Richard Haddrell wrote:n response to Paul McKeown, hope no slips. ...and following text ....
Richard, thank you very much indeed; this must have taken you some considerable time.
I can now say for certain that Bob played for Hertfordshire once, a win in the 1946-47 season. He first played for Middlesex in the 1948-49 season and his last game was in the 2000-01 season. During that period his score for Middlesex was P145 W63 D54 L28, although up to the early 1970's, his score consisted of a mountain of wins, with only the occasional draw or loss. He played 8 times for Middlesex in the 1999-2000 season (W1 D5 L2), whilst he played 7 times in 1962-63 (W5 D1 L1), 1968-69 (W4 D1 L2) and 1978-79 (W3 D2 L2). He played in 8 BCF finals, Middlesex winning 6 times and losing tied matches twice on board count. Altogether he played under 15 Middlesex match captains: David Brine Pritchard, Norman A MacLeod, John Poole, RG Duce, unknown, Eileen Tranmer, unknown, Daniel Wright, Martin Blaine, David Foley-Comer, Ray Jennings, John CH Nyman, Colin Mackenzie, Robin Pearce and Paul McKeown; they were all immensely grateful for his contribution.
[Mind you Bob's mentor, Frederic Kuskop Kelling managed to play for Wellington in the very first telegraph match in New Zealand in 1891 and then not miss a match for the rest of his life, his last match being played in 1945! That's dedication!]
I have promised Simon Spivack the first draft of the book's chapter about RGW and Middlesex for the MCCA website; Simon - my open and abject apologies for keeping you waiting! The first draft will, unfortunately, deal only with Bob playing for the county; the final draft will include details about his work for the county, which given the Middlesex county records seem to be scattered to the four winds and otherwise inaccessible is going to be tough. I will have to go through all the BCF Yearbooks from about 1952 through to about 2000; happily those diaries of Bob's which I have give some clues where to look (as occasionally do BCM and Chess). No doubt the SCCU Bulletins will be of value too. Don't worry, Richard, I'm not asking for your help with regard to that at this moment, as I'm going to park this particular chapter, soon.
To complete the first draft, though, I would like to fill in a few details:
A. In the information you gave me, I'm missing the Middx. match result for the matches which Bob was involved in. These were
04.11.89 at Wanstead (A v Essex)
18.11.89 at Hendon (H v Kent)
04.12.93 at Haverstock School (H v Surrey)
12.02.94 at Chess & Bridge (H v Berks)
15.10.94 at Chess & Bridge (H v Herts)
12.11.94 at Chess & Bridge (H v Kent)
03.12.94 at Bracknell (A v Berks)
11.02.95 at Trinity College Cambridge (A v Cambs)
11.03.95 at Wanstead (A v Essex)
01.07.95 at Birmingham (National Final v Cambs) - I know this one 8-8!
21.10.95 at Chess & Bridge (H v Berks)
10.02.96 at Chess & Bridge (H v Essex)
18.05.96 at Wanstead (QF A v Essex)
I hope, Richard, that it wouldn't be imposing too much on your time to ask you for this?
Thanks!
B) Also in the national final against Cambridgeshire 1 July 1995, what colour did Bob have? He was playing on board 12, if that helps. I'm sure you would have supplied the colour, Richard, if it was available, so this is a general appeal to anyone who was there that day. We know who you are, so confess now before it's too late!
C) Who was Middlesex match captain in the following seasons (this must be in the relevant Yearbook...):
1) 1961-62
2) 1965-66
D) Can anyone tell me the status of the match between Kent and Middlesex at the John Lewis Building on 11 December 1965 (1965-66 season)? Was it Ebony only or was it a combined Amboyna and Ebony match? The details recorded in the Middlesex match records seem a bit hazy...
E) Can anyone help fill in the following grades:
1965-66 season (lists in BCM and Chess only go down to 3a):
01) KB Harman (Kent)
1966-67 season (I have neither BCM nor Chess nor the BCF YB for this period):
02) JF Dunn (Norfolk)
03) PC Gibbs (Warwickshire)
04) JR Phillips (Sussex)
1968-69 season (BCM only goes down to 3a and I have neither Chess nor the BCF YB):
05) GJ Nicholas (Sussex)
06) PN Wallis (Leicestershire)
1969-70 season (BCM only goes down to 3a and I have neither Chess nor the BCF YB):
07) R Persitz (Oxfordshire)
08) GJ Nicholas (Sussex)
1970-71 season (BCM only goes down to 3a and I have neither Chess nor the BCF YB):
09) RG Eales (Cambridgeshire)
10) GH Bennett (Hampshire)
3) RA Beach (Staffordshire)
1971-72 season (BCM only goes down to 3a and I have neither Chess nor the BCF YB):
11) GJ Nicholas (Sussex)
12) MW Wills (Essex) could be MW Mills?
1972-73 season (BCM only goes down to 207 and I have neither Chess nor the BCF YB):
13) E Klein (Essex)
1978-79 season (James Coleman gave me a reference to a list in BCM, but for complicated reasons, which I will explain later, this is the wrong list. The graders, I think, had a difficult season... I will give the exact dates for the games, for those in the know.)
14) PV Byway (Herts) (25 Nov 1978)
15) JB Howson (Essex) (10 Feb 1979)
16) R Moss (Berks) (3 Mar 1979)
17) NE Povah (Surrey) (31 Mar 1979)
18) ME Binks (Gloucs) (28 Apr 1979)
19) B Eley (Yorks) (2 June 1979)
20) J Horner (Lancs) (7 July 1979)
1980-81 season
21) JE Littlewood (Lancs)
1983-84 season
22) RA Harris (Surrey)
23) ACL Dyson (Cambs)
1984-85 season
24) S Gillam (Surrey)
25) N Davey (Bucks)
26) G Kenworthy (Sussex)
27) JA Freeman (Berks)
28) AG Trangmar (Kent)
1985-86 season
29) PG Maguire (Herts)
30) DR Carless (Staffs)
31) J Hall (Lancs)
1987-88 season
32) A Robbings (Bucks)
33) NH Bradbury (Herts)
34) U Ekenburg (Cambs)
35) GF Yates (Essex)
36) RG Eales (Kent)
1988-89 season
37) AJ Toll (Oxon)
38) FJ Kwiatkowski (Sussex)
39) PR Davies (Leics)
40) PM Gayson (Yorks)
1989-90 season
41) G Kenworthy (Essex)
42) RG Eales (Kent)
Thanks everyone for your help and submissions. Keep them coming.
Best Regards,
Paul M.