Just to report that the Terriers came second against a much stronger Essex team, the final score being 4.5 – 7.5. The Terriers relative weakness on the bottom boards finally told as the match was even on the top 5 or so boards, but the strength Essex had on the bottom boards was the telling factor in the end. The Terriers could only muster one win over the twelve boards, with many close fought draws against higher graded opponents that had to be earned in the end.
Now our county season has drawn to a close, I’d like to thank all those people who turned out and supported both myself and the Terriers team, we played 6 matches, or 72 boards with no defaults. Everyone did their part and contributed to the success we had this year - the most successful Staffordshire U120 team for a while. Next year we will be defending our title of MCCU U120 County Champions.
We wish Essex well for the next round as they go on to visit Warwickshire in the semi-final.
It just remains for me to thank Ray and Eunice Dolan, who stepped in at the 11th hour to offer the Bloxwich Junior Chess Club and their facilities to the south of the county for the match, the venue was all set out and the coffee, tea and biscuits flowed generously.
Here’s to next year.