1) Straight down again I believe this was the fourth time that all the promoted teams to the first division went straight down again. Moreover it has now happened in consecutive years (albeit that Oxford were reprieved from relegation at the end of last season due to the withdrawal of Wood Green 2). The first time was in 1998/99, the very first time that there were promoted teams; and the second time in 2009/2010. I don't think it happened on any other occasion but I haven't checked. (Of course it is de rigeur for most of the promoted teams to go down. Warwickshire have never stayed up and South Wales Dragons only survived once, each in several attempts).
2) Of course this is not to say that relegated teams tend to come up again, or at least, certainly not at once. The second division is far too competitive for that. BCM Dragons, winner of the second division with 100% in 2011/12, looked unlikley to return when in the second division in 2013/14 and were relegated this year; and Kings Head, who won the second division by a mile in 2012/13, were also worried about being relegated to the third division on their return this year.
3) In fact we have as many as three debutants in the first division next year; that, I believe, is a record (there were not even as many as that in the inaugural 1998/9 season, above). Even more astonishingly two of them had just been promoted to the second division and yet more astonishing one of them (Sussex Martlets) had even been making their second division debut. One welcomes Spirit of Atticus in particular though, for many reasons not least of which is that they are the only team who provide lively (and prompt) weekend reports of their matches.
4) Did David Howell make it to 2700 when he beat James Adair yesterday? Congratulations if so. He is not the first Englishman to secure 2700 at the 4NCL; Michael Adams did that by scoring 2/2 in March 1998 for Slough, before dropping half a point and leaving Slough forever in the following May weekend.
5) Again the pools were not quite equal, episode 94. In each of the top divisions, three of the four relegated teams came from the same starting pool, and the bottom two teams came from the same starting pool.
6) However, putting the Guildford teams in separate starting pools did at least ensure that the top two finishers came from different pools. (He says, provocatively). This is merely the third time that Guilford 1 and Guilford 2 have taken the top two positions, though the first time since we moved to the pool system in 2008/9, when Guildford 1 didn't win it (because they lost to their second team, and no, they didn't win it either).
7) For all the talk of Cheddleton's undoubted strength, and possible title challenge this year, this was actually the first time they finished as high as third. Expect this not to be mentioned by most 4NCL journalists. But perhaps that is why the Russians have not noticed them (see other thread).
Somehow one assumed it would be White Rose in third yet again, with the last weekend recruitment of John Emms confirming that they have now dropped the pretence of significant Yorkshire connections for their first team. But their second team earned promotion - well, hmm, they gained promotion - to the first division for the first time. This coincides with the first occasion when another team has been barred from being promoted on its merits (Guildford 3 finished fourth in the seond division - above White Rose 2 - but three teams from the same club are not allowed in the same division).9) King and pawn endings Indeed they are not so easy. In two first division games in the same match (Barbican 2 v Wood Green), Houska v Berry and Speelman v Coleman, the result was not what it should have been. The full point swing in Houska v Berry enabled Barbican 2 to ensure its safety a day early. A shame that Mr Olly presumably missed it (see live games thread).
10) Yes, there was another fire alarm over the last weekend. Even I have lost count by now.
We were relegated from Div 2 two years back when 'joint 4th'. Alas, it said 6th on the final table, one game point short of safety. So off we went. And we had a little regroup, drawing on the lessons admirably described by Theodore Mommsen in his magisterial