2019 Open Midweek AC Advanced Tournament

A block winner Nigel Polhill
with the new Cassiobury Cup

B block winner Alan Clark
with the new Cassiobury Salver

On 15th and 16th May The Watford club ran its inaugural 4-court AC tournament, and its first 2-day open tournament for 13 years, following the laying of its new 4th court and levelling of its 3rd court back in late 2017. These two new playing surfaces were noticeably slower than the older courts 1 and 2, but they should settle down to good courts once the grass covering has matured.

The entry was split by handicap into two independent blocks of 8 playing a (semi-)flexible Swiss format.

In the 'A' block the manager avoided the embarrassment of winning his own tournament by losing a closely contested final game to Nigel Polhill, leaving both players as the only two on 4/5 wins and Nigel as the overall winner on a simple who-beat-whom tie-breaker.

In the 'B' block, notwithstanding very pleasant weather conditions the players found it difficult to complete games within 3 hours, and after the first round it became necessary to impose time limits, with 3 out of 4 games in the third round having to be pegged down overnight and the majority of the remaining games being curtailed by the timer. At the end of the second day there were 3 players tied on 4/5 wins, with Alan Clark emerging as the clear winner having beaten both the other players on 4 wins.

Click on images to enlarge

Results: Block A Results vs.: NP SH GB AM JH DW AC CJ SCORE W-L % WIN QLTY NET HOOPS Nigel Polhill   +6   -6 +20 +16 +12   4-1 80% 1.73 +48 Simon Hathrell -6   +3 +3   +4   +25tp 4-1 80% 1.80 +29 Gary Bennett   -3   -6 +21 +6 +13 +5 4-2 67% 1.13 +36 Alison Maugham +6 -3 +6     -3   +13otp 3-2 60% 1.67 +19 Jonathan Hills -20   -21     +12 +21 -3 2-3 40% 0.53 -11 David Warhurst -16 -4 -6 +3 -12   +16   2-4 33% 0.80 -19 Alan Chance -12   -13   -21 -16   +26 1-4 20% 0.20 -36 Cliff Jones   -25tp -5 -13otp +3   -26   1-4 20% 0.40 -66 Block B Results vs.: AC PWo JW PWa RP GJ AR JS SCORE W-L % WIN QLTY NET HOOPS Alan Clark   +4 +23 +12   +13 -1T   4-1 80% 2.40 +51 Paul Wolff -4     +5T   +4T +1T +13T 4-1 80% 1.20 +19 John Wells -23     +8T +5T   +6 +13T 4-1 80% 1.20 +9 Paul Watson -12 -5T -8T   +26 +9     2-3 40% 0.80 +10 Richard Peperell     -5T -26   -6T +11T +23 2-3 40% 0.40 -3 Geoff Johnson -13 -4T   -9 +6T     +4T 2-3 40% 0.40 -16 Arthur Reed +1T -1T -6   -11T     +2T 2-3 40% 0.80 -15 John Smallbone   -13T -13T   -23 -4T -2T   0-5 0% 0.00 -55 WINNERS Nigel Polhill, Alan Clark Block A winner Nigel Polhill Participants Name Club H'cap Alison Maugham Bowdon -1 Jonathan Hills Colchester -1 Simon Hathrell Watford -1 Nigel Polhill Hurlingham -½ Gary Bennett Watford 0 David Warhurst High Wycombe 0 Cliff Jones Wrest Park 0 Alan Chance Hurlingham ½ Alan Clark Watford 1½ Geoff Johnson Watford 2 Paul Watson Cheltenham 2 Arthur Reed Watford 2½ John Wells Cheltenham 3½ John Smallbone Watford 3½ Paul Wolff Blewbury 4 Richard Peperell High Wycombe 5