Our team went down to a narrow defeat by 1.5 – 2.5. Martin Pettinger maintained his unbeaten record with a draw on Board 1. Alex Bentley scored an excellent win with black on Board 2. However Eagle and Child powered home with wins on the lower boards in tense finishes that went down to the wire.
The match result was in line with ratings. The Ashfield Anonymous C team had an average rating of 1756, compared to the winners’ 1890. To put this in context, the Division 2 Final play-off on the same night was fought out between two sides with average ratings of 1858 and 1856.
I saved my worst game of the season for the Final, clocking two mistakes, seven blunders and an Average Centipawn Loss of 106. Ah, well there’s always next season.
Season 5 starts on Tuesday 25th January 2022, then every fortnight up to Tuesday 18th April 2022.
Phil Morgan