First round setback for Summer League champions

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.

Teams are competing for The Winterton Trophy, sponsored by Richard Winterton Auctioneers. (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