Brian Valentine lost on top board to De Coverly, who is thus guaranteed at least a share of the title. The tournament, like the British Championship proper, has been plagued by withdrawals. 21 entered the O-65 and top seed G H James had a fall at home and never started. For the last round the withdrawals now have reached 10, including the original 4/4 leader Oliver Jackson who then lost two games in a row. This has opened up the podium to Brian Valentine and me. Top board pairings for the final round (7):
Stimpson (3.5) De Coverly (5.5)
Bray (3.5) Myall (4.5)
Valentine (4) Habershon (3.5)
Jackson (4) has withdrawn
Prizes: 1st £240 2nd £120 3rd £60
I’m sure you will have seen that Andrew Ledger has a great chance to win the British – joint leader with Pert on 6/8 and playing a sub-2300 in the last round.