Belfast and District League 2014/15

Yreval

The fixture list was posted earlier today, so it's time for this season's Belfast and District League thread.

League structure
With the league growing by another two teams this season, the format of the past few seasons has been rendered inadequate. Therefore the league returns to a more traditional format, with a seven-team Division 1 playing for the Silver King (currently held by Fisherwick) and a nine-team Division 2 playing for the John Strawbridge Cup (currently held by Bangor).

What to look out for

• Lindores will be boosted by the addition of 2013 Ulster Champion Mike Redman. They will also be fielding a second team in Division 2.
• Ballynafeigh are going for the title by concentrating their strongest players in their first team - the flip side of this, though, is that Ballynafeigh 2 are likely to be involved in a relegation battle with Bangor. In Division 2, they are expanding even further with the addition of a fifth team.
• Lagan will not be competing this season as a number of their stronger players will be unavailable.
• If Fruithill can field their strongest team (including former Ulster Champion Michael Holmes, who did not play last season, and Alan Delaney, who spent last season at Lindores) on a regular basis they should steamroll Division 2 without difficulty - on last season's evidence, though, that looks unlikely.

Predictions


Division 1
Winners: Lindores 1
Relegated: Bangor


Division 2
Winners: Fruithill
Wooden spoon: Ballynafeigh 5

Yreval

How's this for a shocker? Silver King holders Fisherwick have withdrawn from the league.

No explanation has been given, but they have announced plans to organise a team competition of their own. Fruithill have been bumped up to Division 1 to replace them; although they only finished fourth in last season's Division 2, they have what is clearly the strongest squad among the Division 2 teams (even if it now appears that Michael Holmes will not be playing this season after all).

e: Rearranged fixtures are here: http://www.ulsterchess.org/Members/ucu00450/the-ucu-leagues-re-organised

Yreval

Week 1:

Division 1
Ballynafeigh 2 0.5-4.5 Ballynafeigh 1
Belfast South 1 1-4 Muldoons 1
Bangor 0.5-4.5 Lindores 1

Division 2
Muldoons 2 3-2 Lindores 2
Ballynafeigh 4 3-2 Ballynafeigh 3
Ballynafeigh 5 0-5 Belfast South 2
NI Civil Service 4-1 QUB

http://www.ulsterchess.org/Members/ucu00312/belfast-and-district-league-2014-15-week-1-report

Yreval

Week 2

Division 1
Fruithill 0-5 Ballynafeigh 2
Muldoons 1 4.5-0.5 Bangor
Lindores 1 1.5-3.5 Belfast South 1

Division 2
Ballynafeigh 3 3-1 Ballynafeigh 5
Ballynafeigh 4 2-3 Muldoons 2
Belfast South 2 3-2 NI Civil Service
Lindores 2 3.5-1.5 QUB

http://www.ulsterchess.org/Members/ucu00312/b-d-leagues-14-15-week-2-things-go-south-for-lindores

Yreval

Week 3

Division 1
Ballynafeigh 2 3-2 Lindores 1

Division 2
Muldoons 2 1.5-3.5 Belfast South 2
Ballynafeigh 5 2-3 Ballynafeigh 4
QUB 1.5-3.5 Ballynafeigh 3
NICS 1.5-3.5 Lindores 2

http://www.ulsterchess.org/Members/ucu00312/b-d-leagues-14-15-week-3-ballynafeigh-two-good-for-lindores

Yreval

Week 4

Division 1
Fruithill 2.5-2.5 Belfast South 1
Muldoons 1 3.5-1.5 Ballynafeigh 2
Bangor 0.5-4.5 Ballynafeigh 1

Division 2
Ballynafeigh 3 2-3 Muldoons 2
Ballynafeigh 4 1-4 NI Civil Service
Ballynafeigh 5 1-4 QUB
Belfast South 2 2.5-2.5 Lindores 2

http://www.ulsterchess.org/Members/ucu00312/b-d-leagues-14-15-week-4/muldoon-and-gloom-for-ballynafeigh

Yreval

Week 5

Division 1
Fruithill 0.5-4.5 Muldoons 1

Division 2
Muldoons 2 4-1 Ballynafeigh 5
Ballynafeigh 3 3.5-1.5 NI Civil Service
QUB 2.5-2.5 Belfast South 2
Lindores 2 5-0 Ballynafeigh 4

A full report should be up on the UCU site shortly. In the meantime, a postponed Division 1 match was played last night;

Ballynafeigh 1    | 3.5-1.5 |    Muldoons 1
------------------------------------------
David Houston     | 0.5-0.5 |    Gareth Annesley
Steve Scannell    |   1-0   |    Stephen Wood
Soren Jensen      |   1-0   |    Danny Mallaghan
Damien Lavery     |   0-1   |    Des Moreland
Brendan Jamison   |   1-0   |    Peter McGuckin

Here are the current tables:

Division 1    Played    Points
------------------------------
Muldoons 1         5    26
Ballynafeigh 1     3    18.5
Ballynafeigh 2     4    14
Belfast South 1    3    10
Lindores 1         3    10
Fruithill          3     4
Bangor             3     1.5

Division 2    Played Points
-----------------------------
Belfast South 2    5    24.5
Lindores 2         5    23.5
Muldoons 2         5    22.5
Ballynafeigh 3     5    20
NICS               5    17
QUB                5    13.5
Ballynafeigh 4     5    13
Ballynafeigh 5     5     5

Yreval

Week 6

Division 1
Ballynafeigh 1 5-0 Belfast South 1
Ballynafeigh 2 5-0 Bangor
Lindores 1 2.5-2.5 Ballynafeigh 1

Division 2
QUB 1.5-3.5 Ballynafeigh 4
Belfast South 2 3.5-1.5 Ballynafeigh 3
Lindores 2 5-0 Ballynafeigh 5
NI Civil Service 2.5-2.5 Muldoons 2

http://www.ulsterchess.org/Members/ucu00312/b-d-leagues-14-15-week-6/kelly-s-heroes-exact-revenge

Yreval

Week 7

Division 1
Muldoons 1 2.5-2.5 Lindores 1
Ballynafeigh 1 5-0 Fruithill
Belfast South 1 3-2 Ballynafeigh 2
Bangor 3.5-1.5 Fruithill

Division 2
Ballynafeigh 3 2-3 Lindores 2
Ballynafeigh 4 0-5 Belfast South 2
QUB 4.5-0.5 Muldoons 2
NI Civil Service 5-0 Ballynafeigh 5

http://www.ulsterchess.org/Members/ucu00312/b-d-leagues-14-15-week-7/ballynafeigh-1-power-ahead

Yreval

Week 8

Division 1
Muldoons 1 2.5-2.5 Belfast South 1
Ballynafeigh 1 3-2 Ballynafeigh 2
Lindores 1 3.5-1.5 Bangor
Lindores 1 4-1 Fruithill

Division 2
Ballynafeigh 3 4-1 Ballynafeigh 4
QUB 1.5-3.5 NI Civil Service
Belfast South 2 5-0 Ballynafeigh 5
Lindores 2 1.5-3.5 Muldoons 2

http://www.ulsterchess.org/Members/ucu00312/the-underdogs-bite-back

Yreval

Week 9

Division 1
Belfast South 1 0-5 Lindores 1

Division 2
Muldoons 2 4.5-0.5 Ballynafeigh 4
Balynafeigh 5 0-5 Ballynafeigh 3
QUB 1.5-3.5 Lindores 2
NI Civil Service 2-3 Belfast South 2

http://www.ulsterchess.org/Members/ucu00312/coffee-house-men-too-hot-to-handle

Yreval

Week 10

Division 1
Fruithill 1-4 Bangor
Muldoons 1 0.5-4.5 Ballynafeigh 1
Lindores 1 3-2 Ballynafeigh 2

Division 2
Ballynafeigh 3 3.5-1.5 QUB
Ballynafeigh 4 5-0 Ballynafeigh 5
Belfast South 2 4-1 Muldoons 2
Lindores 2 3-2 NI Civil Service

http://www.ulsterchess.org/Members/ucu00312/b-d-leagues-14-15-week-10/muldooned-to-failure

Yreval

Week 11

Division 1
Ballynafeigh 1 4-1 Bangor
Ballynafeigh 2 0-5 Muldoons 1
Belfast South 1 2.5-2.5 Fruithill

Division 2
Muldoons 2 0-5 Ballynafeigh 3
QUB 5-0 Ballynafeigh 5
Lindores 2 2-3 Belfast South 2
NI Civil Service 5-0 Ballynafeigh 4

http://www.ulsterchess.org/Members/ucu00312/a-happy-new-year-for-ballynafeigh-1

Yreval

Week 12

Division 1
Muldoons 1 2.5-2.5 Fruithill
Ballynafeigh 1 3.5-1.5 Lindores 1
Bangor 2-3 Belfast South 1

Division 2
Ballynafeigh 4 3-2 Lindores 2
Ballynafeigh 5 0-5 Muldoons 2
NI Civil Service 1-4 Ballynafeigh 3

http://www.ulsterchess.org/Members/ucu00312/ballynafeigh-1-increase-the-gap

Yreval

Week 13

Division 1
Fruithill 0-5 Lindores 1
Belfast South 1 2.5-2.5 Ballynafeigh 1
Bangor 3-2 Ballynafeigh 2

Division 2
Muldoons 2 1.5-3.5 NI Civil Service
Ballynafeigh 3 2.5-2.5 Belfast South 2
Ballynafeigh 4 4.5-0.5 QUB
Ballynafeigh 5 0-5 Lindores 2

http://www.ulsterchess.org/Members/ucu00312/kelly-s-heroes-keep-their-noses-in-front

Yreval

Week 15

Division 1
Ballynafeigh 2 1-4 Ballynafeigh 1
Belfast South 1 2.5-2.5 Muldoons 1
Bangor 3-2 Lindores 1

Division 2
Muldoons 2 2.5-2.5 Lindores 2
Ballynafeigh 3 3-2 Ballynafeigh 4
Ballynafeigh 5 1.5-3.5 Belfast South 2
NI Civil Service 3.5-1.5 QUB

http://www.ulsterchess.org/Members/ucu00312/ballynafeigh-1-hand-on-the-silver-king
(Also, it seems I forgot to post the week 14 results here. Here they are.)

Yreval

Week 16 (no report due to Bunratty and some technical issues with the UCU website)

Division 1
Muloons 1 4-1 Bangor
Fruithill 1-4 Ballynafeigh 2
Lindores 1 3.5-1.5 Belfast South 1

Division 2
Ballynafeigh 3 3.5-1.5 Ballynafeigh 5
Ballynafeigh 4 0.5-4.5 Muldoons 2
Belfast South 2 4-1 NI Civil Service
Lindores 2 3-2 QUB

Week 17

Division 1
Ballynafeigh 1 3-2 Muldoons 1
Ballynafeigh 2 3.5-1.5 Lindores 1
Bangor 1.5-3.5 Fruithill

Division 2
Muldoons 2 2-3 Belfast South 2
Ballynafeigh 5 3-2 Ballynafeigh 4
QUB 2-3 Ballynafeigh 3
NI Civil Service 2-3 Lindores 2

Yreval

Week 18 - We have new champions!

Division 1
Fruithill 1-4 Belfast South 1
Muldoons 1 4-1 Ballynafeigh 2
Bangor 0.5-4.5 Ballynafeigh 1 (Ballynafeigh 1 win title)
Lindores 1 3.5-1.5 Muldoons 1 (rescheduled from Week 14)

Division 2
Ballynafeigh 3 3.5-1.5 Muldoons 2
Ballynafeigh 4 0.5-4.5 NI Civil Service
Ballynafeigh 5 0-5 QUB
Belfast South 2 2.5-2.5 Lindores 2

http://www.ulsterchess.org/Members/ucu00312/ballynafeigh-1-win-silver-king

Yreval

Week 19

Division 1
Fruithill 2.5-2.5 Muldoons 1
Belfast South 1 4.5-0.5 Bangor
Lindores 1 3.5-1.5 Ballynafeigh 1

Division 2
Muldoons 2 4.5-0.5 Ballynafeigh 5
Ballynafeigh 3 3.5-1.5 NI Civil Service
QUB 1.5-3.5 Belfast South 2
Lindores 2 3-2 Ballynafeigh 4

http://www.ulsterchess.org/Members/ucu00312/ballynafeigh-1-finally-beaten

Yreval

Week 20

Division 1
Ballynafeigh 1 4.5-0.5 Belfast South 1
Ballynafeigh 2 2-3 Bangor
Lindores 1 5-0 Fruithill

Division 2
QUB 2-3 Ballynafeigh 4
Belfast South 2 3-2 Ballynafeigh 3 (Belfast South 2 win the Strawbridge Cup)
Lindores 2 4-1 Ballynafeigh 5
NI Civil Service 3-2 Muldoons 2

http://www.ulsterchess.org/Members/ucu00312/kelly-s-heroes-secure-strawbridge-cup

Yreval

Week 21

Division 1
Muldoons 1 2.5-2.5 Lindores 1
Ballynafeigh 1 3-2 Fruithill
Belfast South 1 2.5-2.5 Ballynafeigh 2

Division 2
Ballynafeigh 3 3-2 Lindores 2
Ballynafeigh 4 1-4 Belfast South 2
QUB 1.5-3.5 Muldoons 2
NI Civil Service 5-0 Ballynafeigh 5

http://www.ulsterchess.org/Members/ucu00312/champions-make-heavy-work-of-fruithill

And that's the league for another year. Congratulations to Ballynafeigh 1 on winning the Silver King and to Belfast South 2 on winning the John Strawbridge Cup.