SUNDAY 5TH APRIL 2009
Eight boys (Tobias and Isaac S, Luke T, Montagu C, Paddy D, Ben E, Hugo R and Alex T) travelled down to Surrey on Sunday afternoon with Mr. Stables and Mr. Franklin.
A motorway stop for supper broke up the long journey but two Audi's rather than one minibus made for a pleasant ride!
We arrived at Aldro School, just outside Godalming in Surrey, at 9.30 p.m. and went straight to bed.
MONDAY 6TH APRIL 2009
Toby and Isaac S are playing in the Championship section and have started very well, winning four, drawing one and losing one of their six games played on the Monday.
Our six other chess players spent Monday in groups playing five matches each (each match lasts upto 45 minutes) before the staff met in the evening to decide the divisions our boys were going to play in for the rest of the tournament.
With all six of our players performing very well indeed, all six have been placed highly for the chess to come. Ben E and Luke T both scored 4 out of 5 (Luke winning 3 and drawing 2, Ben winning 4 and losing 1). Paddy D, Hugo R, Montagu C scored 3 out of 5 and Alex T 2.5 out of 5. Luke won his group with four points (top out of 20 children), unfortunately in Ben's group someone scored five out of five.
It has been wonderful to see our two least experienced chess players making the trip, Montagu C and Alex T playing such good chess and improving so much with every game!
Mr Franklin and Mr Stables, along with looking after a group at the tournament, have been able to spend a lot of time with all our boys going over the matches as they are played - a lot of progress is being made.
In the evening we had tournaments of table tennis, table football and pool, Luke T reaching the semi-final of the table tennis being our best result here!
TUESDAY 7TH APRIL 2009
We played three games of chess this morning in groups based on the results of matches played yesterday. Ben E and Luke T are in the top division and, at the half way stage (the other three matches will be played on Wednesday morning), Ben E is first equal with 2.5 points out of 3! Luke T has scored 0.5 out of 3 so far, playing opponents considerably better than he's ever done before.
In the 'second division' Montagu C and Hugo R have both scored 2 out of 3, the quality of the chess they're now starting to play is very impressive! Paddy D has been unlucky, but is on 1.5 out of 3 at the half way stage.
Alex T continues to lap everything up and has scored 1 out of 3 in the 'third division'.
We have no players in the 'fourth division'.
In the Championship section, Tobias and Isaac S are fighting hard against the very best prep school chess players in the country - they've scored 2.5 and 3 points out of 5 so far.
After all the efforts of the morning, we relaxed at Chessington World of Adventure in the afternoon enjoying all the rides, not getting too scared or too wet!
The much awaited 5-a-side football competition was run over two hours in the evening. Kitted out in the 2nd XI strip Miss Yardley provided we played together very well as a team under the excellent captaincy of Tobias S. We progressed through the early stages comfortably enough and after a tight semi-final we played Millfield Prep in the final ...
... 2-2 after extra time and 2-2 after the penalty shoot-out, Paddy D cracking his into the goal under pressure to keep S.Anselm's afloat ... as dusk turned to night-time the referee declared the competition a tie between ourselves and Millfield!
WEDNESDAY 8TH APRIL 2009
It is 10 a.m. on Wednesday morning now and our players have just started their fourth match in their leagues.
Chess finishes at 1 p.m. and Prize Giving is at 2 p.m. ... we leave around 3 p.m. ... time to put those 'DS's and Play Stations on charge for the return journey ...!
JMHF
(Participating schools - not many North of Watford!
Aldro
Dulwich College Prep
Great Walstead
Cathedral School, Cardiff
Highgate
Haberdashers
Lyndhurst
S.Anselm's
St.Teresa's
Nottingham H.S.
Feltonfleet
Millfield
Twickenham Prep
Ridgeway
Hallfield
Lanesborough
Reigate St.Mary's
Wellesley House
Hawthorns)
Posted on
Tue, April 7, 2009
by S. Anselm's
filed under