In Division 2 of the Middlesex League, our 2nd team got back on track by keeping a clean sheet against an understrength Ealing 2 side.
Hendon 2 | Hendon 2 | Ealing 2 | Ealing 2 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Willmoth, Robert F | 191 | 1 - 0 | Grozdanic, Nevenko | 169 | ||
2 | Raoof, Adam N | 180 | 1 - 0 | Greenshields, C | 171 | ||
3 | Rogers, Tim L | 179 | 1 - 0 | Tserendorj, Sainbayar | 167 | ||
4 | Bennett, Michael K | 179 | 1 - 0 | Collacott, Nick P | 155 | ||
5 | Warman, Simon M | 178 | 1 - 0 | Winterbotham, Mark | 153 | ||
6 | Ellis, Daniel | 173 | 1 - 0 | Healeas, Simon | 151 | ||
7 | Kennedy, Craig | 172 | 1 - 0 | Johnstone, Alastair G | 144 | ||
8 | Dragomir, Ionica O | 168 | 1 - 0 | Gibbons, C Dale | 140 | ||
8 - 0 |
Mini-report by Adam Raoof
Nobody can remember a time when we managed to win a match with a clean sheet, and in fact it wasn’t so long ago that our 2nd team was being whitewashed on a regular basis! Nevertheless this was a match where we had a numerical advantage and the benefit of some undergraded players to shock the opposition into submission.
Rob looked like he was getting a smooth advantage on the black side of the French Advanced, and quickly exchanged into an ending of two minor pieces vs. a rook, which proved only marginally more tricky to win than he thought.
I was outplayed, but set my opponent one or two traps, and the mating finish took him by surprise.
Of the other games I saw Dan doing his usual tightrope walk and sporting the new Hendon Sharks t-shirt – great psychology! – and his opponent hit a pothole eventually.
Mike’s game proceeded along similar lines – his opponent won material with a neat tactic, but then went wrong just before the time control and lost on the dark squares.
Ionica, Craig and Simon won smooth games and Tim wrapped up the match by grinding out a won double rook endgame.
On the other side of the room the 4th team almost did it again, starting with the advantage of two defaults and only dropping half a point more.