Saturday 13 April 2024
U11 Essex Girls Win Bronze in Oxford!
On Saturday 13th April, Essex fielded a very young team in the EPSCA Under 11 girls’ finals.
More than half the team were in year 4 or below, so this was being seen as a day to gain experience. As it goes, the team performed admirably and came away with a bronze trophy, having finished third behind Kent and Oxfordshire.
All the girls put in a lot of effort in every game, and the third position was fully justified. Two players, Shruthika and Bavadharni both scored 3 out of 3, with Nuvee picking up 2.5. Being in second place after the first round brought about a new level of confidence, and it was great to see some draws being picked up from games that looked lost, and some wins where they didn’t seem too likely.
Kent were very strong and the first place wasn’t ever in doubt, but at the end of round 2 Essex were neck and neck with Oxfordshire and Richmond. Oxfordshire had an extremely strong last round but the Essex girls worked hard to secure the final podium place, which was confirmed when Nuvee saw off her opponent from Richmond.
The girls played some good games, improved their chess, made some new friends, and walked away with a trophy – all in all a great day.
We wish Isabella, Omatayo, Ariana and Akachi all the best as they go into Senior School. For all the others, we look forward to next year and hope to go one (or two!) better.
-Andy
For more photos of the day, check out the U11 Girls 2024 gallery