UCU Knock-Out Cup Preliminary Rounds 2002

Sunday 14th April 2002

The 2002 edition of the Ulster Team Championship, better known as the KO Cup, got under way on Sunday 14th April at the Queen's University Staff Common Room. By good fortune precisely 8 teams entered the fray, the perfect number for a knock-out event. There were no surprises in the first round, with all the higher rated teams winning.

FIRST ROUND

RVH B	            4-1	   CIVIL SERVICE
M. Holmes 2117	    1-0	   P. May 1849
B. O'Neill 1847	    0-1	   S. Moore 1774
T. Parker 1774	    1-0	   G. Harvey 1690
N. Fisher 1724	    1-0	   C. Kelly 1581
S. McCann 1648	    1-0	   C. Armstrong 1560
 
RVH  		    4-1	   FISHERWICK B
T. Clarke 2134	    1-0	   J.McLean 1605
N. Pilkiewicz 1823  1-0	   I. Woodfield 1638
G. Annesley 1875    1-0	   B. Jaffa 1568
D. Mallaghan 1768   0-1	   A. Beckett 1490
P. McLoughlin 1758  1-0	   Default
 
BANGOR		    4-1	   QUB
A. White 1788	    0-1	   F. MacDonald 1752
M. Newman 1788	    1-0	   R. Triggs 1659
R. Henderson 1585   1-0	   D. Collins 1446
R. Proctor 1442	    1-0	   C. Leitch 1086
M. Seidman 1448	    1-0	   A. Peile 1185
 
FISHERWICK A	  3.5-1.5  RVH C
K. Greer 2100	    1-0	   J. McKenna 1681
J. Cairns 1961	    1-0	   C. Marron 1514
T. Alcorn 1754	    1/2	   D. Lavery 1495
N. McFarland 1647   1-0	   C. Black 1527
B. Thompson 1644    0-1	   L. Holmes 1329

The semi-finals were extremely closely contested affairs with both matches having to be decided on board count. In the battle of the two RVH teams it was RVH A, winners of the 2001-2002 UCU Belfast and District League Division 1 when playing as the RVH Falcons, who won through, while Bangor were just edged out by a much higher rated Fisherwick team.

SEMI-FINALS

RVH B		   2.5-2.5  RVH A
M. Holmes 2117	     0-1    T. Clarke 2134
B. O'Neill 1847	     0-1    N. Pilkiewicz 1823
T. Parker 1774	     1-0    G. Annesley 1875
N. Fisher 1724	     1/2    D. Mallaghan 1768
S. McCann 1648       1-0    P. McLoughlin 1758
RVH A won on board count
 
BANGOR	           2.5-2.5  FISHERWICK A
A. White 1788	     1/2    K. Greer 2100
M. Newman 1788	     0-1    J. Cairns 1961
R. Henderson 1585    0-1    T. Alcorn 1754
R. Proctor 1442	     1-0    N. McFarland 1647
M. Seidman 1448	     1-0    B. Thompson 1644
Fisherwick A won on board count

RVH A and Fisherwick A will now play a double-round final to determine this year's winners of the Knock-out Cup.

PLATE COMPETITION
The four first round losers went into the Plate competition. Civil Service had two new players for the afternoon session, while Fisherwick B, after having to default a board in the morning session, was now at full strength. It was the inaugural winners of the Plate (in 2000) who won through to the final where they will meet the team they defeated then, Queen's University.

SEMI-FINALS

CIVIL SERVICE	   3.5-1.5  FISHERWICK B
J. Brown 1819	     1-0    N. Green 1637
S. Moore 1774	     1-0    J. McLean 1605
G. Harvey 1690	     1/2    I. Woodfield 1638
D. Jackson 1624	     0-1    B. Jaffa 1568
C. Armstrong 1560    1-0    A. Beckett 1490
 
QUB	             3-2    RVH C
F. MacDonald 1752    1-0    J. McKenna 1681
R. Triggs 1659	     1-0    C. Marron 1514
D. Collins 1446	     0-1    D. Cunningham 1460
C. Leitch 1086	     0-1    D. Lavery 1495
A. Peile 1175        1-0    C. Black 1527

Civil Service and QUB will now play a double-round final to determine this year's winners of the Knock-Out Cup Plate.

Originally the finals were scheduled for Sunday 5th May 2002, but unfortunately this clashes with the prestigious Malahide Millennium tournament and the UCU will now re-schedule the finals, probably moving them a week later to Sunday 12th May.