Bookies favourite and incumbent UK Champion Lawrence Hugh Burns (@lawrence.hugh.burns) entered this year’s tournament with the ambition to become the first Competitor in history to secure back-to-back wins. With his game plan firmly in place and a good understanding of what would be required to lift the title for a second time running he edged through Round 1 after a shaky start illustrating against headline: Dad got tattoo identical to young son’s birthmark to help boost boy’s confidence.
Cautiously moving into Round 2 he went Head-2-Head against a steadily improving ROOTS (@roots_0121). Lawrence set-off at lightning speed quickly laying down line-work and building a well researched narrative however it became obvious early-on his opponent hadn’t read the script! ROOTS came out guns blazing with a bold and arguably somewhat traditional interpretation which clearly appealed to her fanbase, winning via her strong social score and against the odds she's knocked out and simultaneously de-throned a solid looking Lawrence Hugh Burns - a place in the Quarter-Finals awaits!
The social vote has proved pivotal on this occasion and highlights the importance of having both a highly engaged fanbase and solid understanding of tournament rules. This battle highlights the importance of engagement over following size and we commend all competitors who successfully leverage this. The IWS are however scheduled to review the social scoring system in 2021 - stay tuned for updates.
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