B team looking up after two wins in a row

Shrewsbury B have moved into midtable after securing a second successive victory, this time away to Maddocks B.

Richard Vernon’s side won the battle of two teams who were struggling at the wrong end of the Shropshire Chess League division two, returning back down the A5 with the points courtesy of a 3-2 triumph, writes Peter Kitchen.

Fred Bennett and Ben Howells gave Shrewsbury a 2-0 lead with wins on the bottom two boards, before Vernon’s draw with the experienced George Viszokai on board three put the visitors on the brink of victory.

The final two boards to finish were long and tense affairs – but despite Ivor Salter being neaten by Dave Gostelow on top board, David Edwards maintained his good run by securing a draw against Ian Jamieson on board two, which was enough to seal the match in Shrewsbury’s favour.

It means Shrewsbury are up to fourth in the seven-team division, now three points clear of Maddocks B in the final relegation spot.

It represents a decent few weeks for the Bs, who initially struggled at the higher level after winning promotion from division three last season.

Having lost their first three games, they will now travel to fifth-placed Telford B on December 17 looking to make it three wins in a row ahead of the Christmas break.

The side has benefitted from using just seven players, with three of them scoring 50 per cent or above so far. Edwards has 3/5 (60 per cent) playing on the top two boards, while squad players who have helped out on the lower boards have also contributed significantly, not least C team captain Ben Howells who has 2.5/4 (62 per cent) playing on boards four and five.

Full scores (Shrewsbury colours in brackets):

Maddocks B 2-3 Shrewsbury B

1.Dave Gostelow 1-0 Ivor Salter (w)

2.Ian Jamieson 0.5-0.5 David Edwards (b)

3.George Viszokai 0.5-0.5 Richard Vernon (w)

4.Henry Heys 0-1 Fred Bennett (b)

5.Harrison Whitehouse 0-1 Dafydd Howells (w)

Average ratings – Maddocks B: 1413 ECF; Shrewsbury B: 1468 ECF