SCCU U14/U90 TournamentSussex are in the East zonal, along with Kent and Essex. Each match is double-round. In round 1 the pairings are as printed; in round 2 the away players swop places on boards 1-2, 3-4 etc. More detail can be found on the SCCU website HERE. Kent v. Sussex, 15th March 2009, Sevenoaks Kent v. Sussex, 15th March 2009, Sevenoaks
It was with sadness and trepidation that I set off for Sevenoaks on Sunday. Sadness because I knew it would be the last time many of the team would be eligible for the U14/U90 team; trepidation because we were up against Kent who had won all 3 of their games and were group winners regardless of the outcome of the match. The team put in a tremendous effort on the day, only losing by the narrowest of margins despite being outgraded by about 20 points per board. Many thanks to the parents and carers for transport and support. Special thanks to Di who has got the team together for the last 2 seasons. The team were: Amy Hoare, Daniel Sutton, Sean Lintott-White, Arthur Graham, Will Graham, Morgan Blake, James Falvey, Robin Fells, Alfie Brand, Hannah Watkinson, Henry Carter, and Cassie Graham. The last name on the list may come as a surprise to you, it certainly did to me! I had been at Swindon all day on the Saturday with the under 9s and despite frantic efforts from Di, we were down to 11 players late Saturday night. After a little persuasion and bribery on the Sunday morning, the U9 board 12 was pressed into service by her Dad (much to the dismay of her elder brothers!). What a great day out we had – the venue was excellent and we were very well catered for. The 2 teams got on really well and while the longer games were finishing, Sussex vs. Kent football and dodgeball matches were being played outside. The games were played in a good spirit. This was epitomised by the Kent manager and board 1 who offered a draw on the last game to finish which avoided a potentially awkward 2 minute rule decision (which, I suspect, would have been ruled a loss for us). As mentioned above, it was a sad day for me - I have got to know the U14s really well over the last couple of years and will be sorry to lose Amy, Daniel, Sean, Will, James and Henry. They have been stalwarts of the team and their behaviour and attitude have been exemplary. As for the chess it has to be said (sorry guys) the girls were magic – Amy and Hannah scored 2 out of 2 and Cassie chipped in with a shock win in round 2. Amy and Hannah combined some fearsome attacking play with ruthless finishing, it was great to watch. James, Henry and Will all signed off with some points, Henry and James chalking up great wins with Black. The future looks good too with Robin and Arthur winning good games in round 1 and Morgan chalking up a useful half point. In the end it all came down to the last game. Daniel was bravely playing on in desperate time trouble and an unclear position – he knew a win would square the match. He did really well to draw, just missing a chance for glory - see if you can spot it - black to move:
Report by Dave Graham. Sussex v. Essex, 14th February 2009, Burgess Hill
Essex v. Sussex, 30th November 2008, Wanstead
The Sussex U14 U90 team travelled all the way to Wanstead in NE London to play Essex. The first round was hotly contested, although Essex managed to edge ahead to finish 6.5 to our 5.5. The second round did not go so well and although many games started promisingly for Sussex , our fortunes changed and Essex managed to pull off a convincing win of 10 to our 2. The final result was Essex 16.5, Sussex 7.5 Despite a disappointing final result , there were some noteworthy games. Special mention should go to Joseph Willmott and James Falvey who both finished on 2 out of 2. Morgan Blake played for the first time with the Sussex team, and played two good games and over 3 hours chess! Arran Airlie also made his debut, drawing in the first round and fighting to the very end in the second. I would like to thank the players and parents for making the journey up to London on a particularly wet, cold and grey morning to take part in the match ! We shall play Essex again in the Spring , in Sussex this time, when we hope to improve on Sundays score! Watch this space…………! Dave Graham and Di Lintott Sussex v. Kent, 8th November 2008, Lindfield
I would like to thank all players for playing on against Kent on Saturday in what turned out to be a very close match! The final score saw Kent win by 13 points to 11, and although a they were a very strong team, Sussex made it very difficult for them: in the end there was only ONE game in it! A special mention should go the following players : Amy Hoare scored 2 out of 2 against strong opposition. Her first game was particularly good - a great attacking effort, she never gave her opponent a moment's peace right from the opening!Daniel Sutton also scored 2 good wins showing great technique in the endgames. Arthur Graham took on the challenge of board 4 and played 2 long, hard games : he was last to finish in both rounds and was only just unable to hold the draw in either case. There were many other good individual efforts too. James Falvey made a great comeback from what looked like a hopeless position in round 2 and Charles Dabbs was in fine form despite a long lay off. Iona played a terrific Rook and Pawn endgame in round 2 to win a game that looked dead drawn and George Bacon stepped in as a sub in round 2 and won very swiftly indeed. Once again, many thanks to the players for a great start to the tournament! Dave Graham and Di Lintott
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