THE EPSCA GIRLS TEAM COMPETITION THROUGH THE YEARS The Competition began in 1984 when it was unofficial. It is believed that it was started as a result of an initiative by Mrs Jane Lawrence, until recently Headmistress of Sheen Mount School. From 1985 it was adopted as an official EPSCA tournament. It has been of tremendous value in encouraging girls to play serious competitive chess; most of our best women and senior girl players have played in this Competition in their time.
1984	1985	1986
Unofficial competition, believed played in London, probably at Sacred Heart School, Hammersmith. The joint winners were South-East London and Lincolnshire.	Played in Lincolnshire. 1 Lincolnshire 27 2 London 26½ 3 S E London 24½ 4 Kent 24 5 Liverpool 21 6 Manchester 19½ 7 Gwent 17½ 8-9 Calderdale, and Sutton 15½ 10-11 Barnet, and Tower Hamlets 12½	For the first time, Wey Valley entered the competition. Played in London. 1 London ‘A’ 32 2 Sutton 25½ 3 Lincolnshire 25 4 Liverpool 23 5 Gwent 25½ 6 Wey Valley 16 7 London ‘B’ 15 8 Tower Hamlets 14 9 Kent 12
1987	1988	1989
Played in Lincolnshire. 1 Liverpool 25½ 2 N W London 25 3 Sutton 24 4 Wandsworth 19½ 5 Kent 19 6 Lincolnshire 18½ 7 Nottinghamshire 17½ 8 Barnet 12½ 9 Wey Valley 12 10 East Riding 6	Played in North West London. 1 Kent 27½ 2 Wandsworth 26½ 3 Liverpool 26 4-5 Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire 23½ 6 Wey Valley 19 7-8 NW London, and SE London 17 9 Richmond 15½ 10 Hampshire 13½ 11 Northamptonshire 13 12 Staffordshire 11½ 13 Tower Hamlets 9½ 14 Barnet 9	Played in Leatherhead, Surrey. 1 Richmond 26 2 Kent 25 3 Lincolnshire 21½ 4 Liverpool 20 5-6 Greater Manchester, and Wey Valley 19½ 7 Nottinghamshire 18 8-9 Hampshire, and Sutton 14½ 10 Wandsworth 10½ 11 Northamptonshire 9
1990	1991	1992
Played at Liverpool: 23 June 1990 1 Kent 32½ 2 Liverpool 26 3 Manchester 25½ 4 Lincolnshire 24 5 Wey Valley 22 6 Somerset 20½ 7 Richmond 20 8-10 Suffolk, Nottinghamshire and Lancashire, each 19 11 Northamptonshire 16½ 12 Hampshire 14½ 13 Barnet 12½ 14 Leicestershire 12 15 Humberside 9 16 Shropshire 7½ 17 South London 6½	Played at Nottingham: 15 Jun 1991 1 Kent 31½ 2 Lincolnshire 25½ 3 Liverpool 24½ 4 Suffolk 24 5 Richmond 23½ 6 Wey Valley 23 7 Humberside 18½ 8 Barnet 18 9-10 Greater Manchester, and Northamptonshire 17 11 Somerset 15½ 12 South London 14 13 Leicestershire 12½ 14 Shropshire 9½ 15 Nottinghamshire 7½ 16 Hampshire 6½	Played at Brean Sands, Somerset. 1 Suffolk 31 2 Liverpool 28 3 Wey Valley 25½ 4 Kent 22½ 5-6 Barnet, and Somerset 21½ 7 Nottinghamshire 21 8 Richmond 19½ 9 Lincolnshire 16½ 10-11 Northamptonshire, and Solihull 14 12 Shropshire 13½ 13 Leicestershire 12 14 Hampshire 9½
1993	1994	1995
Played at Brean Sands, Somerset, on 22 May 1993. 1-2 Suffolk, and Wey Valley each 29½ 3-4 Liverpool, Wiltshire each 25½ 5 Devon 20 6 Nottinghamshire 19 7 Kent 18½ 8-10 Hampshire, Somerset, and Northamptonshire, each 18 11 Barnet 17½ 12 Solihull 17 13 Cleveland 16 14 Lincolnshire 12½ 15 Avon 10 16 Essex 8½ 17 South London 3	Played at Corby, Northamptonshire. 1 Wey Valley 28½ 2 Suffolk 23½ 3 Liverpool 22½ 4-5 Northamptonshire, and Devon 22 6 Lincolnshire 21½ 7-8 Cleveland, and Nottinghamshire 20½ 9 Somerset 20 10 Kent 19 11 Richmond 17½ 12-13 Hampshire, and Wiltshire 16½ 14 Solihull 16 15 Leicestershire 12½ 16 Middlesex 10½ 17 Avon 8½ 18 South London 6	Played in Camden, London. 1 Somerset 30 2 Wey Valley 25 3 Oldham 22 4 Liverpool 20 5-6 Cheshire & N Wales, and Manchester 19 7 Cleveland 17 8 Wirral 11½ 9 Shropshire 8½ 10 Humberside 7
1996	1997	1998
Played at Torquay, Devon 1 Wey Valley 29½ 2 Nottinghamshire 29 3 Barnet 26 4 Devon 25 5 Somerset 20 6 Liverpool 18½ 7 Richmond 16 8 Wiltshire 15½ 9 Hampshire 13½ 10 Lincolnshire 12½ 11 Hertfordshire 6 12 South London 4	Played at Corby, Northamptonshire 1 Wey Valley 31 2 Devon 27½ 3 Kent 24 4 Liverpool 23½ 5 Nottinghamshire 22½ 6 Wiltshire 19½ 7 Essex 19 8 Somerset 18½ 9 Barnet 17½ 10 North West London 17 11 Manchester 16½ 12 Hampshire 15½ 13-14 Lincolnshire, and Northamptonshire 13½ 15 Suffolk 12 16-17 Hertfordshire, and South London 7½	Played at Corby, Northamptonshire 1 Wey Valley 30 2 Essex 26 3 Kent 25½ 4 Nottinghamshire 25 5 North West London 23 6 Devon 22½ 7 Norfolk 22 8 Somerset 19 9 Wiltshire 18 10 Barnet 16½ 11 Hampshire 15 12 Northamptonshire 14½ 13 Liverpool 14 14 Hertfordshire 13½ 15 Lincolnshire 13 16 Cambridgeshire 12½ 17 West London 8 18 Berkshire 6
1999	2000	2001
Played at Basildon, Essex 1 Wey Valley 31½ 2 Manchester 27½ 3 Kent 24 4 Northamptonshire 23 5 North West London 22 6-7 Norfolk, and Devon 20½ 8 Sussex 19 9-10 Wiltshire, and Essex 18½ 11 Cambridgeshire 16½ 12 Nottinghamshire 16 13 Liverpool 13½ 14 Barnet 13 15 Hampshire 10 16 Hertfordshire 7 17 Berkshire 5	Played at Broad Green School, Liverpool on 20 May 2000. 1 Wey Valley 33½ 2 Manchester 27 3 Devon 21 4-6 Nottinghamshire, Kent and Lincolnshire, all 17½ 7 Richmond 17 8 Wiltshire 16½ 9 Essex 10½ 10-11 Northamptonshire and Liverpool, each 10.	Played at Bromley Cross, Bolton, Lancashire on 31 March 2001 1 Wey Valley 33½ 2 Manchester 28 3 Lincolnshire 24½ 4 Wiltshire 18½ 5 Nottinghamshire 18 6 Devon 17½ 7 Richmond 17 8 Liverpool 15½ 9 Somerset 11½ 10 Essex 8 11 Yorkshire 5
2002	2003	2004
Played at Mill Hill, Middlesex 1 Wey Valley 32 2 Greater Manchester 29½ 3 Nottinghamshire 24½ 4 Lincolnshire 21 5 Richmond 20½ 6 Somerset 19 7 Essex 18½ 8 Sussex 18 9 Devon 17 10 Liverpool 16½ 11-12 Barnet 15½ 11-12 Wiltshire 15½ 13 Suffolk 9½ 14 Hampshire 8 15 Cambridgeshire 3	Played at Bromley Cross, Bolton, Lancashire on 29 March 2003 1 Wey Valley 29½ 2 Nottinghamshire 26½ 3 Liverpool 23½ 4 Somerset 22 5 Devon 17½ 6-7 Barnet and Manchester each 16½ 8 Lincolnshire 15 9 Cambridgeshire 9 10 Wiltshire 8 11 Yorkshire 2	Played at Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire On 25 March 2004 1 Wey Valley 30 2 Manchester 27½ 3 Liverpool 27 4 Nottinghamshire 21 5-6 Lincolnshire and Yorkshire each 16 7 Somerset 15 8 Devon 14 9 Barnet 10 10 Wiltshire 8 11 Kent 5½
2005	2006	2007
Played at Cheddar, Somerset on 16 April 2005 1 Wey Valley 31½ 2 Liverpool 24 3-4 Devon 22½ 3-4 Oxfordshire 22½ 5 Wiltshire 21½ 6 Nottinghamshire 20½ 7 Somerset 18½ 8 Kent 17½ 9 Lincolnshire 13½ 10 Barnet 9½ 11 Manchester 5 12 Croydon 4	Played at Corby, Nothamptonshire on 26 March 2006. 1 Oxfordshire 30 2 Wey Valley 28 3 Devon 24 4 Yorkshire 21½ 5-6 Somerset 19 5-6 Liverpool 19 7-8 Lincolnshire 18½ 7-8 Northamptonshire 18½ 9 Nottinghamshire 17 10 Barnet 13½ 11 Kent 11½ 12 Berkshire 7 13 Essex 6½
A MESSAGE TO EPSCA ORGANISERS
Thank you for supporting the girls in their formative years. They have had much enjoyment and benefit from playing chess. We all know the many spin-offs there are as regards concentration, pride in work and responsibility for one’s own actions that arise from playing chess. But, sadly, many girls give up playing chess when they leave primary school. They may find themselves at a secondary school where there is no chess club, or where only boys are taken seriously as chess players. This is why the ECGCF Inter-County U14 Girls Competition was created – a competition for girls to play in, even when they are too old for EPSCA. If your County is already competing in ECGCF, please extend your support – and, if your County has no ECGCF team so far, consider starting one. We will give you plenty of support and encouragement. Girls themselves can become ECGCF members – many of the stronger ones already are. That way, they keep in touch through our website with everything that is happening in English girls’ chess.
SUPPORT EPSCA GIRLS - SUPPORT THE REAL COUNTIES!

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