Essex U2050 Team for 2024-25

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Team Captain

Michael Spurr

To contact Michael use the site Contact Form and select u2050 Captain from the dropdown.

2024-25 Team navigation

Teams 2024-25 | U2050 | U1850 | U1650 | U1450 | SCCU on ECF LMS

Team fixtures

DateHome TeamScoreAway TeamStart
05 October 24Essex 6½ – 9½Kent 1330
16 November 24Middx9½-6½Essex 1400
07 December 24Surrey8½-7½Essex 1300
25 January 25Essex9½-6½Surrey 1330
08 February 25Essex 7-9Middx1330
01 March 25Kent 6½-9½Essex 1230

Match cards

U2050 Player Stats will appear here

U2050
Played Saturday, 5 October 2024, at Wanstead
  Essex v Kent
Hodgson, John H 2040 (2027) (W) ½-½ Clear, David E 1958 (1959) (B)
Rix, Steven JL 2019 (1993) 1-0 Tucker, David S 1933 (1928)
Kriman, Salim 1984 (1992) 1-0 Allen, John P 1923 (1903)
Myall, Ivan J 1986 (1974) 0-1 Sands, Alan VH 1916 (1928)
Williamson, Paul L 1974 (1960) 0-1 Swiatkowski, Dominik 1906 (1893)
Bowden, Madison B 1947 (1960) ½-½ Nevols, Keith 1873 (1843)
Jaszkiwskyj, Peter 1956 (1934) 0-1 Gluckman, Tim 1870 (1887)
Hughes, Gavin James 1949 (1952) 0-1 Waters, Andrew C 1870 (1887)
Upadhye, Nilesh 1945 (1975) ½-½ Swiatkowski, Aram 1857 (1884)
10  Hunnable, Ian D 1927 (1921) 0-1 Anstead, Jerry 1848 (1860)
11  McCall, Martin 1926 (1932) ½-½ Heard, Andrew H 1839 (1841)
12  Diniz Afonso, Davi 1898 (1905) ½-½ O’Gorman, Brendan 1803 (1764)
13  Kingsley, Malcolm P 1875 (1849) 0-1 Lane, Robert E 1794 (1795)
14  Murrell, Mark RA 1857 (1853) 1d0 Moore, Garfield 1789 (1766)
15  Staniland, Philip 1879 (1844) 1-0 Bernard, Chris PJ 1703 (1697)
16  McLoughlin, Finbar 1850 (1851) 0-1 Bishop, Geoffrey L 1696 (1705)
  Average: 2040 (2027) 6½-9½ Average: 1849
 
U2050
Played Saturday, 16 November 2024, at , All Saints Church, Childs Hill, Church Walk, London NW2 2TJ – MAP
  Middx
v Essex
Calvert, D Ian 2026 (2011) (B) ½-½ Hodgson, John H 2040 (2030) (W)
Mackenzie, Colin 2023 (2037) 1-0 Myall, Ivan J 1986 (1949)
Fulton, Anthony R 2022 (2021) ½-½ Rix, Steven JL 2019 (2003)
Lees, Fraser A 1975 (1996) 1-0 Stern, Robert C 1953 (1936)
Hayler, Andrew 1965 (1926) 0-1 Williamson, Paul L 1974 (1962)
Breed, Greg J 1922 (1918) ½-½ Hughes, Gavin James 1949 (1951)
Rubeck, Jonathan 1913 (1901) ½-½ Wilson, Edgar 1945 (1968)
Cowan, Xavier 1870 (1889) 0-1 Killeen, Robert T 1951 (1931)
Anderson, Peter F 1852 (1837) ½-½ McCall, Martin 1926 (1931)
10  Fleming, Liam 1847 (1886) 1-0 Ramage, Colin R 1931 (1911)
11  Sheard, Jack 1847 (1849) 0-1 Jaszkiwskyj, Peter 1956 (1925)
12  Kay, Jonathan 1842 (1829) 1-0 Hunnable, Ian D 1927 (1902)
13  Hayali, Laith 1833 (1845) 1-0 Twitchell, Neville H 1868 (1864)
14  Kennelly, Paul 1768 (1772) 1-0 Reynolds, D Ian W 1888 (1853)
15  Thursby, Richard C 1750 (1717) ½-½ McLoughlin, Finbar 1850 (1867)
16  Fincham, Leon HJ 1725 (1748) ½-½ Staniland, Philip 1879 (1834)
  Average: 1887 9½-6½ Average: 1941
 
U2050
Played Saturday, 7 December 2024, at Cheam – Venue details
  Surrey
v Essex
Andrews, B Peter A 2017 (2019) (B) 1-0 Hodgson, John H 2040 (2030) (W)
Welling, Zac 1992 (2029) 1-0 Rix, Steven JL 2019 (2003)
Foley, John P 1995 (2019) 1-0 Kriman, Salim 1984 (1986)
Lee, Peter 1993 (1998) ½-½ Williamson, Paul L 1974 (1962)
Scrimgour, Alan 1984 (1980) 0-1 Wilson, Edgar 1945 (1968)
Wright, Chris JG 1976 (1987) ½-½ Hughes, Gavin James 1949 (1951)
Kilambi, Venkata Ananth Akshay 1966 (1973) 1-0 Myall, Ivan J 1986 (1949)
Edwards, Nicholas L 1883 (1950) 0-1 Stern, Robert C 1953 (1936)
Gosling, Marcus 1958 (1957) ½-½ McCall, Martin 1926 (1931)
10  Stimpson, Philip M 1927 (1922) 0-1 Jaszkiwskyj, Peter 1956 (1925)
11  Dupré, Paul D 1913 (1894) ½-½ Ramage, Colin R 1931 (1911)
12  Davies, Neil T 1909 (1909) ½-½ Hunnable, Ian D 1927 (1902)
13  Armstrong, Alastair 1885 (1915) ½-½ McLoughlin, Finbar 1850 (1867)
14  Boughen, Andrew 1836 (1837) ½-½ Spurr, Michael 1881 (1860)
15  Alcock, Graham P 1830 (1845) 0-1 Twitchell, Neville H 1868 (1864)
16  Venkatesh, Anuj V 1876 (1848) 1-0 Staniland, Philip 1879 (1834)
  Average: 1934 8½-7½ Average: 1942

Report by Michael Spurr

Thanks everyone for making the effort to travel to the match, despite the poor weather and traffic conditions due to the storm. I barely made it in time, even though I allowed three hours! Unfortunately, Ian Reynolds was forced to turn back home and I stepped in to avoid any defaults.

It’s always a pleasure to play at Surrey (in spite of the travel conditions) – good venue, welcoming team and a friendly captain. Our matches against Surrey are invariably close, and this was no exception, with the result swinging towards both teams several times and being decided on the final game. As expected, Surrey brought a strong team to the match (probably the strongest Essex have faced so far this season!). Although close in average rating, in the end the Surrey strength and rating advantage on the top three boards tipped the balance in their favour.

The match began with four draws, including my own game. Following the pattern of previous matches, Essex took a 2 point lead with wins on 10 and 15 for Pete and Neville (despite being significantly down on the clock due to the travel delays). Surrey then levelled, with wins on 1 and 16. Essex retook the lead with Edgar converting his advantage on 5 and Surrey countered with wins on 3 and 2. Essex brought the match all-square with Robert winning on 8, but Surrey took the lead for a final time with a win on 7.

Martin’s game was the final game to finish and he had the unenviable task of trying to win a king and 2 knights v king and pawn ending. According to the engine, this was a win in 70+ moves! However, with around a minute left on the clock, this was a near-impossible task in reality and a draw was agreed.

So, with half of the SCCU matches played, Essex are in an unusual position at the bottom of the table with three losses!  All Essex’ matches have been decided on small margins. To reach the ECF finals, Essex now have to win all three remaining matches with favourable results in other matches.

U2050
Played Saturday, 25 January 2025, at Wanstead
  Essex
v Surrey
Hodgson, John H 2040 (2022) ½-½ Shah, Meet 1912 (1960)
Moore, John C 1994 (1991) ½-½ Heppell, Ian N 1967 (1956)
Kriman, Salim 1984 (2002) 0-1 Armstrong, Alastair 1885 (1977)
Rix, Steven JL 2019 (1982) 1-0 Collins, Anthony S 1967 (1950)
Wilson, Edgar 1945 (1959) 1-0 Smith, Martin G 1905 (1908)
Williamson, Paul L 1974 (1956) ½-½ Stimpson, Philip M 1927 (1924)
Stern, Robert C 1953 (1961) 0-1 Dupré, Paul D 1913 (1902)
Myall, Ivan J 1986 (1987) 1-0 Odunaiya, Victor 1883 (1883)
Jaszkiwskyj, Peter 1956 (1948) 1-0 Polanyk, John 1764 (1833)
10  Killeen, Robert T 1951 (1927) 0-1 Smart, Michael R 1852 (1852)
11  McCall, Martin 1926 (1920) ½-½ George, Olufemi 1855 (1839)
12  Ramage, Colin R 1931 (1914) 0-1 Alcock, Graham P 1830 (1853)
13  Hunnable, Ian D 1927 (1903) 1-0 Subin, Samvrit 1858 (1834)
14  Twitchell, Neville H 1868 (1872) 1-0 Hogarth, Mark J 1818 (1819)
15  Spurr, Michael 1881 (1861) 1-0 Eckert, Jonathan M 1754 (1763)
16  Kingsley, Malcolm P 1875 (1857) ½-½ Marshall, Chris 1751 (1744)
  Average: 1951 9½-6½ Average: 1866

Report by Michael Spurr

Our first match of 2025 was a very welcome and much-needed win. Surrey were not as strong as the previous match at their venue, with Essex holding a significant average rating advantage. However, prior experience has shown that such an advantage is not always telling!

As is typical for matches against Surrey, the lead changed hand a number of times amongst a large number of decisive games (11 out of the 16). After a quiet start, with draws on boards 1, 2 and 16, Surrey drew first blood when their Captain won on 12. Another draw followed on 11 and Essex then took a two point lead with a trio of wins for Neville, me and Edgar (14, 15 and 5).

Surrey fought back to level the scores with wins on 3 and 10, and the match score remained tied as we approached the closing moments with a draw on 6.

At similar stages in previous matches this season, Essex have come unstuck, but on this occasion were not to be denied! Another trio of wins for Peter, Ian and Steve (9, 13 and 4) took Essex over the finishing line. The match concluded, after a loss on 7, with an important win for Ivan on 8, giving Essex 9½ points and the better head-to-head record against Surrey (which may become a factor in deciding who progresses to the ECF finals).

Middlesex won the other match away to Kent to secure a place in the knockout rounds (and likely win the SCCU championship). However, Essex can still finish second – needing to win their two remaining matches (starting at home to Middlesex) and hope that other results are in their favour.

U2050
Played Saturday, 8 February 2025 at Wanstead
  Essex
v Middx
Ghose, Rahul 1993 (2033) 0-1 Eedle, Eric F 2007 (2054)
Myall, Ivan J 1986 (1999) 0-1 Fulton, Anthony R 2022 (2073)
Moore, John C 1994 (1999) ½-½ Mackenzie, Colin 2023 (2026)
Kriman, Salim 1984 (1983) ½-½ Calvert, D Ian 2026 (2000)
Rix, Steven JL 2019 (1987) 1-0 Lees, Fraser A 1975 (1936)
Wilson, Edgar 1945 (1977) ½-½ Hayler, Andrew 1965 (1946)
Williamson, Paul L 1974 (1935) ½-½ Solomon, D Ajoy 1912 (1932)
Bowden, Madison B 1947 (1912) 0-1 Ganguly, Aryaman 1931 (2010)
Hughes, Gavin James 1949 (1942) 1d0 Billenness, Greg 1855 (1887)
10  Ramage, Colin R 1931 (1898) 1-0 Rubeck, Jonathan 1913 (1893)
11  Twitchell, Neville H 1868 (1877) 0-1 Cowan, Xavier 1870 (1886)
12  Kingsley, Malcolm P 1875 (1842) 0-1 Fleming, Liam 1847 (1911)
13  Spurr, Michael 1881 (1824) 0-1 Sheard, Jack 1847 (1878)
14  Staniland, Philip 1879 (1898) 1-0 Kay, Jonathan 1842 (1838)
15  Hunnable, Ian D 1927 (1805) ½-½ Hayali, Laith 1833 (1832)
16  Reynolds, D Ian W 1888 (1852) ½-½ White, David J 1776 (1786)
  Average: 1940 7-9 Average: 1916
 
U2050
Played Saturday, 1 March 2025, at St Mary Cray – Venue details
  Kent
v Essex
Keenan, Brendan 1987 (2003) (B) ½-½ Myall, Ivan J 1986 (1999) (W)
Hartley, Luke 1994 (1994) 1-0 Rix, Steven JL 2019 (1987)
Clear, David E 1958 (1986) ½-½ Wilson, Edgar 1945 (1977)
Spanton, Tim R 1925 (1979) ½-½ Williamson, Paul L 1974 (1935)
Stanchev, Stoyko 1909 (1935) 0-1 Stern, Robert C 1953 (1967)
Swiatkowski, Aram 1857 (1903) ½-½ Jaszkiwskyj, Peter 1956 (1931)
Swiatkowski, Dominik 1906 (1897) 0-1 Hughes, Gavin James 1949 (1942)
Gluckman, Tim 1870 (1878) ½-½ McCall, Martin 1926 (1922)
Sands, Alan VH 1916 (1877) 1-0 Killeen, Robert T 1951 (1916)
10  Tucker, David S 1933 (1874) 0-1 Kingsley, Malcolm P 1875 (1842)
11  Nevols, Keith 1873 (1852) 0-1 Spurr, Michael 1881 (1824)
12  Waters, Andrew C 1870 (1826) 0-1 Staniland, Philip 1879 (1898)
13  Lane, Robert E 1794 (1809) ½-½ Hunnable, Ian D 1927 (1805)
14  O’Gorman, Brendan 1803 (1792) ½-½ Reynolds, D Ian W 1888 (1852)
15  Packham, Tony B 1817 (1778) 0-1 Murrell, Mark RA 1857 (1852)
16  Bernard, Chris PJ 1703 (1654) 1-0 Kenning, Paul H 1800 (1818)
  Average: 1883 6½-9½ Average: 1923