoke WTSC music playlist for this year.  Feel free to use it to enhance your practise. 
​
Let me know if there are any classic tracks you'd like added, bearing in mind there are 300 songs and seventeen hours on shuffle already. If you reach THE FINAL we will need to know your walk-on music, so have a think what that will be.
​EVENT DETAILS
​and FAQs
Where?
​St Marys Supporters Club
Christie Rd, Lewes BN7 1PL

When?
Saturday 4th October, 2025

Time
3pm
There will be an hour for warm up at doors open, and time to warm up before matches. There are no warm ups between rounds. Do not arrive before doors open, even if you are bringing tables. This year they will be collected if this is an issue.

FAQs

To join the new Waiting List please email us through the DropBox page. Or if you know Jonny, (the main organiser) contact him direct via WhatsApp, in person or through the socials. 
​
Or you can try via Game of Toads on Facebook with an invite request. Please send us your number for WhatsApp and email address.

What's the likelihood of people dropping out? Ten per cent, so about five to seven spots. Stay tuned to this site and the Game of Toads Facebook group and we will alert you. We can't stop those with unwanted spots passing them on though.

But you told me... All the info is here.  
Why is the format straight knockout?
The tournament is not a pub or taproom event designed to keep people drinking, despite the fact we enjoy those competitions very much as well. The WTSC however is a serious competition to find out who the best player is. It's based on the skill of being able to land and hole on a toads table. We've gone for straight knockout as this is how most 'pro' tournaments are structured and the fact there's no debate about winning and losing. We make the matches best of five instead of three, so there is better chance to make a match of it.

Are spectators welcome?
Only if they understand it's a tournament and not to get drunk and step all over the oches or mess about in line of player sight.

Can Club members enter the WTSC?
Only if they understand we have paid for and hired the main room for the day so they can't just waltz in and own the place. Please be as respectful to us as we are to the club which will make one of it's best days on the bar. 

Do people who provide tables have an advantage? Not really. There's a one in eight probability they will end up on their 'home' table and even then there's the added pressure of the expectation they will be good. Coins should be ready on the drink tables beside the lead table.

All player will have a heads up about the tables and lengths so can prepare accordingly. 
What's the history of the WTSC?
The WTSC - World Toads Singles Championship - is now in it's third year.
In 2022 sixteen of the best Toads players came together to compete rallied round by organisers Jonny Wills and host Gemma John. In 2023 that number doubled to 32. This year there will be sixty-four players, making it the largest singles tournament in the known history of the game.

The WTSC is held at St Marys Supporters Club in Lewes, a private members venue renowned for it's sport and games-playing history and it's famously long bar counter.

What are the WTSC's intentions and how does it distinguish itself? The tournament seeks to make itself a beacon for fair play and non-competitive edging and uses eight different Toads tables to represent the idiosyncrasies inherent in the game. As well as the general rules of Toad-in-the-Hole it has it's own WTSC Rules and Guidelines including self-governing oches where other players are invited to score or be the 'Toadrunner'.

The WTSC is aware the game is both multi-levelled and absurd and welcomes serious competitors finding their Toads home among friends. To this end the event itself celebrates the game with humour, a bespoke orientation film and soundtrack, keen organisation and solid structure for serious competition.

Players meet with other enthusiasts in the community in an atmosphere geared towards fellowship and fair play and tend to have a brilliant day regardless of how far they progress in the tournament. This year the tournament brings together all the communities of Toads, including Brighton, Lewes, Lincoln and London; East, West and Mid-Sussex, plus players for the first time from Germany.
Will there be filming again this year?
There may well be a documentary film-maker who makes stuff for the BBC and Ch4. They are instinctively discreet and still. They are professional and friendly people with a genuine interest in the game. Please feel free to talk to them and share your stories, if they attend.

​Why aren't there more women in the tournament? There have been six female players involved in the WTSC. When people blame men for the lack of female entries that is just sexist. All players just need to practise more if they want to compete in the top hop flight. Perhaps boys are predisposed to chase games and sport techniques more like they did at school, but that is a societal issue and we believe that is changing right now. As far as Toads is concerned it's already inclusive, and there is seldom judgement or resentment, where the better players practise a lot and enter competitions and leagues which are open to all genders and persuasions. All the best women players are highly regarded, loved and respected.

What do you win? Along with the honour of being crowned "World Champion", you'll receive the gold-leafed Toadstone Trophy aka Mr 'Bufo' Toad to guard over for a year, picture left. It weighs just about a kilogram less than the football world cup. 

Layered with bufonite and gold leaf the oak-disc base represents the four coins used in Toad-in-the-Hole. You'll get your name on the trophy engraved on a special tag placed on the oak coin stack that Bufo sits on.

​Legend has it his bufonite-layered centre will protect you from poison (!) 😂 Above Bufo is pictured on his visit to the trophy and engraving shop in Hangleton, where upon its arrival, the owner said: "I was not expecting that!'

We have some sponsorship things in the pipeline, it just takes a bit of negotiation and organising.
Picture
Do you really have to plan the event?
Yes, and the help we have received through our friends at St Marys in making the event a success has been outstanding and we are very grateful.  Obviously we have paid money to hire the main room of the venue, so we assume that everyone wants us there and for all to have a good time. 

Prior to the event, we submit a plan that is ratified by the club committee and organise the room accordingly.  As it is an important event for the Toads community and Sussex, now gaining a niche amount of national and international traction, we hope members will understand the room will be a little different to other days and refrain from playing on the toads tables - as they don't belong to us - when the event is in progress.

​If any members still have a problem please contact organiser and St Marys club member Jonny Wills directly and he will gladly answer your questions, or he will come and find you and address the matter in person. We have instructed our welcome hosts to invite everyone to remember to sign in: players, members and spectators, to insure accountability and a cordial atmosphere, so that we know everyone is there to make the day a nice one for all.

How can I guarantee entry if a space comes up? By paying to confirm you're coming when asked to do so. Please bear in mind this is a standalone private club event not a pub or league one
Facebook Group
Scan the QR code (right) to go to the Game of Toads Facebook group, or click this link and ask to be join and get the latest updates.
Remember: There Can Be Only One!
Are all abilities welcome? Yes. Toads is an inclusive and levelling game. We will spread out the levels and draw out of a hat to balance things out and give everyone a fair crack. The standard though is generally very high. The tables are diverse, but of course there many variables with how players enjoy the game, and the best the WTSC can do is facilitate eight different tables to reflect that. The tournament is not just for the best players, it's for all competitors. The hop flight players already get their due as seeds.

How do you do the draw?
Out in the open. No secret Illuminatoads Societies here. This stops doubts that the event is being fiddled in some way, or to the advantage of those running it. Well it's just me and my sister, so.... eh-hum. The plan for the draws is above under the heading: FORMAT

Do you take toads seriously or is it just fun? Be aware this is a serious yet friendly event and draws the connoisseurs and competition-orientated players of the game. Everyone wants to win - even the bitter pub newbies that rig events so anyone, or they in particular can win - as you can see that on their faces when they do. And we all already know it's an absurd, beguiling game, so at this level the absurdity of Toads is even more refined!

Don't be put off though, because you couldn't meet a profoundly cooler bunch of people. It's just that the WTSC ethos is based on practised skill. 
What happens if I'm late?
Matches will carry on regardless of a no-show or if you are late. Please don't wander off if you have an imminent match. Just listen out for when the music goes off and announcements are happening. BTW: There are no refunds, as we blew the budget long ago. Examples are: doing at admin at midnight for players paying after the pub, talking in venues to explain everything, social media posting etc. The list is as endless as you want to make it.
What tables are being used?
We will earmark 8 traditional-style cast, sheet or wrapped-sheet lead tables and they will be a range of styles.  We may possibly include an alloy, which is ten per cent non-lead, a harder, slippery surface table top commonly found in Brighton.

We are happy to receive any other tables you might want to bring in to the mix, for the sake of fairness and regional representation. As long as its a fair standard played table and toads can go down the hole. We can put them all into a draw to see which ones are played... if there are no objections to the quality of the table! Nearer the time we will try and let people know what tables are being used, the criterion is that they are all different, so be prepared to adapt your game.

Provision of tables does not guarantee earlier entry and extra warm-up, thank you.

The broader the range the better for more equitable play and the diminishing of 'home-table advantage'. Of course the table draw every round should also help reduce this.

There is an argument for having a sheet lead and alloy top table represented and we are constantly debating this. Please let us know your thoughts either way. Currently people are leaning towards traditional cast leads. We won't be using sheet or alloy lead tables, although there is no reason to exclude them from a future tournament in my humble opinion, as one of each may give players a new puzzle to work out. 
What's the difference between the 'Lewes Worlds' in April and the WTSC 2023 in October?  Yes, we have been asked this question 😂 Ours is a singles event designed to find the best player and 'World Champion' across 8 different tables, principally how the game is normally played – one on one – when you walk into different venues. The oche lengths respect the original venues.

The WTSC is held at a private members club and from a competition point of view separates out the home-table champions to see who has really got game. For some it works like a New Year celebration for the new season.

​The Lewes Worlds in April is like a brilliant 'Toads Christmas'  end of season event at Lewes Corn Exchange with approximately 200 in attendance. The matches are for teams of four – like a last round league match – on eight near-identical sheet-lead tables, so strategically, it's a different approach. The ethos is to let the tables stay the way they are without maintenance where the holes close up: which means toads get stuck in the hole more and the games are more often than not, low-scoring.

The WTSC looks to limit happenstance and keep the holes as open as possible to measure players' skill at landing AND holing, making it a tournament for dedicated players, and less so, casual ones. As there are eight different tables, the holes vary in size and offer unique scoring possibilities and puzzles for players anyway.
Where does my entry fee go, I usually don't have to pay for toads etc?
We've hired a private club and spend the year organising the tournament. A normal pub or taproom puts on events to make a great day and sell beer and food. They are designed to keep you there, so they are mostly free. Or of course, maybe your admin fees for other events are paid for by someone else?

The WTSC is a standalone private event to facilitate toads-playing connoisseurs to enjoy their beloved game of 'drops' in an optimum environment without distraction or yobbery.

The ongoing work I do as WTSC Organiser throughout the year equates to admin, emails, SMSs, FB messages, WhatsApp messages, social media, promotion, marketing, artwork, website hosting, networking, data curation, liaising with facilitators, discussing seeding with experienced players, and fielding questions from potential participants - every time I go out😂.

There is always something to update every week. Plus, in the build up, the tournament has expenses for preparation, transport, event set-up and set-down, and of course the making of player framework and infamous orientation film. Still, Benton Wieldy, Jim Rosentode and Sean Connery have all kindly waived their fees.

All of the above is done as a passion hobby and there is no profit, as you can calculate by adding up the hours from all the activities. Please don't be flippant and start rumours, just imagine if you want to bother doing it. And no, I didn't nick this idea off anyone. Ideas for events are in the air, so why not organise something yourself?

All in all, the entry fee total comes to three days full-time freelance work at my usual rate before tax, and the actual work I put in is from three weeks up to a month full-time. And I do all this in my spare time after work.

This year we are looking for sponsors and ways to grow the WTSC.
Does the WTSC Toadstone say 2023 or 2025? The trophy says 2023 in a traditional engraving font.  The misreading and subsequent rumour may have been caused by light conditions, age-related eyesight, inebriation, the lateness of the hour, sledgey-banter: or all five.

Will the Toadstone Trophy be given permanently after three wins? God, no. There is room on the four oak discs for a roster of names throughout the years, increasing it's value to the community. 

What happens if the holes won't let toads go down? Is our end game to play with closed holes? The WTSC believes this is a developed quality too far and we have an in-house hole maker in the event toads keeping getting more stuck than not. Toads will occasionally get stuck, and this makes for a more strategic game. But there comes a point when players who know they are in form and holing toads regularly have their skill compromised for the sake of the faux notion of authenticity. There's a line between interesting developed qualities of a lead and a shit table. In our collective WTSC opinion, leaving the hole to close is developed quality too far. The game is not called Toad-Stuck-in-the-Hole or even Toad-on-the-Lead. 
Does the organiser have an advantage?
No. It's notoriously difficult to win your own tournament and with all the info here you can see we - myself, helpers, tournament advisors - have gone to great lengths for parity and honour.

It's all a bit cliquey and about you though isn't it? No. I personally go to great lengths to invest in parity for all while facilitating the 'as is' quality of idiosyncratically different tables, oche lengths and toads coins. Most of my jokes are about the nature of ego, not from a place of ego. It's an inclusive event and everyone is welcome to take part. If the lists get bigger we will find a way to take it to those numbers. 

Before edging towards a personal preference I consider the big picture implications for the tournament and the repercussions in the small and focused toads community. You could say I have a bias towards the game's underwhelming/overwhelming paradox and want to honour both the absurd and nail-biting aspects of the sport. 
Are you mad or obsessed? I will answer this as it may have an indirect bearing on the vibe of the WTSC: Some will claim I'm mad, but we're all pretty mad - passionate or obsessed - playing this game. Some will claim I'm ultra competitive, but anyone who plays toads wants to win. Some claim I analyse too much then two seconds later give me their improvement on my analysis. Those that bear grudges have ideas in their heads I am not party to, so I can only let haters hate, as Taylor Swift once sang. In the end, no one knows more about the game than Benton.