Monday’s terrific win over Margate must have been a bitter blow to our local rivals who brought with them the strongest team they have put out against us for some years. Needless to say, there were some fine performances from the home side with several contenders for Game of the Week. Bob Cronin is first out of the traps with this excellent win against Clive Le Baigue who, along with Colin Gregory, having lost against Broadstairs in the Hargreaves last week, returned only to lose again.
White: Clive Le Baigue (118) Black: Bob Cronin (104)
Millar Cup v Margate
Broadstairs 4½ Margate 2½
| 1 | David Faldon (174) | 1-0 | Dennis Stokes-Carter (152 ) |
| 2 | Bob Page (135) | 0-1 | Harry Sharples (150) |
| 3 | Paul Carfrae (133) | 1-0 | John Thorley (145) |
| 4 | John Couzens (116) | ½ -½ | Peter McGill (144) |
| 5 | Reg Pidduck (107) | 0-1 | David Rogers (e125) |
| 6 | Andy Flood (106) | 1-0 | Colin Gregory (122) |
| 7 | Bob Cronin (104) | 1-0 | Clive Le Baigue (118) |
David Faldon writes:
This was a most unexpected win that gets our Millar Cup season off to the best of all possible starts! Our prospects looked bleak at 7.30pm when Margate turned up with a very strong team boosted by two promising young off-season signings from Woodnesborough: Dennis Stokes-Carter and David Rogers. Our prospects looked even bleaker by 8.30pm. Reg (board 5) had already resigned and Bob P (board 2) was a piece down. Around 9pm things took a turn for the worse. I lost a pawn for less than nothing (on board 1) and Paul (board 3) was under serious pressure. Our other three boards were doing OK but, given that their opponents were much higher graded, a 0-7 loss was a clear possibility. The next hour or so passed in a bit of a blur for me as I struggled hard not to lose without putting up a fight, but then Bob C (board 7) had won with black and there were signs of hope. Bob P (board 2) resigned a few minutes later to leave us 1-2 down, but then came a huge switch of fortune. My young opponent on board 1 suddenly spoilt what would have been a well-played victory for him with one awful move and the match was level. 2-2 then became 3-2 for us when Paul (board 3) turned the tables on his opponent too and then 3-2 became 4-2 when Andy (board 6) finished off with a clever attack in a tricky ending. We had won. As it no longer mattered to the result of the match, John’s game on board 4 was then agreed drawn, but, rather than being an anti-climax, this could well have been the best game of the match. John kept the pressure on his strong opponent all the way through and certainly deserved his draw. Hopefully we can all check out John’s game (as well as Paul’s and Andy’s and Bob C’s) on an upcoming “game of the week”. Such a spectacular match victory certainly deserves more than one game of the week.
This is Michael’s second entry for Game of the Week this season and it is interesting to see how White not only manages to extricate his Queen trapped for twenty moves but goes on to win the game. The win was vital because it helped Broadstairs win a narrow match against Margate (see earlier report).
White: Michael Doyle (81) Black: Roy McAloney (83)
Walker Shield v Margate
Broadstairs 2½ Margate 1½
| 1 | Reg Pidduck (107) | ½-½ | John Clarke (104) |
| 2 | Bob Cronin (104) | 1-0 | Leon Garfield (100) |
| 3 | Michael Doyle (81) | 1-0 | Roy McAloney (83) |
| 4 | Michael Jenkinson (80) | 0-1 | James Maskell (74) |
Reg Pidduck writes:
BOARD 4. STEADY JAMES . James Maskell was first to finish with a solid performance against our higher graded Michael Jenkinson. 1-0 down
BOARD 3. A CAPTAIN’S INNINGS. Our new Walker captain started with a win. Michael takes up the story. “Being unfamiliar with the Scandinavian Defence as I was, I still gained a rook for nothing but in doing so got my Queen trapped. Finally escaping, I won with a Bishop and Knight threatening mate. 1-1
BOARD 1. SECOND TIME IN A WEEK. John Clarke and I had also played each other on Monday in the Hargreaves Shield but I could not repeat my win this time as John kept me at bay from my better position. Down to a rook and three pawns each, the game was decided a draw. 1.5-1.5
BOARD 2. YET AGAIN BOB. Our Bob Cronin always seems to come up with the goods in our close matches. Going into the endgame, he was a Knight up but still had a determined Leon to contend with. He finally got a passed pawn and won the game and the match for Broadstairs. 2.5- 1.5
A first win for our new captain and I hope there are many more.
Broadstairs 3 Margate 1
| 1 | Bob Page (135) | 1-0 | Colin Gregory (122) |
| 2 | Paul Carfrae (133) | 1-0 | Clive Le Baigue (118) |
| 3 | Reg Pidduck (107) | 1-0 | John Clarke (104) |
| 4 | Andy Flood (106) | 0-1 | Leon Garfield (100) |
Bob Page writes:
This was our first win of the new campaign and a fairly comfortable one, too. Margate arrived fresh from a 4-0 victory over Folkestone but they were outgraded on every board in this match and it did not take long for the home team to get into their stride. First to finish was Paul on board 2. Keen to atone for his defeat last week, he took the game to Clive in typical Carfrae fashion and as pieces flew off the board, Black had no answer and resigned after 17 moves. Reg was also soon on top against John and won a piece early on, converting it to a straightforward win soon after. The other two games took a little longer. On board 1 Colin unnecessarily gave away a central pawn and then another. He held on for 57 moves but the result was never really in doubt. 3-0 to Broadstairs and it looked like being a whitewash as Andy was two pawns ahead in the battle of the southpaws on board 4. One mistake was all it took, however: one minute his bishop was on the board and then it was gone! Andy fought on but the game was Leon’s and the match finally finished at about 10.30. So a win and a draw from the first two matches and suddenly the Bridge result last week does not seem too disappointing.