4NCL report
This weekend some 21 players from Suffolk took part in the third 4NCL weekend, at the Puma hotels in Hinckley and Daventry.
High-flying Anglian Avengers 1 are hoping to be promoted from Division 2 this season and their strong squad is certainly doing well. Facing two of their strongest opponents they won 6 – 2 on Saturday and drew with the leaders 4 – 4 today. The team’s star performer was their captain, Mark Gray, who won both his games. Ed Player scored 1½, Shaun Munson 1, David Spence and Silas Peck ½ point each. AA1 now lie in second place in Pool A of Division 2 with nine match points. Leaders Warwickshire Select have 11 points. After Round 7 on 22 March, Pool A and Pool B will be merged, with the top four in each pool forming a new ‘promotion pool’. It’s vital that Anglian Avengers 1 retain their current position, so a win (or a draw) in Round 7 is essential.
In Division 3 there are four Suffolk-based teams. Anglian Avengers 2 are now in third place after a win and a loss this weekend.   Their loss (the first of the season) was to the runaway leaders, Guildford 3, who have now won all their six matches. AA2 have nine points, a point behind second-placed Kings Head 2. Mike Cook was their best scorer with 1½ points, whilst Steve Gregory and Ian Wallis managed ½ point each.
Iceni 1 had a disastrous match on Saturday, losing 5 – 1 and no one winning (just two draws). But on Sunday managed a closely-fought 3½-2½ win. Both Paul Botham and John Feavyour drew their games, whilst John Peters had one draw.
The third Anglian Avengers team could only manage two points (out of a possible 12) from the weekend, with a whitewash on Saturday and a 2 – 4 loss on Sunday. The only Suffolk scorers were Martin Fogg and Keith Woodcock, who each drew one game. Richard Lamont, Simon Riley and Alex Sheerin came away empty-handed.
Iceni 2 on the other hand had a good weekend. Following a 4½-½ scoreline on Saturday (assisted by two defaults from their opponents), they drew 3 – 3 on Sunday. Laurie Pott scored 1½ points, Dominic Carter won his only game, Jon Collins recorded one draw and Vivian Woodward lost his only game.
So after six matches, Division 3 standings are as follows:
Guildford 3 – 12
Kings Head 2 – 10
Anglian Avengers 2 – 9 (3rd place)
Iceni 1 – 8 (11th)
Iceni 2 – 6 (26th)
Anglian Avengers 3 – 5 (28th)
There are 49 teams in Division 3.
Finally, in the rarified atmosphere of Division 1, where most players are titled, Dagne Ciuksyte won one and lost one (to a GM).
The amazing admin team behind the 4NCL manage not only to update the results as they come in, but also have the games available for replay online. All of Saturday’s games can be seen here and no doubt today’s games will be available soon, certainly by tomorrow evening.