TELEPOST CHESS CLUB 

Telepost B have won the Shropshire Rapidplay Division 2 title with three games to spare courtesy of a fine performance by Telepost C in the latest round of matches. The B team were not involved in the latest match night, hosted by Newport and including an impressive spread of refreshments, but their lead in the competition was such that rivals Maddocks C needed a minimum of four points from the night's three games to stay within mathematical touching distance.

Maddocks started well with a win over Newport B before drawing against Telford B - opening the door for Telepost C to squash Maddocks' lingering hopes in the final match of the evening. A draw on top board for captain Steve Wilson and wins against higher-rated opponents by Shane Sweeney and Alex Brims were enough to clinch Telepost's first team silverware of the season. Telepost B, with 8 wins and one draw, will now look to ice the cake by remaining unbeaten when the final match night takes place in May.

One of the longest running rivalries in Shropshire chess was resumed as Telepost A hosted Newport A in Division One. The top board clash between Nigel Ferrington and Nick Rutter has often proved decisive in the fixture and this was no exception, with the pair last to finish as the score stood at 2.5-1.5 to Telepost courtesy of draws by Phil Zabrocki, Matthew Clark and David Hodge and a win on bottom board by John Bashall, continuing his excellent season. With less than two minutes left, Ferrington's two rooks prevailed against Rutter's queen to edge the endgame - the 3.5-1.5 win means the A team are two points behind Newport with one game in hand in what looks like a very tight fight for the top two spots. League leaders Maddocks are due to host Telepost B this Thursday.

In Division Two, Telepost D chalked up their first point of the season with a home draw against Maddocks C. The Ds were boosted on the night by two evergreen reserves, Graham Shepherd and Peter Crean...