The chess team of the Blue Coat School Oldham, a C of E comprehensive school, have won their zonal qualifying competition to reach the national stage of this long-running annual event, formerly known as the (Sunday) Times competition. Their qualifying group included:

Bolton School Boys Division
Bury Grammar School
Lancaster Royal Grammar School
Lytham St Annes High Technology College (A team)
Lytham St Annes High Technology College (B team)
Manchester Grammar School
Stonyhurst College, Clitheroe

http://www.bcf.org.uk/events/bcfnatteam/school2004/index.htm
http://www.sccu.ndo.co.uk/times.htm

All the players in the Blue Coat squad are native "Oldhamers" and also play for Three Cs in the MCF. Stephen Gordon (BCF 206) must be one of the strongest school team board 1s in the country at the moment.

The draw for the next stage has just been published:

National stage Championship Round 1 (by 16th March)
Blue Coat Oldham v Methodist College Belfast A; S Anselms Bakewell v Q
Elizabeth GS Wakefield A; K Edward VI Birmingham v Magdalen College
School A; Southend HS v Woodbridge School A; St Pauls School v
Haberdashers Elstree A; Hampton School A v RGS Guildford; Monmouth
School v Millfield School A; bye Oakham School A

Last year, at their very first attempt, Blue Coat reached the last four of this competition. Can they do even better this year?