The A team overcame an under-strength Shifnal & Telford A to reach the final of the cox trophy summer knockout.
A very quick win for Eric on board four put us on our way but this was cancelled out by Karl's loss to Windsor Peck on board 3. Because it was a four-board match this meant that neither of our top two boards could afford to lose as the countback rules would have given the tie to the opponents. In the event Steve won on board two and was followed by Trevor who managed to eke out a victory in an opposite bishops ending by combining a mate threat with pushing his extra pawn forward.
The final against Newport A takes place on Tue 29 May at Telepost club.
Church Stretton A v Shifnal & Telford A: 3 - 1
T Brotherton 1, I Wilson 0
S Rooney 1, R Gillespie 0
K Wakefield 0, W Peck 1
E Elwell 1, A Jones 0
Saturday, 19 May 2012
Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Toppling the league winners
The A team are through to the second round (semi final) of the summer Cox Trophy following a narrow win on board countback against league winners Telepost A.
A comfortable win by Tiago against Phil Zabrocki on board three put the visitors in front and then Trevor launched a king side attack against Nigel Ferrington on board one. Nigel appeared to overlook the strength of the attack and found his pieces misplaced and unable to come to the rescue; 2-0 to Stretton. Trevor had sprung a surprise in the opening by deploying the London System with the avowed intention of "sending him to sleep". Evidently it worked!
The final two games ended in wins for Telepost with Graham running out of time to hold his position on four and Steve succumbing after an earlier exchange sacrifice, but the countback rules meant that Stretton won despite the tied scoreline.
Next round is against Shifnal & Telford or Wellington.
Telepost A 2-2 Church Stretton A
N Ferrington 0, T Brotherton 1
R Bryant 1, S Rooney 0
P Zabrocki 0, T Faustino 1
P Crean 1, G Shepherd 0.
A comfortable win by Tiago against Phil Zabrocki on board three put the visitors in front and then Trevor launched a king side attack against Nigel Ferrington on board one. Nigel appeared to overlook the strength of the attack and found his pieces misplaced and unable to come to the rescue; 2-0 to Stretton. Trevor had sprung a surprise in the opening by deploying the London System with the avowed intention of "sending him to sleep". Evidently it worked!
The final two games ended in wins for Telepost with Graham running out of time to hold his position on four and Steve succumbing after an earlier exchange sacrifice, but the countback rules meant that Stretton won despite the tied scoreline.
Next round is against Shifnal & Telford or Wellington.
Telepost A 2-2 Church Stretton A
N Ferrington 0, T Brotherton 1
R Bryant 1, S Rooney 0
P Zabrocki 0, T Faustino 1
P Crean 1, G Shepherd 0.
Saturday, 31 March 2012
Mid-table finish for A team
The A team's final league match this season ended in defeat away to Shifnal & Telford. We don't like making excuses but the juke box thundering into life from the upstairs bar half an hour into the match was not conducive to serious chess, at least for boards one and two who were sited right underneath.
A win for Trevor and draws for Karl and Tiago (undefeated till the end!) were countered by losses for Steve and Graham.
Shifnal Telford A 3-2 Church Stretton A
J Footner 0, T Brotherton 1
D Gostelow 1, S Rooney 0
I Wilson 0.5, K Wakefield 0.5
R Gillespie 0.5, T Faustino 0.5
R Thompson 1, G Shepherd 0.
A win for Trevor and draws for Karl and Tiago (undefeated till the end!) were countered by losses for Steve and Graham.
Shifnal Telford A 3-2 Church Stretton A
J Footner 0, T Brotherton 1
D Gostelow 1, S Rooney 0
I Wilson 0.5, K Wakefield 0.5
R Gillespie 0.5, T Faustino 0.5
R Thompson 1, G Shepherd 0.
Friday, 23 March 2012
Strong finish for B team
The B team have continued their strong finish to the season with a convincing victory over Newport C to end up in third place in division three. Wins for Tiago, Francis and James and a draw for James led them to a 3.5-0.5 win.
The side have only lost once since Christmas, and Tiago's arrival has given them a real boost - he has chalked up four wins and two draws to remain undefeated.
Newport C 0.5-3.5 Church Stretton B
W Gormley 0, T Faustino 1
D Lovegrove 0, F Rooney 1
S Davies 0.5, C Pimm-Jones 0.5
M Price 0, J Carless 1.
Meanwhile the A team took on Telepost A who were confirmed champions after Shrewsbury lost on their recent outing to Church Stretton. At one stage it looked like Stretton were going to chalk up a double against the Shrewsbury sides, with both Gerald and Graham having clear advantages on boards four and five, but both games ended in draws. On board one Trevor's pet Nc6 in the French Tarrasch did its work again as Nigel Ferrington couldn't get any advantage out of the opening and a draw was agreed.
Board three was a different story however as Karl went a piece down to Paul Zabrocki and eventually lost. But captain Steve Rooney had a bit of luck on board two in the final game to finish. An earlier pawn sacrifice gave Steve some space and development advantage but a second pawn sac looked a tad too optimistic until opponent Richard Bryant missed a wining continuation and allowed a swindle in the final rook and pawn ending for Steve to force a draw. Th A team's final game is next week at Shifnal & Telford.
Church Stretton A 2-3 Telepost A
S Rooney 0.5, R Bryant 0.5
K Wakefield 0, P Zabrocki 1
G Link 0.5, P Crean 0.5
G Shepherd 0.5, K Tabner 0.5
Friday, 9 March 2012
Church Stretton 2 Shrewsbury 0
The A and B teams have chalked up successive wins against local rivals Shrewsbury in the past two weeks.
Last Thursday the B team won 3.5-0.5 against Shrewsbury C, and last night the A team had their best win of the season with a 3.5-1.5 result against Shrewsbury A. The A team's win also put paid to any remaining hopes Shrewsbury A had for the title with Telepost A now confirmed as division 1 champions.
The A team victory was sealed with draws on the top three boards and wins on four and five for Tiago and Graham respectively. Board one saw another short draw between Trevor and Jamie Hopkins - one of these days they'll surprise us with a real competitive game! And on board three Karl's game against Francis best ended in a draw in a position that resembled draughts rather than chess with everything blocked and opposite-coloured bishops to boot. Steve's encounter against David Everington was a draw after only 13 moves but it was far from dull! David played an aggressive line as black in the open Ruy Lopez and sacrificed a bishop on h2 but there was nothing better than a perpetual so a draw was agreed. Graham overcame Matt Best on board five after the latter slipped up in a promising position, and Tiago played some simple, but very effective chess to outwit Peter Kitchen on four.
Telepost A next, hope they're ready for us!
Church Stretton A 3.5 Shrewsbury A 1.5
T Brotherton 0.5, J Hopkins 0.5
S Rooney 0.5, D Everington 0.5
K Wakefield 0.5, F Best 0.5
T Faustino 1, P Kitchen 0
G Shepherd 1, M Best 0
The B team's impressive win against Shrewsbury C included wins for Tiago, Francis and James on boards one to three, followed by a draw for captain Tom on board 4. Francis played the game as if it was blitz, but managed to find all the right moves and used control of the central files to emerge a pawn up with a clear win in the king and pawn ending. Tiago's opponent Ian Davies played a bit fast and loose on his king side and was effectively pieces down with a bad bishop on its starting square and a rook that never got into the game. After that the result was never in doubt. James seized on a blunder by his opponent in a position that had previously looked pretty bleak and promptly won, while Tom's game resulted in a queen and pawn ending where neither player fancied taking their chances in a time scramble and agreed the draw.
The B team now take on Newport B and then Newport C. Two wins could get them a third place finish.
Church Stretton B 3.5 Shrewsbury C 0.5
T Faustino 1, I Davies 0
F Rooney 1, E Inglis 0
J Carless 1, M Best 0
T Williamson 0.5, A Purser 0.5
Last Thursday the B team won 3.5-0.5 against Shrewsbury C, and last night the A team had their best win of the season with a 3.5-1.5 result against Shrewsbury A. The A team's win also put paid to any remaining hopes Shrewsbury A had for the title with Telepost A now confirmed as division 1 champions.
The A team victory was sealed with draws on the top three boards and wins on four and five for Tiago and Graham respectively. Board one saw another short draw between Trevor and Jamie Hopkins - one of these days they'll surprise us with a real competitive game! And on board three Karl's game against Francis best ended in a draw in a position that resembled draughts rather than chess with everything blocked and opposite-coloured bishops to boot. Steve's encounter against David Everington was a draw after only 13 moves but it was far from dull! David played an aggressive line as black in the open Ruy Lopez and sacrificed a bishop on h2 but there was nothing better than a perpetual so a draw was agreed. Graham overcame Matt Best on board five after the latter slipped up in a promising position, and Tiago played some simple, but very effective chess to outwit Peter Kitchen on four.
Telepost A next, hope they're ready for us!
Church Stretton A 3.5 Shrewsbury A 1.5
T Brotherton 0.5, J Hopkins 0.5
S Rooney 0.5, D Everington 0.5
K Wakefield 0.5, F Best 0.5
T Faustino 1, P Kitchen 0
G Shepherd 1, M Best 0
The B team's impressive win against Shrewsbury C included wins for Tiago, Francis and James on boards one to three, followed by a draw for captain Tom on board 4. Francis played the game as if it was blitz, but managed to find all the right moves and used control of the central files to emerge a pawn up with a clear win in the king and pawn ending. Tiago's opponent Ian Davies played a bit fast and loose on his king side and was effectively pieces down with a bad bishop on its starting square and a rook that never got into the game. After that the result was never in doubt. James seized on a blunder by his opponent in a position that had previously looked pretty bleak and promptly won, while Tom's game resulted in a queen and pawn ending where neither player fancied taking their chances in a time scramble and agreed the draw.
The B team now take on Newport B and then Newport C. Two wins could get them a third place finish.
Church Stretton B 3.5 Shrewsbury C 0.5
T Faustino 1, I Davies 0
F Rooney 1, E Inglis 0
J Carless 1, M Best 0
T Williamson 0.5, A Purser 0.5
Friday, 24 February 2012
Safety in numbers for A team
A resounding win away at Wellington A means that it is just about certain that the A team will remain in division 1.
After losing two match on the trot at Priorslee Lions A and Newport A, the team bounced back with a 4.5-0.5 win at Wellington. Karl Wakefield started off with an early win when his opponent blundered and this was followed by a win for Trevor Brotherton on top board. On board 4, recent recuit Tiago Faustino had started the match with an unbeaten record in both A and B team games, but made life difficult for himself with a tangle of doubled pawns and misplaced pieces. But he has an eye for outplaying his opponents in what look like unpromising endgames and managed to pull off another win, sealing the mach for the away team. A win for Graham Shepherd on board five and a draw for Steve Rooney on two, finished the evening off in style.
With three tough matches left against three of the top four clubs, it was vital that we got some points at Wellington who were one of the teams that could have caught us up. Coming away with a win was a perfect result for us.
The previous match against Newport saw us without top board Trevor who was unwell, leaving Steve Rooney to take on county number one Nick Rutter who had a grading advantage of around 40 points. A long gruelling game resulted in what looked like a fairly level final position but the clock intervened and Nick won on time. Gavin Cooper on board two also proved too strong for Karl Wakefield but the other three boards saw welcome draws for Stretton players Tiago Faustino, Gerald Link and Graham Shepherd.
Priorslee Lions A 3-2 Church Stretton A
G Pugh 0.5-0.5 T Brotherton
W Bates 1-0 S Rooney
J O'Neil 1-0 K Wakefield
J Tunks 0-1 G Link
M Carbin 0.5-0.5 G Shepherd
Church Stretton A 1.5-3.5 Newport A
S Rooney 0-1 N Rutter
K Wakefield 0-1 G Cooper
T Faustino 0.5-0.5 N Paul
G Link 0.5-0.5 C Lewis
G Shepherd 0.5-0.5 D Griffiths
Wellington A 0.5-4.5 Church Stretton A
C Roberts 0-1 T Brotherton
T Neal 0.5-0.5 S Rooney
J Lenton 0-1 K Wakefield
D Powell 0-1 T Faustino
D Ogundipe 0-1 G Shepherd
After losing two match on the trot at Priorslee Lions A and Newport A, the team bounced back with a 4.5-0.5 win at Wellington. Karl Wakefield started off with an early win when his opponent blundered and this was followed by a win for Trevor Brotherton on top board. On board 4, recent recuit Tiago Faustino had started the match with an unbeaten record in both A and B team games, but made life difficult for himself with a tangle of doubled pawns and misplaced pieces. But he has an eye for outplaying his opponents in what look like unpromising endgames and managed to pull off another win, sealing the mach for the away team. A win for Graham Shepherd on board five and a draw for Steve Rooney on two, finished the evening off in style.
With three tough matches left against three of the top four clubs, it was vital that we got some points at Wellington who were one of the teams that could have caught us up. Coming away with a win was a perfect result for us.
The previous match against Newport saw us without top board Trevor who was unwell, leaving Steve Rooney to take on county number one Nick Rutter who had a grading advantage of around 40 points. A long gruelling game resulted in what looked like a fairly level final position but the clock intervened and Nick won on time. Gavin Cooper on board two also proved too strong for Karl Wakefield but the other three boards saw welcome draws for Stretton players Tiago Faustino, Gerald Link and Graham Shepherd.
Priorslee Lions A 3-2 Church Stretton A
G Pugh 0.5-0.5 T Brotherton
W Bates 1-0 S Rooney
J O'Neil 1-0 K Wakefield
J Tunks 0-1 G Link
M Carbin 0.5-0.5 G Shepherd
Church Stretton A 1.5-3.5 Newport A
S Rooney 0-1 N Rutter
K Wakefield 0-1 G Cooper
T Faustino 0.5-0.5 N Paul
G Link 0.5-0.5 C Lewis
G Shepherd 0.5-0.5 D Griffiths
Wellington A 0.5-4.5 Church Stretton A
C Roberts 0-1 T Brotherton
T Neal 0.5-0.5 S Rooney
J Lenton 0-1 K Wakefield
D Powell 0-1 T Faustino
D Ogundipe 0-1 G Shepherd
Friday, 17 February 2012
B team still in the running
Church Stretton B still has an outside chance of promotion from division 3 after a 3-1 away win at Oswestry.
Since the new year the team has also beaten Telepost D 3-1 but went down by the margin to division 3 leaders Shifnal & Telford C. The team have three matches left in the season, including fixtures against two of the teams above them Newport b and Shrewsbury C.
Telepost D 1-3 Church Stretton B
S Sweeney 0-1 T Faustino
B Holford 0-1 F Rooney
G Lyon 0-1 A Thorpe
A Cliff 1-0 C Pimm-Jones
Church Stretton B 1-3 Shifnal & Telford C
T Faustino 0.5-0.5 S Maydew
E Elwell 0.5-0.5 R Brown
F Rooney 0-1 R Szwajkun
T Williamson 0-1 S Szwajkun
Oswestry B 1-3 Church Stretton B
R Thomson 0-1 T Faustino
J Davies 1-0 F Rooney
B Evans 0-1 T Williamson
A Evans 0-1 J Carless
Since the new year the team has also beaten Telepost D 3-1 but went down by the margin to division 3 leaders Shifnal & Telford C. The team have three matches left in the season, including fixtures against two of the teams above them Newport b and Shrewsbury C.
Telepost D 1-3 Church Stretton B
S Sweeney 0-1 T Faustino
B Holford 0-1 F Rooney
G Lyon 0-1 A Thorpe
A Cliff 1-0 C Pimm-Jones
Church Stretton B 1-3 Shifnal & Telford C
T Faustino 0.5-0.5 S Maydew
E Elwell 0.5-0.5 R Brown
F Rooney 0-1 R Szwajkun
T Williamson 0-1 S Szwajkun
Oswestry B 1-3 Church Stretton B
R Thomson 0-1 T Faustino
J Davies 1-0 F Rooney
B Evans 0-1 T Williamson
A Evans 0-1 J Carless
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