Shrewsbury A’s drop from Christmas table-toppers to battling relegation continued as Francis Best’s side suffered a sixth consecutive defeat at the hands of the season’s surprise package Wellington A. The visitors, who have benefitted from excellent form from their top three boards to propel them to title contention so far this season, have been boosted by the timely arrival of former Church Stretton star Tiago Faustino for their crucial final two fixtures, although this was, at least, partly counteracted by Shrewsbury being boosted by the availability of Ed Goodwin on board two.
There were several wild openings on show, with Tiago’s choice to deploy an aggressive Bird’s set-up against David Everington – always up for an explosive game – on board three leading to a fiercely complicated game. The most spectacular start, though, came from top board where Toby Neal, enjoying a superb season on top board of a competitive first Division, wasn’t to be frustrated by Francis Best’s decision to decline his Morra Gambit and sacrificed the exchange in return for a Pawn and a significant initiative. Francis, though, defended carefully and was able to generate sufficient counterplay to force Toby to defend.
First to finish, though, was the board four encounter between James Kuczynski and Peter Kitchen. James opted for a Pirc against Peter’s open game, leading to a slightly cramped position – typical of the hypermodern style of openings, where the aim is to let White control the centre before retaliating with counter-punches. Peter decided against any fun, castling Kingside rather than going for opposing flanks and throwing forward his Kingside Pawns, and so the position dwindled out into a Queen and Rook ending with level material, with the only slight imbalance coming from Peter’s Queenside Pawn majority. However, it was not enough for any real winning chances, and a draw was duly agreed.
It wasn’t long before the next two games concluded in quick succession. On board 5, Mark Smith had taken control of his game against Stefan Tennant by winning two Pawns as Black in a King’s Indian-style set up. However, the always tricky Stefan took the opportunity to open the h-file and line up a double rook battery against Mark’s King. Although Mark did run away, Stefan blasted through and Mark’s King ran into trouble, leading to him getting mated by the rampant Rooks. Shortly after, a fairly stodgy game between Ed Goodwin and Colin Roberts on board two also concluded. Although both players tried to manoeuvre some openings, the deadlocked Pawn structure meant that over-pressing was a very real possibility, and so a draw was agreed.
That meant that Shrewsbury couldn’t afford to lose either of the remaining two games, and needed to win at least one in order to save the match. However, neither eventuality materialised. Although Francis had generated counterplay, it was only sufficient to repel Toby’s attack rather than make the slight material advantage pay, and so a draw was also agreed there. The fireworks on board 3 had already flickered out, with Tiago winning the exchange against David as well as a massive advantage on the clock, and David ultimately wasn’t able to hold the fort.
The result mean that Shrewsbury’s impending visit to bottom-placed Priorslee Lions B takes on a crucial role in their season, with the next two games imperative as they look to ensure survival.
Shrewsbury A 1½-3½ Wellington A
- F. Best ½-½ T. Neal
- E. Goodwin ½-½ C. Roberts
- D. Everington 0-1 T. Faustino
- P. Kitchen ½-½ J. Kuczynski
- M. Smith 0-1 S. Tennant