Lichfield’s top team’s best performance for several years

Birmingham League Division

Every since they won promotion from Division 2, Lichfield’s first team have had to fight to avoid relegation. This season they made a promising start, won all their ‘winnable’ games and are now certain to finish in the top half of the table. If they win their last match, another ‘winnable’,they may even finish fourth or fifth.

South Birmingham C team, their latest victims, were beaten 4-2, a victory kick started by John Keaveney, who was rewarded for his attacking with an early finish. It was much tougher on the other boards and as the evening became well advanced no one other than John had managed to do more than exchange a couple of pawns.

Then continual pressure by David Hulme gained material and he swept to a win while Maurice Staples negotiated a very tricky endgame of Knight and pawn versus three pawns to add another victory. David Pickering lost a close game in which he had some winning chances.

It now all depended on the top two boards. Turan Asgarova, playing Tim Lane, exerted pressure on her opponent’s Kingside but it all ended in a draw. Meanwhile Ben Nevett-Farman had to negotiate a difficult ending under some pressure, before finally forcing a repeated position. (Match played 12th March)