A Night to Remember

No, I'm not talking about this:-

Or this:-

What I'm talking about is Monday April 24th, when Kenilworth D team - average age about 15 - scored a dramatic, last second win over Division 3 leaders Daventry A to vault themselves into first place and secure the league title. For those who were there - and there were plenty of supporters present - it was truly a night to remember.

And talk about triumph out of adversity. First, our intended top board for the match, Harry, had to cry off at about the 9th hour, and then Katya, who moved up to board one in his place, suffered an agonising defeat against the strong and very experienced Steve Willets, after declining a draw offer. With Daventry going in to the match one point ahead of us, it meant they only needed a draw, so to go 1 point up with just three boards left in play put them very much in the driving seat. Two draws or one win would do it for Daventry, so we had almost zero margin for accidents.

But cometh the hour cometh the KCC heroes. Keatan and George were both a pawn up for much of the evening, but neither had any quick path to victory. Thankfully, Keatan ignored the move suggestion I made to Bernard, which I thought just trapped his opponent's queen, as it actually involved Keatan putting a rook en prise. Just as well I was not playing!! Unlike me, both our chaps displayed nerves of steel and played super-precise chess to simplify the positions and convert their extra material in excellently played endings, finishing almost simultaneously. So at 2-1 up, we had a chance - but it was a very remote chance, as Dhairya had fallen into a knight fork in the middle game which cost him an exchange, and while he had managed to drum up some counterplay, Andy Johnson seemed to have defended everything and be well on the way to victory, especially with Dhairya way behind on the clock. I couldn't bear to look and adjourned to the Committee Room, where the B team (average age about 75!) were slowly sinking to defeat as Olton A looked to secure a second place finish in Division 1.

But just as I screwed up the courage to return to the D team match there was an outbreak of applause and it transpired that Dhairya had managed to hold a lost ending of rook and a pawn v bishop and b pawn, when Andy could find nothing better than liquidating to king and a pawn against king. Cue bedlam and massive relief all round. What an incredible display of fighting chess from all four of our players, and what a massive credit they were to themselves and to the club. So unbelievably we find ourselves, prospectively, with two teams in Division 1 and 2 teams in Division 2 next season. We will certainly need another team to balance out such a concentration of activity in the top two divisions.

So, that's three trophies for the club this season, with two Leamington League cup finals (open and U-1600) still ahead of us. Which is more than enough to justify a celebration meal, I think. Mr Social Secretary you are hereby placed on notice!

Massive congratulations are due to Roy for his inspirational, selfless and enthusiastic captaincy and also, of course, to Paul for his brilliant coaching and support of so many of our exceptional junior talents. 

This success, coming as it did in virtually the last minute of the whole season, when all seemed lost, did kind of remind me of another rather exciting moment that you might recall .....

....... which also went down to the wire!