The Yatton & Clevedon Chess Club was founded in 1964 as the Yatton and District Chess Club. At the same time as "archrivals" Thornbury, they entered a team in the Bristol League's Division 6, and in consecutive years won the divisions 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and the Team KO while in Division 2.
Since then, the first team has established itself as a good second division team, just not good enough to hold its own in Division 1. The move to Clevedon became necessary as we ran out of suitable headquarters in Yatton, and it proved to be the best thing that has happened to the club. We now play in the Community Centre, in most pleasant surroundings, and maintain a membership of around 30.
1997 postscript: Not everyone would have agreed with the description of the Community Centre as "most pleasant", and there were few tears shed when Clevedon (as it is now called) moved to the more luxurious surroundings of the Walton Park Hotel at the beginning of 1997. There were even a few cheers when Clevedon, at the same time, decided to play on Monday nights instead of Friday. In the playing arena, Clevedon has continued to bounce between Divisions 1 and 2. Currently though, Clevedon seems to have proved it can now "hold its own" in Division 1 where it is enjoying its third consecutive season. - JR