ECF Under-18 County Championship, 25th February 2018, Grantham
Headline Results:
| R1 | R2 | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Kent | 8½ | 8 | 16½ |
| 2nd | Sussex | 8½ | 7½ | 16 |
| 3rd | Surrey | 6½ | 8½ | 15 |
| 4th | Hertfordshire | 4 | 5½ | 9½ |
| 5th= | Leicestershire | 4½ | 3 | 7½ |
| 5th= | Suffolk | 4 | 3½ | 7½ |
The Team:
Lucy Bennet-Stevens, Max Bennett, Matthew Forster, Cassie Graham, Alec Hedger, Timmy Hedger, Oli Howell, Batuhan Kaya, Dominic Miller, Mikolaj Rogacewicz, Calum Salmons, Lilya Stewart
Report:
The format of this event can vary from year to year depending on the organising committee. This year it took the form of a 2-round standardplay in 2 sections; U18 Open (12 boards) and U18 Minor (6 boards); Sussex entered the Open.
It was an early alarm for some Sussex families (5:00am in my house) while others chose to travel the night before….as always the last to arrive were those staying nearest the venue! However, a sleepy but keen band of teenagers sat down for the prompt start at 11:00am.
The time control (very short longplay) took some of the older players by surprise; first back in Round 1 was Alec with a very quick win…last back was Cassie with a very slow draw! After the dust settled we were equal with Kent and just ahead of Surrey which made for a very exciting round 2.
Round 2 prooved too tense for team manager Mike who retreated to the team room. As the results trickled in it became clear we were battling for second place. Mikolaj, an early winner, was confident we were doomed…but Cassie (last to finish again) swindled victory from the jaws of defeat to see us snatch the runner-up medals.
Thanks to;
Neill Cooper and The Kings School, Grantham for a very well run event
Mike Forster for team management
Mike & Dave for going through games
All the parents for supporting the event
