The Lead Cup – Pool D

Pool D is the last of the round-robin pools, pitting four interesting contestants against each other. All four had something to keep the experts guessing - global mega-corporation backing for Papermate, good solid pedigrees for Lamy and Pilot, and rumours of secret support from Pentel for Insung Hands.

The opening event, the blackness test, saw Pilot from Japan take the honours, with Papermate a close second and Lamy and Insung Hands tied for third. Papermate from the USA quickly improved to claim first place in the erasability test. In the third event, it was Insung Hands from Korea’s turn to claim the honours. So going into the final event, the strength test, everyone except Germany’s Lamy had tasted victory.

The strength test was hotly contested. Insung Hands performed well but was outclassed. The spectators were generally disappointed with Lamy’s performance, and in the end Papermate and Pilot tied for first place.

The individual event placings were, from first place to fourth:
Blackness – Pilot, Papermate, Lamy & Insung Hands (3=).
Smear Resistance – Insung Hands, Lamy, Papermate, Pilot.
Erasability – Papermate, Lamy, Pilot, Insung Hands.
Strength – Papermate & Pilot (1=), Lamy, Insung Hands.

With an overall score of 8, Papermate from USA took first place, closely followed by Pilot on 10 points. Lamy finished a disappointing third on 13 points, and Insung Hands was last on 16 points. Pool play is now over, and with their skills honed by pool play, the big boys are ready for some serious hardball.