NATIONAL CLUB

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Open Major Minor Handicap Rapidplay

updated 24.8.06

NATIONAL CLUB 2005-6
FOR NEXT YEAR
18.7.06
This may not be the place to say it, but we couldn't think where else. The ECF plans a change in 2006-7. Chris Majer, Home Director, writes:

Following interest expressed in the National Club survey, the ECF is minded to resurrect the National Club U100 competition. The competition will have the same format as the Minor (teams of four) with the following grading restrictions.
In the U100, all players must have grades under 125. The average grading of the players must be less than 100. Any player having a grading below 50 will be treated as having a grading of 50. Ungraded players must be cleared with the section controller before the match starts so that they can be allocated a grading by him or her.

A volunteer is sought for the post of National Club U100 Controller. Update 24.8.06. John Shaw has been appointed. See ECF website.

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OPEN
5 entries (6 last year)
Preliminary Round (by 31st December) Maidstone 4½ 1½ Mushrooms
Semi-finals (by 30th April) Maidstone* 3 3 Ilford; Bedford 1½ 4½ Wood Green
Final Wood Green 5 1 Maidstone

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MAJOR U160
21 entries (21 last year)
Round 1 (by 18th December) Bourne End 4½ ½ Hounslow; Cosham w/o scr Pentyrch; Gloucester 1½ 3½ Brown Jack; Hackney 3 2 Hastings & St Leonards; Loughborough 1 4 Bedford; Maidstone 2 3 Wanstead & Woodford; Metropolitan Rooks 2 3 Tunbridge Wells; Redhill scr w/o Metropolitan Knights; West Nottingham 1 4 Rose Forgrove; Wood Green* 2½ 2½ Milton Keynes; Bye Writtle
Round 2 (by 19th February) Bedford 3 2 Writtle; Metropolitan Knights 3 2 Cosham; Rose Forgrove* 2½ 2½ Wanstead & Woodford; Rest byes
Quarter-finals (by 23rd April) Bedford 3 2 Hackney; Brown Jack 4 1 Metropolitan Knights; Rose Forgrove 2 3 Bourne End; Tunbridge Wells 1½ 3½ Wood Green
Semi-finals (by 11th June) Wood Green 2 3 Bedford; Bourne End* 2½ 2½ Brown Jack
Final Bedford 3½ 1½ Bourne End

PLATE
Quarter-finals Maidstone w/o scr Hounslow; Hastings & St Leonards 1½ 3½ Metropolitan Rooks; Gloucester w/o scr West Nottingham; Milton Keynes 3 2 Loughborough
Semi-finals Metropolitan Rooks 1½ 3½ Maidstone; Milton Keynes 3 2 Gloucester
Final Milton Keynes 3 2 Maidstone

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MINOR U125
28 entries (30 last year)
Round 1 (by 18th December) Buckley/Mold (N Wales) 3½ ½ Bushbury (Staffs); Lancaster 3 1 Creda (Staffs); Ashfield (Notts) ½ 3½ West Leeds; Barton (? on Humber: Yorks) 0 4 Newark (Notts) B; Alwoodley (Yorks)* 2 2 Newark A; Syston (Leics) w/o scr Chipping Campden (Glos); Forest of Dean (Glos) 1 3 Littlethorpe (Leics); Cosham* 2 2 Hesperides (Surrey); Hammersmith 2½ 1½ Westcliff; Bishops Stortford 2½ 1½ Tunbridge Wells; Hastings & St Leonards w/o scr Barking; Maidstone 3 1 Shell; Woodpushers (Sussex) 0 4 Rainham (Kent); Littlethorpe II 2½ 1½ Wycombe & Hazlemere. The last of these matches did not appear in the original draw. Wycombe & Hazlemere's entry form apparently went astray. When it came to light Littlethorpe, who had been thinking of entering a second team, did so and played them. We have this information, and the result, from a match captain but we assume the Controller knows about it. [Later: we hear she does.] The match had the additional novel feature of being played in a skittle alley. "Alternative game for any tiebreaks?"
Round 2 (by 19th February) Maidstone 2½ 1½ Hastings & St Leonards; Cosham 1½ 2½ Hammersmith; Newark A w/o scr Littlethorpe II; Newark B 3 1 Syston; Littlethorpe I 2½ 1½ Buckley/Mold; Rainham 0 4 Bishops Stortford; byes Lancaster, West Leeds
Quarter-finals (by 23rd April) Hammersmith 1 3 Maidstone; Bishops Stortford 1½ 2½ Newark A; Lancaster 3 1 Newark B; West Leeds 2½ 1½ Littlethorpe I
Semi-finals (by 18th June) Newark A 1½ 2½ Maidstone West Leeds 1½ 2½ Lancaster
Final Maidstone 2½ 1½ Lancaster

PLATE
Round 1 Hesperides 1 3 Woodpushers; Creda 1 3 Alwoodley; Bushbury 0 4 Chipping Campden; Wycombe & Hazlemere 3 1 Forest of Dean; Ashfield w/o scr Barton; Tunbridge Wells scr w/o Barking; byes Westcliff, Shell
Quarter-finals Woodpushers 2½ 1½ Shell; Westcliff 3 1 Barking; Alwoodley 0 4 Ashfield; Chipping Campden 1½ 2½ Wycombe & Hazlemere
Semi-finals Westcliff 3½ 1½ Woodpushers; Wycombe & Hazlemere 1½ 2½ Ashfield
Final Ashfield 2½ 1½ Westcliff

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HANDICAP RAPIDPLAY
Chris Majer writes:
This year's competition was held once again at Magdalen College School, Oxford on Sunday 23th April and was sponsored by Clever Cloks Products. 12 teams of 4 entered, so fortunately the need for a bye was avoided. There were 5 rounds, with each player having 20 minutes to complete the game. The teams were paired according to scores. At the end of the event placings were determined taking account of handicaps based on average grades using the system devised by Cyril Johnson. [rjh: Details not given. Perhaps you can work them out from the scores. The system has more than one variety. But see Footnote.]
     Cowley I (ranked 5th on grade) needed no help from the handicap system. They beat Syston 4-0 in round 1 and Wanstead 3½ – ½ in the second. Then they relaxed merely beating the higher graded Milton Keynes team 2½ -1½ before dispatching Clevedon 3½ - ½. Three points ahead at the start of the last round, they held off a challenge from the highly graded Oxford City team drawing 2-2. Congratulations to the Cowley I team for a remarkable achievement.
     Mike Flatt controlled, Tim Thurstan was the arbiter and Goeff Kendall took the entries. An enjoyable day was had by all and I hope to run the event again next year at the same venue.
     Final places, showing handicap adjustments:
1 Cowley I (ave 149.75) 15½/20 - 1 = 14½ £200; 2 Clevedon (138) 11½ + 1 = 12½ £120; 3 Magdalen College School (109.5) 8 + 4 = 12 £60; 4-5 Cowley II (137) 10 + 1 = 11; Milton Keynes & OU I (156.5) 12 - 1 = 11; 6 St Albans (159.5) 11½ - 1 = 10½; 7 Milton Keynes & OU II (125.75) 8½ + 1 = 9½; 8-9 Crowthorne (102.25) 5 + 4 = 9; Syston (105.5) 5 + 4 = 9; 10-11 Oxford City (163.75) 12½ - 4 = 8½; Wanstead (145) 9½ - 1 = 8½; 12 Emsworth (165.25) 11 - 4 = 7
     Footnote
It turns out that the handicaps in use were: - Average grade 200+ -10; 180-199 - 7; 160-179 -4; 140-159 -1; 120-139 + 1; 100-119 +4. Not all teams managed to get close to an optimum average!

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