Results of EPSCA Under-9 Team Championships

National Final, High Wycombe, 24 April 2004

What a day! Our target at the start of the day was to improve upon last year's 10th place from 19 teams, and 18½ / 36 points. A brilliant first round saw a tremendous performance from the bottom half of the team, and a total of 8½ points put us third, behind Wey Valley (who racked up a very impressive 11½ / 12) and last year's champions Hertfordshire (9). Richmond, perennially strong, were a point behind us, while Bucks and Somerset, who had finished ahead of us in the SW zone, trailed behind.

In a topsy-turvey round two, Wey Valley scored 'only' 7½ but a total of 19 just kept their lead, ahead of Richmond who scored 10½ to move to 18 and surprise package Manchester, who added an astonishing 11½ to their first-round total of just 5½, to move into third with 17 points. Our six points was a little disappointing but we clung on to fourth place with 14½; Herts scored just five but were breathing down our necks on 14, along with Leicestershire. We needed a strong final round...

With Joseph Foster and Joseph Barr moving up the reserves into the main team, the bottom half delivered again, scoring an unbeaten 5 / 6. It was tough at the top and Ewan was unlucky to go down after holding an advantage, but wins from the last two finishers Martin and Marcus gave us eight points for the round, and a total of 22½. Way Valley and Richmond were clear but Manchester were dropping lots of points -- would our score be enough for a set of medals?

Unfortunately Herts scored nine to sneak by us by half a point, and then the Manchester board 1 salvaged a win from an utterly lost position, to tie with Herts on 23 (but losing out on tie-break). So we finished fifth, but this considerably exceeded expectations. Well done to everyone, particularly John Bethell, George Guilbert, Dan Juniper and Joseph Foster who scored 3 / 3, and Eamon Devaney-Dykes and captain Martin Thetford who were unbeaten on 2½. And of course thank you to all the parents and team managers who organised, helped, shopped and supported. A result to be proud of!

Individual results

Team results

PosTeamr 1r 2r 3Total
1Wey Valley11.57.511.530.5
2Richmond7.510.5927
3Herts95923
4Manchester5.511.5623
5Oxon8.56822.5
6Leics776.520.5
7Yorks6.56719.5
=Sussex757.519.5
9Barnet75719
10Bucks6.54818.5
11Somerset655.516.5
=Notts5.56516.5
13Kent3.565.515
14Berks46515
15Devon5.54.53.513.5
=Liverpool4.56.52.513.5
17Lincs45413
18Staffs341.58.5
19Wirral23.527.5

Individual Results

Boardr 1r 2r 3TotalOpponents
1Ewan Bowlby0000SussexManchesterLeics
2Martin Thetford0.5112.5WirralYorksLincs
3Marcus Harvey1012NottsDevonBucks
4John Bethell1113BerksBarnetKent
5Guy Bennett-Jones0000Wey ValleyLiverpoolRichmond
6Guy Dixon1102StaffsHertsSomerset
7George Guilbert1113SomersetStaffsHerts
8Andrew Rippington100.51.5RichmondWey ValleyLiverpool
9Thomas Gourd101KentBerks
9Joseph Foster11Barnet
10Eamon Devaney-Dykes110.52.5BucksNottsDevon
11Dan Juniper1113LincsWirralYorks
12Joseph Barr011LeicsManchester
12Christopher Palmer00Sussex
Total8.56822.5

Reserve Competition

Joseph Foster112
Thomas Gourd11
Ben Hartley0011
Christopher Palmer112
Joseph Barr11
James Lawton Smith0011