The initial emphasis In Division 1 was on the tussle to avoid relegation. With three teams sitting on 5 points the match between Morriston B and Emperors would determine who would end the week in the relegation spot. In the event the top two boards cancelled each other out but the match was convincingly won for the Emperors with wins on the bottom three boards. The 1-4 win for the Emperors gives them a welcome 2 point breathing space. Morriston B must now hope that they get some sort of result this coming Wednesday (8th March) when they travel to Llanelli to face fellow strugglers White Knights C.

At the other end of the table Nidum played host to White Knights B. A result for the Knights would have been something of a bonus for their A team who are chasing Nidum in the title race. Nidum, however, proved the stronger team and the result mirrored that of the previous night with draws on the top two boards and wins, in this case for Nidum, on the others. Nidum are now 7 points clear having played three more matches than White Knights A. The defining match of the season will probably be the face-off between the two leaders which is also taking place this Wednesday. The Knights need a win while a draw or a win for Nidum would keep them firmly in the driving seat with just two fixtures to play.

In Division 2 the leaders Swansea University had a narrow win over Briton Ferry Giants (3-2) after some confusion regarding a top board substitution. With the University's top board failing to show the team captains agreed on an “out of grading order” substitution but failed to mention the agreement on the match card. The confusion was soon cleared up, however, and the extra 2 points for the University keeps them well ahead of the field and increases their winning streak to six.

Bottom of the table Merlins struggled against a relatively strong White Knights D team. A draw on top board and a win on the bottom avoided total embarrassment for Merlins but the 3½-1½ win for the Knights ensured that Merlins remain firmly stuck on the bottom. If Merlins were to get relegated and the League structure stayed the same it would mean that the 6 team Division 3 would contain 3 teams all from the same club !

The one result in Division 3 was a comfortable 4-1 win for Morriston D over bottom placed Hawks. This result takes Morriston D back into top spot above their E team and it looks as though this battle could go down to the wire. Both teams now have just 3 fixtures still to play so taking it easy is not an option for either team.

03/03/2017