Choosing from 82 FA Cup Ties

There is no obvious way of choosing among 82 alternatives other than the "draw from balls in a bag" method but that is way too sensible and straightforward for this blog.  A quick bit of research reveals that there are 82 games for each team in a regular NBA season, and this provides an ideal opportunity to let my fate be sealed by the retrospective performance of one team.

Which team? Well, I choose Charlotte Bobcats simply because that was the last place that my feet were in contact with American soil.  Arbitrary enough for my purposes.  I have never seen a Charlotte Bobcat, but no matter.

Charlotte, North Carolina, from the airport as I was leaving, July 2010

I will arrange my ties in alphabetical order of home team (which mixes up the geographical regions in the FA listing) and then look at the Bobcats record for the last complete season, 2012-13.   I will look for the highest number of POINTS SCORED in any individual game by the Bobcats (win or lose) - if this turns out to have been the 24th game of the regular season, then I will go to game number 24 in my list.  If the Bobcats score the same number of points in more than one game, I will take the one with the best winning margin (or lowest losing margin).  If that doesn't produce a unique winner, then all ties go on a shortlist and I will toss a coin or roll a die to make the final play.  Hope that is clear.  It's probably not random in the pure sense, technically speaking, but it is random enough and I have no idea at the time of writing what the outcome will be.

Enough small print, here we go... the ties are here, these are all grounds that I have not visited before that are hosting an FA Cup tie on Saturday:

1	Atherton Collieries	v	Radcliffe Borough
2	Bamber Bridge	v	Staveley MW
3	Basildon United	v	Heybridge Swifts
4	Bedfont Sports	v	North Leigh
5	Belper Town	v	Retford United
6	Billingham Synthonia	v	Brighouse Town
7	Bootle	v	Barton Town Old Boys
8	Boston Town	v	Dereham Town
9	Bournemouth	v	Hallen
10	Bridport	v	Merthyr Town
11	Brislington	v	St Blazey
12	Bristol Manor Farm	v	Lymington Town
13	Brockenhurst	v	Folland Sports
14	Brocton	v	Ellesmere Rangers
15	Cammell Laird	v	Salford City
16	Carlton Town	v	Borrowash Victoria
17	Chessington & Hook United	v	Sittingbourne
18	Chipstead	v	Rye United
19	Cinderford Town	v	Aylesbury United
20	Clapton	v	Mildenhall Town
21	Clevedon Town	v	Bishop Sutton
22	Corinthian Casuals	v	Erith Town
23	Corsham Town	v	Sherborne Town
24	Coventry Sphinx	v	Lye Town
25	Cray Valley (PM)	v	Redhill
26	Croydon	v	Whyteleafe
27	Desborough Town	v	Loughborough University
28	Dunkirk	v	Rainworth MW
29	Durham City	v	Morpeth Town
30	Eastbourne Town	v	Corinthian Casuals
31	Eastbourne United	v	Herne Bay
32	Evesham United	v	Bolehall Swifts
33	Farnham Town	v	Camberley Town
34	Faversham Town	v	Worthing
35	Folkestone Invicta	v	Molesey
36	Formby	v	Northwich Victoria
37	Frimley Green	v	Cove
38	Goole AFC	v	Bishop Auckland
39	Gorleston	v	Thetford Town
40	Guisborough Town	v	Bridlington Town
41	Harrogate Railway Athletic	v	West Auckland Town
42	Hebburn Town	v	Marske United
43	Horley Town	v	Holmesdale
44	Jarrow Roofing Boldon CA	v	Dunston UTS
45	Kings Langley	v	Newport Pagnell Town
46	Long Eaton United	v	Shepshed Dynamo
47	Loughborough Dynamo	v	Eastwood Town
48	Mangotsfield United	v	Bitton AFC
49	Market Drayton Town	v	Kidsgrove Athletic
50	Merstham	v	Deal Town
51	Moneyfields	v	Longwell Green Sports
52	Newcastle Town	v	Shawbury United
53	Newport (IW)	v	Fareham Town
54	Newton Aycliffe	v	Spennymoor Town
55	Ossett Albion	v	Runcorn Linnets
56	Ossett Town	v	AFC Emley
57	Padiham	v	Clitheroe
58	Peacehaven & Telscombe	v	Ashford United
59	Petersfield Town	v	Horndean
60	Plymouth Parkway	v	Ilfracombe Town
61	Prescot Cables	v	Congleton Town
62	Ramsbottom United	v	AFC Liverpool
63	Raynes Park Vale	v	Alton Town
64	Runcorn Town	v	Glossop North End
65	Scarborough Athletic	v	Ashington
66	Shildon	v	Penrith AFC
67	Shoreham	v	Walton Casuals
68	Shortwood United	v	Egham Town
69	St Ives Town	v	Soham Town Rangers
70	Street	v	Paulton Rovers
71	Swaffham Town	v	Huntingdon Town
72	Taunton Town	v	Bridgwater Town
73	Totton & Eling	v	Sholing
74	VCD Athletic	v	Burgess Hill Town
75	Wakefield	v	New Mills
76	Warrington Town	v	Winsford United
77	Wells City	v	Bodmin Town
78	West Didsbury & Chorlton AFC	v	Burscough
79	Whitehaven AFC	v	Team Northumbria
80	Wimborne Town	v	Hamworthy United
81	Winchester City	v	Swindon Supermarine
82	Yate Town	v	Cowes Sports

So, now to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012%E2%80%9313_Charlotte_Bobcats_season

for a list of the Bobcats' results.  We find that their biggest points haul came in Game 67 of the regular season, against Washington Wizards, and this is the only time they scored 119 points.  Gerald Henderson Jr scored 27 of them as they won, at home, 119-114.  I even found this clip - little did they know that one day their efforts would have a greater significance ...

This is the perfectly reasonable explanation as to why I will be heading to Shoreham in Sussex for their FA Cup Preliminary Round tie against Walton Casuals on Saturday 31 August.  Sorted.