Surprise! Cumbernauld A 2 ½ - 2 ½ Dunfermline A 19/05/2014

Cumbernauld A 2 ½ - 2 ½ Dunfermline A

S Kelly ½ - ½  I Robertson

R Stirrat ½ - ½ A W Forbes

D Johnstone 1-0 P Horne

G Thomson ½ - ½ G Webb

S Monaghan 0-1 T Russell

The “surprise” was that Cumbernauld had said they would be fielding mainly second team players.  However no-one informed the 4 Cumbernauld first team players who turned up to play!   I might not have got anyone stronger from Dunfermline in any event for a match with nothing at stake but it was most odd for Cumbernauld to say one thing and do another.   I should say there was also surprise from the Cumbernauld players that I had been told this and Steven did apologise on their behalf.

In the match there were 3 quick draws though Ian was a bit better placed on board 1.  On board 2 Andy played his first competitive game for more than a decade but kept it simple for an early draw.  The Georges’ repeated position after Cumbernauld’s George did not notice he had a choice of squares. Dunfermline won on 5 after Steven dropped a rook in what till then had been a tight game.  Peter lost a drawn endgame after getting bored repeating the drawing pattern and played a more adventurous rook move ‘just for something different’ which unfortunately gave David the one tempo he needed to get out of the bind.