It’s crunch time in three-team battle to avoid the drop
Shrewsbury B have reached the make-or-break stage of their season as they aim to avoid the final relegation spot in Shropshire Chess League division two.
The delight of an against-the-odds derby triumph against high-flying Darwinian Knights B was followed by the despair of a damaging defeat against fellow strugglers Newport Junior B that kept David Edwards’ side in danger of an instant return to division three, writes Peter Kitchen.
Now the Bs face a must-win game against already-relegated Maddocks B on Wednesday before completing their campaign against fellow strugglers Telford B on April 8.
Telford B currently have eight points, one ahead of Shrewsbury B and Newport Junior B.
Crucially, Shrewsbury B have just two matches left to play and their rivals have three – the team that finishes bottom of this mini-league will be relegated along with Maddocks B.
Newport Junior B will play both Telford B and Maddocks B in their run-in, while Telford B’s other fixture is against newly-crowned champions Church Stretton A.
“It’s hard to say what we need,” said Edwards. “But three points from our last two matches may be enough. It’s all very tight!”
Edwards himself led from the front against Darwinian Knights B by defeating James Holyhead on top board – but reserved most of his praise for the performances of Patrick Fitch and Orlando Bell, who came into the side and picked up one-and-a-half points on the bottom two boards to help see the Bs avenge defeat at Salop Unison Club earlier in the season.
Fitch put in a very mature performance to defeat Cesar Pileggi on board four, while Bell battled manfully despite being material down against visiting captain Dennis Bonner on bottom board to eventually claim an unlikely draw.
Fred Bennett also defeated the experienced John Westhead on board three to cap a wonderful night for the Bs. Ian Davies’ defeat to Nick Graham on board two was no more than a consolation for the visitors, who returned down Wyle Cop with their promotion aspirations severely dented.
“The result against Darwinian Knights B was a real positive for us as we continue to bring new players into matchplay,” said Edwards. “
“One-and-a-half points from boards four and five was a fantastic return from two players (Fitch and Bell) with little experience of division two chess. They made the difference.”
But the Bs were brought crashing back down to earth next time out as they lost a key relegation clash against fellow strugglers Newport Junior B, despite welcoming back Ivor Salter on board two in place of Bennett.
Fitch won again on board four against Ellick Spiers, but defeats for Edwards, Davies and Bell condemned the Bs to defeat on a night when Edwards admitted they were “unable to take our chances”.
“The game against an improved Newport Junior B side was always going to be tricky,” he said. “League rules mean that all games against junior teams are actually played away, so the home tie with three boards playing with the black pieces is actually a disadvantage.
“It was a very close tie, and a draw was still possible if we had won the last match. There was very little in it, but we were unable to take our chances.”
Full scores (Shrewsbury colours in brackets):
Shrewsbury B 3.5-1.5 Darwinian Knights B
1.David Edwards (b) 1-0 James Holyhead
2.Ian Davies (w) 0-1 Nick Graham
3.Fred Bennett (b) 1-0 John Westhead
4.Patrick Fitch (w) 1-0 Cesar Pileggi
5.Orlando Bell (b) 0.5-0.5 Dennis Bonner
Average ratings: Shrewsbury B 1545 ECF; Darwinian Knights B 1552 ECF
Shrewsbury B 1.5-3.5 Newport Junior B
1.David Edwards (b) 0-1 Phil Love
2.Ivor Salter (w) 0.5-0.5 Mohanaditya Poluru
3.Ian Davies (b) 0-1 Colin Parker
4.Patrick Fitch (w) 1-0 Ellick Spiers
5.Orlando Bell (b) 0-1 Aarian Narang
Average ratings: Shrewsbury B 1555 ECF; Newport Junior B 1508 ECF