Cambridge City Chess Club - Bury League

2008-2009 Captains' Report

Starting from the top of the Bury League, the Choristers achieved a credible 2nd place in Division 1. We lost only one match all season and were the only team to beat Linton A. Not surprisingly every regular member of the team contributed with a plus score with the star player being Stefan Doci with 7½ / 10. Hopefully we can build on this performance and next season not only challenge for the league title but win it!

The Academicals slipped from the top-spot in December and then held firmly onto third place for the remainder of the season. While Chris Davison never missed a game for the team, David Jarvis missed two big matches. Tom Bramley and David got the biggest haul of points; Tom had the best grading performance while David took the best percentage.

Improving on last year's shared bottom place, the Oddfellows did well this season scoring 3 wins, 4 draws and 5 losses, enough for a comfortable 5th place. As one of the lowest rated teams in Div. I, we were pleased by the result. Richard Newman (board 4) was our top scorer with 7½ / 11, while Simon Doherty again held his own against very tough opposition on board 1. He defeated Ed Player and Hans Richter, but was lucky to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against the young Alan Merry (Bury Cannons B).

The Examiners won the title race in division two, after five wins and a draw in the second half of the season. A 4-1 win over our nearest rivals, the Bollards, proved to be the decisive result. Our top performer was Colin Byrne with 7½ / 10 while Jonas Persson scored an impressive 5 / 6 on top board. The other regulars, Alan Bailey and Ed Kernohan and the many substitutes from the club also brought in a respectable haul of points.

The Bollards contested the lead in the second division with the Examiners throughout the entire season. Our top player in the second half of the season was Melford John with 4½ / 5, but everyone scored well overall.

The Dons had a very successful season in Division 3 culminating in the team taking the top spot. Towards the end of the season we faced our nearest rivals, the Gowns. We fell to a whitewash, giving them 5 points and allowing them back into contention. Although it looked close, the Dons finished in clear first place. The regulars, Jan, Ian and myself, Lee were helped to victory on numerous occasions by Alvin, Ashley, Joe, Stephen, Roland, Tapan, Alan and Colin.

The Gowns had a bit of a slow start but finally hit our stride and made it into second place behind the Dons. Of the regular players, Dan and Will had good seasons. Dan had some great games against lots of highly-graded opponents on board 1, and Joe enthusiastically racked up one of the highest scores for the team. Thanks also to Patrick, David, Luca and particularly Alvin for the points that they gained for the Gowns and to everyone else who stepped in. Here's to an even better season next year - and less getting lost!