1973 (28th) West of England (WECU) Championship, Newquay, 19-23 April 1973

1973 West of England (WECU) Championship		Residence	BCF Grade	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	Total
1	Derek Maurice Wise	Downend	198	&;		½	1		½		1					½					1			4½
2	David A LeMoir	Patchway	204		&;		½		1							1	0			1			1	4½
3	Peter H Clarke	Holsworthy	214	½		&;	0	1		½			1						1					4
4	Philip James Meade	Cheltenham	200	0	½	1	&;	½									1						1	4
5	Andrew Rowland B Thomas	Tiverton	203			0	½	&;				½	½		1		1							3½
6	Adrian S Hollis	Oxford	218	½	0				&;		½					½	1	1						3½
7	Robin J Pearce	Truro	176			½				&;	½	½	½	½					1					3½
8	John F Wheeler	Surrey	193	0					½	½	&;		½					1				1		3½
9	Robert H Northage	Bath	188					½		½		&;	½			1	0				1			3½
10	Maurice J Staples	Bridgwater	192			0		½		½	½	½	&;	1										3
11	James Macrae Aitken	Cheltenham	193							½			0	&;	½			1	½	½				3
12	James R Boyce	Bristol	182					0						½	&;	0		½		1			1	3
13	Michael E Binks	Downend	192	½	0				½			0			1	&;	½							2½
14	Robin F G Kneebone	Truro	172		1		0	0	0			1				½	&;							2½
15	Gerald Moore	Bath	182						0		0			0	½			&;	½			1		2
16	Adrian P Kendry	Bristol Uni	174			0				0				½				½	&;		1	0		2
17	John Crowle Cock	Cheltenham	184		0									½	0					&;	½	½	½	2
18	Richard H K Mann	Parkstone	191	0								0							0	½	&;	1	½	2
19	George W Wheeler	Plymouth									0							0	1	½	0	&;	½	2
20	Richard Albert John Kendall	Downend	169		0		0								0					½	½	½	&;	1½

BCM, June 1973, p234

West of England Chess Union Congress, Newquay (April 19-23, 1973). Though 13 down on the 1972 entry of 103, this year’s figure of 90 competitors was nevertheless a record for a tournament held in Cornwall. The leading scores were:-

Championship: (1-2) D M Wise & D A LeMoir 4½; (3-4) P H Clarke and P J Meade 4; (5-9) A R B Thomas, A S Hollis, R J Pearce, J F Wheeler and R H Northage 3; ... (6-round Swiss, 20 competitors). D Wise won the right to represent the W.E.C.U. in the forthcoming British Championship.

Challengers: (1-2) Christopher J Hutchings (Bristol BCF grade 163), Hugh Edward Guy Courtney 4½/6; (3) Charles Ambrose Scott Damant (Teignmouth, 163) 4; (4-5) Ronald O Powis (Stroud, 182) & Ia R Pickup (Downend, 162) 3½; ... (6-round Swiss; 12 competitors).

Reserves: (1) Roy C Last (Stroud, 142) 5/6; (2-4) G S Richards (Weston, 126), Roger J Grime (Helston, 147), R D Foster (Henbury, 145) ... (6-round Swiss; 16 competitors)

Open: (1-3) Hugh G Ditmas, Christopher R Haynes & John P Knee 3½/5 ... (6 competitors)

All-play-all (sections of 6 players)

A: (1) Wilfred G Oliver (Cheltenham, 128) 4/5; (2-3) M J Beech (Liskeard, 127), Christopher J V Bellers (Tavistock, 121J) 3½/5

B: (1) J Hampton 5/5; (2) A W Hansford 4.

Junior (Boys U-18): (1) Shaun M Taulbut (Malmesbury, 152) 5½/6; (2) C Gilbey (Plymouth, 130J) 4½; (3) N J Butland (Plymouth, 124) 4.

Minor (Boys U-15): (1) S Williams (Plymouth, 94) 5½/6; (2) Ian C Furber (Bristol, 144J) 4½; (3) Stephen J Shutler (Parkstone, 124) 3½.

Girls (U-18): (1) Jane Anson (Plymouth, 76) 5/6; (2-3) Shirley Grey, Susan Roberts 2½; (4) Philippa Miles 2.

---

File Updated

Date	Notes
28 January 2026	Original upload of 21 games. Two main sources for West of England Championship games have been: (1) games submitted by David LeMoir, 31 January 2018, for which many thanks; (2) Dr. Aitken games collection.