The 10th Grand Cup event took place at St. Peters and St. Pauls Primary School in Syston, Leicestershire on Saturday 6th June 2009.

We were delighted to have 5 County Teams entered this year, which made the event very exciting and varied:
KENT, LINCOLNSHIRE, SURREY, WORCESTERSHIRE, YORKSHIRE.

The Kent team were seen as potential winners, consisting of proven strong players with a record of good results in recent tournaments.  And they lived up to their expectations, hovering in a very close 2nd place during the 3 rounds of the tournament.

Lincolnshire entered again this year and didn't really expect to be highly placed, with some younger, less experienced players,  but they were keen to give their best effort.  They really showed their fighting spirit and went on to finish in a very respectful 3rd place.

The Surrey team were the current holders of the Grand Cup and had a good reputation to uphold.  Surrey were the winners of the cup from the first event in 1999 to 2005 and again in 2007.  Unfortunately, this year they were without their top 3 boards, due to various reasons, so had to fill the vacancies with younger girls on the lower boards.  Surrey managed to enter a full team of 6, but knew it would be a struggle.

We were delighted to see a team from Worcestershire this year - the first time in the history of the Grand Cup - so they were very welcome and we hope to see them returning in future years.  Again they didn't have high expectations, but all the girls played well and fought hard.  This was a very young team of ungraded players, with their board 6 player being only 7 years old!

The Yorkshire team were looking extremely strong, with all ECF graded players - older girls with plenty of experience between them.  They started off with a very impresive 6 out of 6 in round 1 and they held the lead throughout the 3 rounds.

The start of Round 2

The tournament ended with a very exciting game, between Kent and Yorkshire, with both teams on equal points.  This was the deciding game for the whole event, so the pressure was high.   Both girls played brilliantly, but Yorkshire eventually won the game and claimed the Grand Cup!

The whole event ran smoothly, with all the girls playing well and showing great team spirit.  Their behavour was excellent, with a mixture of intense concentration during the games and plenty of laughter and fun between rounds.

Neil Clifton, as always, did an excellent job as arbiter and supported the girls throughout the tournament.  Neil was also invaluable with his wonderful loud voice!  Thank you Neil.
And, thank you to Joan for keeping us all 'fed and watered' during the day, with her excellent catering service.

I would also like to thank all the team managers and parents for organising and bringing their girls to this event. Obviously, being a national event, many teams had very long journeys - so well done for all your efforts!

Waiting to start Round 3

5th     Worcestershire         3