First round setback for Summer League champions

Lichfield & District Summer League

The Lichfield Summer League is underway, with three matches played at The Guildhall on Thursday 21st May.

Rugeley, last year’s winners of the Lichfield Summer League suffered a first round 3-1 defeat by Burton. The team was not helped by initially pulling out of the first round and was only able to field a full team by borrowing a player from Lichfield. Anushka Ramawickrama, Terry Knight and Graeme Drayton were the winners for Burton. The top two boards battled to the end with skipper Dan Turner gaining a consolation point for Rugeley on Board 2.

Round One matched the two Lichfield teams against one another, and teenager Emilie Nastase, winner of two club trophies at the AGM a few days earlier, gave the B team a good start by drawing with Mick Horrigan, a former first team stalwart returning to the club after many years. The other rounds were all hard fought with the B team eventually recording late wins from skipper Peter Rose, Rob Frost and Maurizio Baravalle.

Norton Canes collected two early wins on the bottom boards from Isaac Adams, a teenage guest player from Lichfield, and veteran and former Lichfield member, Brian Jones. Peter McConnell then put Tamworth back in the picture by beating Evan Millerchip and then there was a long wait for Norton’s Mike Hoare and Tamworth’s John Coates to decide the points. Not surprisingly, it was drawn, giving Norton a 2.5 – 1.5 victory. (Matches played: 21st May)

Full Results:

• Lichfield A 0.5 - Lichfield B 3.5
• Rugeley 1 - Burton 3
• Norton Canes 2.5 - Tamworth 1.5