Shrewsbury B’s league campaign culminated with a defeat away to Priorslee Lions on Monday night – a result which confirmed their opponents’ promotion.
With the game having already been rescheduled on several occasions and limited scope for a further postponement, Shrewsbury skipper Matt Best was only able to field a team of three players, with Mark Smith unavailable, regular stand ins and irregular stand ins otherwise occupied, the C Team also playing and inanimate carbon rod down in Warwickshire and thus not able to play.
However, despite having been thrashed 4.5-0.5 on the reverse fixture just three days beforehand despite a full complement of players, the visitors were able to make a better fist of it this time.
Firstly, Norman O’Connor’s quick draw (which could also have been described as heroic, resolute defending in a highly complex and technical position) with Munroe Morrison on board two in an unusual c3 variation of the Sicilian ensured the worst possible outcome was a repeat of Friday’s scoreline. This established a solid platform on which to build, and Matt duly did just that in his game on board three against Marvin Carbin. Marvin opened with a somewhat unusual 2.Qh4+ approach in response to Matt’s King’s Gambit, allowing Matt to build a solid pawn structure, get a potentially very powerful Bishop and restricting Marvin’s space.
However, all was not quite as simple as it may have seemed. A fiercely tricky and double-edged tactical game ensued, with both players overlooking promising avenues for attack. Matt was eventually able to seemingly win a piece, but the threat of perpetual (although Marvin was looking for a win) forced him into not taking the Bishop.
Finally, though, he was able to win thanks to a somewhat cheap mating combination to leave the match delicately poised, with all depending on the result of the top board, where Ivor Salter and a 30 minute time advantage faced Priorslee’s recent arrival (both on the night and in context of the whole season): Adrian Zdanowski.
Although the ending Ivor fought his way into looked as though there may have been potential for a drawing set up (a pawn down, with a Knight in exchange for Adrian’s Bishop) but was just unable to shift his final two pawns onto the correct colour square to secure the draw, and Adrian gobbled them up, leading to a clearly won endgame.
Shrewsbury B 1.5-3.5 Priorslee Lions B
- I. Salter 0-1 A Zdanowski
- N. O’Connor 0.5-0.5 M. Morrison
- M. Best 1-0 M. Carbin
- Default 0-1 G. White
- Default 0-1 M. Reynolds