National Championships 2011
The 2011 National Championships were held at the Potters Leisure Resort, over the weekend of 11th - 13th November.

There was plenty of change this year with a new venue, the return of NorthTyneside and the addition of Bedfordshire to the competition.

Session 1 (Friday)
Essex were off to a great start, dropping just 1 point against Sunderland to lead the way ahead of Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, South Tyneside and Hertfordshire who were all tied for second, on 4 points.

Essex 5 1 Sunderland Suffolk 4 2 Norfolk Cambridgeshire 4 2 Northumberland South Tyneside 4 2 North Tyneside Hertfordshire 4 2 Bedfordshire Durham

Session 2 (Friday)
With Essex not playing in this session it was Suffolk that leapt to the top with a clean sweep over North Tyneside. That win took them into a 4 point overnight lead over a 5-way tie for second between Herts, South Tyneside, Northumberland, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire.

Northumberland 4 2 South Tyneside Sunderland 4 2 Hertfordshire Bedfordshire 2 4 Durham Norfolk 4 2 Cambridgeshire Suffolk 6 0 North Tyneside Essex

Session 3 (Saturday)
Saturday began with Suffolk, Norfolk and Sunderland all taking maximum points and leaving them in the top 3 positions. Suffolk still led by 4 points.

Norfolk 6 0 North Tyneside Suffolk 6 0 Bedfordshire Sunderland 6 0 Northumberland Essex 2 4 Durham Cambridgeshire 4 2 Hertfordshire South Tyneside

Session 4 (Saturday)
Cambridgeshire's first maximum points haul of the weekend brought them up to second, as Norfolk fell back, having to sit out the session. Suffolk took 4 points to maintain their lead and Bedfordshire took an impressive session win over third placed Sunderland.

Sunderland 2 4 Bedfordshire Essex 2 4 Suffolk Cambridgeshire 6 0 South Tyneside Hertfordshire 4 2 Durham Northumberland 6 0 North Tyneside Norfolk

Session 5 (Saturday)
Cambridgeshire picked up another maximum to draw level with Suffolk who could only take 2 points in their encounter with Sunderland, who stayed third, 5 points off the lead.

South Tyneside 3 3 Bedfordshire Northumberland 2 4 Hertfordshire Essex 4 2 Norfolk Sunderland 4 2 Suffolk Cambridgeshire 6 0 Durham North Tyneside

Session 6 (Saturday)
As Suffolk sat out, Cambridgeshire took the clear lead for the first time, 4 points clear of Suffolk and Herts, while Norfolk's maximum over Sunderland saw them move back into the reckoning. Meanwhile North Tyneside were able to pick up their first points since the very first session on Friday night.

Sunderland 0 6 Norfolk Essex 2 4 Cambridgeshire South Tyneside 0 6 Hertfordshire Northumberland 4 2 Durham North Tyneside 2 4 Bedfordshire Suffolk

Session 7 (Saturday)
The leaders suffered their first session loss of the weekend, against Sunderland, allowing Suffolk to catch them back up. Norfolk were now back up to third, while North Tyneside took their first winning session of the weekend.

North Tyneside 4 2 Durham Essex 4 2 Northumberland Suffolk 6 0 South Tyneside Sunderland 4 2 Cambridgeshire Norfolk 4 2 Bedfordshire Hertfordshire

Session 8 (Saturday)
Cambridgeshire were back into a clear 2 point lead over Suffolk. Meanwhile Norfolk stumbled badly against Durham, allowing Sunderland to climb back up to third, albeit now 9 points off the lead. The midfield pack of Sunderland, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Essex, Northumberland and Durham were now covered by just 5 points.

Norfolk 0 6 Durham Sunderland 4 2 South Tyneside Essex 4 2 North Tyneside Cambridgeshire 6 0 Bedfordshire Suffolk 4 2 Hertfordshire Northumberland

Session 9 (Saturday)
Cambridgeshire lost the lead as they were forced to sit out the session. Suffolk were back into a 4 point lead. Sunderland maintained the pace with maximum points to stay third, with Norfolk just 1 point further back.

Suffolk 6 0 Durham Norfolk 6 0 South Tyneside Northumberland 1 5 Bedfordshire Sunderland 6 0 North Tyneside Essex 4 2 Hertfordshire Cambridgeshire

Session 10 (Saturday)
Cambridgeshire cut the lead to Suffolk to just 2 points as they took another maximum, while Norfolk moved back up to third place.

Suffolk 4 2 Northumberland Cambridgeshire 6 0 North Tyneside Norfolk 4 2 Hertfordshire Essex 3 3 Bedfordshire South Tyneside 2 4 Durham Sunderland

Session 11 (Saturday)
Although there was still one session of Saturday's play left, this marked the mid-point of the weekend. The top 2 teams finally met one another with Cambridgeshire coming out on top, tying the points overall and leaving them in the lead, after 30 games having been played by each team, by a mere 4 shots.

Meanwhile Norfolk were in thrid place 3 points clear of their nearest rivals Sunderland, and 6 points off the lead, the same margin which covered third to 6th, while Durham, Northumberland and Bedfordshire were covered by just a single point.

Essex 4 2 South Tyneside North Tyneside 2 4 Hertfordshire Norfolk 4 2 Northumberland Sunderland 4 2 Durham Suffolk 2 4 Cambridgeshire Bedfordshire

Pts For Agst 1 Cambridgeshire 44 288 184 2 Suffolk 44 284 195 3 Norfolk 38 258 185 4 Sunderland 35 265 200 5 Essex 34 226 211 6 Hertfordshire 32 239 235 7 Durham 26 224 240 8 Northumberland 25 206 258 9 Bedfordshire 25 198 260 10 South Tyneside 15 180 276 11 North Tyneside 12 170 294

Session 12 (Saturday)
Saturday ended with nothing to tell between Cambridgeshire and Suffolk as they matched each other point for point. They now held a 10 point lead over both Sunderland and Norfolk, while 3 points further back Essex and Hertfordshire were tied for 5th.

Essex 2 4 Sunderland Suffolk 5 1 Norfolk Cambridgeshire 5 1 Northumberland South Tyneside 4 2 North Tyneside Hertfordshire 4 2 Bedfordshire Durham

Session 13 (Sunday)
Cambridgeshire's maximum points, coupled with Bedfordshire's great perfomance against Suffolk, saw them gain a 4 point advantage in Sunday's first session, while Norfolk moved clear of Sunderland in third.

Norfolk 4 2 North Tyneside Suffolk 2 4 Bedfordshire Sunderland 2 4 Northumberland Essex 2 4 Durham Cambridgeshire 6 0 Hertfordshire South Tyneside

Session 14 (Sunday)
Although Suffolk took a clean sweep of their games, so did Cambridgeshire. Neither Norfolk nor Sunderland could manage a single point, meaning that the gap from first to third was now extended to a massive 18 points, removing any chance that this was going to be anything other than a two horse race. Norfolk, Hertfordshire, Sunderland and Essex, all chasing third spot, were covered by just 5 points, while slightly further back Northumberland, Bedfordshire and Durham were still seperated by just one point.

Northumberland 4 2 South Tyneside Sunderland 0 6 Hertfordshire Bedfordshire 3 3 Durham Norfolk 0 6 Cambridgeshire Suffolk 6 0 North Tyneside Essex

Session 15 (Sunday)
Durham had a tremendous session, picking up all but one point in their games against Cambridgeshire. But Suffolk failed to take full advantage as they shared the points with Sunderland, and were only able to close the gap slightly to still leave the leaders with a two point advantage.

South Tyneside 2 4 Bedfordshire Northumberland 2 4 Hertfordshire Essex 2 4 Norfolk Sunderland 3 3 Suffolk Cambridgeshire 1 5 Durham North Tyneside

Session 16 (Sunday)
Cambridgeshire regained their 4 point advantage with another maximum, which Suffolk were unable to match. Sunderland and Hertfordside were now tied for third as Norfolk sat out. Meanwhile North Tyneside had only their second winning session of the weekend, enabling them to close to within 3 points of rivals South Tyneside.

Sunderland 6 0 Bedfordshire Essex 2 4 Suffolk Cambridgeshire 6 0 South Tyneside Hertfordshire 4 2 Durham Northumberland 2 4 North Tyneside Norfolk

Session 17 (Sunday)
Maximums for the two leaders meant that they even further ahead of the rest. Norfolk were restored to third place, now 23 points off the lead, but only a single point ahead of both Sunderland and Hertfordshire. Durham, meanwhile, had moved clear of their tussle with Bedfordshire and Northumberland and were only 2 points behind 6th placed Essex and only 5 points off third place.

North Tyneside 0 6 Durham Essex 6 0 Northumberland Suffolk 6 0 South Tyneside Sunderland 0 6 Cambridgeshire Norfolk 4 2 Bedfordshire Hertfordshire

Session 18 (Saturday)
Cambridgeshire took full advantage of Suffolk's missed session and moved out to a 10 point lead. Norfolk took a decisive win over Sunderland to take them 5 points clear in third.

Sunderland 0 6 Norfolk Essex 0 6 Cambridgeshire South Tyneside 4 2 Hertfordshire Northumberland 4 2 Durham North Tyneside 4 2 Bedfordshire Suffolk

Session 19 (Sunday)
Suffolk did what they had to as Cambridgeshire sat out, closing the gap back up to 4 points, keeping their faint title hopes alive. Norfolk stumbled against South Tyneside, but with Hertfordshire only able to take one point off Essex, they were able to maintain the gap over the best of the rest.

Suffolk 6 0 Durham Norfolk 2 4 South Tyneside Northumberland 2 4 Bedfordshire Sunderland 4 2 North Tyneside Essex 5 1 Hertfordshire Cambridgeshire

Session 20 (Sunday)
Cambridgeshire's 4th consecutive maximum points haul took them into a 6 point lead as Suffolk dropped points against Hertfordshire. And with the event heading towards it's close Norfolk's advantage over Sunderland was down to 3 points, although they had games in hand. Essex, meanwhile, closed in on the fight for third with a 6-0 win over North Tyneside.

Norfolk 4 2 Durham Sunderland 6 0 South Tyneside Essex 6 0 North Tyneside Cambridgeshire 6 0 Bedfordshire Suffolk 4 2 Hertfordshire Northumberland

Session 21 (Sunderland)
With Cambridgeshire due to face North Tyneside in the final set of games, Suffolk's only chance to take the title would be take maximum points in the big showdown between the top two teams. And whilst they won two of the three games, their failure to win them all meant that Cambridgeshire would take an all but unbeatable 4 point advantage into the final session.

Norfolk were now safe in thrid place, 6 points clear of Essex who now looked good for fourth with Sunderland having to sit out the final session.

Essex 4 2 South Tyneside North Tyneside 2 4 Hertfordshire Norfolk 6 0 Northumberland Sunderland 2 4 Durham Suffolk 4 2 Cambridgeshire Bedfordshire

Session 22 (Sunday)
The final standings saw South Tyneside finishing with a good win over Durham to finish ahed of North Tyneside. Bedfordshire failed to score but managed to stay one point ahead of Northumberland in their weekend long battle. Durham had pulled themselves well clear of the fight behind them to finish in a clear 7th spot, just 3 points behind Hertfordshire.

Sunderland slipped late on and could do no better than 5th place and after starting slowly Essex came through to a solid 4th place finish. Norfolk took an impressive 3rd place, well ahead of where they have finished in recent years.

Meanwhile at the top of the table there were no surprises in the final session, Cambridgeshire took the expected maximum points and finally finished 5 points ahead of Suffolk after a very impressive performance throughout Sunday's play.

Suffolk 5 1 Northumberland Cambridgeshire 6 0 North Tyneside Norfolk 6 0 Hertfordshire Essex 6 0 Bedfordshire South Tyneside 4 2 Durham Sunderland

Pts For Agst 1 Cambridgeshire 94 594 347 2 Suffolk 89 571 367 3 Norfolk 75 526 388 4 Essex 69 484 417 5 Sunderland 62 489 434 6 Hertfordshire 59 438 481 7 Durham 56 447 468 8 Bedfordshire 46 400 517 9 Northumberland 45 411 543 10 South Tyneside 37 382 537 11 North Tyneside 28 354 597

Essex S'land Suffolk Norfolk Cambs N'land S Tyne N Tyne Herts Beds Durham Pts F A Essex 7 - 5 4 - 8 6 - 6 2 - 10 10 - 2 8 - 4 10 - 2 9 - 3 9 - 3 4 - 8 69 484 417 Sunderland 5 - 7 7 - 5 0 - 12 4 - 8 8 - 4 10 - 2 10 - 2 4 - 8 8 - 4 6 - 6 62 489 434 Suffolk 8 - 4 5 - 7 9 - 3 6 - 6 9 - 3 12 - 0 12 - 0 8 - 4 8 - 4 12 - 0 89 571 367 Norfolk 6 - 6 12 - 0 3 - 9 4 - 8 10 - 2 8 - 4 10 - 2 10 - 2 8 - 4 4 - 8 75 526 388 Cambridgeshire 10 - 2 8 - 4 6 - 6 8 - 4 9 - 3 12 - 0 12 - 0 10 - 2 12 - 0 7 - 5 94 594 347 Northumberland 2 - 10 4 - 8 3 - 9 2 - 10 3 - 9 8 - 4 8 - 4 4 - 8 3 - 9 8 - 4 45 411 543 South Tyneside 4 - 8 2 - 10 0 - 12 4 - 8 0 - 12 4 - 8 8 - 4 4 - 8 5 - 7 6 - 6 37 382 537 North Tyneside 2 - 10 2 - 10 0 - 12 2 - 10 0 - 12 4 - 8 4 - 8 4 - 8 6 - 6 4 - 8 28 354 597 Hertfordshire 3 - 9 8 - 4 4 - 8 2 - 10 2 - 10 8 - 4 8 - 4 8 - 4 8 - 4 8 - 4 59 438 481 Bedfordshire 3 - 9 4 - 8 4 - 8 4 - 8 0 - 12 9 - 3 7 - 5 6 - 6 4 - 8 5 - 7 46 400 517 Durham 8 - 4 6 - 6 0 - 12 8 - 4 5 - 7 4 - 8 6 - 6 8 - 4 4 - 8 7 - 5 56 447 468

Updated 24th November 2011