Pirates gobbled up by Jurassic predators
An experimental Shrewsbury Pirates side were convincingly beaten by Jurassic Coast B in their opening fixture of the new 4NCL Online season.
Chris Warrilow and Padro Perez Dominguez both lost swiftly with the black pieces as the club’s opponents – quite fittingly given their coastal moniker – proved to have the measure of the Pirates from an early stage, writes Peter Kitchen.
The experienced Tony Purser pulled one back with a victory that showed the value of true perseverance on board three. He spent much of the game down in material only to turn the tables by winning a piece in the ending and smoothly converting.
However, Patrick Fitch was ground down in an ending on top board after a valiant fight as the Pirates slipped to a 3-1 defeat.
The Pirates have started Season 13 in division four after the league reduced its division from five to four owing to a drop in team numbers.
But captain Olusegun Ilesanmi plans to continue using the campaign as an opportunity to give players the chance to gain experience on the national stage with new opponents to discover each week.
Full scores (Shrewsbury colours in brackets):
Shrewsbury Pirates 1-3 Jurassic Coast B
1.Patrick Fitch (w) 0-1 Brian Gosling
2.Chris Warrilow (b) 0-1 Christopher Southall
3.Anthony Purser (w) 1-0 Graham Bramley
4.Pedro Perez Dominguez (b) 0-1 Hector Hu
Average ratings – Shrewsbury Pirates: 1475 ECF; Jurassic Coast B: 1567 ECF
The Pirates will next be in action on Tuesday (February 3) – full details of the opposition and lineups will be available on the club’s Facebook page before the match gets under way.