There were some changes this season and Hampshire met a new county opponent, when rather than having a scratched match against Kent due to not being able to qualify from the SE Division, they were Hampshire’s first opponent. In addition they played against Surrey and Sussex in the SCCU SE division and their normal annual friendly against Wiltshire.
- Hampshire – Kent 19 Nov 1898
- Hampshire v Sussex 17 Dec 1898
- Hampshire v Surrey 14 Jan 1899
- Hampshire v Wiltshire 26 July 1899
- Player Performance
- Summary
- Gallery
- Acknowledgements and Sources
For the record of Hampshire County matches and links to any articles I have written the table on the Hampshire County Chess Matches page will detail these. The Hampshire County Chess History page summaries the leagues Hampshire have played in and the successes Hampshire have achieved. Both of these are available from the menu at the top of the site as well.
Hampshire v Kent – 19 Nov 1898 – London
Hampshire finally met a new county this season. The match against Kent was pencilled in for a number of years, but was scratched each year as neither county could progress from the SE regional section. This season the match was the first one in the calendar although being played in London did put Hampshire at a disadvantage.
The IOW Observer was one of the newspapers which reported on the match, and mentioned that Hampshire had a somewhat weak team. I don’t think the team was much weaker than the team against Surrey and Sussex which were played in Basingstoke and Portsmouth respectively. But I will concede to the better knowledge of their correspondent JS Flower, who as well as reporting on the match also played and won.
Looking from the Kent side the Daily News also gave a report which also stated that Kent took an early lead and that JH Blake’s opponent was a reserve.
It is true though that the matches played in Portsmouth and Southampton, Hampshire were able to field a stronger team compared to the ones played in London, and also Basingstoke. In Basingstoke there were normally less involvement from the Portsmouth and Isle of Wight clubs, although Andover were able to fill some of the gaps.
Hampshire fell behind with Kent winning the initial games, but Hampshire managed to claw back the score as the match progressed, and eventually the match ended in an eight all draw.
Hampshire winners were JH Blake, FJH Elwell, WC Kenny, JS Flower, FC Bird, G Wood and GL Dupre. For this match it seemed that Hampshire were stronger on the bottom boards, as well as the more normal top boards.
| Board | Hampshire | Hants Result | Kent | Kent Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JH Blake | 1 | JP Mallard | 0 |
| 2 | FJH Elwell | 1 | Revd EW Lewis | 0 |
| 3 | T Crassweller | ½ | Grantham Williams | ½ |
| 4 | WC Kenny | 1 | HG Sturton | 0 |
| 5 | E Draycott | 0 | WF Latter | 1 |
| 6 | HW Deborse | 0 | AL Stevenson | 1 |
| 7 | E Clayton | 0 | EL Raymond | 1 |
| 8 | A Asher | 0 | JG Biggs | 1 |
| 9 | WR Neve | 0 | E Provis | 1 |
| 10 | GA Cosser | 0 | WM Wightwick | 1 |
| 11 | E Clarke | 0 | JH Eastwood | 1 |
| 12 | JS Flower | 1 | WJ Banks | 0 |
| 13 | WJ Bird | ½ | HJJ Watts | ½ |
| 14 | FC Bird | 1 | Dr Firth | 0 |
| 15 | G Wood | 1 | Dr Daney | 0 |
| 16 | GL Dupre | 1 | WH Horsley | 0 |
| Total | 8 | Total | 8 |
Hampshire v Sussex – 17 December 1898 – Portsmouth
Hampshire’s next match was against Sussex, and this was held in Portsmouth, which should have allowed Hampshire to field their strongest team. As per last season this had 20 boards, compared to the 16 from the Kent match. I am not sure how it was decided on the number of boards in a match and on checking the original rules (from the Southern Counties Chess Union book), it states that the matches should be played over 16 boards. This seems to have been a loose rule (or there was a subsequent change), as some matches were played over 20 boards, such as this one, and the odd match with 15 and 17 boards (missing players probably from a planned 16 and 20 board match).
Last year in the Sussex match Hampshire would have won if played over 16 boards, but this year they would have lost, therefore maybe it was not as big a disadvantage for Hampshire as I thought (I will have to check the other matches played over 20 boards).
Hampshire winners were FJH Elwell (by default), HD Osborn, GI Gribble, JS Flower, WR George, G Wood, and CE Lloyd. JH Blake was held to a draw by the strong HW Shoosmith, which was the first county game Blake had not won for two years (7 games).
| Board | Hampshire | Hants Result | Sussex | Sussex Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JH Blake | ½ | HW Shoosmith | ½ |
| 2 | FJH Elwell | 1 | Default | 0 |
| 3 | WC Kenny | 0 | EG Reed | 1 |
| 4 | E Draycott | ½ | HW Butler | ½ |
| 5 | HD Osborn | 1 | FW Womersley | 0 |
| 6 | E Clayton | 0 | JW Bridger | 1 |
| 7 | FA Joyce | 0 | W Bridger | 1 |
| 8 | FC Bird | ½ | DR Kitchen | ½ |
| 9 | SD Caws | 0 | J Chandler | 1 |
| 10 | PT Balshaw | 0 | JE Watson | 1 |
| 11 | GI Gribble | 1 | Surg-Gen Thornton | 0 |
| 12 | GR Sloper | ½ | Dr Plank | ½ |
| 13 | WJ Bird | ½ | T Durant | ½ |
| 14 | HW Daws | 0 | G Gillam | 1 |
| 15 | JS Flower | 1 | F Brook | 0 |
| 16 | WR George | 1 | J Dewdney | 0 |
| 17 | G Wood | 1 | Revd ER Little | 0 |
| 18 | CE Lloyd | 1 | JR Wicks | 0 |
| 19 | GL Dupre | ½ | HR Mackeson | ½ |
| 20 | B James | 0 | H Grover | 1 |
| Total | 10 | Total | 10 |
As per the Isle of Wight Observer the match being held in Portsmouth allowed four of their players to represent Hampshire and their report stated that two of them won (Gribble and Flower). It also gave the board four game between Butler and Draycott which I give below the newspaper article.
Hampshire v Surrey – 14 Jan 1899 – Basingstoke
The third match in the SCCU only took place if it was necessary up to the 1897/98 season, but from this season all matches between the teams were played, as reported in the Southern Counties Chess Union – a retrospective book. This was a positive change, allowing at least one more county match per season, and in addition different opponents for the Hampshire players.
1898-99 is the first cycle when all expected matches are played. Until this cycle each of the previous ones saw at least the Hampshire vs. Kent (South-East) match scratched as either Surrey or Sussex would have won the section by the time due to play. It is unknown why they did not try to arrange match earlier in a cycle so that either, probably Hampshire, could have a chance of winning section.
Fulton, Anthony. The Southern Counties Chess Union – a retrospective 2022
The Surrey match was held at Basingstoke, which normally proved unpopular for the Portsmouth players, and it was also a 20 board match which probably did Hampshire no favours, due to Surrey’s strength in depth. On this occasion Surrey had managed to field a very strong side and won comfortably 12½ – 7½, as reported in the Croydon Observer.
Surrey made another advance on Saturday in the competition for the County Championship of the SCCU by defeating Hampshire. The match of twenty players a side, took place at Basingstoke. Surrey was very strongly represented. The chief player was Mr GE Wainwright, who won against the Hants captain, Mr JH Blake. On the first five boards, manned by Wainwright, Serraillier, A Howell, P Howelll and GA Hooke, Surrey won four games. The final score were: Surrey,12½ Hants, 7½
Croydon Observer – Friday 20 January 1899
George Wainwright was a master strength player, and more information on him can be found on the excellent Minor Pieces articles on the BCN site. He proved a tough opponent for Hampshire, scoring eight points from his nine games and in particular seems to have had Blake’s number as he only dropped one draw in their five county games. Britbase has additional details on his career and he was a frequent participant in the British Chess Championship, where his best performance was equal 2nd (with four others) in 1907 (where he beat Blake again).
Hampshire five winners in the match were FJH Elwell, HD Osborn, WR George, G Wood and AL Stainer.
| Board | Hampshire | Hants Result | Surrey | Surrey Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JH Blake | 0 | GE Wainwright | 1 |
| 2 | FJH Elwell | 1 | L Serraillier | 0 |
| 3 | T Crassweller | 0 | A Howell | 1 |
| 4 | WC Kenny | 0 | P Howell | 1 |
| 5 | H Gagen | 0 | GA Hooke | 1 |
| 6 | HD Osborn | 1 | HS Barlow | 0 |
| 7 | E Clayton | 0 | HW Johnson | 1 |
| 8 | A Asher | ½ | FL Anspach | ½ |
| 9 | GA Cosser | ½ | AJ Maas | ½ |
| 10 | JS Flower | ½ | B McLeod | ½ |
| 11 | WJ Bird | ½ | WC Bowyer | ½ |
| 12 | WR George | 1 | EB Schwann | 0 |
| 13 | GH Barclay | 0 | AW Fisher | 1 |
| 14 | E Clarke | 0 | AW Lemon | 1 |
| 15 | FC Bird | ½ | TH Moore | ½ |
| 16 | G Wood | 1 | Shaw Stewart | 0 |
| 17 | AL Stainer | 1 | F Hauf | 0 |
| 18 | CE Lloyd | 0 | TR Girdlestone | 1 |
| 19 | GL Dupre | 0 | P Layzell | 1 |
| 20 | F Cole | 0 | CW Phillips | 1 |
| Total | 7½ | Total | 12½ |
This concluded Hampshire’s SCCU SE Shannon competition section matches, and it was noted in the Hants and Berks Gazette and Middlesex and Surrey Journal that the winner of the section depended on the match between Surrey and Sussex. As Surrey won the 1898/99 Shannon Championship it seems this would have been won by them.
It also briefly mentions that the Hampshire’s team had five players from Basingstoke and although I am sure they were fine players, this may also be an indication that Hampshire were not as strong as they could have been. That said, the match was easily won by Surrey who continued to be the strongest team in the Southern Counties.
Hampshire v Wiltshire – 26 July 1899 – Salisbury
As usual, the last match of the season was the friendly against Wiltshire, which was again held in Salisbury. As reported in the Nottinghamshire Guardian this was held in the Wiltshire Chess President’s garden. Mr Manning decided to take a different route to previous hosts and did not play in the match.
At the end of play Hampshire were leading 9½ – 6½ with three games left for adjudication. These all seem to be drawn, as the final result was 11 – 8 to Hampshire with JH Blake, GR Sloper, J Klein, GH Barclay, R Chipperfield, W Williams, GA Thomas and W Tipper the Hampshire winners.
This looks to have been the first game where the future Sir George Thomas represented Hampshire. He would have just turned 18 which would not be unusual currently, but probably was at the time. He won his game and he would soon move up the board order from his lowly 17th board. Due to his other interests he only played for Hampshire 18 times, with only the two losses, one in 1900 and the other in 1938 (to Harry Golembeck)
| Board | Hampshire | Hants Result | Wiltshire | Wiltshire Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JH Blake | 1 | Revd AG Gordon Ross | 0 |
| 2 | Spencer Clarke | ½ | A Rumboll | ½ |
| 3 | WC Kenny | 0 | Colonel Law | 1 |
| 4 | E Clayton | ½ | Revd CJF Welsh | ½ |
| 5 | FA Joyce | 0 | CJ Woodrow | 1 |
| 6 | A Asher | ½ | A Schomberg | ½ |
| 7 | WR Neve | ½ | A Watson | ½ |
| 8 | JS Flower | 0 | E Fear Hill | 1 |
| 9 | GR Sloper | 1 | FW Swords | 0 |
| 10 | EC Clarke | 0 | ES Caudwell | 1 |
| 11 | J Klein | 1 | HE May | 0 |
| 12 | GH Barclay | 1 | Revd A Goldfinch | 0 |
| 13 | G Wood | ½ | Mrs Pullin | ½ |
| 14 | PT Balshaw | ½ | JW Clark | ½ |
| 15 | R Chipperfield | 1 | CH Stratton | 0 |
| 16 | W Wiliams | 1 | GB Mundy | 0 |
| 17 | Sir GA Thomas | 1 | C Pullin | 0 |
| 18 | F Martin | 0 | W Wilkins | 1 |
| 19 | W Tipper | 1 | J Hawkins | 0 |
| Total | 11 | Total | 8 |
Hampshire Player Performance
Five players played in all four matches and of these G Wood won three and drew one game, whilst Frank Ellwell missed the Salisbury match, but won the three games he played (one by default).
Other highlights were HD Osborn and WR George winning both their games whilst Joseph Blake and the Isle of Wight’s JS Flower played in all four games and scored two and half points.
Individual player performance is detailed below in a sortable table.
| Hants Player | Win Percentage | Points Scored | Games Played |
|---|---|---|---|
| G Wood | 87.5% | 3.5 | 4 |
| FJH Elwell | 100.0% | 3 | 3 |
| JH Blake | 62.5% | 2.5 | 4 |
| JS Flower | 62.5% | 2.5 | 4 |
| HD Osborn | 100.0% | 2 | 2 |
| FC Bird | 66.7% | 2 | 3 |
| WR George | 100.0% | 2 | 2 |
| WJ Bird | 50.0% | 1.5 | 3 |
| GL Dupre | 50.0% | 1.5 | 3 |
| GR Sloper | 75.0% | 1.5 | 2 |
| Sir GA Thomas | 100.0% | 1 | 1 |
| A Asher | 33.3% | 1 | 3 |
| W Williams | 100.0% | 1 | 1 |
| AL Stainer | 100.0% | 1 | 1 |
| R Chipperfield | 100.0% | 1 | 1 |
| CE Lloyd | 50.0% | 1 | 2 |
| W Tipper | 100.0% | 1 | 1 |
| GH Barclay | 50.0% | 1 | 2 |
| WC Kenny | 25.0% | 1 | 4 |
| GI Gribble | 100.0% | 1 | 1 |
| J Klein | 100.0% | 1 | 1 |
| GA Cosser | 25.0% | 0.5 | 2 |
| T Crassweller | 25.0% | 0.5 | 2 |
| WR Neve | 25.0% | 0.5 | 2 |
| E Draycott | 25.0% | 0.5 | 2 |
| E Clayton | 12.5% | 0.5 | 4 |
| PT Balshaw | 25.0% | 0.5 | 2 |
| S Clarke | 50.0% | 0.5 | 1 |
| F Cole | 0.0% | 0 | 1 |
| H Gagen | 0.0% | 0 | 1 |
| EC Clarke | 0.0% | 0 | 1 |
| HW Daws | 0.0% | 0 | 1 |
| HW Deborse | 0.0% | 0 | 1 |
| E Clarke | 0.0% | 0 | 2 |
| F Martin | 0.0% | 0 | 1 |
| FA Joyce | 0.0% | 0 | 2 |
| B James | 0.0% | 0 | 1 |
| SD Caws | 0.0% | 0 | 1 |
Summary
Four matches this season, which is the most since the 1890/91 season when Hampshire played Surrey twice as well as Sussex and Wiltshire, but this season the matches were all against different opposition.
In the SE Division Hampshire drew two and lost to the eventual Shannon Champions Surrey. The match against Wiltshire was closer than the previous years but Hampshire still came out on top. As mentioned Surrey’s domination of the SCCU Shannon championship continued although I am sure Hampshire were among their toughest opponents.
Gallery
A selection of newspaper cuttings on the various matches.
Acknowledgements and Sources
- British Newspaper Archives
- Nottinghamshire Guardian
- Isle of Wight Observer
- Daily News (London)
- Hants and Berks Gazette and Middlesex and Surrey Journal
- Hampshire Advertiser
- Croydon Observer
- British Chess News
- Britbase
- The Southern Counties Chess Union – a retrospective