Summary

University rules the 4th division

"I hope there'll be enough players for the C team, because I want to play", told me at the start of my 2nd year Scott Latham, then C team captain. Fortunately 1998-9 was a good year (we even won the league) and Scott had players to spare, but this was not the usual; usually C team would struggle for players and we'd wait for the start of the year to decide if we'd even have a C team at all. 

The most difficult year was certainly 2001-2. C team was in fact a ghost team, defaulting boards in all matches and relying on occasional players, despite of the obvious contradiction between "relying" and "occasional". It was in fact thanks to the determination and hard work of "lord" Philip Charles Lawson that the C team remained in the league. We were all advising lord Phil to drop the team for his own good; but the standard response of this great man was "If the C team folds B team will follow".

It felt like lord Phil was sailing against the tide and 2002-3 would be the year of reckoning for C team. Nevertheless and after long debates we decided to give C team one last chance. Graham Burgess agreed to be C team captain, with the Herculean mission of keeping the team alive. But Graham's indomitable spirit had more ambitious plans? After he secured C team's survival Graham challenged what Scott Latham or anyone else would never dare to even dream of: getting C team out of its traditional role of "providing everyone with an opportunity in competitive chess", and going after the championship. He failed marginally and only because he faced an unusually strong Eastleigh D in his final match. We were happy that C team had stayed in the league, but Graham himself was disappointed?

"If C team fold B team will follow" lord Phil had said, and we decided to apply his argument from the reverse: "If D team is launched we can keep it in". It was unbelievable; I've been in the University since 1997 and we never had a D team. Nor the students I found in remember of a D team?

Taking over the presidency from "his father" Phil, Graham, now "lord" Graham, decided that he had some unfinished business with C team. It was a tough competition, fought up to the last match. Eastleigh again in lord Graham's way, and this time they were a promotion rival? "If it's going wrong fight for every half point regardless", was my advice to him. How ridiculous I was! the man who took C team from dissolution to almost win the division would not try to win the league on games scored. His indomitable spirit was transmitted to his players and the C team heroes achieved an ample victory over Eastleigh, which cleared the table and proved C team as the rightful champions. I wonder if the "spirit" of Phil Lawson was in the Committee Room on the night of the 26th of February? A victory next in C team's last match against Ordnance Survey and the impossible was achieved.

But the miracle of C team winning the 4th division wasn't enough; the other big challenge was to launch D team again, after God knows how many years. The task lied on Neil McQuillan. At first D team looked like the C team of two years before; struggling for players, postponing matches, etc. Fortunately captain Neil had one opponent who wouldn't complain no matter how many times he'd reschedule the match: C team. And captain Neil eventually achieved to have a regular team, played all matches with no more than one defaulted board, and even avoided the last place in the league. Much better than C team two years earlier! And thanks to captain Neil, now "lord" Neil, if at the start of 2002-3 we were certain that C team will fold now we're certain that D team will stay.

Although avoiding the last place was already a great achievement for the mostly novice players of D team, they did even more: D team's victory over Eastleigh, one player short and at a time where Eastleigh appeared as the favourite for promotion and morale in C team was low, had a catalyst effect in C team's fight for the division.

Who would ever dare to dream that from almost dropping C' team we'd win the 4th division and re-launch the long forgotten D' team with such a success? maybe Phil Lawson, who stubbornly refused to give C' team up, even under the most adverse circumstances. Or Graham Burgess and Neil McQuillan, who actually made the two miracles happen. And this is the kind of leaders every club needs; people who ignore "common sense", visualize miracles, and make them happen. People like Phil Lawson, Graham Burgess and Neil McQuillan. In my 2nd year we were playing in Gordon's, because the Committee Room was too small. We can return to these days. And with lord Neil on the helm of the club next year only God knows what unthinkable goals we're going to achieve this time! "The glorious dynasty of the Chemists & Biochemists", lords Phil, Graham and Neil will be remembered as!

Nick Misoulis