The two Wanstead teams in the Essex Knockout – Wanstead A and Wanstead B – both reached the finals of, respectively, the Cup and the Plate. In the Finals, played on Tuesday 23 September, both avoided defeat, finishing 5-5 in each match, yet both had the anguish of losing on Board Count. True.
Wanstead A reversed a 3½-1½ defeat in Round 1 against Basildon, Wanstead A winning Round 2 by the same score to reach 5-5, but in R2 Basildon had won on Board 2 while Wanstead won on Board 3, the results on the other boards remaining equal, to give Basildon the decision on Board Count.
In the Plate, Wanstead B met Thurrock whom Wanstead A had beaten in R1 of the Cup, after Thurrock had given Wanstead A a scare, holding them to 3-2 in the first leg of the match. Thurrock turned up at Wanstead for the Plate Final with a much weaker team than in their Cup R1 match, yet held Wanstead B to 2½-2½ in R1 and, in case the home team had not believed that outcome, Thurrock repeated the trick in R2 with identical scores.
Congratualtions to Basildon and Thurrock on their respective successes, in Basildon’s case their first Knockout Championship, while for Thurrock their second success in the Plate.
But double success in the North Circular League’s Finchley Cup
Both WW Finchley Cup teams were on duty against Enfield opposition, playing alongside the above Essex KO Finals. WW FC2 met Enfield 3, while WW FC3 met Enfield 2.
FC2 had the easier task, not just being paired against the Enfield third string, while FC3 met Enfield 2, but because Enfield 3 were one player short, so started with a two point deficit in the double round match; FC2 won 5½-2½.
FC3 held the rating advantage over Enfield 2 and won convincingly, 5-3.
The other FC R1 matches which have yet to play are: Barking 2 v Chingford 2 playing on 9 October and Loughton v Enfield 1 playing on 29 October).
In the Lawrance Cup (for Division A teams) LC1 are at Home to Barking 1, on 25 November, while Ilford are at Home to Chingford 1, playing 17 November. The winners of these two matches will contest the Lawrance Cup Final.
Links: WW EKO page | ECA website KO page | ECA Cup tables | ECA Plate tables | ECA KO and Plate on ECF LMS | WW NCCL Rapids page | NCCL Rapid KOs on ECF LMS