News
Monday 15 March 2010
Last season Glastonbury retained the
Somerset Division 2 title in sensational fashion when
outright leaders Sedgemoor froze in sight of the winning
post and lost their final two matches.
This year the Bridgwater club has seemed determined not to
be denied again and, when the Thorns arrived for last week’s
away fixture, only a single league point was required for
the status of champions to be confirmed.
However, as in several matches recently, Glastonbury began
the evening in forceful style. Ralph Carver’s experience was
too much for a young Sedgemoor player making his league
debut and both Roger Fenton and Martin Willis secured
excellent draws against more highly rated opponents.
This 2-1 lead became an unbeatable 3-1 advantage when Paul
Moody gained a crushing victory over Somerset county
stalwart Chris McKinley.
With only half a point now required, it seemed that
Sedgemoor’s league-winning celebrations would have to be
postponed yet again. But, though both of the final games
remained in the balance right up to the three-hour time
limit, each of them were finally settled in favour of the
home team.
The Thorns were actually not too unhappy to have secured a
creditable draw against the side that has clearly deserved
their title success.
Thoughts now focus on next week, when the challenge of the
Somerset Cup Final dominates the chess agenda for
Glastonbury.
Match Result: Sedgemoor 3 Glastonbury 3
Monday 8 March 2010
Catching up on January’s cancellations
meant that Glastonbury played two Division 1 matches last
week. By coincidence, both of them followed a very similar
course.
On Tuesday the Thorns travelled to league leaders Frome and,
initially, they seemed to be on unstoppable form. Forceful
wins from Harry Streeter, Tim Wallis and team captain Paul
Moody established an unbeatable 3-0 lead.
But, despite three close struggles, the additional half
point required for victory remained tantalisingly out of
reach. Eventually all of the games were lost and the match
spoils shared.
Match Result: Frome 3 Glastonbury 3
On Thursday the venue switched to the Sedgemoor club in
Bridgwater. Again the first three games to finish were all
won by Glastonbury. This time the successful trio were Rhys
Cumming, Roger Fenton and Sharan Soni.
However, once more it seemed that a match victory was to
prove elusive as a brace of wins for the home side brought
the match score back to 3-2.
Fortunately, teenager George Galliano was on hand to defy
this spirit of déjà vu. He eventually broke down the
resistance from a stubborn opponent to deliver a welcome
success for both himself and the team.
It is a pity that, despite this acquisition of three league
points, early season defeats mean that the Thorns are too
far behind to challenge for the Division 1 title.
Match Result: Sedgemoor 2 Glastonbury 4
Monday 1 March 2010
In 2003 Glastonbury won the Somerset
Cup for the only time in their history, but it seemed that
the trophy was jinxed. The following six seasons saw a
succession of surprise defeats and early exits.
However, this year the Thorns reached the semi-final again
and they travelled to Trowbridge last week for the
eight-board contest. As Trowbridge play all of their games
in the county’s eastern divisions they were something of an
unknown quantity, but advice from several quarters indicated
that a tough evening was to be expected.
The early exchanges proved the truth of these predictions
and after 90 minutes the overall balance of play favoured
the home side. They appeared to hold a definite advantage in
three of the games, Glastonbury seemed ahead in two, with
the remaining three contests too close to call.
Trowbridge were indeed first to record a victory but
excellent wins from youngsters Rhys Cumming and Alex Gould
saw the match score turned into a 2-1 advantage to the
Thorns.
After an important draw from Paul Moody, the decisive point
of the evening arrived. Two of the games that had earlier
favoured Trowbridge both ended as wins for Glastonbury.
First Sharan Soni cleverly turned his position from being a
pawn down into a won endgame. Then Tim Wallis’s opponent
blundered away a likely win to unaccountably lose on time.
Almost from nowhere, the Thorns now had a 4.5-1.5 lead and a
place in the final was assured.
To add insult to the Wiltshire side’s injury, brilliantly
controlled victories by Roger Morgan and Ian Holle saw the
evening conclude with a distinctly flattering scoreline.
So, the Somerset Cup is again within Glastonbury’s grasp.
But to secure it they will need to be at their absolute best
as the final opponents will be the currently impressively
strong outfit from Taunton.
Match Result: Trowbridge 1.5 Glastonbury 6.5
Monday 22 February
It was emergency stations last week for
Glastonbury’s Division 3 (West) team captain Ralph Carver.
At the last minute, first one and then two of his team’s
leading players became suddenly unavailable for the evening
fixture at home to Taunton.
Acting quickly, two replacements were found and the contest
commenced only slightly late.
The early dramas did not seem to hamper Carver’s play at the
chessboard. He quickly dismantled the defences of his
opponent to give the Thorns an early 1-0 lead.
Then the two late substitutes, Roger Morgan and Roger
Fenton, showed they too were unaffected by the surprising
turn of events. Morgan, taking on the responsibility of
top-board, played a solid, defensive game to snuff-out all
of the threats from the leading Taunton player.
Finally Roger Fenton won a comprehensive victory to secure
the match win and maximum points.
Since January 2006 Glastonbury’s performance in this
division of the Somerset league has been quite remarkable.
They have lost only once in a total of 48 contests and,
despite some occasional alarms, are now well on course for a
fourth successive title.
Match Result: Glastonbury 2.5 Taunton 1.5
Monday 15 February
Last season Glastonbury won the
Somerset Division 2 (West) title. But, two defeats before
Christmas means that there is now very little chance that
this success will be repeated in 2009/10.
However, when their strongest set of players is available,
the Thorns remain more than a match for any team in the
league. And this was the situation last week when Chard and
Ilminster were the visitors at Tor Leisure.
The early stages of all six games were closely fought but,
as play moved into the second hour, the contests all began
to favour the home team.
At around the two-hour mark first Dave Wood and then Roger
Morgan turned their winning positions into victories. Ian
Holle then secured a draw and it seemed that Tim Wallis was
likely to deliver the match-winning success. A blunder by
his opponent meant that this result came even more quickly
than expected.
3.5-0.5 to the good, Glastonbury’s win was assured and
prospects also looked good in the remaining two games.
However, a very uncharacteristic error from team captain
Paul Moody saw Chard and Ilminster record their first full
point. Then, playing on top-board against an internationally
rated Venezuelan, Harry Streeter became embroiled in an
amazing blitz finish. With less than a minute left on his
clock, and in a game where he played over 100 moves, the
17-year-old just lost out in a complex King and pawn
endgame.
Match Result: Glastonbury 3.5 Chard & Ilminster 2.5
Monday 8 February
Over the past decade a small revolution
has taken place in chess. More and more people are playing
the game on-line, either with computers or against opponents
from across the world.
One of this quiet army of players, Phil Jackson, recently
visited the Glastonbury club for the first time. His
technique so impressed Division 3 (West) team captain Ralph
Carver that he was introduced on top-board last week for the
away fixture with Sedgemoor.
Though the strategy did not quite end in success
(Sedgemoor’s man just prevailed in a very tight endgame),
the league debutant showed more than enough skill to confirm
that chess can easily translate from screen to match
conditions.
In addition, by “taking-out” the Bridgwater club’s leading
player, Jackson greatly helped his team. Playing at a lower
level than usual, Ralph Carver and Martin Willis both
delivered convincing early wins to give the Thorns an
unassailable 2-0 lead. And, though Paul Moody became
embroiled in a long, titanic battle, he eventually secured
the draw that resulted in the two league points.
So, while Glastonbury are now well on course to win the
Division 3 (West) title for the fourth consequecutive
season, they would be more than pleased to welcome more
local on-line players to the delights of close-combat chess
with real pieces and an actual board.
Match Result: Sedgemoor 1.5 Glastonbury 2.5
Monday 25 January 2010
Taunton currently have the strongest
chess team in Somerset and are clear favourites for this
season’s Division 1 title. So it was a major surprise when,
last October, Glastonbury defeated them by the astounding
margin of 5.5-0.5.
Last week Taunton arrived at Tor Leisure for the reverse
fixture and there was little doubt that revenge was in the
air.
Unfortunately the Thorns had several key players unavailable
so, when the sides were declared, the chances seemed
hopeless. Not only were they outgraded on all six boards,
but Taunton’s Board 5 held a higher ranking than the
Glastonbury Board 1.
After an hour of play the Thorns were already 1-0 down and
this seemed just the start of an embarrassing evening.
However, George Galliano had established a promising
position from which he managed to secure a welcome draw. Ian
Holle also shared the spoils, following a clever mix of
attacking and defensive play.
Then came the result of the evening from 14-year-old Megan
Owens. Playing Division 1 chess for the first time, and
outgraded by nearly 30 ranking points, she produced a
brilliantly sustained attacking sequence to force the
resignation of her illustrious, but stunned, opponent.
With the match score at 2-2, surely Glastonbury could not do
it again?
Well no, they couldn’t. Last October Tim Wallis had beaten
German international Mike Richardt and the Taunton man was
in no mood to let this humiliation happen a second time. And
finally, Dave Wood was just edged to defeat after a game
where his solid defence merited a draw.
So a final match score that was very far from a disgrace for
the Thorns and, without doubt, the outstanding game of the
contest came from Megan Owens.
Match result: Glastonbury 2 Taunton 4
Monday 11 January 2010
On the coldest evening for many years,
Glastonbury welcomed an intrepid team of chess travellers
from Frome.
The Thorns currently lead the Division 3 Central league and
hoped to further strengthen their position.
At first it seemed likely they would succeed in this goal.
Dave Wood quickly refuted an unsound opening from his
opponent to deliver an early 1-0 advantage. And, at the
two-hour mark, all of the other three games also clearly
favoured the home side.
But, slowly, the two lower-board contests moved into narrow
victories for more highly graded Frome players. So, once
again, Glastonbury were grateful for the clinical skills of
Paul Moody. Carefully resisting a strong counter-attack, he
forced his opponent to an impossible position where the only
sensible option was resignation.
The spoils were, therefore, shared and the Frome quartet had
a deserved league point to warm them on a frozen journey
home.
Match Result: Glastonbury 2 Frome 2
Division 3 (Central) League
| Team
|
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Points |
| Glastonbury |
4
|
2 |
2 |
0 |
6 |
| Gillingham |
3 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
| Frome |
4 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
| Yeovil |
3 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
Monday 21 December 2009
Glastonbury’s Division 3 (West) team
played two matches last week, both against sides from
Weston-super-Mare.
The first encounter was at home against Weston B, where the
Thorns suffered an early reverse when team captain Ralph
Carver lost out after a rapidly moving game.
But the three-time league champions soon bounced back with
wins by Dave Wood and, making a welcome, rare appearance,
Roy Turner. Both league points were secured when Roger
Fenton finally broke down the resistance of a stubborn
opponent.
Match Result: Glastonbury 3 Weston-s-Mare (B) 1
A few days later Glastonbury were the away team against
Weston A. The Thorns had to put out a much-weakened team and
their doubtful prospects seemed to be confirmed when Roger
Fenton lost in less than an hour. Though Ralph Carver’s
excellent winning attack equalised the match score, the
remaining two contests seemed very likely wins for the home
side.
But, both Glastonbury players defied these gloomy
expectations. Firstly, Bernard White turned round his game
to a point where victory seemed certain, only for a last
minute oversight to allow his opponent an undeserved draw by
stalemate.
So attention turned to Martin Willis who, playing on top
board for the first time became the star of the evening.
Martin has only been playing league chess for six months and
he was battling against the vastly experienced Somerset
County veteran Jonathan Latham.
Not only did the Glastonbury man hold his ground in a
complex middle game, but he suddenly produced a brilliantly
controlled attack to win a remarkable two league points for
the team.
Match Result: Weston-s-Mare (A) 1.5 Glastonbury 2.5
Monday 14 December 2009
Time is an important
factor in UK league chess. Each player is allowed 90
minutes to make all their moves and, if this point is
reached, no matter what the state of the game it is
immediate defeat.
It was this rule that was vital for Glastonbury last week in
a Division 3 (Central) match against Yeovil.
The early part of the evening was closely fought and
eventually Paul Moody, Dave Wood and team captain Stuart
Marsh all agreed draws. So the outcome of the contest
depended on the final game being played by Roger Fenton.
Here prospects looked bleak for the Thorns as the Yeovil
player stood a knight and pawn to the good, with only a
temporarily blocked position holding him up from immediate
victory. But Fenton fought on and, in trying to secure the
final breakthrough, his opponent spent more and more time in
deep thought.
Finally, it took only the slight threats from a minor
counter-attack for the Yeovil flag on the chess clock to
fall, and victory was confirmed for the player in clearly
the worse position.
A welcome, if very fortunate, two league points for the
Glastonbury team.
Match Result:
Glastonbury 2.5 Yeovil 1.5
Monday 7 December 2009
In many matches this season Glastonbury
has come back to win after being at an early disadvantage.
Last week, however, the roles were reversed as the Thorns
failed to win two contests where they had initial positions
of strength.
In a Somerset Division One encounter against visitors from
Sedgemoor, a win from Harry Streeter put Glastonbury in the
lead while maintaining his personal 100% record for 2009/10
league matches. At this stage there also appeared to several
others wins on the cards but, sadly, these failed to
materialise.
In the next four games to finish only Tim Wallis stemmed the
tide of defeats as the visitors swept into an unassailable
3.5-1.5 lead. Though Sharan Soni found a clever endgame win
in the final contest, this was a very scant consolation.
Match Result: Glastonbury 2.5 Sedgemoor 3.5
Two evenings later a Division 3 (West) match followed a
similar course. An early win for Dave Wood appeared to be
the prelude to victories for Paul Moody and team captain
Ralph Carver. However, errors from both men saw home team
Wellington take a 2-1 lead and it was only an excellent last
minute success for Martin Willis that secured a share of the
spoils.
Match Result: Wellington 2 Glastonbury 2
Monday 30 November 2009
In chess it definitely pays to have a
Grandmaster on your side. And this was the fortunate
position for Glastonbury last week when they travelled to
current league and cup double winners Yeovil.
The South Somerset club owed much of their success last
season to the acquisition of Polish player Patryk
Kryzanowski. He proved unbeatable in league matches until
his performances attracted the attention of Millfield’s
resident chess master Matthew Turner.
Offering his services to the Thorns, he efficiently ended
the East European’s winning run. Clearly enjoying a rare
local challenge, Matthew decided upon a repeat outing for
this seasons’ Division One encounter.
The match began cautiously for the lesser members of the
Glastonbury team who, significantly outgraded, were looking
more to avoid defeat than attacking wins. All successfully
achieved this goal with Paul Moody, Ian Holle, Tim Wallis
and George Galliano securing a creditable share of the
spoils.
With the match score at 2-2, the Thorns suffered a major
setback when teenager Rhys Cumming went down to defeat
against leading Somerset County player Andrew Footner. It is
a measure of Rhys’s recent high level of play that this
result was a distinct surprise.
So, the match result was to be decided by the outcome of the
top-board game. Here Matthew Turner did not appear to have
the expected advantage and also had little time left for his
remaining moves. But, it is at moments like this
Grandmasters show their true class, and a move that at first
sight seemed highly dangerous soon proved to be the decisive
winning blow.
Match Result: Yeovil 3 Glastonbury 3
Monday 23 November 2009
Glastonbury has not been given a home
fixture in the Somerset Cup for over four years, though this
does not fully explain why they have performed so poorly in
the competition during this period.
This season the familiar pattern seemed likely to continue
as yet another away draw materialised, this time against the
Division One side Frome.
Though the Thorns had fielded a strong team the early part
of the evening did not go well. Paul Moody was forced to
agree a draw to an opponent he might have been expected to
beat comfortably, before George Galliano went down to defeat
on the bottom board.
Behind 0.5-1.5, with no obvious wins in prospect, gave the
proceedings an ominous look. But, suddenly, the gloom
lifted. Teenagers Rhys Cumming and Harry Streeter have both
notably grown in chess stature during the past year, and now
they each delivered well-controlled victories that turned
the contest round.
Inspired by their younger team members, the older contingent
also began to deliver the results. Tim Wallis and Dave Wood
each converted advantageous endgame positions into the wins
that ensured Glastonbury’s progress into the next round.
Finally, just to make sure there was no doubt, an excellent
checkmating attack by Tony Bamford completed a personal
success on his temporary return from chess “retirement”.
Match Result: Frome 2.5 Glastonbury 5.5
Monday 16 November 2009
Glastonbury faced two challenging
league fixtures last week that put a stop to their recent
run of winning form.
The first of these was a Division Two contest at home to
ever-competitive local rivals Sedgemoor. Last season the
Thorns narrowly beat the Bridgwater club in the race for the
champions trophy and it was immediately clear that the
visitors were out for revenge.
Out-graded on all six boards, Glastonbury were already
consigned for defeat before excellent wins by Harry Streeter
and Ralph Carver gave the final scoreline a slightly more
respectable appearance.
Match Result: Glastonbury 2 Sedgemoor 4
The following evening the Thorns’ Division Three (Central)
team travelled to current league champions Gillingham.
After 90 minutes of play there was an encouraging start as
Paul Moody delivered yet another fine win following a
typically forceful middle-game attack. This lead was
extended to 2-0 when Roger Fenton overcame his opponent
after an error-strewn contest.
Gillingham hit back with a win in the penultimate game,
which meant that team captain Stuart Marsh needed only a
draw to secure both match points. Sadly, despite battling
until the very last minute of the 3 hours allotted for play,
he fell agonisingly short of achieving the required result.
Match Result: Gillingham 2 Glastonbury 2
Monday 9 November 2009
Glastonbury has dominated the Somerset
Division 3 (West) league in recent years, taking the trophy
in all of the past three seasons. However, the loss of key
players, plus some problematic new restrictions on team
grading, means that 2009-10 seems likely to offer a much
stiffer challenge.
So, after only managing a draw in their first match, the
Thorns travelled to Taunton last week in less than confident
mood. Dave Wood’s last minute unavailability meant that the
relatively inexperienced Martin Willis had to step-up to
play at the unexpectedly high level of Board 2, with Roger
Fenton drafted-in as a late replacement.
When play began the usually reliable win from Paul Moody
failed to materialise as he was forced to accept an early
draw. Then Martin Willis, despite an excellent defensive
battle, could not quite recover from an early error, losing
out to a strong and determined opponent.
Down 0.5-1.5, Glastonbury were heartened by a victory from
Roger Fenton which meant that the outcome of the contest
would be decided by the final game being played by team
captain Ralph Carver.
Though Ralph appeared to have a slight advantage, neither
his opponent nor the watching spectators had any inkling
that he was about to unleash a winning attack. A brilliant
six-move checkmating combination rapidly settled both the
individual game and the match. A captain’s contribution in
every sense!
Match Result: Taunton 1.5 Glastonbury 2.5
Monday 2 November 2009
After a poor start to the season
Glastonbury continued their recent return to form last week
with two separate league victories.
The more impressive triumph was in Division 2 against a
visiting team from the reliably strong Yeovil club. Though
out-graded on five of the six boards, the Thorns took
control of the contest with clear-cut wins from Ralph Carver
and Dave Wood.
A further success for team captain Paul Moody and a draw by
Roger Fenton ensured the match points, but the icing on the
cake came in the final game to finish. Here Harry Streeter
played a brilliantly controlled endgame to thwart the many
threats of his highly ranked Polish opponent.
Match Result: Glastonbury 4.5 Yeovil 1.5
In a Division Three Central encounter away to Frome,
Glastonbury ground-out a narrow victory aided by wins from
Paul Moody and Roger Fenton. For Paul this was his second
victory of the week and he remains unbeaten this season
after six individual games.
Match Result: Frome 1.5 Glastonbury 2.5
Monday 26 October 2009
Last week Glastonbury travelled to
Taunton for a match in Division 1 of the Somerset League. On
arrival they discovered that their, already highly
competitive, opponents had been further strengthened during
the summer by two additional county-level players.
It looked an odds-on victory for the home team who were
clearly relishing the prospect of a resounding winning
margin.
But, in a sensational reversal of the chess rankings, the
Thorns produced one of the most surprising league
score-lines of recent years. In many cases playing out of
their skin, first one, two and then three of the individual
contests went in favour of Glastonbury.
When the Thorn’s total reached five, a shell-shocked Taunton
captain agreed a final draw largely to avoid the risk of a
humiliating 6-0 whitewash for his team.
In what was a quite outstanding team performance, perhaps
the result of the night came from Tim Wallis who
resoundingly defeated the German international player Mike
Richardt.
Match Result: Taunton 0.5 Glastonbury 5.5
A day earlier Glastonbury only managed a 2-2 draw in a
Division 3 West encounter with Sedgemoor. The match included
a win for Paul Moody and a welcome success for veteran
Bernard White.
Monday 12 October 2009
Last week Glastonbury entertained a
visiting Frome team for a match in Division One of the
Somerset league.
A few hours before play began the Thorn’s plans were thrown
into disarray by news of an accident to Harry Streeter. Some
last minute adjustments and a much weakened team was the
result.
Despite these difficulties, two of the Millfield School
members of the Glastonbury side saw the contest off to a
spectacular start. After barely an hour of play Rhys Cumming
completely overwhelmed his opponent making an early
resignation inevitable. This was soon followed by a
similarly impressive win by Soni Sharan.
Both of these teenage victories were against seasoned
Somerset county players who in many years of chess have
rarely suffered such rapid reverses.
Sadly, the other members of the Thorn’s sextet were unable
to capitalise on this early 2-0 advantage. Though Dave Wood
gained a further half point with a trademark fighting draw,
two defeats saw the match score level with the final game
remaining.
Late replacement George Galliano fought hard, but his
position became steadily more impossible against a massed
rank of his opponents pawns.
This final decisive defeat lost Glastonbury two league
points they could quite conceivably have won in only
slightly more favourable circumstances.
Match Result: Glastonbury 2.5 Frome 3.5
Monday 5 October 2009
A new season of league chess began at
Tor Leisure Centre last week. Glastonbury’s Division 2 team
was in action, embarking on a defence of the title they have
won in each of the last two years.
During the summer months The Thorns have lost several key
players, while the visiting Wellington side appeared to have
gained some experienced personnel. This meant the home side
was unexpectedly out-graded in most of the evening’s six
games.
At the two hour mark Glastonbury suffered a setback as Roy
Turner lost out in a tight endgame. However, parity was soon
restored when Roger Fenton finally broke down the defences
of a stubborn opponent who had fought a long rearguard
action.
These decisive results were followed by draws for team
captain Paul Moody, Tim Wallis and, playing on top-board for
the first time, 17 year-old Harry Streeter.
So the match outcome depended on the final game being played
by Dave Wood. At first sight things looked difficult for the
Glastonbury man as he was under strong endgame pressure and
a pawn down. But, it then became clear that his opponent had
used up almost all of his allotted time in achieving this
strong position, with little chance of forcing home his
advantage in the remaining minutes available.
A draw was therefore agreed which meant that the league
points were also shared.
Match Result: Glastonbury 3 Wellington 3
Monday 18 May 2009
The Frome Congress is Somerset’s
premier chess event attracting around 200 players from all
over the UK. The 20th year of the competition took place
last weekend and again followed a format of five full-length
games from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon.
Several Glastonbury club members took
part with an unprecedented level of success.
|
 |
Harry Streeter achieved an
excellent 4 out of 5 result that easily won him
the overall trophy for the highest scoring
junior. |
Paul Moody, playing in the Intermediate section, recorded 3
wins and 2 draws to end with a final score of 4/5. This saw
him take a share of the runners-up prize as well as the
individual trophy for the highest placed Somerset player.
But the icing on the cake was that Glastonbury won the
prestigious team event, outscoring 10 other sides from
across the South West. As well as Paul Moody, the three
other contributors to a winning total of 12 out of 20 were
Roy Turner, Nigel Dicker and Ben Wade.
This is the first time in many attempts that the Thorns have
been even close to this result and the achievement crowns a
highly successful season for the club.
Monday 11 May 2009

Two weeks ago Glastonbury lost to close
rivals Sedgemoor, which meant all hopes of retaining the
Charles Marsh West trophy seemed to have gone. The
Bridgwater-based club only needed three points from their
remaining two league matches, both against lowly opponents,
to take the 2008-9 title from the Thorns.
But sport can sometimes deliver minor miracles. Sedgemoor
contrived to go down to defeat against a Wellington side who
were at the bottom of the table with no previous victories
in any of this season’s 11 contests.
So Glastonbury travelled to Weston-super-Mare last week
amazed to find that destiny was back in their own hands. A
victory over the Seasiders would see the championship trophy
once more in the Tor Leisure Centre cabinet.
And this time the Thorns made no mistake. From the moment
that match-captain Paul Moody routed his opponent with a
superior opening strategy, it was clear that the team was in
unstoppable form. The wins kept coming with successes for
Ben Wade, Harry Streeter, Ian Hockey and, finally, Tim
Wallis.
The 5.5-0.5 scoreline was a comprehensive demolition that
left no argument. The final league table left the Thorns
with mixed emotions of both happiness and relief.
Charles Marsh West League
| Team
|
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Points |
| Glastonbury
|
12 |
9 |
1 |
2 |
19 |
| Sedgemoor |
12 |
9 |
0 |
3 |
18 |
| Yeovil |
12 |
6 |
2 |
4 |
14 |
| Taunton |
12 |
5 |
3 |
4 |
13 |
| Chard & Ilminster |
12 |
4 |
1 |
7 |
9 |
| Weston-s-Mare |
12 |
1 |
4 |
7 |
6 |
| Wellington |
12 |
1 |
3 |
8 |
5 |
Monday 27 April 2009
In recent years the Charles Marsh West
division of the Somerset league has been dominated by
Glastonbury and Sedgemoor. In 2007 the Bridgwater club was
successful, last year it was the Thorns that took the title.
This season the same close rivalry has continued so, when
Glastonbury travelled to Sedgemoor last week, both teams
knew that the outcome was likely to be decisive.
Sadly, the Thorns made a quite disastrous start. Top-board
Roger Morgan fell to an early defeat and the team captain
Paul Moody also suffered a rare personal failure. From a
position of 0-2 down it seemed that there was little
realistic hope of recovery. However, a brilliant attacking
win by Tim Wallis reduced the deficit and Glastonbury’s two
teenagers, Harry Streeter and Megan Owens, both delivered
excellent fighting draws.
But the final game was another win for Sedgemoor, which
settled the match in their favour by a clear margin of 4-2.
However, both sides still have two matches to play, so all
the Thorns could do was record a couple of victories and
hope that their rivals might suffer an unexpected reverse.
To this end Glastonbury made a good start four days later
when they narrowly won 3.5-2.5 against a visiting team from
Chard and Ilminster that benefited strongly from an
International Master level player from Venezuela.
Monday 13 April 2009
The last two matches of the season saw
Glastonbury win the Somerset Vice Presidents West league for
the third successive year. But, instead of satisfying high
drama, the achievement arrived in the form of a slight
anticlimax.
In the first of the contests the Thorns travelled to nearest
rivals Chard & Ilminster who, clearly aiming to keep their
own title chances alive, fielded the strongest possible
team. And these tactics proved well judged as Glastonbury
went down to a narrow 1.5-2.5 reverse. This was the first VP
West defeat for over three years and the end of an unbeaten
run of 38 matches.
So, four days later, the Thorns needed to win their final
home match against Sedgemoor. As the time ticked away at the
start of the evening it eventually became clear that last
minute unavailability meant that the visitors were forced to
default the contest. Though this meant the league title was
assured, all of the team members felt they would have much
preferred that the issue had been settled by actual chess
play.
However, leagues are won over the full course of a season
and in 2008/9 Glastonbury dropped only 4 points from a
maximum of 24 and had a far superior win/loss ratio of
individual games. Team captain Ralph Carver and his key
players Tim Wallis, Ian Hockey and Ian Holle proved
themselves worthy champions.
Monday 30 March 2009
As the league season moves towards its
conclusion both of Glastonbury’s Vice President teams
recorded impressive victories in the past week.
The Vice President Central side won convincingly at home 3-1
against Gillingham, but it was a bitter-sweet triumph. The
match should have been the decisive encounter in the 2008-9
season, but a shock defeat for the Thorns two weeks ago
meant that the visitors arrived already confirmed as
champions.
Despite this, a crushing win by Jon Beale epitomised the
remaining spirit in a quartet that missed out on the trophy
by a single league point. As all of Glastonbury’s victories
were by wide margins, and their three defeats the narrowest
possible reverses, it was not surprising that the Thorns had
by far the best record in the division for individual wins
to losses.
The Vice Presidents West team travelled to a match with
Weston-super-Mare (B) and came home with an emphatic 3.5-0.5
success.
Wins for Ian Hockey, Roger Fenton and, making his league
chess debut, Martin Willis, moved Glastonbury tantalisingly
close to ensuring that they retain the league title for the
third successive year.
Monday 30 March 2009
Last week Glastonbury took an important
step towards retaining the Charles Marsh West Trophy with an
impressive victory over a strong visiting team from Yeovil.
And it was youth that led the way, with two wins coming from
the teenager members of the team. Rhys Cumming, playing on
top board, had a particularly satisfying revenge success
against leading Somerset county player Andrew Footner, and
Harry Streeter delivered yet another forceful attacking
victory.
Dave Wood also outplayed his opponent while the Thorns
solidly controlled the three remaining drawn games.
Result: Glastonbury 4.5 Yeovil 1.5
Charles Marsh West League
| Team
|
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Points |
| Glastonbury
|
9 |
7 |
1 |
1 |
15 |
| Sedgemoor |
7 |
6 |
0 |
1 |
13 |
| Yeovil |
9 |
4 |
2 |
3 |
9 |
| Taunton |
7 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
6 |
| Weston-s-Mare |
5 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
3 |
| Chard & Ilminster |
8 |
2 |
1 |
5 |
5 |
| Wellington |
7 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
1 |
Sadly Glastonbury’s Henry Powell season came to
disappointing end with a 2.5-3.5 defeat away to Taunton. A
last-minute illness caused the loss of team captain Tony
Bamford which put the rest of the side at a strong
disadvantage. The few consolations were another impressive
winning performance from Rhys Cumming, a good victory for
Soni Sharan, and a welcome draw by emergency replacement
Roger Fenton.
Monday 23 March 2009
Glastonbury play in both the West and
Central divisions of the Somerset Vice Presidents league and
each of their teams saw action in the past seven days.
Success came for the VP West side with a convincing 3-1
victory away to Wellington. This result means that the
Thorns are now odds-on to retain the title they have held
for the past two seasons.
This achievement is due in no small measure to the efforts
of team captain Ralph Carver, so it was fitting that he
chalked up a final personal victory before being forced to
end his season early for a spell in hospital.
Sadly, things did not go so well for the VP Central outfit
who suffered a surprise 2.5-1.5 home defeat to Frome.
The match, however, had two notable features. Firstly, like
all good things, Ian Holle’s remarkable personal run of 11
straight victories came to an end when he misjudged a move
when in a clearly superior position.
Secondly, Paul Moody became involved in a game of such
exceptional complexity that it would have tested the powers
of the latest generation of chess computers. It was only
Paul’s powers of intense concentration that allowed him to
see just a little deeper than his opponent and successfully
deliver an impressive knight and pawns endgame.
Monday 16 March 2009
Last week Tor Leisure Centre saw an
evening of top-flight chess as Glastonbury hosted a crucial
match against Yeovil. In their previous meeting the Thorns
had gone down to a heavy defeat, so only a clear win could
prevent the visitors taking the Somerset Premier league
title.
The vital nature of the contest prompted the home side to
prepare an “ambush” in the form of local chess grandmaster,
and leading British player, Matthew Turner. On arrival the
Yeovil outfit looked suitably subdued by this unexpected
development.
The early stages of the match were encouraging for
Glastonbury. A draw from Ben Wade and a smart winning
combination by Harry Streeter established a 1.5-0.5 lead.
However, Yeovil then equalised when Roger Morgan lost-out at
the end of an aggressive game, which left all three
remaining contests undecided as the 3-hour time limit
loomed.
Matthew Turner’s east European opponent put up a brave
fighting display, but Glastonbury’s man established a narrow
positional advantage which, at this high level of chess, was
always going prove decisive.
A lot now rested on the shoulders of 15 year-old Rhys
Cumming playing on second board. But, unfortunately, he
could not quite overcome the experience of leading Somerset
county player Andrew Footner and was eventually forced to
resign. Finally, team captain Tony Bamford just failed to
turn his strong attack into a victory. The agreed draw meant
that the match points were also shared.
So Yeovil departed as worthy 2008-9 league champions leaving
the Thorns needing to win their final match to secure a
creditable runners-up spot.
Match Result: Glastonbury 3 Yeovil 3
Monday 9 March 2009
Last
autumn Glastonbury began their season in the Vice Presidents
Central league with two consecutive defeats. In a
relatively small grouping of only five competitors, this
appeared to bring an early end to any title chances.
But from that low point the Thorns have bounced back with a
series of victories that have, improbably, put them back
into contention. Last week saw an away fixture at Wincanton
where the renewed confidence of team captain Stuart Marsh’s
quartet was again in evidence.
Paul Moody quickly refuted his opponent’s optimistic
positional sacrifice and Ian Holle overcame early problems
to establish an emphatic 2-0 advantage. Stuart Marsh
himself then secured the match points following some assured
endgame technique.
In the previous encounter, last December, Glastonbury had
triumphed with a
4-0 whitewash and only a last-minute draw by Roger Fenton
saw Wincanton escape the same embarrassing fate on this
occasion.
Match result: Wincanton 0.5 Glastonbury 3.5
Vice Presidents Central League
| Team
|
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Points |
| Gillingham |
5
|
4 |
0 |
1 |
8 |
| Glastonbury |
6 |
4 |
0 |
2 |
8 |
| Wincanton |
6 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
5 |
| Frome |
4 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
| Yeovil |
6 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
3 |
Monday 2 March 2009
Last week’s Charles
Marsh West league match saw Glastonbury with an
exceptionally powerful team and visitors Taunton weakened by
the absence of several key players. A straightforward
victory for the Thorns seemed assured.
But sometimes individuals can perform above and below their
normal strength and so it proved on this occasion. After 90
minutes of play Ben Wade had already agreed a draw and in
all five other contests Glastonbury were either in losing
positions or with no obvious winning chances.
However, very slowly, the superior firepower of the Thorns
began to assert itself. Firstly Dave Wood and team captain
Paul Moody eventually overcame brave resistance from their
lowly ranked opponents. Then Roger Morgan and Harry
Streeter both salvaged draws from games where defeat had
seemed very possible.
Finally, with only seconds of the allotted 3 hours playing
time remaining, Tim Wallis inched to a victory that gave the
match score a misleadingly wide margin.
Match Result: Glastonbury 4.5
Taunton 1.5
So Glastonbury return to the top of this league table,
though they have played two more matches than title-chasing
rivals Sedgemore.
Monday 23 February 2009
Glastonbury’s strong hopes of winning
this year’s Somerset Cup came crashing down last week with a
semi-final exit at Yeovil.
The Thorns always knew that their rivals tend to present an
even tougher proposition when playing at home but, on
arrival at the match venue, they found the challenge even
steeper with the introduction of an east European chess
master on top board.
Though good wins by Paul Moody and Tim Wallis, plus a draw
from Roger Morgan saw Glastonbury take the better of the
contest on the lower boards, this did not come close to
compensating for a total 4-0 whitewash in the four leading
games.
Match Result: Yeovil 5.5 Glastonbury 2.5
There was some consolation for the Thorns in two league
victories in recent weeks. The Charles Marsh West team won a
close encounter away to Wellington. Successes by Tony
Bamford, Ben Wade and team captain Paul Moody resulted in a
3-2 lead, and the match points were secured by an excellent
fighting draw from Harry Streeter.
Match Result: Wellington 2.5 Glastonbury 3.5
The Vice Presidents West side recorded a crushing win over
Taunton (A) to strengthen their position as clear league
leaders. Tim Wallis, Ian Holle and team captain Ralph Carver
were the victorious trio.
Match Result: Taunton (A) 0.5 Glastonbury 3.5
Monday 26 January 2009
Glastonbury’s pursuit of the Henry
Powell Trophy (Somerset’s premier league) suffered an
unexpected setback last week following a home defeat by
Frome.
Good wins from Soni Sharan and team captain Tony Bamford,
plus a solid draw by Ben Wade, saw the match score level at
2.5-2.5 with one game to finish. Unfortunately this contest
went in favour of the visitors leaving the Thorns regretting
several missed opportunities.
Match Result: Glastonbury 2.5 Frome 3.5
There was much better news in the Vice Presidents West
encounter, played on the same evening, where the visitors
were the previously unbeaten Weston-super-Mare (A).
Glastonbury gave the Seasiders a lesson in all aspects of
chess with powerful wins by Jon Beale and Ian Holle allied
with clever defensive draws from Dave Wood and Ian Hockey.
Ian Holle’s result is particularly notable in that he has
now recorded eight successive victories in his first season
of competitive play.
So the Thorns added to their remarkable run in this league.
They have now remained unbeaten for no fewer than 35 matches
and it is nearly three years since their last defeat in
February 2006.
Match Result: Glastonbury 3 Weston-super-Mare (A) 1
Monday 19 January 2009
Glastonbury supplied four players for
the Somerset county side last week in the match against West
of England rivals Gloucestershire. And the Thorn’s quartet
played a crucial part in a narrow 8.5-7.5 victory.
The most notable successes came from the two youngest
players, Harry Streeter and Ben Wade. Harry, at age 16,
marked his county debut with a brilliant win. Ben (19), in
only his second game at this level, delivered the spoils to
Somerset when he coolly defeated a highly ranked opponent
with the overall match score tied at a tantalising 7.5-7.5.
Glastonbury also had two league victories in the last seven
days.
The Charles Marsh West team secured a tight 3.5-2.5 win from
a visit to Chard and Ilminster. It was, once again, Harry
Streeter who made the difference when he was the only player
to gain a full point in a match where all the other five
contests were drawn.
In the Vice Presidents Central league an excellent 3-1
triumph for the Thorns away to Yeovil (A) included wins by
Tim Wallis and Ian Holle.
Monday 12 January 2009
It was back in the halcyon economic
days of February 2006 that Glastonbury last suffered a
defeat in the Vice Presidents West League. An unbeaten run
of 33 matches.
Last week the team travelled to Bridgwater for a potentially
difficult fixture against Sedgemoor, looking to increase the
successful total to 34. The Thorns received an early New
Year bonus when match captain Ralph Carver’s opponent
blundered badly, fatally losing his queen.
The remaining three contests were all much more closely
fought and while Ian Hockey eventually secured a solid draw,
Roger Fenton lost out in a complex exchange of pieces.
So the result hinged on the final game featuring Tim Wallis
on top-board. Tim had established a clearly superior
position but used up much of his allotted time in doing so.
He therefore decided the offer of a draw was a safer option,
something his opponent gratefully accepted.
Match Result: Sedgemoor 2 Glastonbury 2
Monday 22 December 2008
Last week Glastonbury hosted a top of
the table clash in the Vice Presidents West league. The
visitors were Chard & Ilminster who arrived with a 100%
record from the first four matches of the season.
The first hour of play saw no clear advantage for either
side and it was no surprise when both team captain Ralph
Carver and top-board Dave Wood agreed draws that resulted in
an early 1-1 scoreline.
However, from that point the match tilted decisively in
Glastonbury’s favour. Ian Hockey won an important victory
largely due to a seasonal Christmas gift from his opponent
in the form of a free bishop. Then Ian Holle secured the
match points with another forceful win, his fifth straight
success since first starting to play competitive chess this
October.
So the Thorns return to a leading position in the league
that they have dominated for the past two seasons.
Match Result: Glastonbury 3 Chard & Ilminster 1
Glastonbury’s Vice Presidents Central quartet were also in
action last week and they too secured an excellent 3-1
victory away to Frome. Wins from team captain Stuart Marsh
and Harry Streeter were backed-up with solid draws by Roger
Fenton and Paul Moody to end 2008 in fine style.
Match Result: Frome 1 Glastonbury 3
Monday 15 December 2008
Glastonbury’s resources were stretched
last week as the Somerset fixture “computer” scheduled two
home matches on the same evening; both against leading teams
in the two respective leagues. Many clubs would have
postponed one of the contests but, such is their in-depth
strength at the moment, the Thorns decided they could find
the players to meet the challenge.
The more significant clash was in the Charles Marsh West
league where the visitors were fellow unbeaten
title-challengers Sedgemoor. Unfortunately the second hour
of play proved disastrous for Glastonbury. In rapid
succession, Jon Beale, Ben Wade and team captain Paul Moody
all went down to defeat.
Though the match could no longer be won the Thorns fought
on, and strong wins from Harry Streeter and Tim Wallis
brought the overall score back to 2-3. In the final game
Roger Morgan had the most complex of endgames against
Somerset county captain Ben Edgell, but, in pushing for a
win that would have shared the match spoils, the Glastonbury
man made a fatal error that ended the team’s chances of
recovery.
Match Result: Glastonbury 2 Sedgemoor 4
In the other match Glastonbury’s Vice Presidents West team
got off to a good start against Weston-super-Mare (B). A
draw by Ian Hockey followed by a win from Ian Holle secured
a promising 1.5-0.5 lead.
But in the final two games it suddenly seemed as if the
Thorns long run of success in this league was about to end
as both contests looked likely wins for the visitors.
However, Roy Turner (perhaps aided by a silent appeal to St.
Teresa, patron saint of chess players) saw a last minute
blunder by his opponent turn defeat into victory.
A final draw by Dave Wood was enough to give Glastonbury an
extremely flattering scoreline.
Match Result: Glastonbury 3 Weston-s-M (B) 1
Monday 8 December 2008
Glastonbury were at home last week for
a Vice Presidents Central match against Wincanton. So far
this season the Thorns have not performed well in this
league, but on this occasion they re-discovered their best
form.
In the early stages all four games were closely fought, with
the visitors appearing to have a slight positional edge in
three of the contests. Slowly however, the Glastonbury
quartet began to take control.
First to finish was Jon Beale who coolly defended an awkward
middle game period before unleashing an unstoppable rook and
bishop counterattack. Paul Moody then out-thought his
opponent during a complex exchange of pieces, and the match
points were secured when another win by Harry Streeter took
the overall score to 3-0.
The icing on the cake came when team captain Stuart Marsh
narrowly avoided losing on time before pouncing decisively
on an error by his opponent in the endgame.
So a resounding win by Glastonbury, but a somewhat harsh
score line for a Wincanton team who performed competitively
in all games.
Match Result: Glastonbury 4 Wincanton 0
Monday 1 December 2008
Glastonbury visited Yeovil last
Wednesday hoping to continue their winning start in the
Charles Marsh West league. On arrival it was soon apparent
that their opponents had selected an extremely strong group
of players and they were outgraded on most of the six
boards.
However, the Thorns are no longer daunted by a challenge and
the two youngest members of the side established an early
match lead. Harry Streeter found a brilliant rook sacrifice
to win the first game, followed by a very creditable draw by
Ben Wade against leading Somerset county stalwart Jim Fewkes.
Though a rare opening error resulted in defeat for team
captain Paul Moody, an excellent win by Tim Wallis restored
Glastonbury’s fortunes, giving them a 2.5-1.5 edge with two
games remaining.
Unfortunately, in both of these contests the Thorns were
facing strong threats and it was difficult to see how defeat
could be avoided. After a long period of resistance Tony
Bamford was indeed forced to resign. But then Dave Wood,
despite being a bishop down, managed to construct an
impregnable defensive barrier with his remaining pawns that
resulted in a forced drawn game and also a share of the
match points.
So Glastonbury remain unbeaten in this league and are
currently well on course to retain the championship trophy.
Match Result: Yeovil 3 Glastonbury 3
Monday 24 November 2008
Despite all their recent league
successes Glastonbury have performed poorly in the Somerset
Cup, with first round exits in the last three years. They
therefore travelled to Norton Radstock last week with some
trepidation. As their opponents play in East and Bristol
leagues they were something of an unknown quantity to the
Thorns and a tough challenge seemed likely.
However, it quickly became clear that this was to be a very
different cup evening. In barely an hour victories by Rhys
Cumming, Harry Streeter, Soni Sharan and (making a very
welcome return) Roy Turner, had established a 4-0 match
lead.
When Tim Wallis and Paul Moody added two more measured wins
there was the very real possibility of an 8-0 whitewash, a
scoreline that would be almost unprecedented in Somerset Cup
history.
Though Tony Bamford also pressed home a winning attack, the
blushes of the home side were very slightly spared when Ben
Wade generously offered his opponent a gratefully-accepted
draw. Glastonbury therefore march into the next round with a
crushing match score that will undoubtedly attract the
attention of their remaining rivals.
Match Result: Norton Radstock 0.5 Glastonbury 7.5
Monday 17 November 2008
Glastonbury hosted a six-board Charles
Marsh West match last week against Weston-super-Mare. It
proved to be a close and fluctuating contest.
The Thorns got off to a winning start when an aggressive
opening by Jon Beale saw him sweep aside his opponent’s
defences to record an early victory. Though a draw from Ian
Hockey consolidated the advantage, Roger Morgan found
leading Somerset county player Peter Chaplin’s play too
strong and the Seasiders levelled to match score at 1.5 -
1.5.
Glastonbury went ahead again when Dave Wood’s clever play
won a piece and several pawns, but a rare lapse by Ben Wade
saw him run out of the time allotted for the first 35 moves.
So, for the second time in recent weeks, the match result
depended on 16 year-old Harry Streeter. Harry had gambled by
sacrificing a rook for a knight to establish a hopefully
superior position. And the judgement of the Glastonbury
player proved correct as his opponent’s uncoordinated pieces
were forced into a position where there was no option but to
concede defeat.
So, after three matches in this league, the Thorns have a
100% record and are on course to retain the title they won
last year.
Match Result: Glastonbury 3.5 Weston-super-Mare 2.5
Monday 10 November 2008
Chess is one of very few sports where
all ages can compete on equal terms. This was shown clearly
last week when Glastonbury fielded a remarkable group of
players for a Henry Powell (Somerset’s Premier League)
contest against Taunton.
Team captain Tony Bamford and top-board Roger Morgan are
both well into the age of retirement, but the other four
team members have all yet to reach their 19th birthdays.
And, in a tight, closely fought match, it was youth that led
the way. 14 year-old Megan Owens delivered the first victory
of the evening followed by a further win for Ben Wade and a
draw from Harry Streeter.
Though leading 2.5-0.5 the Thorns then had to weather a
Taunton fight-back as two defeats saw the match score
levelled. The decisive result came when veteran Tony Bamford
forced his opponent into a possibly premature resignation.
Glastonbury therefore recorded their second successive win
to take an early lead in this season’s league
Match Result: Glastonbury 3.5 Taunton 2.5
The Glastonbury Vice Presidents West side also took-on a
Taunton team. Wins from Dave Wood, Ian Holle and team
captain Ralph Carver saw them home to another solid victory.
The Thorns now have an unbeaten record in this league that
stretches back 31 matches to February 2006.
Match Result: Glastonbury 3 Taunton (A) 1
Monday 3 November 2008
Glastonbury travelled down the M5 last
week for a six-board Charles Marsh West contest against
Taunton. And a match that initially seemed to be leading
towards an easy win for the Thorns turned out to have a
frenetic and nail-biting finish.
Team captain Paul Moody set the early tone, rapidly
defeating a hopelessly out-gunned opponent. This was
followed by another win for Tim Wallis and draws from
top-boards Tony Bamford and Ben Wade. With a 3-1 lead
Glastonbury now needed just a further half point from the
remaining two games.
But suddenly the simple win seemed to be slipping out of
reach. Roger Fenton went to down to defeat and, in the final
contest, 16 year-old Harry Streeter was two pawns down in a
complex knight endgame.
The watching spectators then noticed that the chess clocks
of Harry and his opponent showed that both had only minutes
left for all their remaining moves.
Their match was therefore forced into a game of blitz chess
with virtually instant responses from each player. In an
amazing flurry of activity Harry found the mental strength
to conjure-up an assured combination of moves that allowed
him to steal a draw and deliver two match points to the
team.
Match Result: Taunton 2.5 Glastonbury 3.5
Tuesday 21 October 2008
After a one-year gap, Glastonbury have
returned to the Henry Powell/Premier League of Somerset
chess, fielding a team in collaboration with Millfield
School.
Last week they travelled to the first match of the season
away to Frome and, almost immediately, the influx of
talented teenagers produced a winning return.
Harry Streeter pounced on a flawed opening gambit to force
victory in a mere 13 moves.
The Thorns consolidated this early success with draws from
first-time Millfield players Megan Owens and Alex Gould.
Then 18 year-old Glastonbury “stalwart” Ben Wade also shared
the spoils, which meant that when Tim Wallis successfully
wrapped-up his opponent in an impenetrable web of complexity
the match points were secured.
Though the home side secured a late consolation point when
team captain Tony Bamford fell to a narrow defeat, prospects
for the coming season look exceptionally bright.
Match Result: Frome 2.5 Glastonbury 3.5
Also last week, the Thorns’ Vice Presidents West team
continued the pursuit of their third successive league
title. Wins from team captain Ralph Carver and new
ex-Cheddar recruit Ian Holle combined with two drawn games
to produce a comfortable win over visitors from Wellington.
In this league Glastonbury have now remained unbeaten for a
remarkable 30 matches stretching back to February 2006.
Match Result: Glastonbury 3 Wellington 1
Monday 13 October 2008
The new chess season began this week
with matches for three of Glastonbury’s four league teams.
After the double trophy-winning success of last year, the
Thorns have set their sights even higher for 2008/9.
The Charles Marsh West sextet hosted a contest last Monday
against visitors from Wellington. The home side quickly
settled into familiar devastating form as wins from
top-board newcomer Roger Morgan, Dave Wood and Ian Hockey
established an impregnable 3-0 lead.
Straightforward draws from team captain Paul Moody and Tim
Wallis were then more than enough to secure maximum points.
Match Result: Glastonbury 4 Wellington 2
Last Thursday the Vice Presidents West side travelled to
Weston-super-Mare for a four-board match against the
Seasider’s (A) team. The highlight in a slightly
disappointing draw was a strong win by ex-Cheddar player Ian
Holle who was playing his first ever league game.
Match Result: Weston-super-Mare (A) 2 Glastonbury 2
Finally, the Vice Presidents West quartet took-on a fairly
powerful team from Yeovil. Despite an excellent win by Harry
Streeter and a solid draw by top-board Dave Wood the Thorns
went down to a narrow defeat.
Match Result: Glastonbury 1.5 Yeovil 2.5
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