"Up above the streets and houses,
Rainbow flying high,
Everyone can see it climbing,
Through the sky
Paint the whole world with a rainbow!"
Back in the good ol' days, the sound of those beautiful words being sung from a distant TV would excite me like no other words could. I'd race into the lounge, chuck aside my school satchel and sit back, high in antipation for another edition of one of the best kids' TV shows around.
Although Rainbow no longer plays such a predominant part in my life, I must confess to being rather excited at being on the same table as Zippy at this year's Grosvenor Grand Prix. "What shall I say?" I mused. "Perhaps I could ask him why he never just unzipped his mouth himself, what kind of creature was he, or why Bungle only put clothes on when he went swimming (trunks) or to bed (night gown)". These questions had befuddled me for far too long, and now was my chance to extract some answers.
With notepad and pen in hand, ready to prise out some scoops from my beady eyed friend, imagine my disappointment when I found out that Zippy is none other than Zahir Aslam, one of the Ash Hussain crew members. A thoroughly nice chap, but not the children's icon I had in mind.
In fact, I think many would have failed to recognise Mr Aslam, as only a week ago his foreboding presence at the London Poker Masters Main Event final table was highlighted by a thick beard, one in which many claim takes just minutes to grow. This weekend, however, that facial forest was no more, only to have been replaced by a distinct 5 o' clock shadow.
Still, this was Zahir Aslam all right, and I was disappointed to have him on my table, not just because he wasn't Rainbow's Zippy, but because he was 
an absolute menace. Just like EPT Grand Final runner-up, Ash Hussain, he was aggressive and relentless, but knew when to slow down, rarely giving anything away and never looking like he was going to make a mistake.
And as the weekend drew to a close, my fear of Zippy was justified as he managed to make the final nine with considerable ease, already guaranteed 10k (the last 13 struck a deal which ensured everyone left with at least £10,000) and seemingly in with a cracking shot of taking the title.
As they approached the final table, the chip situation looked like this:
Seat 1: Anthony Hughes -- 139k
Seat 2: Matt Cartwright -- 406k
Seat 3: Roberto Romanello -- 369k
Seat 4: Mick Fletcher -- 494k
Seat 5: Peter Smyth -- 287k
Seat 6: Zahir 'Zippy' Aslam -- 140k
Seat 7: Alan Dean -- 159k
Seat 8: Darshan Sami -- 73k
Seat 9: Tony Adderley -- 328k
With local hotshot Darshan 'Magic' Sami (right), Swansea runner-up Alan Dean, chatty Welshman Roberto Romanello and Anthony Hughes taking 9th to 6th respectively, we were soon left with 5 survivors, all playing with gritted teeth, determined to snap up top honours.
At this point, it was the quiet and reserved, yet ever so deadly Peter Smyth who was leading the pack with 572k, closely followed by Tony Adderley on 529k. Zippy, meanwhile, although back in fourth place, was still in hot contention with a very playable 436k.
And with the prize money becoming very desirable indeed, it was Mick Fletcher who was forced to settle for fifth spot. With just over 350k, the Bolton Extravaganza champion made his move with A-K, pushing in on a Ten high flop. However, he received a quick call from Tony Adderley's K-T, which held up come the raggy Turn and River.
Adderley then turned assassin to assassinee (is that a new word?) as he made a move on Zippy with J-T, only to receive an instant call. Up against a dominating A-J, the future looked bleak for Adderley, and his fate was sealed once the 2-7-3-6-7 board hit the felt.
Although a deal had been made with 4 remaining (40k each and play for 4.7k and the title), the remaining contestants were still giving it their all, desperate to get their hands on the silverware and be known as the Grand Prix Champion. Unfortunately for Peter Smyth, he wasn't to be that man, finally running A-7 into Zippy's A-J.
And with just two left, Zippy's massive chip lead was too much for Matt Cartright to handle. All the chips flew in pre-flop with Zippy's A-9 outdoing his opponent's A-7 on a T-3-8-J-7 board, the River pairing the Seven, but giving Zippy not only a straight, but the Championship.
Zahir 'Zippy' Aslam was clearly over the moon (or should that be rainbow) and will have done his buddies (who were watching the live updates with a keen eye) immensely proud.
As ever, blonde applauds all the finalists, but must also offer thanks to those at Grosvenor, especially the Walsall branch, for organising a top quality tournament. The Grand Prix is the biggest Pot Limit comp in Europe, and if the standard and popularity of next year's comp is as high at it was this time around, I'm sure it'll retain it's status as one of the season's strongest events.