With the chess-playing season over, it’s time to look back over our first team’s performance in the last year.
As the new boys in Division 2 of the Oxford and District Chess League (ODCL), we knew it was going to be a difficult season, playing against many well-established teams.
Our best hope was to finish above Cowley Workers (who also were promoted with us from Division 3 due to the leagues being rearranged).
Our first game was against Witney 2, who were clearly looking for a strong start as they put out a strong team meaning we lost 5-1.
We picked up our first point with an away draw at Bicester who were the team relegated from Division 1 last season.
Another draw against Cowley Workers didn’t really help either team pull away from each other.
This was followed by two 2.5-3.5 losses – to City 2 and MCS/B1 – and we ended 2012 at home to Wantage 1 with a 3-3 draw.
At the mid point we hade picked up 3 draws and 3 losses from our first 6 games.
The new year started with the first league win away to Witney 2, beating them 3.5-2.5. This was followed by another 2.5-3.5 loss to Bicester 1.
The Cowley Workers game looked like it could decide who was going to be relegated back to Division 3, with us on 5 points and them still on 1, a real 4 pointier.
Fortunately, we managed to scrape past the finishing post first (but Steve did make us sweat a little) 3.5-2.5. This put Cumnor Chess Club’s first team 6 points clear.
Our final 3 games were a mixed bag with a 5-1 loss to City 2, followed by a close 3.5-2.5 defeat to (champions-elect) MCS/B1.
Our final game was away to Wantage 1 in which we picked up a win, finishing the season on a high.
Cumnor 1 ultimately finished 6th in the division with 9 points – 8 clear of the relegated Cowley Workers whose solitary point was from our draw back in November – and only (!) 10 points from top.
It was our highest league finish and has kept us in the same division for next season, which is a rarity for Cumnor 1.
Well done to Andrew, Daniel, Gareth, Graham, Liam, Mark, Michael, Pako, Robin, Roger and Steve who played for Cumnor 1 this season, and everyone else for their support!
Stat of the season: Out of the 72 boards Cumnor 1 played on during the 2012/2013 season we were outgraded on 52 occasions.
The final table for Division 2 can be seen here on the ODCL website, and players’ scores can be found here.
The Frank Wood Shield
During the year, The Frank Wood Shield (The Oxfordshire chess equivalent to the FA Cup) was a welcome distraction from the league. We had a bye in the first round so our first game was in round two versus Witney 3 who we beat 4-2.
Our next game in the cup was the quarter-final where we played Witney 2. Witney 2, who were eventual finalists, beat us 4-2 which ended our little run.
