The 2017 Calderdale Congress run by Noel Boustred, with assistance from Nigel Hepworth, won the ECF’s Congress of the Year award, a little surprisingly for some.

This year’s follow-up was held over the weekend 27th-29th April 2018, at Lee Mount Social Club, Lee Mount Road, Halifax HX3 5EQ, and there was a change of format which seems to have backfired.

Sections were billed as a Minor for players graded under 126, with higher sections arranged by grouping players in groups of 24. Not knowing whether you’d be near the top of the section you entered, or near the bottom, may have dissuaded many of Noel’s hardiest supporters, since in the event there appear to have been only 17 entrants in total. Thus there could not be even one section of 24 players!

Somewhat bizarrely, in the Open section, Mike Surtees was already the untouchable run-away winner after four rounds, yet had a full point bye in round 5, since all the other players had already received a bye!!

Open Section

No	Name	Club		1			2			3			4			5		SPS

1	Mike Surtees	Great Lever	1	W	2	1	B	3	1	W	6	1	B	4	1	-	bye
				1			2			3			4			5		15
2	Richard Desmedt	Barnsley	0	B	1	1	-	bye	1	W	5	+	B	3	1	W	6
				0			1			2			2			3		8
3	Lee Kay	Atherton	1	B	4	0	W	1	1	B	7	-	W	2
				1			1			2			2			2		8
4	Paul Doherty	Bolton	0	W	3	0	B	6	1	-	bye	0	W	1	1	B	7
				0			0			1			1			2		4
5	Dean Hartley	Clay Cross	½	-	bye	1	W	7	0	B	2
				½			1½			1½			1½			1½		6.5
6	Kenneth Burns	?	½	-	bye	1	W	4	0	B	1	0	W	7	0	B	2
				½			1½			1½			1½			1½		6.5
7	Derek Sheppard	Hull	½	-	bye	0	B	5	0	W	3	1	B	6	0	W	4
				½			½			½			1½			1½		4.5
8	David Newell	East Cheshire	1	-	bye
				1			1			1			1			1		5


Minor Section (U-126)

No	Name	Club		1			2			3			4			5		SPS

1	Norman Andrews	York	½	B	7	1	B	6	1	W	5	1	W	2	1	B	3
				½			1½			2½			3½			4½		13
2	Garry Jackson	Sale	½	-	bye	1	B	7	1	W	4	0	B	1	1	B	5
				½			1½			2½			2½			3½		11
3	Richard Bohm	Bolton	0	B	5	1	B	8	1	W	7	1	B	4	0	W	1
				0			1			2			3			3		9
4	Richard Bottomley	Courier	1	W	9	1	B	5	0	B	2	0	W	3	½	W	7
		(Halifax)		1			2			2			2			2½		9.5
5	Kenneth Parkin	Enigma	1	W	3	0	W	4	0	B	1	1	B	7	0	W	2
				1			1			1			2			2		7
6	Brian Slater	Bolton	½	-	bye	0	W	1	1	B	8
				½			½			1½			1½			1½		5.5
7	Andrew De Santos	Preston	½	W	1	0	W	2	0	B	3	0	W	5	½	B	4
				½			½			½			½			1		3
8	Mark Stone	?	½	-	bye	0	W	3	0	W	6
				½			½			½			½			½		2.5
9	Khalid Khokhar	Chorlton‑cum‑Hardy	0	B	4
				0			0			0			0			0		0

[sm1]