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Cup winners29 May 2025. Both Bennett and Ball Cup finals were played at Worcester City club. In the senior competition for the Bennett Cup Lee Davis (Malvern) confounded my prediction of 15 May and won the final against Joe Friar (Kidderminster). This is Lee’s seventh win of the trophy - his first was in 1981. The Ball Cup competition for u1650 players was played between Giles Stanton (Redditch) and Paul Serafini (Worcester). Paul gained the exchange for a pawn, but Giles’s bishop was in a commanding central position. Paul engineered a strong attack on the white king, forced the exchange of a pair of rooks and neatly wrapped up the game using a a passed rooks pawn. This is the first season of competitive play for Paul and winning the Ball Cup at his first attempt is a fine achievement. Congratulations to Lee and Paul! |
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26 May 2025, Dan Lambourne reports. Stourbridge won BDCL Division 3 and Longbridge were runners-up in BDCL Division 4. Redditch players played each other in the final of the BDCL u1900 individual tournament with David Smith beating Ben Attwell.
26 May 2025. Seven Worcestershire players travelled to Gloucester for the six round Cotwold Congress. In the Open Ian Clarke (Malvern) and david Smith (Redditch) scored 2½ points and Ben Attwell Redditch 1½ points in a field of 42 players. In the Minor tournament, Giles Stanton (Redditch) was the most successful followed by Colin Vernon (Worcester) on 2½ points and Alex Nicholls on 1½ points. Andrew Farthing (Worcester) did not play. Instead he ran a chess bookstall raising over £800 for St Richard’s Hospice Worcester
15 May 2025, ECF website reports. Owing to restructuring of director’s roles at the ECF, former CEO Mike Truran has taken the role of Financial Director and Stephen Woodhouse (Longbridge) has accepted the CEO role on a temporary basis until the October ECF Council meeting decides on a permanent replacement in September.
15 May 2025, LMS reports. Stourbridge made sure of winning Birmingham & District CHess League Division 3 by beating South Birmingham 4½-1½.
17 May 2025. Worcestershire under-1650 team played Kent and lost 6-10 at Reading (Berks). Adam Ware (Stourbridge), Paul Serafini (Worcester), Steve Alcock (Stourbridge), and Aiden Griffiths (Worcester) won their games. See match card.
11 May 2025. Worcestershire played Devon in the Minor Counties Championship at Banwell, Somerset. The final score was 6½-9½. Devon scored heavily on the lower boards and Worcestershire top boards held thier own in spite of being out-rated. Dan Lambourne and Harry Evans (Redditch), Ian Clarke (Malvern) and Ed Higgs (Worcester) won their games. See match card.
Challenger hoping to reverse 2024 result |
Frair and Davis in Bennett Cup Final15 May 2025, Brian turner reports. In the second semi-final, Lee Davis beat Scott Oxtoby at Worcester setting up a final between Davis and Friar. Rivalry between these players is intense with tussles between them for the County Individual Championship in 2023 and 2024. In spite of his international experience, Lee must be the underdog because Joe Friar won the Bennett Cup last year and Joe’s current rating is well ahead of Lee’s 9 May 2025, Brian Turner reports. In the semi-finals of the Bennett Cup, Joseph Friar beat Edward Higgs and is through to the final. |
Defending his trophy |
8 May 2025. The remaining game in The Ball Cup all-play-all section is complete. The all-play-all stage winner is Giles Stanton, who will play the runner-up, Paul Serafini in the final. See Ball Cup cross-table.
5 May 2025. Kidderminster held its annual President’s Cup Rapidplay (10+5) and tewnty players competed. County champion Joe Friar was first winning all his games on 5 points. Joint runners-up were John Wrench and John Varilone on 4 points. See cross-table.
1 May 2025. SB Dudley Boyz are champions for Division 2, but lost the last fixture of this Division this season to tail-enders Warley Quinborne. See DDCL Division 2 table.
30 Apr 2025. In the final fixture showdown, between leaders Redditch and Kiddersminster In Rapidplay League 1, neither team was able to outplay the other with draws in both legs of the fixture. This leaves Redditch top and 2014-5 Rapidplay League champions. All the games in the first leg ended decisivel, but perhaps players ran out of steam for the second leg because all games were drawn. See details.
30 Apr 2025. Kidderminster trounced Redditch in the last fixture of the season to win the Rapidplay 2 League championship. Kidderminster team captain Cameron Henry is only fifteen years old and almost certainly the youngest team captain ever to see his team to a league championship in Worcestershire. Kidderminster racked up twice as many match points as nearest rivals Redditch. In the final fixture of the season Cameron’s team won ½-3½. See details.
26 Apr 2025. Congratulations to Nigel (Redditch) who was made an honourary Life Vice-President for his contributions over many years. He promoted online competitions during Covid, organised Seniors competitions, and recently stepped down from the voluntary post of Director of Home Chess. At the same meeting it was decided to increase ECF membership fees in line with inflation. A detailed report is available on the Shropshire CA website .
24 Apr 2025. In the last fixture in the 2024/5 Championship League Longbridge beat Malvern to confirm Longbridge’s staus as runners-up. In the end Redditch finished four points ahead of Longbridge.
17 Apr 2025. Kidderminster put an end to Longbridge’s hopes of catching Redditch with an away win overLongbridg in the Championship League.
14 Apr 2025. In spite of a drubbing in the final round, Worcestershire Wolfpack A team avaoided relegation from Division 2 due to a splendid win in round 6 against the leading team in their group. The B team secured a 4-0 victory in the final round and lifted themselves to third position in Group A of Division 3. Worcestershire Wolfpack C beat Watford and were fifth in Division 5. The D team lost heavily against Witney Huston and finished sixteenth in Division 5 out of the twenty six teams playing. See full results and links to games.
9 Apr 2025. Bottom placed Malvern inflicted the only loss of the season in the Challengers League on table topping Redditch. This fixture completed the table for the Challengers League. Redditch are first on 9 match points, Worcester Rooks are just in second place with 6 match points and 12½ game points with Malvern third also with 6 match points but only 11½ points. See completed 2024-5 Challengers League table.
9 Apr 2025. Kidderminster whitewashed Redditch to take the Rapidplay League 2 championship. Redditch still have three reamining fixtures to complete, but they cannot catch Kidderminster who have won all their matches so far. See 2024-5 Rapidplay League 2 table.
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