Battered and bruised – but B team still fighting

Taking on the top teams in division two is proving a significant challenge as Shrewsbury B fight to stay up, captain David Edwards has admitted.

The Bs gained a creditable 2.5-2.5 draw against third-placed Oswestry B before running into the Church Streton A juggernaut on the wrong night, being blown away 5-0 as the league leaders fielded their strongest line-up all season, writes Peter Kitchen.

Next up is a home match against a Darwinian Knights B side that currently lies second in the division, completing a run of fixtures against the top three.

But the Bs lost narrowly in the reverse fixture back in October despite having to default bottom board. And Edwards has also taken solace from the way his charges have fought well to get results against supposedly stronger players throughout the season.

“There are some very strong players in division two and we are finding it tough to stay with the top teams,” he said.

“That being said, we have been competitive in most of our individual duels, and despite having been on the end of a couple of heavy defeats we have shown we can dig out results against players who are stronger on paper.

No more was that fighting spirit in evidence than the Oswestry match. Shrewsbury lost away to the same opponents 5-0 on the opening day, but fought back from two points down at Cromwell’s Tap House to secure a point thanks to wins for Edwards on board two and debutant Patrick Fitch on board four.

Ian Davies let a large endgame advantage slip to draw with the black pieces against Alex Loe on board three before Chris Warrilow – a late replacement on bottom board – lost to Stephen Read despite putting up some brave resistance.

When Ivor Salter was beaten by Paul Cosens on top board, the Bs were staring down the barrel and relying on winning their two whites to save the match.

Happily, this came to pass. Edwards ground down Joe Muxlow on board two despite missing a potentially winning combination in the late middlegame, while Fitch picked up a notable scalp by defeating Gary Slegg on board four.

For the trip to Church Stretton, Ben Howells and Nick Nuthall replaced Fitch and Warrilow in the side, while Salter and Edwards swapped positions in the board order.

But the hosts fielded a side that wouldn’t have looked out of place in division one – former Shrewsbury first teamer Steve Rooney on board four, and the hosts’ bottom board Jamie Lear was rated 142 points higher than Shrewsbury’s top board Edwards.

Against that back drop, it was always going to be a tough night. And the hosts made their grading superiority count, as Shrewsbury returned back up to the A49 with no points and no consolation on the scoreboard.

Edwards put up strong resistance against Ray Sayers on top board before being ground down – and despite the defeat his side still lies two points above the bottom two, with survival now looking the realistic aim for the season.

And the skipper is adopting a positive attitude ahead of his side’s final four fixtures.

Edwards said: “Looking ahead to our next fixture, anything can happen on the night. We’ll set out to enjoy our chess – whether we win, lose or draw!”

Full scores (Shrewsbury colours in brackets):

Shrewsbury B 2.5-2.5 Oswestry B

1.Ivor Salter (b) 0-1 Paul Cosens

2.David Edwards (w) 1-0 Joseph Muxlow

3.Ian Davies (b) 0.5-0.5 Alex Loe

4.Patrick Fitch (w) 1-0 Gary Slegg

5.Chris Warrilow (b) 0-1 Stephen Read

Average ratings: Shrewsbury B 1548 ECF (based on top three boards, bottom two boards unrated); Oswestry B 1581 ECF

Church Stretton A 5-0 Shrewsbury B

1.Ray Sayers 1-0 David Edwards (w)

2.David Hodge 1-0 Ivor Salter (b)

3.Chris Lear 1-0 Ian Davies (w)

4.Steve Rooney 1-0 Nick Nuthall (b)

5.Jamie Lear 1-0 Dafydd Howells (w)

Average ratings: Church Stretton 1853 ECF; Shrewsbury B 1446 ECF.