History - Postwar

History from 1946 on

After the war play resumed in a room in Colne Town Hall and Colne won the League Championship again, and for the last time, in 1951. By now subs had risen to 7/6d (37p) - juniors and ladies still only 2/6d. In 1951 Colne won the League title for the last time beating Blackburn in the final (details are in the early history section) and 1953 there were still only 15 members but this rose to 25 in the following year. In 1964 Steve Appleby (age 15) joined and at this time the club was almost certainly renamed Nelson and Colne as the players' (all 13 of them) origins were listed for the first time. In 1963 Keith Melling was a member for one year only making him the earliest of our current members. In 1965 Ted Gomm - of whom more later - joined.

In 1966 subs went up to 10/- those lucky ladies and lads still only 2/6d. Judging by his being the first to pay his subs during all of this period founder member Fred Lambert was still the treasurer. Ian Ashworth - for many years club secretary and treasurer - also joined that year.

1968 was momentous. Membership rose to 37. Subs went up to £1 - OAP's half price - including the aforementioned Fred Lambert and Ted Gomm. Part year subs were also in evidence - there must have been a recruiting drive. Clearly the club was in financial difficulties as extra money was needed £19 being raised through donations. There were also match play problems with Colne Town Hall closing at 9.30pm so the decision was made to find a new venue.

Unbelievably after a short period at the Nelson Hotel the decision was made to rent a house in Newport Street, Nelson. This must have been a property scheduled for demolition so cheap to rent from the Council at £1 per week - or possibly less as this may have included the rates!. By 1972 the roof leaked so the upstairs was basically unuseable. Surely the Club (membership down to 19) must have been the smallest ever to have had their own premises. One effect was that the membership fee, once so cheap, was now the highest in the League - and, for a club of our size - probably in the country.

The current club captain, John Murray, joined that year (1968) and, most momentous of all, Steve Appleby won the League's Individual Championship. This was no easy task as he beat two strong county players on his way to the title. It took him another 32 years to win it again by which time he had moved to Burnley.

The next year Clifford Hanson and Ken Aldersley (Second Team Captain for longer than anyone cares to remember) joined. From 1972 to 1976 the club also played in the Craven League - this may be as long as that League lasted - and there is a record of the club having an individual championship - although who won it is uncertain! Championships were run in many (though not all) years but most of the winners are unknown!

In 1973 Newport Street was untenantable and the Council found us rooms above a shop in Railway Street right in the centre of Nelson adjacent to the Railway and Bus stations. Rent was £1 per week plus electricity on the meter and rates. In 1974 John Belbin - secretary for as long as he can remember - joined and in 1976 the Club also joined the Bury League because the ELCA reduced the number of teams in the First Division and our stronger players were not getting enough matches to keep up there skills. Several members also played for Keighley in Yorkshire Leagues for this reason. The club also dropped "Colne" at around this time and became simply the Nelson Chess Club.

Around this team there was a large increase in membership following the Fischer-Spassky world title match but even this was not enough to meet the cost of room rent when legislation meant that Pendle Council (who have given excellent support to the Club over the years) could no longer subsidise rents. The projected fourfold increase which the shop tenants below were only too willing to pay led to a desparate search for suitable rooms.

This took us to the Conservative Club - no rent but they did want 50% of us to become members. Many of us were not that way inclined but we did manage to achieve the minimum requirement despite the effect it had on Ted Gomm - founder member of the Independent Labour Party, lifelong communist who had been to Russia for the revolution, and with a wealth of stories about it. To Ted's relief membership renewal wasn't offered the next year so another search took us to the Clayton Arms where we resided until the end of the Century - still paying a small rent but with space for at least two matches as by now the club supported three teams in the League plus the team in the Bury League.

A change in ownership and landlord plus a projected increase in fees (and we were the only club in the ELCA paying anything for room hire) led us first to the Pigeon Fanciers Club - nice but a little on the small side - and then to the Cricket Club which is proving to be a happy relationship all round.

On the playing front a decline in the number of members (not to mention increasing age) led to the Clubs relegation from Division One for the first time in 1989. Two years later promotion back was won but we were immediately relegated again. At the same the number of teams was reduced to two and although we had tried playing in the Central Lancashire League instead of the Bury League to try to reduce travelling distances even these proved to be too far to go on dismal Winter evenings.

Over the years we have had good relations with several schools providing extra tuition resulting in at least three pupils reaching board one standard before reaching College age. Unfortunately, from our view, two gave up chess at this stage and the third was lost to us when he went to University. Very few University graduates return to areas such as ours to work and scarcely any who do come here to work seem to be chess players!

In 2006 it was decided that to reflect our playing area the club would rename itself Pendle Chess Club.

Return to Home Page