Melanie Buckley was the most successful of the three, finishing with 7 points from 11
rounds in the Girls under-16s, in about 10th place, considerably ahead of her
expectations as 29th seed.
7 November 1998
There was a double success for England in the World Junior Championships that finished yesterday in Spain. Nicholas Pert won the Boys under-18 title (and automatically becomes an IM) and Ruth Sheldon won the Girls under-18. Full details in the BCF Press Release.
Three members of the Bristol 4NCL team were also in the Saitek-sponsored BCF squad of eleven: Melanie and Simon Buckley, and Sophie Tidman.
Melanie Buckley was the most successful of the three, finishing with 7 points from 11
rounds in the Girls under-16s, in about 10th place, considerably ahead of her
expectations as 29th seed.
Sophie Tidman started well in the Girls under-14s, and at one point was on 4½/6 in 10th place. But she could only get two draws from the last five games to finish on a creditable 50%. Although she will be disappointed at her finish, she will have gained a lot of valuable experience.
Simon Buckley was in the Boys under-14s, also getting to 50%, and finished ahead of all his British contemporaries in this section.
Neville Belinfante has been providing an invaluable summary of British progress on his Web site.