News
Monday 28 April 2008
The Somerset chess league came to a
climax last Thursday as Glastonbury travelled to
Weston-super-Mare knowing that they needed a victory to win
the Charles Marsh West championship title.
Though team captain Paul Moody had selected a team that was
a strong blend of youth and experience, a tough battle was
expected against a Weston side who had been league leaders
before Christmas.
Many of the Thorn’s games this season have been tight,
closely contested affairs, but this was not the case on this
occasion as all team members rose spectacularly to the
demands of the occasion.
In the less than an hour Paul Moody led the way with a
crushing attack that demolished his opponents defences, and
he was soon followed by another forceful victory by Ben
Wade.
Glastonbury consolidated this early 2-0 lead with draws by
15 year-old Harry Streeter and (60 something) Tony Bamford.
Tony’s result was particularly creditable as he was playing
on top board against leading county player Peter Chaplin.
The vital league points were finally secured by Wells duo
Nigel Dicker and Tim Wallis, Tim ending the season for the
Thorns with a typically stylish win.
So Glastonbury moved to equal Sedgemoor’s tally of 16 points
but became champions by virtue of a superior record in the
head-to-head clashes between the two teams. The match ends a
season of unprecedented success for the club which sees them
winning two of the three leagues in which they compete and a
runners-up position in the other.
Match Result: Weston-super-Mare 1.5 Glastonbury 4.5
Charles Marsh West League
| Team
|
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Points |
| Glastonbury
|
10 |
7 |
2 |
1 |
16 |
| Sedgemoor |
10 |
7 |
2 |
1 |
16 |
| Taunton |
10 |
4 |
1 |
5 |
9 |
| Weston-s-Mare |
10 |
3 |
2 |
5 |
8 |
| Wellington |
10 |
3 |
1 |
6 |
7 |
| Chard & Ilminster |
10 |
0 |
4 |
7 |
4 |
Monday 7 April 2008
Glastonbury play in three of the
Somerset chess leagues and, with only a few matches to go,
are chasing the championship title in two of them. On
Thursday they travelled to Sedgemoor hoping to wrap-up
proceedings in the Vice Presidents West; the division they
won decisively last season.
The Thorns received an early boost when Ben Wade, in
contrast to his recent closely fought wins, outclassed his
opponent to record a regulation victory.
This took the pressure off his three colleagues who could
now play careful defensive chess to ensure the necessary
league points against the only side who could still catch
them.
Paul Moody and team captain Ralph Carver duly secured fairly
straightforward draws to take the match score to 2-1.
Finally Tim Wallis, despite having strong personal winning
chances, also agreed a draw to decide the match and the
league.
So Glastonbury are 2007-8 Vice Presidents West champions
with two matches still to be played. Their unbeaten record
now stretches back over two years to February 2006.
Match Result: Sedgemoor 1.5 Glastonbury 2.5
Vice Presidents West
| Team
|
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Points |
| Glastonbury
|
10 |
9 |
1 |
0 |
19 |
| Sedgemoor |
11 |
6 |
1 |
4 |
13 |
| Wellington |
11 |
6 |
0 |
5 |
12 |
| Weston-s-Mare (B) |
9 |
5 |
0 |
4 |
10 |
| Taunton (A) |
10 |
3 |
2 |
5 |
8 |
| Weston-s-Mare (A) |
10 |
3 |
2 |
5 |
8 |
| Taunton (B) |
11 |
1 |
0 |
10 |
2 |
Monday 31 March 2008
The Charles Marsh West league is
reaching a climax with Glastonbury and Sedgemoor in a
knife-edge race for the title. So, it was essential last
Monday that the Thorns achieved victory against a visiting
Taunton team who are a much stronger side than their recent
results might suggest.
In the early exchanges the visitors held a narrow advantage
in several of the six games but at the two-hour mark Tony
Bamford, Ian Hockey and Tim Wallis had all secured draws.
But then there was an unexpected disaster as team captain
Paul Moody made a very rare blunder and forced to resign.
Now 1.5- 2.5 down, Glastonbury had somehow to find wins in
the two remaining games.
Rob Waldteufel was playing leading Somerset county player
Nick Wilson. However, he seemed totally unfazed by his
opponent’s reputation to find a succession of excellent
forcing moves that set-up a tremendous victory.
So, for the umpteenth time this season, all depended on 18
year old Ben Wade.
The Glastonbury player had a small advantage, but all the
watching spectators agreed that he did not appear to have
enough time left on his chess clock to win.
However, Ben proved everyone wrong, finding a brilliant
combination of moves to checkmate his opponent with only 30
seconds of the match left. So, at the last gasp, a crucial
victory that leaves all to play for in the final match in
two weeks time.
Match Result: Glastonbury 3.5 Taunton 2.5
Charles Marsh West League
| Team
|
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Points |
| Glastonbury
|
9
|
6 |
2 |
1 |
14 |
| Sedgemoor |
9 |
6 |
2 |
1 |
14 |
| Weston-s-Mare |
6 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
8 |
| Taunton |
8 |
3 |
1 |
4 |
7 |
| Wellington |
8 |
2 |
0 |
6 |
4 |
| Chard & Ilminster |
10 |
0 |
3 |
7 |
3 |
Monday 17 March 2008
This year the Charles
Marsh West league has become a three-horse race between
Glastonbury, Sedgemoor and Weston-super-Mare. So last
Thursday the Thorns travelled to Sedgemoor knowing that the
evening’s contest could be crucial in deciding the 2007-8
champions trophy.
On arrival at the Bridgwater venue it was clear that the
home side had their strongest team available while
Glastonbury were weakened by a few key absences.
The early exchanges saw all six games very closely fought
and at around the two-hour mark both Harry Streeter and team
captain Paul Moody agreed draws.
Then came a potentially vital moment as Rob Waldteufel
gained material but lost position and had to resign, putting
the Thorns 1-2 down.
In the remaining contests Ralph Carver epitomised the
fighting spirit shown by Glastonbury when he achieved a very
solid draw against an opponent who outgraded him by over 30
ranking points.
Tony Bamford also agreed a draw, which meant, with the match
score at 2-3, an enormous burden was transferred to the
final contest featuring 18 year-old Ben Wade. With tension
high and the board surrounded by spectators, Ben kept a
remarkable composure to slowly manoeuvre his opponent into a
position where he was reluctantly forced to resign.
So, at the last gasp, Glastonbury achieved a potentially
invaluable match draw.
Match Result: Sedgemoor 3 Glastonbury 3
Charles Marsh West League
| Team
|
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Points |
| Glastonbury
|
8
|
5 |
2 |
1 |
12 |
| Sedgemoor |
8 |
5 |
2 |
1 |
12 |
| Weston-s-Mare |
6 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
8 |
| Taunton |
7 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
7 |
| Wellington |
8 |
2 |
0 |
6 |
4 |
| Chard & Ilminster |
9 |
0 |
3 |
6 |
3 |
Monday 10 March 2008
Glastonbury travelled to
Weston-super-Mare last Thursday, looking to take another
step towards retaining the Vice Presidents West league
trophy.
Though their opponents were in the bottom half of the table,
the speed with which the Thorns wrapped-up victory was a
surprise to both teams. In less than two hours Tim Wallis
and Paul Moody both swept to crushing victories that saw the
visitors take an unbeatable 2-0 lead.
Glastonbury were also in strong positions in the two
remaining games and Ben Wade soon converted his advantage
into the third victory that decided the match.
The only blemish on the evening came in the final contest
where a late blunder by team captain Ralph Carver allowed
the home side a consolation point.
Glastonbury have now remained unbeaten in this league for
over two years and, with only three matches to be played,
have a commanding five point advantage. However, as two of
these contests are against a revitalised Weston-super-Mare
(B) side, there is still some tough chess to be played
before the title is safe.
Match Result: Weston-s-Mare (A) 1 Glastonbury 3
