The Surrey Challenge Cup is the Surrey County Chess Association’s top individual honour with a list of winners going back to 1884—and Battersea players have won it 14 times.
Battersea as a club wasn’t established until the following year and it took a further nine years for a Battersea player, Evan James Creswell (1892-1943), to win the event.
However, Creswell’s win started a flurry. From 1894 to 1903, ten out of the 12 years the Challenge Cup was won by a Battersea player. Henry Stephens Barlow (1873 to 1929) won it in 1894 and then Henry Holwell Cole (1873-1953), Arthur John Curnock (1867-1935) and Augustus William Fisher (1864-1939) all added their names to the trophy. Curnock won it three times and Barlow twice.
During this time, Battersea was also dominating the team competitions. Battersea’s first team won the Surrey Trophy in 1895 and then in 1900, 1901, 1902, 1904 and 1905.
Battersea’s hegemony quickly subsided in both team and individual tournaments. There were only fleeting winners of the Challenge Cup after that, including the great Frederick Forrest Lawrie (1924) and Frank Parr (1935). You can find out more about Parr here. Battersea’s last winner was Christopher Holland in 1985.
The website surreyrapidchess.org.uk appears to have a partial collection of historical records and shows one of Barwell’s games, played in the Surrey Championship in 1904 in Thornton Heath:
Former Surrey captain Paul Dupre, an ex-Challenge Cup winner himself and member of South Norwood CC, has also been piecing together the history of the SCCA and has provided much of the information here.
Paul has taken up the task following the sad death of Martin Cath, formerly of South Norwood CC, last year. There is also more information available on the SCCA website.
Battersea is greatly indebted to Paul and Martin for compiling the following lists:
Battersea’s Surrey champions
Winners of the Surrey Challenge Cup as members of Battersea Chess Club. With age in brackets.
- 1894 CRESWELL, E (age 31)
- 1895 COLE, H H (age 21)
- 1897 BARLOW, H S (age 23)
- 1898 CURNOCK, A J (age 30)
- 1899 FISHER, A W (age 34)
- 1901 CURNOCK, A J (age 33)
- 1902 CURNOCK, A J (age 34)
- 1903 BARLOW, H S (age 29)
- 1924 ALEXANDER, F F L (age 44)
- 1935 PARR, F (age 16)
- 1947 CORDINGLEY, E G R (age 42)
- 1955 MACKAY, D G (age 29)
- 1974 GAIT, P D (age 28)
- 1985 HOLLAND, C K D (age 26)
Ex-Battersea Surrey champions
Winners of the Challenge Cup who had been Battersea members. New club in brackets.
- 1922 BARLOW, H S (Sutton)
- 1949 PARR, F (Sutton)
- 1950 HOOPER, D V (Redhill)
- 1951 PARR, F (Sutton)
- 1953 HOOPER, D V (Redhill)
- 1954 HOOPER, D V (Redhill)
- 1957 PARR, F (Sutton & Cheam)
- 1958 PARR, F (Sutton & Cheam)
- 1959 PARR, F (Sutton & Cheam)
- 1960 PARR, F (Sutton & Cheam)
- 1962 PARR, F (Sutton & Cheam)
- 1964 PARR, F (Sutton & Cheam)
- 1965 KEENE, R D (Mushrooms)
- 1967 PARR, F (Sutton & Cheam) joint winner
- 1967 KEENE, R D (Mushrooms) joint winner
- 1991 ALLICOCK, R A (Wimbledon)
- 1993 HOLLAND, C K D (Mitcham)
- 1994 HOLLAND, C K D (Mitcham)
- 1995 HOLLAND, C K D (Mitcham)
- 1997 ALLICOCK, R A (Wimbledon)
Surrey champions before Battersea
Winners of the Challenge Cup who went on to join Battersea. Former club in brackets.
- 1913 BUTLAND, J (Kennington)
- 1921 BUTLAND, J (Brixton)
- 1925 ROBERTSON, T H (Thornton Heath & Norbury)
