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British Foosball Association
The Rainbow Snooker Club
Player Profiles
The Rainbow has developed some of the most prodigious talent in the UK, most notably in the form of UK champion Rob Atha.
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- Tanny Iqbal
No description of the Rainbow would be complete without recognition of the late, great, Tanvir 'Tanny' Iqbal.
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ROB ATHA, Wigan
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Christened 'the Wonderkid' in the USA, Rob had made an astonishing impact on the game before his 14th birthday.
Three years later, and Rob is top of both Garlando and Tornado rankings in the UK, and is celebrating winning both the Semi-Pro doubles at the Garlando world's in Austria, AND winning semi-pro doubles at the Tornado world's in Dallas!
Rob is a true all round player, with one of the best 5-bars in Europe, and up front a snake, pull or front-pin shot to compete with the very best. In defence he has a devastating pull, push or tic-tac, and has made the aerial shot his own.
Rob will surely be challenging for a major world title before too long.
Ranking status: Garlando Pro, Tornado Pro-Master (UK/Europe) - US Tornado Pro (first and only Briton to be ranked Pro in the US).
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Dave is a tough pro defender on Tornado with a Tournament Soccer pedigree, and is one of the most experienced players in the game.
Dave is expert at making attackers shoot where he wants them to, and getting there first. He studies his opponents carefully to assess their strengths, weaknesses and tell-tale signs.
From the 2-bar, Dave has a strong push shot and push-kick, and a full range of passes to an alert partner. Up front he has a deceptive 5-bar and an effective front-pin. In singles he can beat you from the 2-bar alone if he sets his mind to it, and his 5-bar shooting is second to none.
Ranking status: Garlando Semi-Pro, Tornado Pro-Master
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DAVE PERROTT, Manchester
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STUART CREE, Manchester
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Stuart's game can match any in the UK on Tornado or Italian-style tables.
Stuggie marries strong incisive 5-bar passing and frenetic slap-backs, as well as a highly effective hack to keep the opponent honest. On the 3-bar his main weapon is a blistering snake shot,
which he occasionally trades for his cracking on-the-run push-kick.
Stuart is a great analyst of the game, always happy to give expert advice
to those who want it.
Ranking status: Tornado Pro
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Steve 'Fast Eddie' Edwards is our Table Football
historian - he has researched the origins of the game, and there isn't much he
doesn't know about the UK scene. He is also a
dedicated player with a lightning front-pin, which he will crack past you
equally successfully from the back or the front. Watch out for his version
of the Texas T-shot.
Eddie is the circuit comedian, and always has a joke to tell - even during important matches as those who saw the match vs Bruce Jassal at the Kingston tournament will testify.
Eddie has also organised a number of tournaments on Tornado tables.
Ranking status: Tornado Pro
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EDDIE EDWARDS, Northwich
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BENGE MCHUGH, Northwich
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Benge McHugh is one of the most accomplished defenders in the
game, winning doubles tournaments with a number of top attackers.
Totally unflappable at the back, Benge is one of the hardest defences to penetrate, using a variety of shuffle, bait and sucker
defences to good effect.
As an offensive arsenal, Benge's long pull takes some beating, but he is equally capable of knocking in a front-pin, back-pin, tic-tac or vicious
bank-shot. Up front, his 3-bar is deadly, with a blistering pull shot and effective front-pin.
Benge claims to be 'not much of a singles player', but this didn't stop him taking the Dutch Open rookie singles title in 2001.
Ranking status: Tornado Pro
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Les is one of the toughest competitors around, albeit infrequently, on the Tornado circuit, and places well consistently in singles or doubles when he competes.
Les has a rare strength in that his 3-bar seems magnetic, his ball retrieval skills are second to none, and he has one of the most effective defensive 3-bars in the game. Les also possesses a
formidable, if unorthodox, 5-bar, excellent at blocking and retrieving, and deceptively effective in getting the ball through, particularly adept at catching deflected passes with his 3-bar.
Up front, Les possesses a wicked snake shot, and somehow manages to get the timing just right. He is also developing an effective front pin, and already has one of the fastest and smoothest push-shots in the game, which serves him equally well from the 2-bar in singles.
Ranking status: Tornado Pro
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LES JONES, Manchester
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TONY MELIA, Manchester
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In defence, Tony is an unflappable brick wall with a fiendishly accurate push or pull and a lethal back-pin. Don't fall for his 'sucker' defence!
On his rare forays into attack, Tony is one of the few remaining exponents of the back pin as a main offensive shot - capable of scoring on the best defence.
Tony is an infrequent competitor at tournaments, but a formidable opponent nonetheless.
Ranking status: Tornado Pro
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Sohaib is already a cool and methodical player, bringing inevitable comparisons with his father, the late great Tanny Iqbal. Sohaib plays his own game with devastating effect.
A precision brush passing series and a wicked
snake make this young man the player to watch - he has taken many
a Pro scalp, and will be picking up more open trophies before long.
Ranking status: Tornado Semi-Pro
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SOHAIB TANVIR, Manchester
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DAVE CHOW, Manchester
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Dave is another Loewen veteran who has returned to the Rainbow and picked up where he left off.
Dave is a canny defender with the knack of finding the gap to goal, or the disguised precision pass to the forward.
Up front, Dave has an excellent 5-bar, whereas on the 3 his unorthodox front-pin series has opponents writhing in despair.
Ranking status: Tornado Semi-Pro
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One of the most uncompromising players on the Tornado circuit, Khalid is always deadly serious when he plays. And it pays off.
Khalid is one of the best defenders in the country and he
has won many big tournaments.
Khalid has one of the lightest and most fluid touches in the UK game, plus a full range of shots and passes from the back which means
you're never sure what to block! Up front he has a devastating pull-kick, lightning pull-shot
and blistering front-pin.
Ranking status: Tornado Pro
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KHALID SHARIF, Manchester
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IMRAN SHARIF, Manchester
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Khalid's brother, Imran has a solid all-round game with powerful and accurate long pull or tic-tac from defence. A frustrating defender to face, he seems to time his blocking just right.
In attack, Imran has a deceptive 5-bar, allied to a blistering pull-kick or devious dink series, unless he uses his tricky front pin shot.
Ranking status: Tornado Novice
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Boris is, quite simply, the keenest supporter of Table Football in the UK, and father of Rob.
At home on any table, Boris is an absolute Jack-Of-All-Trades, and indeed a rare breed - a Pro-rated player who does not conform to the "one-shot-wonder" stereotype.
Boris devotes an enormous amount of time to the BFA, through his position of Secretary, and has visited more table football venues than anyone else.
Regular Haunts: Anywhere there is a game!
Ranking status: Garlando Semi-Pro, Tornado Pro
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BORIS ATHA, Wigan
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MARK MELIA, Manchester
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Mark has made big improvements to his game, after an initial reluctance. Now has a solid defence and a very dangerous long pull shot. He is learning the art of 5-bar passing, and has a dangerous and unpredictable snake shot when he gets it to his 3-bar.
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Simone took up the game a year ago and is already one of the UK's top women players. One of the most improved players around, Simone is a canny defender with a hard, fast and accurate tic-tac shot from the 2-bar. Needs to work on her 5-bar and develop more confidence in attack.
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SIMONE FARRINGTON
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DAVE 'SPUD' TURNER
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Spud is a Lowen veteran who hasn't yet learned that you cannot do bank shots on a Tornado, or at least that is what we all keep telling him as he cracks yet another one in at top speed. He also hasn't learned that the backpin is a low percentage shot, as these keep thundering past our flailing defences. Did I mention push shots - does there seem to be some pattern emerging?
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Sea Bass is a top-class defender and one of the country's most underrated players. An excellent defender of the snake or pin shot, and with a devastating pull shot or back-pin from defence. No mug in attack either, with an excellent pull and improving 5-bar.
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SEYAMAK MORTEZAI-RAD - "SEA BASS"
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