4NCL 1998/9: Bristol make a great start

Bristol got off to a great start in the first weekend of the 4NCL, with our two teams winning three and drawing one of the four matches.

After some of the most awful driving conditions of the year - heavy rain and strong winds - we all arrived safely at the IBM site in Warwick, but our chances in the first day matches did not look promising. Bristol had lost three players to the World Junior Championship in Spain: our two first choice female players, Melanie Buckley and Sophie Tidman, plus Simon Buckley. We had managed to get Marieanne Howard to step in for the first team, but the second team had not been able to get a female player, so would be starting off 1-0 down in both its matches.

Bristol 1 was playing Invicta Knights 1, one of the top three sides of the last few years, with John Nunn on the top board. At one stage, we were 4-1 down, but won all three to grab a match point.

Division 1, Round 1
    Bristol 1                 Invicta Knights 1
1 w S Ansell     2380   0-1   J Nunn       2600
2 b K Mah        2330   =.=   A Ledger     2450
3 w G Buckley    2295   1-0   D Gormally   2400
4 b C Beaumont   2330   0-1   J Vigus      2290
5 w C Cobb       2275   1-0   A Hanreck    2275
6 b D Collier    2245   1-0   N Alfred     2235
7 w D Moskovic   2235   =.=   C Flear      2230
8 b M Howard      109   0-1   C Howell     2150
                        4-4

Bristol 2 had to play the Invicta's second team, who did not look too strong, but there was that irritating default to overcome. We never looked in any real trouble although winning by a narrow margin.

Division 2, Round 1
    Bristol 2                 Invicta Knights 2
1 b R McFarland  2240   =.=   S Bibby      2210
2 w N Jakubovics 2210   0-1   P Griffiths  2200
3 b E Player     2110   =.=   A Cooper     2145
4 w A Easton      188   1-0   Martin Taylor 2130
5 b S Dilleigh    184   =.=   D Garner     2090
6 w D Grossett    181   1-0   A Kissoon    2115
7 b D Buckley    2110   1-0   M Noakes      177
8 w Default             0-1   S Howell      148
                      4.5-3.5

On the second day, the Bristol 1 team had the unusual burden of going into a match as favourites. Barbican 2 was slightly weaker on paper and were defaulting board 8 (so it wasn't just Bristol having problems finding female players). Simon Ansell had a nicely controlled victory over Colin Crouch; Karl Mah kept pressing Lewis until he won a piece; and Chris Beaumont had the most unusual game, giving up a piece for three connected passed pawns which, in the last game to finish, eventually proved good enough. Two points in the bag,

Division 1, Round 2
    Bristol 1                 Barbican 2
1 b S Ansell     2380   1-0   C Crouch     2410
2 w K Mah        2330   1-0   A P Lewis    2275
3 b G Buckley    2295   =.=   R Pert       2240
4 w C Beaumont   2330   1-0   C Duncan     2265
5 b C Cobb       2275   =.=   D Sands      2245
6 w D Collier    2245   =.=   G Kenworthy  2275
7 b D Moskovic   2235   =.=   R Palliser   2175
8 w M Howard      109   1-0   Default
                        6-2

Bristol 2 were in a confident mood, despite being 1-0 down to start and despite Slough 2 strengthening its team by bringing A P Smith in on top board. Four impressive wins came from Easton, Jakubovics, Dilleigh and David Buckley to decide the match. In the last game to finish, Robert McFarland was unfortunate to be the only Bristol player to lose on the day. He was offered a draw in mutual time trouble, declined it because he thought his opponent hd blundered, and then blundered away a piece himself.

Division 2, Round 2
    Bristol 2                 Slough 2
1 w R McFarland  2240   0-1   A P Smith     2290
2 b N Jakubovics 2210   1-0   R W O'Brien   2085
3 w E Player     2110   =.=   R De Coverley 2110
4 b A Easton      188   1-0   R Richmond     189
5 w S Dilleigh    184   1-0   M Mashayekh   2065
6 b D Grossett    181   =.=   M Crichton    2030
7 w D Buckley    2110   1-0   M Armstrong    172
8 b Default             0-1   I Houska       135
                        5-3

So, with three points for the first team and a maximum four for the seconds, Bristol travelled home in a very happy frame of mind. However, there is a very long way to go - another nine rounds in fact. In the next round, Bristol 1 plays the mighty Slough. Bristol 2 has still to face sides that are a lot stronger than it on paper; in a comparison of average grades it comes tenth out of the fourteen sides, and we've just played the ninth and eleventh strongest.

Tables

4NCL Division 2, 1998/9 - After Round 2
 

4NCL Div 2, 1998/9		W	D	L	GPts	MPts
1	White Rose	2	0	0	11.0	4
2	Bristol 2nds	2	0	0	9.5	4
3	S Wales Dragons	1	1	0	11.0	3
4	Guildford	1	1	0	10.0	3
5	Bigwood 2nds	1	1	0	9.5	3
6	Kings Head	1	1	0	9.5	3
7	Coulsdon & P	1	1	0	8.5	3
8	Gwent Dragons	1	0	1	7.5	2
9	Wood Green 2nds	1	0	1	7.0	2
10	Slough 2nds	0	1	1	7.0	1
11	Witney	0	0	2	7.0	0
12	Nidum Knights	0	0	2	5.5	0
13	Invicta Kts 2nds	0	0	2	5.0	0
14	BCCA	0	0	2	4.0	0

Fixtures and Results

The last three rounds in Division 2 will be decided on a Swiss pairing basis after round 8.

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