Muldoons claim Silver King in thrilling finale
Division 1
- Muldoons 1 3.5-1.5 Ballynafeigh 1
- The A Team 2.5-2.5 CS Lewis Lions
- Bangor Groomsport 0.5-4.5 QUB 1
Title rivals Muldoons 1 and Ballynafeigh 1 battled it out over the Silver King, with the champions needing to score at least 3.5 points to hang on to the title. Instead, though, it was Muldoons 1 who won 3.5-1.5 to claim their first Silver King, thanks to wins by Nicholas Pilkiewicz, Gareth Annesley and Stephen Wood and a draw by Des Moreland against Damien Lavery. The A Team drew with the CS Lewis Lions while QUB 1 beat an already-relegated Bangor Groomsport side 4.5-0.5.
Division 2
- Ballynafeigh 2 5-0 Muldoons 2
- Kelly's Heroes 4-1 CS Lewis Witches
Ballynafeigh 2 needed only a draw to secure the John Strawbridge Cup, but a line-up consisting of Chris Black, Mikhail Pavlov, Eoin Carey, Robert Lavery and Dennis Wilkinson whitewashed Muldoons 2, a result that also confirmed the latter side's relegation. Kelly's Heroes, now with nothing but pride to play for, beat the CS Lewis Witches 4-1 the following night.
Division 3
- QUB 2 3-2 Ballynafeigh 3
- Andrew's Army 3.5-1.5 Ballynafeigh 4
- Bangor Wannabees 0-5 QUB 3
QUB 2 sealed the Division 3 title with a 3-2 win over Ballynafeigh 3, with Bernard McCaughey, Paul Reaney and Ram Rajan securing the decisive wins. The upset of the week occurred in Ballynafeigh 4's 1.5-3.5 defeat to Andrew's Army, as Daniil Zelenchuk (850) shocked Andrew Todd (1305). Elsewhere, QUB 3 whitewashed the Bangor Wannabees to consign them to the wooden spoon.
Standings
Division 1 | Division 2 | Division 3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Muldoons 1 | 70 | Ballynafeigh 2 | 79 | QUB 2 | 83 |
Ballynafeigh 1 | 62.5 | Kelly's Heroes | 74 | Andrew's Army | 74 |
QUB 1 | 55.5 | Fruithill | 46 | Ballynafeigh 3 | 53 |
CS Lewis Lions | 54 | NI Civil Service | 37.5 | Ballynafeigh 4 | 38 |
The A Team | 52 | CS Lewis Witches | 37.5 | QUB 3 | 36.5 |
Bangor Groomsport | 21 | Muldoons 2 | 34 | Bangor Wannabees | 24.5 |
There are two postponed matches still to be played (Fruithill vs NICS in division 2 and QUB 2 vs Andrew's Army in division 3) - neither will have an impact on championships or relegations, though.