Session 1
Suffolk and Sunderland were both off to strong starts, picking
up maximum points over Norfolk and Essex respectively, whiile
Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire took 4 points each against Durham
and Northumberland. |
|
Pl |
Pts |
Suffolk |
3 |
6 |
Sunderland |
3 |
6 |
Bedfordshire |
3 |
4 |
Cambridgeshire |
3 |
4 |
Durham |
3 |
2 |
Northumberland |
3 |
2 |
Essex |
3 |
0 |
Norfolk |
3 |
0 |
Hertfordshire |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Session 2
Hertfordshire opened their account a 6-0 win over Durham and
Essex did the same against Northumberland. Suffolk and Sunderland
played one another to determine who would make the early showing
and it was Suffolk who picked up 5 of the 6 points on offer to
establish themselves at the top of the standings. Cambridgeshire
meanwhile moved into second with 4 points against Norfolk. |
|
Pl |
Pts |
Suffolk |
6 |
11 |
Cambridgeshire |
6 |
8 |
Sunderland |
6 |
7 |
Essex |
6 |
6 |
Hertfordshire |
3 |
6 |
Bedfordshire |
3 |
4 |
Durham |
6 |
2 |
Norfolk |
6 |
2 |
Northumberland |
6 |
2 |
|
|
Session 3
Suffolk dropped 2 points to Hertforshire and remained top, but
Cambridgeshire with all 6 against Bedfordshire, were now only
a point behind. Northumberland will have been very happy with
their 4 points against Sunderland which lifted them off the bottom
and Norfolk were at last getting going, dropping only 1 to Durham. |
|
Pl |
Pts |
Suffolk |
9 |
15 |
Cambridgeshire |
9 |
14 |
Sunderland |
9 |
9 |
Hertfordshire |
6 |
8 |
Norfolk |
9 |
7 |
Northumberland |
9 |
6 |
Essex |
6 |
6 |
Bedfordshire |
6 |
4 |
Durham |
9 |
3 |
|
|
Session 4
Again it was the top two playing one another and again it was
Suffolk who came out on top with a clean sweep, this time over
Cambridgeshire to go 7 points clear at the top. Sunderland and
Hertfordshire took 3 points each from their encounter, Norfolk
were moving up with another 4 against Northumberland and Essex
took 4 off Bedfordshire. |
|
Pl |
Pts |
Suffolk |
12 |
21 |
Cambridgeshire |
12 |
14 |
Sunderland |
12 |
12 |
Hertfordshire |
12 |
11 |
Norfolk |
9 |
11 |
Northumberland |
9 |
10 |
Essex |
12 |
8 |
Bedfordshire |
9 |
6 |
Durham |
9 |
3 |
|
|
Session 5
Northumberland put up a great fight against Suffolk, securing
2 draws and only just losing out in the other game. Sunderland
couldn't close on the leaders as they dropped 2 to Bedfordshire,
and Hertfordshire and Essex both picked up 4, against Norfolk
and Durham. |
|
Pl |
Pts |
Suffolk |
15 |
25 |
Sunderland |
15 |
16 |
Hertfordshire |
12 |
15 |
Cambridgeshire |
12 |
14 |
Essex |
12 |
14 |
Norfolk |
15 |
13 |
Northumberland |
15 |
10 |
Bedfordshire |
12 |
8 |
Durham |
12 |
5 |
|
|
Session 6
Suffolk picked up a maximum against Bedfordshire to extend their
lead as Cambridgeshire beats Herts 4-2. Essex also picked up
4, against Norfolk while Durham will have been delighted with
5 points out of 6 against Sunderland. |
|
Pl |
Pts |
Suffolk |
18 |
31 |
Cambridgeshire |
15 |
18 |
Essex |
15 |
18 |
Sunderland |
18 |
17 |
Hertfordshire |
15 |
17 |
Norfolk |
18 |
15 |
Durham |
15 |
10 |
Northumberland |
15 |
10 |
Bedfordshire |
18 |
8 |
|
|
Session 7
Suffolk took all 6 points again, this time off Durham. Behind
them Cambridgeshire and Essex, in 2nd and 3rd and tied on points,
played one another with Essex winning all three to go clear in
second. Norfolk won all three against Bedfordshire to go third
and Hertfordshire moved into 4th with 4 against Northumberland. |
|
Pl |
Pts |
Suffolk |
21 |
37 |
Essex |
18 |
24 |
Norfolk |
21 |
21 |
Hertfordshire |
18 |
21 |
Cambridgeshire |
18 |
18 |
Sunderland |
18 |
17 |
Northumberland |
18 |
12 |
Durham |
18 |
10 |
Bedfordshire |
18 |
8 |
|
|
Session 8
Suffolk sat out the session giving the others a chance to make
ground on them. Unfortunately for nearest rivals Essex they lost
all their games to Hertfordshire, leapfrogging them into second
place. Cambridgeshire took 5 off Durham while Bedfordshire had
their best session of the day, with the same score over Northumberland,
lifting them off the bottom. And 4 points for Norfolk over Sunderland
kept them in third. |
|
Pl |
Pts |
Suffolk |
21 |
37 |
Hertfordshire |
21 |
27 |
Norfolk |
24 |
25 |
Essex |
21 |
24 |
Cambridgeshire |
21 |
23 |
Sunderland |
21 |
19 |
Bedfordshire |
21 |
13 |
Northumberland |
21 |
13 |
Durham |
21 |
11 |
|
|
Session 9 (Day 1 end of play)
Northumberland and Durham split the points as they faced one
another, while Bedfordshire picked up 2 points against Hertfordshire,
that meant that the bottom 3 were covered by just 2 points.
Cambridgeshire took 4 points off Sunderland
but Essex could only get 2 off Suffolk, so 3rd to 6th were just
6 points apart.
Second place now though was nicely in the
hands of Hertfordshire who were 4 points clear of third placed
Cambridgeshire. However it was Suffolk that finished the day
on top where they had been since the first session, 10 points
clear, but still with plenty of work to do on day 2. |
|
Pl |
Pts |
Suffolk |
24 |
41 |
Hertfordshire |
24 |
31 |
Cambridgeshire |
24 |
27 |
Essex |
24 |
26 |
Norfolk |
24 |
25 |
Sunderland |
24 |
21 |
Northumberland |
24 |
16 |
Bedfordshire |
24 |
15 |
Durham |
24 |
14 |
|
|
Session 10
If anyone thought that it was all over by the end of the first
day they were very much mistaken. Suffolk must still have been
half asleep as they lost all three games to Norfolk. Cambridgeshire
also took a maximum, against Northumberland, Essex took 5 off
Sunderland and Durham took 4 against Bedfordshire.
Suffolk's lead was now down to 8 points,
over Cambridgeshire and of course Hertfordshire now had games
in hand having sat out the session. |
|
Pl |
Pts |
Suffolk |
27 |
41 |
Cambridgeshire |
27 |
33 |
Essex |
27 |
31 |
Norfolk |
27 |
31 |
Hertfordshire |
24 |
31 |
Sunderland |
27 |
22 |
Durham |
27 |
18 |
Northumberland |
27 |
17 |
Bedfordshire |
27 |
16 |
|
|
Session 11
And it didn't get much better in the next session for the leaders
as they only came away from their encounter with Sunderland with
2 points. In fact it was 4-2 results all around, for Northumberland
over Essex, Norfolk over Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire over
Durham.
Suffolk's lead was still 8 points, over
Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Hertfordshire (who still had those
games in hand) and Essex were only 2 points further back. |
|
Pl |
Pts |
Suffolk |
30 |
43 |
Cambridgeshire |
30 |
35 |
Norfolk |
30 |
35 |
Hertfordshire |
27 |
35 |
Essex |
30 |
33 |
Sunderland |
30 |
26 |
Durham |
30 |
20 |
Northumberland |
30 |
20 |
Bedfordshire |
27 |
17 |
|
|
Session 12
Every session would of course be vital, but this one especially
so as Hertfordshire took on Suffolk, a clear win for Herts would
put them in a great position.
Luckily for Suffolk they finally pulled
their socks up, taking 5 of the 6 points on offer, giving themselves
a little breathing space. Meanwhile Cambridgeshire kept up their
push with 6 against Beds, Norfolk stayed in 3rd with 4 against
Durham and Northumberland did well to win 2 of their 3 games
against Sunderland.
Suffolk were now just 7 ahead of Cambridgeshire
and while Herts were 12 points back they had a session in hand. |
|
Pl |
Pts |
Suffolk |
33 |
48 |
Cambridgeshire |
33 |
41 |
Norfolk |
33 |
39 |
Hertfordshire |
30 |
36 |
Essex |
30 |
33 |
Sunderland |
33 |
28 |
Durham |
33 |
24 |
Northumberland |
33 |
22 |
Bedfordshire |
30 |
17 |
|
|
Session 13
Cambridgeshire now had a chance to bite into that lead, which
they did, winning twice against Suffolk, leaving them just 5
points behind. Meanwhile Hertfordshire got all 6 against Sunderland
taking them to within 8 points of the lead and with games in
hand.
Norfolk's chances were fading as they only
picked up 2 points off Northumberland who themselves were now
up to 6th. And Essex took all 6 off Bedfordshire, keeping them
in the fight for one of the top spots. |
|
Pl |
Pts |
Suffolk |
36 |
50 |
Cambridgeshire |
36 |
45 |
Hertfordshire |
33 |
42 |
Norfolk |
36 |
41 |
Essex |
33 |
39 |
Northumberland |
36 |
28 |
Sunderland |
36 |
28 |
Durham |
33 |
22 |
Bedfordshire |
33 |
17 |
|
|
Session 14
While Suffolk dropped one of their games to Northumberland, Hertfordshire
took all the points from Norfolk to move closer and were now
just 6 points behind with that all important session in hand.
Essex took 4 off Durham and Befordshire
had a great session, winning all 3 games against Sunderland. |
|
Pl |
Pts |
Suffolk |
39 |
54 |
Hertfordshire |
36 |
48 |
Cambridgeshire |
36 |
45 |
Essex |
36 |
43 |
Norfolk |
39 |
41 |
Northumberland |
39 |
30 |
Sunderland |
39 |
28 |
Durham |
36 |
24 |
Bedfordshire |
36 |
23 |
|
|
Session 15
Suffolk managed to take all 3 wins over Bedfordshire, but had
to work for it. Meanwhile Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire were
playing one another with 2 wins going to Herts.
Sunderland and Durham took 3 points each
and Essex took 4 off Norfolk.
That left Herts 8 behind Suffolk but 5
ahead of both Cambridgeshire and Essex. |
|
Pl |
Pts |
Suffolk |
42 |
60 |
Hertfordshire |
39 |
52 |
Cambridgeshire |
39 |
47 |
Essex |
39 |
47 |
Norfolk |
42 |
43 |
Sunderland |
42 |
31 |
Northumberland |
39 |
30 |
Durham |
39 |
27 |
Bedfordshire |
39 |
23 |
|
|
Session 16
Ahead of the session they would have to sit out Suffolk needed
to make the most of their games against Durham, and they did,
winning the lot while Northumberland did very well against Hertfordshire,
taking 3 points. Cambridgeshire and Norfolk also took maximum
points, against Essex and Bedfordshire.
All of that meant that Suffolk had now
stretched their lead over Herts to 11 points who were now the
only other team with a mathematical chance of taking overhauling
them. |
|
Pl |
Pts |
Suffolk |
45 |
66 |
Hertfordshire |
42 |
55 |
Cambridgeshire |
42 |
53 |
Norfolk |
45 |
49 |
Essex |
42 |
47 |
Northumberland |
42 |
33 |
Sunderland |
42 |
31 |
Durham |
42 |
27 |
Bedfordshire |
42 |
23 |
|
|
Session 17
Hertfordshire were going to need all 6 points against Essex to
keep up the pressure, but unfortunately for them it was a good
session for their opponents and Herts could only come away with
2 points.
That left Suffolk 9 points clear with just
one session to play and the title now secured.
Cambridgeshire took 4 points from Durham
and were now equal on points with Herts so the two of them would
be playing for the runner-up spot.
Northumberland took all 6 against Bedfordshire
to cement 6th place and Norfolk took 4 off Sunderland and still
had a hope of 4th place. |
|
Pl |
Pts |
Suffolk |
45 |
66 |
Cambridgeshire |
45 |
57 |
Hertfordshire |
45 |
57 |
Norfolk |
48 |
53 |
Essex |
45 |
51 |
Northumberland |
45 |
39 |
Sunderland |
45 |
33 |
Durham |
45 |
29 |
Bedfordshire |
45 |
23 |
|
|
Final Session
With the title already decided the final session was all about
the fight for second place. Although Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire
were tied on points, Herts had a considerable shot advantage.
Winning all three games would definitely get the job done and
that was exactly what happened, so the fact that Cambridgeshire
dropped one of their games didn't come into it.
Hertfordshire's success in the final session
came at the expense of Bedfordshire who had suffered a difficult
second day, totalling only 8 points, the one bright spot being
the session against Sunderland which brought them 3 of their
day's 4 wins.
After being part of a three way tussle
on Sunday Durham pulled clear of Beds on Sunday, lifting themselves
off the bottom to finish 8th.
If Sunderland thought that their Saturday
had been poor, Sunday turned out to be even worse, they only
took 14 points all day and 7th place will have been a disappointment
to the and a surprise to everyone else.
Just 2 points off the bottom overnight
Northumberland had a tremendous Sunday, scoring 29 points, they
finished 10 points clear of Sunderland in 6th place, their best
result at the Nationals since 2012.
Essex looked to be in the fight for a top
3 spot overnight but a repeat of 2017's 5th was the best they
could do as the teams ahead all outscored them on Sunday.
Having picked up second place last year,
fourth was the best Norfolk could manage, having said that they
overtook Essex on Sunday and were only 5 points down on last
year's total.
The best performing team on Sunday were
Cambridgeshire with 34 points, unfortunately after Saturday they
had left themselves with a little too much to do, so it was another
3rd place finish for them this year.
Seventh in 2016, fourth in 2017 and now
second in 2018 for Hertfordshire and it might have been still
better if not for Sunday's thrid session which saw them pick
up just one point against Suffolk. If that result had been reversed
they could well have been going home with the trophy. Having
said that this was by far and away their best showing in the
Nationals and they'll be the team to watch next year.
But it was Suffolk that held on to take
a 6th successive win. After a very good Saturday they started
very poorly on Sunday, although they finally pulled themselves
together in the afternoon to only just be outscored by their
nearest opponents on Day 2. On paper a winning margin of 9 points
may look comfortable, but it was anything but that in reality
and they can certainly expect another tough fight next year.
The full set of results can be found here. |
|
Sat |
Sun |
Total |
Suffolk |
41 |
31 |
72 |
Hertfordshire |
31 |
32 |
63 |
Cambridgeshire |
27 |
34 |
61 |
Norfolk |
25 |
28 |
53 |
Essex |
26 |
25 |
51 |
Northumberland |
16 |
29 |
45 |
Sunderland |
21 |
14 |
35 |
Durham |
14 |
15 |
29 |
Bedfordshire |
15 |
8 |
23 |
|
|