Harambee Rapidplay 1999

by Steve Boniface

Sixty-six players altogether competed in this event staged as part of the St. Paul's Carnival. 48 contested the Minor section which was won handsomely by Adrian Champion of Devizes. Within this section four under-12s were vying for the Junior Trophy, and this was won by Samuel Buckley from Keynsham. In the Open Tournament Peter Varley of Newport scored a brilliant straight six wins, beating all of his main rivals including a powerful trio from Keynsham.

Several players joined Peter from Wales, and others came from such relatively distant places as Birmingham and London. One competitor from Gloucester wanted to know where all the Bristol League members were. In fact nearly half of the "Bristol" contingent came from the three clubs Keynsham, Bath, and Yate, which are hardly walking distance.

The hall conditions were excellent, the prizes generous (cash and trophies), the refreshments plentiful and cheap, and there was ample free parking at the centrally-located venue. It is difficult to work out what it takes to make Bristol players support their own events.

For the record, the full results were:

Open

Minor ( U-136 )

Junior ( Under 12 years )