This section of the site presents match results and player statistics for the County's teams in inter-county competitions. Board-by-board results of each match can be found on the SCCU Website, to which appropriate links can be found on each team page.

Criteria for inclusion in these statistics: All games played by Essex teams in the SCCU Counties' competitions, and the BCF stages, and SCCU Jamboree(s) will be included.

Players' tables are sorted in descending order of points totals; within each score group, records are sorted according to average.

Grading performance: In each table the end column, headed "Perf.", gives the player's grading performance for the results shown where three or more gradeable results are entered (eg: default wins not graded). Note that a player who has played for more than one team may not have a grading performance shown in the individual team record(s), but may have one shown on the Aggregate table if he has achieved a minimum of three gradeable results overall. The Grading Performance figures shown are given for information only and have no official status.

2006-07 SEASON BLOG
(Most recent item at the top.)

Honour in final disappointment

07-Jul-2007 The Essex U125 team came within a whisker of success, missing the national U125 crown on board count against Norfolk, with scores tied at 8-8.

So Simon Moth's first season in charge, ended not in defeat, but an honourable 2nd place in the national final. However you look at it, this is a tremendous achievement: SCCU Champions, winning through the national stages and reaching the final, to finish runners-up only on tie-break. We're proud of you, lads!

U125 Finalists!

10-Jun-2007 The day after the defeats suffered by the U175 and U100 teams, the U125 team brought joy to the County by winning their semi-final, beating Yorkshire 9-7 at Syston. Fantastic!

In the final, in Leicester on 7th July, they will meet Norfolk, 11-5 victors over Warks. The whole County will be rooting for Simon Moth and the boys and we wish them the best of luck, or, as they say in the theatre world: 'break a leg'.

Mixed bag!

The County teams have enjoyed mixed fortunes over the past two months or so.

09-Jun-2007 The U175 had a bye to the ECF semis, but there were convincingly beaten by Middlesex 9˝-6˝.

At the same time, the U100 team was losing 7-5 to Worcs.

19-May-2007 the Open team lost their quarter-final on board count against Lancashire, but the U100 team sailed through against Warwickshire 7-5, to meet Worcs in the semi.

12-May-2007 In the "national stages" of the Counties' Championship, Essex U125 beat Derbyshire 9˝-6˝ in the qurater-final.

01-Apr-2007 Essex won the SCCU U180 Jamboree with 6˝/10 ahead of Middlesex 5˝ and Surrey 3 (only three teams), while in the U135 event Essex scored 2˝/6 coming 4th of 6.

Open team qualifies for nationals

17-Mar-2007

Though it was already beyond the Open team to add to Essex's SCCU Championships this season, a sterling away win 10-6 against Hertfordshire brought Essex into the third qualifying place for the national stages. Excellent!

The U100 team, already having claimed the SCCU Championship could afford the luxury of a loss in its last fixture 5˝-6˝ at home to Kent.

It may not have been a stellar season for the U150 team, but they finished in style with a 10˝-5˝ away win against Surrey. The U150 record of 50% (+2 =1 -2) places them 4th in the six team division. M/C David Payne thanks his players for their season's work but exhorts them to better efforts next season - particularly in answering his emails!

U125s make it three!

10-Mar-2007

The County achieved the rare feat of three SCCU Championships in the same season when the U125 team beat Kent 9-7 away. In many ways, this is the best of the three. The others, the U175 team and the U100s, have already established their champions credentials, but the U125 team, as has already been documented, have struggled of late. This has been a tremendous performance by the whole squad and reward for a hard season's effort from new captain Simon Moth. Congratulations to all!

Home win to finish

10-Mar-2007

Essex, already U175 Champions, rounded off their SCCU programme with a 10-6 home win against Surrey. The match marked Colin Ramage's 100th appearance for the U175 team."For old time's sake" he flashed out 1 g4.

Fin's Fantastics!

03-Mar-2007 Fin O'Regan's Essex U100 team retained the Harry Woolverton trophy with a draw away to Surrey. Essex picked up their points in the upper order, despite Surrey leading with four 99s and a 98, but the home team garnered sufficient points lower down to dent Essex's 100% record.

Brave performance

24-Feb-2007 An Essex Open team, boasting 14 players graded under 175, drew with a Sussex Open team calling on only six such players. Against a top eight graded from 207 to 178 the Essex contingent did extremely well to score 5˝-2˝, while Sussex did the reverse against our bottom eight. To qualify for the ECF stages, Essex now have either to beat Herts or draw with a better board count.

Bad day at the office

10-Feb-2007 Outgraded on all but one board, Essex U150 went down 4-12 to Middlesex in a disappointing encounter. With only one Essex win in contested games, this looks a bad defeat, but with the grading differences in many cases marginal, it was just 'one of those days'.

U175s are SCCU Champions

03-Feb-2006 Already assured of qualification to the National Stages, Essex U175 secured the SCCU championship with a convincing 10˝-5˝ home win against Sussex. This is the team's 10th SCCU title in 11 seasons.

Also playing at home, the U125 team had an even more emphatic success in beating Surrey 11˝-4˝.  The crunch match away to Kent on 10th March will be a title-decider!

U100s qualify, but Open misery

27-Jan-2007 A weekend of mixed fortunes.

The Essex U100 team beat Middlesex away by 7-5 maintining its 100% record for the season and, it is believed, achieving sufficient points to qualify for the National Stages, with two matches in hand.

Meanwhile, the Open team, after two sterling performances against Kent (one of them the victorious County Championship final), crashed 5˝-10˝ away to Surrey. The home team turned up equipped to meet the English County Champions, but found themselves facing no fewer than 12 of the U175 side. Even in defeat there were several outstanding individual results for Essex, but generally we were simply outgunned. It is worrying the extent to which support for the County first team has ebbed away.

U175s Qualify

20-Jan-2006 The U175 team was lucky to scrape an 8-8 draw away to Middlesex, but this was sufficient for them to qualify for the National Stages. Skipper John Philpott explains: "For much of the afternoon this outcome seemed unlikely as Middlesex took a 5˝-2˝ lead and it was hard to see how sufficient points to take something from the match were going to be obtained. Nevertheless, we kept going and had a large slice of fortune when Philip Gregory’s opponent, having declined a draw offer, allowed himself to be mated."

U150's first win

13-Jan-2006 David Payne's team also found the Mick Jagger Centre in Dartford to their liking as they chalked up their first win of the season, beating Kent 10˝-5˝.

A good weekend

09-Dec-2006 Two Essex teams were successful on the road this weekend.

The U175 team, in a crunch encounter at Coulsdon, beat Surrey 9-7 to cement their position at the top of the group.

The U125 team bounced back after their disppointment last time out against Middlesex. In a tough assignment away to Sussex at Horsham, Essex scored a tremendous win, 8˝-7˝.

U100s rock on!

02-Dec-2006 Away to Kent at the Mick Jagger Centre, Essex U100 got plenty of Satisfaction with an 8-4 victory.

U100 100%

18-Nov-2006 In a tense encounter between two closely matched teams, Essex shaded the match by the odd point, winning 6˝-5˝.

Open v Kent

16-Nov-2006 In the outstanding game from the Kent match, Kent's QPF draw claim was upheld. Final score 8-8.

U150 out of luck

11-Nov-2006

Essex U150 went down 7˝-8˝ away to Hertfordshire. David Payne reports: "A closely fought match that could have gone either way. Critical to the match result was the board defaulted (due to travelling hold-ups) the Essex man arriving just minutes after the default time. There were four good wins for Essex and all the draws were hard fought. I couldn't ask for any more effort from the Essex  players."

U175 on track

04-Nov-2006

The U175 team continued its winning way 'on the road' against Sussex; Essex winning 10˝-5˝. Surrey also won again in their second match, so the fixture between Essex and Surrey on 9 December assumes particular importance.

But for Simon Moth the honeymoon is over as the U125 team crashed to Middlesex 6-10 at Wanstead.

Deja vu all over again!

28-Oct-2006

The Open team, the reigning English Counties Champions, opened their new SCCU campaign against none other than the team they defeated in the final, Kent. And, just to show the Championship win was no fluke, Essex produced "a really impressive performance" (Roy Heppinstall) despite being well below strength. The match is poised on 7˝-7˝ with Kent claiming a QPF draw in the last game; we now can't lose the match and if the Kent claim fails, we win.

Deja vu!

21-Oct-2006

The U150 and U100 teams both opened the new SCCU campaign against the opponents they met in the final fixtures of the last.

The U150 team even repeated the score, drawing 8-8 with Sussex.

The satisfactory start to the season was maintained by the U100 team recording a 7˝-4˝ win in its opener against Middlesex at Wanstead.

County teams in winning start

14-Oct-2006

The U175 team opened with an 11-5 win at home to Middlesex, recording seven wins against one loss.

Meanwhile, the U125 team beat Herts 9-7 at home despite defaulting two boards. This is a fine start for new captain Simon Moth.