Drunken Knights

[Richard Bates]

The London League has a set of rules which dictate that all matches take place in the West End or the City of London. As a consequence I think Drunken Knights played all their matches at the pub they've now left unless they were facing another team with a Central London base.

Other teams all played at a neutral central venue. According to reports, there wasn't the capacity for Drunken Knights to play there. On the face of it that will cause the London League a longer term problem if they find themselves restricted as to how many teams can be accommodated.

I would suspect that the venue can cope with more teams if those teams are known at the start of the season. What they can’t do is cope with an expansion during the season, as space within the existing booking is absolutely stretched to the limit (and I think many would say over the limit on occasion).

[LawrenceCooper]

In those days the London League rules stipulated that the team winning the toss had White on odds. Drunken Knights made a point of always turning up late, thus ensuring that they were deemed to have lost the toss. As a result they knew that they would always be Black on odds and they could give all their players the colour with which they were more effective.

This led to their Board 1, Maurice Staples, having 54 consecutive Blacks.

Eventually the rules were changed to provide that, if a team were absent at the designated time, their opponents had the choice of White on odds or White on evens. Mushrooms took advantage of this to bring Maurice Staples's sequence to an end.

Drunken Knights have had problems for several seasons now, but I shall miss them if they have gone for good. We shall not see their like again.

I saw Maurice tonight at a league match and mentioned this to him. He said that it may have been 56 games but wasn't certain. Needless to say he was black tonight too.

[David Sedgwick]

I saw Maurice tonight at a league match and mentioned this to him. He said that it may have been 56 games but wasn't certain. Needless to say he was black tonight too.

I have a mental picture of his having written 54 on his scoresheet.

It was over 30 years ago, but I tend to remember what happened then better than what happened 30 minutes ago.

I could still be wrong, of course.

[JustinHorton]

This is grim news.

Remember reading about them in the 60's/70's...

Are you sure? Not based at The Plough if so.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Drunken Kinghts played at the then central venue, St Bride Institute, like everyone else.

In those days the London League rules stipulated that the team winning the toss had White on odds. Drunken Knights made a point of always turning up late, thus ensuring that they were deemed to have lost the toss. As a result they knew that they would always be Black on odds

What happened if both teams turned up late?

[JustinHorton]

More Plough management policy

[David Sedgwick]

What happened if both teams turned up late?

That I don't recall.

[NickFaulks]

More Plough management policy

I would be interested to know whether that story is actually true. I've never heard of a pattern of such behaviour at The Plough.

[Roger Lancaster]

More Plough management policy

Obviously disgusting, not to mention illegal, if true.

[John Reyes]

who owed the right to the club Name?

the reason is that I was thinking of setting up something in Manchester with the club name in the city centre

[NickFaulks]

who owed the right to the club Name?

I have no idea, but it would come as a surprise if anyone at the club were that well organised.

[John Upham]

who owed the right to the club Name?

The name that springs to my mind, at least, is

George Dickson


I suspect he was one of the very earliest members.

[NickFaulks]

The name that springs to my mind, at least, is

George Dickson

Forgive me if I am quite wrong, but do you mean George Leyton?

[John Upham]

The name that springs to my mind, at least, is

George Dickson

Forgive me if I am quite wrong, but do you mean George Leyton?

Aha ! Yes, I think you are right Nick.

[Bob Kane]

George Leyton and Chris Haines were the original founders, Nevil Chan ran and supported the club since the 90s possibly even the mid 80s .Before the DKs took up residency the Plough was a post chess watering hole for the CYMCA (another legendary london club)
cheers!