Fri 11 Oct

And so we arrive at the last chance saloon, the final chance for some royal rabble rousers to make the Queen World Cup finals.

Jazz/Game/Flash

Winners of the preliminary play-off in the JGF group and giants of The Game album, Play The Game and Crazy Little Thing Called Love, squared up for a finals place. Predictably, the Elvis-inspired CLTCL got on track with a 63-37 victory over Play The Game.

Miracle/Innuendo/MIH

In the first MIM play-off The Show Must Go On continued it’s prophetic journey into the finals via thumping win over Was It All Worth It (85-15). Elsewhere, The Invisible Man finally disappeared from sight via a 91-9 defeat by Innuendo – proof that there’s a god or any kind of justice under the sky?

In another one-sided play-off the emotionally-charged These Are The Days Of Our Lives wistfully waylaid I’m Going Slightly Mad (83-17) – the 17 may need to see a psychiatrist!

Nominally the tightest, and final, MIM play-off saw fourth seed I Want It All line up against fifth seed Breakthru. Despite the close billing I Want It All shook Breakthru to the ground (64-36).

So, that’s it! We have our QWC finals participants confirmed! 32 triumphant tracks (see https://queenworldcup.ca/finals-seedings.php) now await the draw for the finals groups. In true soccer style one song from each pot will be drawn into each group, the top two teams making it through to the knockout stages. The eagerly anticipated draw will take place on Saturday 19 October (7pm GMT). Until the weekend Podmaster, all-round good guy and master contortionist Kevin Brown will keep his numbered balls warm and close to his chest!