Andrew has been tireless in his support of our two teams and the club. Here are some of his observations about our first season of league chess:
“First I should mention the remarkable fact that we had 28 different players representing us (!), made possible by our almost totally inexperienced players being willing to have a go and the selection policy that Jane and I pursued in trying to give opportunities to as many as possible, at least in the B team.
Our players are bound to get better as they gain more experience and confidence.
Further, the efforts of Jane, Katina, SJ and Dan should be mentioned in providing invaluable support at home matches. Also, Jane's advice was consistently invaluable in helping me to act as club captain.
Mention should also be made of some individual performances which spring to mind: several players, apart from me, who played in at least four
matches, achieved plus scores, namely Dan 7.5/12, Tim 5.5/10, Lana 4/6, Oliver 3/4. I was delighted to go through the season unbeaten, scoring
9.5/14 - that's 68% playing all but two matches on top board.
Moreover, we had two players achieving 100%, both playing just the once,
Doug Livingstone and Jonny Quigley.”
The A team was vying for the top spots in the division throughout - a remarkable achievement given that we had only one player, Andrew, who had ever played under match conditions before!
Nothing is decided yet but it is likely that we will enter a third team for next season. That gives us the summer to get match ready!
Top notch all round. Thanks to everyone for your efforts, wherever you are in your journey, and what a lovely and supportive club this is.