UCU League 2024/25 final tables and board prizes

Report on the UCU Belfast & District League 2024/25

The Silver King trophy

Thursday 10th April, Groomsport Parish Hall. After an intense three-way battle for the Silver King trophy, it all came down to the final fixture, with the Strand team needing to get at least a draw to secure the Division 1 title. The A team had done all they could do with their win over NI Civil Service two days earlier. Bangor still had a chance going into the final week, but their title-winning hopes were dashed by that victory for The A team, so they were playing for pride.

In a room filled with tension, Sergio Esteve Sanchez was victorious on board 2, and Robert Wright and Alwin Micheal drew, but ultimately Strand fell just short of the draw they needed, as wins for Andrew Campbell and Adam Rushe on boards 4 and 5 secured a 3-2 win on the night for Bangor and delivered the title to The A team. The result meant that all three teams finished with an identical record of 10 wins, 2 draws, and 3 defeats from 15 fixtures, testament to the competitive nature of the league.

Congratulations to The A team, worthy winners of the Silver King trophy. Gareth Annesley, Stephen Wood, Stephen Morgan, Ben McIlroy and Gerard McIlroy were available to play 70 of the 75 games across the season, a remarkable achievement in itself, and all contributed massively to the title-winning season.

Strand ended off 2nd, just ahead of Bangor in 3rd. NI Civil Service were mid-table in 4th, while Lisburn recorded their 3 victories in the final 6 matches to finish 5th ahead of QUB.

Rank	Team	Played	Won	Drew	Lost	Adjust	Points
1	The A team	15	10	2	3		71.5
2	Strand	15	10	2	3		70.0
3	Bangor 1	15	10	2	3		68.0
4	NI Civil Service 1	15	6	3	6		54.0
5	Lisburn	15	3	1	11		32.0
6	QUB 1	15	1	0	14	-2.0	17.5

In Division 2, as the decisive Strand v Bangor match was being staged, Kelly's Heroes beat Bangor's second team to end Bangor 2's slim chances of winning the John Strawbridge Cup. This sent Kelly's Heroes top and set up a winner-takes-all head-to-head against Fruithill in the final match of the season.

Fruithill had been the class of the division all season, losing just 8 games over the board, and ultimately their quality won through. A quickfire win for Gatis Barbals broke the tension, and battling wins for Michael Sheerin, Ciaran Marron and Pearse Rooney secured the overall win on the night and with it the Division 2 title. Those 4 players, along with Joe Miller and Gerry McCartney, played magnificently all season. Congratulations to Fruithill, deserving champions and good luck to them when they are promoted next season.

Kelly's Heroes ended the season 2nd, just ahead of Bangor 2 in 3rd. Newcomers Downpatrick had an excellent first season, particularly excelling on the top boards to finish 4th and could mount a title challenge next season. Citi Knights had their best ever finishing position of 5th, ahead of QUB 2 in 6th. Fruithill 2 won the basement battle on the final day of the season to finish 7th, NI Civil Service 2 finishing 8th after losing that match.

Rank	Team	Played	Won	Drew	Lost	Adjust	Points
1	Fruithill 1	14	12	1	1	-7.0	71.0
2	Kelly's Heroes	14	10	1	3		68.0
3	Bangor 2	14	10	1	3		66.0
4	Downpatrick	14	7	3	4		55.5
5	Citi Knights	14	4	2	8	+5.0	46.0
6	QUB 2	14	2	3	9		32.5
7	Fruithill 2	14	3	1	10		29.0
8	NI Civil Service 2	14	1	2	11		22.0

Fruithill Division 2 champions 2024/25 - team photo

Above: Division 2 winners Fruithill: (L-R) Pearse Rooney (captain), Gatis Barbals, Ciaran Marron, Joe Miller, Gerry McCartney, Michael Sheerin

Thanks to all captains and all 145 players for contributing to the success of the league.

DIVISION 1 TEAMS

The A team (1st)

Captain: Martin Kelly

Top point scorers: Ben McIlroy with 12, Gareth Annesley with 10 and Gerard McIlroy with 9

Best boards: Points were evenly spread across the boards, with 10.5 on boards 3, 4 and 5, but the 10 points on board 1 were the key difference between The A team and their title rivals

Strand (2nd)

Captain: Conor Spackman

Top point scorers: Sergio Esteve Sanchez with 9.5, Alwin Micheal with 9 and Ethan Cole with 7.5

Best boards: Top performers in the league on both board 3 (13) and board 2 (9) while also scoring well on board 4 (10.5) and board 5 (10)

Bangor 1 (3rd)

Captain: Edward Khanzharov

Top point scorers: Andrew Campbell and captain Edward Khanzharov both scored 9.5 points, with Caleb McClean adding 9 points

Best boards: Top performers in the league on both board 4 (11) and board 5 (10.5)

NI Civil Service 1 (4th)

Captain: Mark Newman

Top point scorers: Mandar Tahmankar with 9 points, followed by Shane Keers with 6

Best boards: Top performers in the league on board 1 with 10.5 points

Lisburn (5th)

Captain: Christopher Dunseath

Top point scorers: Sam Smylie top scored over the season with 4.5 points

Best boards: Scored best on board 1 with 6 points

QUB 1 (6th)

Captain: Paddy Magee

Top point scorers: Sam Smith top scored with 4.5 points, while Adam Collins scored 4/4

Best boards: Scored best on board 1 with 6.5 points

DIVISION 2 TEAMS

Fruithill 1 (1st)

Captain: Pearse Rooney

Top point scorers: Michael Sheerin with 12 from 13 games, captain Pearse Rooney with 10.5 and Joe Miller with 9

Best boards: Top performers in the league on board 2 (13), board 3 (11.5) and board 4 (11.5)

Kelly's Heroes (2nd)

Captain: Martin Kelly

Top point scorers: Top three contributors were Graeme McCormick, with 8.5 points, and John Bryars and Robert Lavery with 7

Best boards: Points were evenly spread, with the best totals coming on board 5 (11) and boards 3 and 4 (10)

Bangor 2 (3rd)

Captain: Sam Moore

Top point scorers: David McCracken with 7, captain Sam Moore with 6.5 and James O'Fee with 5.5

Best boards: Top performers in the league on board 5 (12) and also scored highly on board 4 (10.5)

Downpatrick (4th)

Captain: Paul Reaney

Top point scorers: Captain Paul Reaney with 9.5 points, Toby Crothers with 8 and Dermot Maguire with 5.5

Best boards: Top performers in the league on board 1 (11) and also scored highly on board 2 (9)

Citi Knights (5th)

Captain: Michael Devine

Top point scorers: Ashish Shambharkar with 6.5 while Shane Devine, David Garvin, Oisín Cinnsealach, and Jonah Corr all added 4

Best boards: Points were evenly spread across the boards, board 4 was the highest scoring with 7.5

QUB 2 (6th)

Captain: Paddy Magee

Top point scorers: Top three contributors were Daniel King with 5.5 points, and Gerard Obasi and captain Paddy Magee with 4

Best boards: Points were fairly evenly spread across the boards, board 3 was the highest scoring with 7

Fruithill 2 (7th)

Captain: John Monaghan

Top point scorers: Pearse O'Brien and James Shaw top scored with 3 points each

Best boards: Scored best on board 1 with 5.5 points

NI Civil Service 2 (8th)

Captain: Mark Newman

Top point scorers: Amol Thoke top scored over the season with 5 points

Best boards: Scored best on board 5 with 4.5 points

DIVISION 1 BOARD PRIZES

Division 1 board 1: Mandar Tahmankar

A strong finish to the season saw Mandar Tahmankar pip Gareth Annesley to the prize, identical records meaning Mandar's head-to-head win against Gareth in December was the deciding factor.

Name	Rating	Club	Points	Played	Percentage
Mandar Tahmankar	2001	NI Civil Service 1	9	12	75.00
Gareth Annesley	1945	The A team	9	12	75.00
Robert Wright	1858	Strand	5	12	41.67

Division 1 board 2: Sergio Esteve Sanchez

In an closely run contest, Sergio Esteve Sanchez edged out Shane Keers and Stephen Wood to take the prize.

Name	Rating	Club	Points	Played	Percentage
Sergio Esteve Sanchez	1891	Strand	8	12	66.67
Shane Keers	1750	NI Civil Service 1	5	8	62.50
Stephen Wood	1954	The A team	6	12	50.00

Division 1 board 3: Alwin Micheal

A fantastic performance from Alwin Micheal, who was undefeated as he won the board prize with the best individual percentage on any board, while Stephen Morgan and Andrew Campbell also had positive records over the season.

Name	Rating	Club	Points	Played	Percentage
Alwin Micheal	1855	Strand	7.5	9	83.33
Stephen Morgan	1854	The A team	7.5	11	68.18
Andrew Campbell	1583	Bangor 1	4.5	8	56.25

Division 1 board 4: Ben McIlroy

Consistency of selection was key as Ben McIlroy was the sole player eligible for the prize, but he undoubtedly earned it with an excellent record to add the board prize to his league winner trophy. Ethan Cole was his nearest challenger having played 7 games.

Name	Rating	Club	Points	Played	Percentage
Ben McIlroy	1776	The A team	8	11	72.73

Division 1 board 5: Gerard McIlroy

Like father, like son as Gerard McIlroy was the sole player eligible for the prize, but a well-deserved winner to also add the board prize to his league winner trophy. Conor Spackman, Aashay Kher and Samuel Smylie were the closest players to being in the running having played 7 games each.

Name	Rating	Club	Points	Played	Percentage
Gerard McIlroy	1739	The A team	6.5	9	72.22

DIVISION 2 BOARD PRIZES

Division 2 board 1: Robert Lavery

Robert Lavery took the prize ahead of Sam Moore and Shane Devine, with head-to-head wins over both players proving vital. Ciaran Marron just missed out having played 6 games.

Name	Rating	Club	Points	Played	Percentage
Robert Lavery	1741	Kelly's Heroes	7	12	58.33
Sam Moore	1696	Bangor 2	5	11	45.45
Shane Devine	1631	Citi Knights	4	10	40.00

Division 2 board 2: Paul Reaney

A captain's performance from Paul Reaney as he excelled all season and was rewarded with the board 2 board prize. In all 6 players were in the running, with John Bryars the closest challenger. Michael Sheerin just missed out having played 6 games.

Name	Rating	Club	Points	Played	Percentage
Paul Reaney	1691	Downpatrick	6.5	8	81.25
John Bryars	1731	Kelly's Heroes	6	11	54.55
Pearse O'Brien	1486	Fruithill 2	3	8	37.50
David Garvin	1579	Citi Knights	3.5	10	35.00
Patrick Magee	1637	QUB 2	3	9	33.33
David Jackson	1592	NI Civil Service 2	1.5	7	21.43

Division 2 board 3: Graeme McCormick

For the second season running, Graeme McCormick wins the board prize, with Oisín Cinnsealach again his only competitor. Pearse Rooney just missed out having played 6 games.

Name	Rating	Club	Points	Played	Percentage
Graeme McCormick	1720	Kelly's Heroes	7.5	11	68.18
Oisín Cinnsealach	1603	Citi Knights	4	8	50.00

Division 2 board 4: Ashish Shambharkar

Consistency of selection was key on board 4 as Ashish Shambharkar was the sole player eligible for the prize for the second season in succession. Joe Miller just missed out having played 6 games.

Name	Rating	Club	Points	Played	Percentage
Ashish Shambharkar	1548	Citi Knights	6	10	60.00

Division 2 board 5: Conor McAleenan

In his first season in the league, Conor McAleenan wrapped up the board prize by January, playing in the first 7 fixtures to get into the running. Gary Johnston, Gerry McCartney and Dermot Maguire were the nearest challengers having played 5 games each.