Hopes remain high for Bs despite difficult start

It was certainly a chastening start.

Riding the crest of a wave after winning division three last season, newly-promoted Shrewsbury B travelled to Oswestry B for their opening division two game full of optimism.

And why not? Not only had the Bs pipped an on paper stronger Newport B outfit to the third division title, but they were playing a team that had finished in the division two relegation zone the previous season.

However, trips to Oswestry are never that straightforward for Shrewsbury sides – and this was no exception. One 5-0 defeat later, and the team was heading back down the A5 with their tails between their legs and under no illusions about how difficult the step up a level would be, writes Peter Kitchen.

That difficult night in early October heralded a difficult start for the Bs, who lost their first three games to quickly fall towards the foot of the table.

But consecutive victories at Newport Junior B and Maddocks B hauled them back into midtable, before a narrow 3-2 defeat at Telford B in their final fixture of the calendar year checked their progress.

Against Telford, the Bs quickly found themselves 2-0 down after early defeats for Fred Bennett and captain Richard Vernon on the bottom two boards.

It proved too big a mountain to climb – Ivor Salter and David Edwards picked up creditable draws on the top two boards before the returning Ian Davies grabbed a consolation with a fine win over Richard Thompson on board three.

It was Davies’s first appearance of the season having been unavailable for a number of months – and just seeing him back in the side has given Vernon and vice-captain Edwards hope going into 2026.

“The hope is that Ian’s return will help bolster a strong second half of the season,” said Vernon. “I think we’ve struggled in the first half of the season to be honest, but we’ve had some good moments.”

Edwards said: “The low point was definitely that first match of the season! Other than that, we’ve been competitive.”

The B team has so far fielded eight players over the course of the season, including seeing Fred Bennett become a regular feature in the team and several of the club’s newer members who more regularly play for the C team get a taste of division two action.

C team captain Ben Howells has played in four of the team’s six matches, with Tom Maiden and Nick Nuthall each playing once.

Edwards has been the team’s top scorer with 3.5/6, marking a fine first half of the season for the club which has seen him pick up wins and draws against considerably higher-rated opposition.

“It’s been great to give chances to the likes of Fred and Ben,” said Vernon. My personal performance has been mixed, but Ivor has been doing OK on board one.”

While survival will be the first priority, the Bs will hope to upset the applecart some more in the new year and look to push up the table.

Full scores (Shrewsbury colours in brackets):

Telford B 3-2 Shrewsbury B

1.Roger Brown 0.5-0.5 Ivor Salter (w)

2.Keith Butler 0.5-0.5 David Edwards (b)

3.Richard Thompson 0-1 Ian Davies (w)

4.Andy Jones 1-0 Fred Bennett (b)

5.Phil Fitzpatrick 1-0 Richard Vernon (w)

Average ratings: Telford B 1540 ECF; Shrewsbury B 1504 ECF