Shrewsbury B narrowly missed out on a hard-fought result against recently relegated Ludlow. Deprived of both Mark Smith and Norman O’Connor, captain Matt Best opted to retain the services of Dan Lockett on top board with the former skipper yet to play 3 games for the A team and therefore still eligible, and Francis Rooney – the former Shrewsbury Junior without a regular team this season with Church Stretton B having been forced to fold.
The match got off to a fairly quiet start, with Best and Lewis picking up quick draws on boards three and five against higher graded opponents.
Things then got hectic. Firstly, Ivor Salter’s position on board two fell against John Whittaker, but Lockett secured an impressive victory immediately after on top board.
That meant that things were all level with board 4 the decisive game. Francis Rooney was black and was down a piece for a pawn. However, he defended superbly and got himself into a drawable position (see diagram, black to move).
However, instead of playing the drawing move (1…b4!), he promoted his f-pawn first. The correct moves were played, just in the wrong order, and Rooney slipped to a hugely unlucky defeat after some textbook defensive endgame play.
Ludlow 3-2 Shrewsbury B
- J. Watson 0-1 D. Lockett
- J. Whittaker 1-0 I. Salter
- R. Woodley 0.5-0.5 M. Best
- A. Wright 1-0 F. Rooney
- P. Munday 0.5-0.5 A. Lewis