Some unfinished business in the Munster League concluded today as the final 2 rounds from the COVID interrupted 2019-2020 season were played. It was tight at the top as Sarsfields, Cork A and Ennis all battled for the title. Cork A led the way going into today but a defeat to 2nd placed Sarsfields in the first match of the day, meant Ennis could go first if we beat Limerick A.
Limerick A 1-4 Ennis
J. Naughton 0-1 O. Gubanov
C. Kirby 0-1 R. Quinn
D. Chaudarov 0.5-0.5 O. Murchadha
R. O’Brien 0-1 T. Dunne
G. Stack 0.5-0.5 K. O’Brien (Capt.)
Winning 4-1 meant we had a slender lead over Sarsfields going into the last round. However, our last round game was against Cork A who could still win the title themselves by beating us, whereas Sarsfields played Limerick B which, on paper, was an easier match. A stunning victory in the last round meant we won the title for the first time since the 2016/2017 season.
Ennis 4.5-0.5 Cork A
O. Gubanov 1-0 S. Murphy
R. Quinn 1-0 H. de Jonge
O. Murchadha 1-0 H.R. Manasa
T. Dunne 0.5-0.5 S. Lawrence
K. O’Brien (Capt.) 1-0 M. Bradley
Ennis B also had a match today and finished the season on a high with a win against Cork B.
Ennis B 5-0 Cork B
L. Daros (Capt.) 1-0 M. Watkins
N. Whelan 1-0 M. McGrath
R. Marshall 1-0 S. Shindgi
P. Timlin 1-0 H.S. Muhammad
J. O’Sullivan w/o
Ennis A – Munster League Division 1 Winners 2019-2020 Season
There were matches in both divisions of the Munster League yesterday. Ennis A had matches against Limerick A and Cork A while the B team played a double header against Dungarvan after one of their scheduled opponents didn’t travel.
Ennis A 1-4 Limerick A
1. R Quinn 1-0 R Delaney
2. T Dunne 0-1 J Vaughan
3. G O’Brien 0-1 K O’Flaherty
4. J Cassidy 0-1 N MCDonnell
5. G Casey 0-1 C Kirby
Cork A 3.5-1.5 Ennis A
1. J Shanel 1-0 R Quinn
2. SJ Murphy 1-0 T Dunne
3. P Leichert 1-0 G O’Brien
4. H De Jonge 0.5-0.5 J Cassidy
5. L Hackett 0-1 G Casey
Ennis B 4-1 Dungarvan
1. A Daly 0.5-0.5 E Lambden
2. J Dunne 1-0 J Lucey
3. L Daros 1-0 I Gordon
4. B Farragher 0.5-0.5 P O’Mahony
5. J O’Sullivan 1-0 w/o
Dungarvan 2.5-2.5 Ennis B
1. E Lambden 1-0 A Daly
2. J Lucey 1-0 J Dunne
3. I Gordon 0-1 L Daros
4. P O’Mahony 0.5-0.5 B Farragher
5. w/o 0-1 J O’Sullivan
Ennis A played a double header against Sarsfields in Limerick yesterday. A win and a draw meant that Ennis went top of the table after these results. Sarsfields defaulted on top board.
Sarsfields 2.5-2.5 Ennis A
1. w/o 0-1 R Quinn
2. P Kiely 0-1 N Larter
3. M O’Grady 1-0 M O’Donnell
4. F Noonan 1-0 J Cassidy
5. D Clancy 0.5-0.5 K Higgins
Ennis A 4-1 Sarsfields
1. R Quinn 1-0 w/o
2. K Higgins 1-0 P Kiely
3. N Larter 0.5-0.5 M O’Grady
4. M O’Donnell 0.5-0.5 F Noonan
5. J Cassidy 1-0 D Clancy
Ennis B also had matches yesterday, going down to 2 narrow losses in what’s proving to be a very competitive division this year.
Cork B 3-2 Ennis B
1. S Lawrence 1-0 B Farragher
2. B Foran 0.5-0.5 L Daros
3. D O’Kelly 0-1 D Murphy
4. D O’Mahony 0.5-0.5 J O’Sullivan
5. M Watkins 1-0 P Timlin
Ennis B 2-3 Charleville
1. B Farragher 0.5-0.5 PJ Rea
2. L Daros 0-1 A King
3. D Murphy 1-0 K Cole
4. J O’Sullivan 0.5-0.5 A Kilgore
5. P Timlin 0-1 P Meskell
The postponed round of the Munster League was played today with both Ennis teams in action. The A team needed to at least match Sarsfields result to ensure second place. That we did with a comprehensive victory over Charleville meaning we finished in 2nd place for the season.
Ennis A 4.5 – 0.5Charleville
1. R Quinn 0.5 – 0.5 C Buenos
2. J Williams 1-0 PJ Rea
3. T Dunne 1-0 A King
4. N Larter 1-0 K Cole
5. G Casey 1-0 P Meskell
The B team had a narrow loss to Cork B in their match.
Ennis B 2-3 Cork B
1. D Murphy 0-1 M Watkins
2. L Daros 1-0 P Doyle
3. J Dunne 1-0 E Vaughan
4. C McGorrian 0-1 A Ranade
5. T Holland 0-1 S Sumanth
After todays results in the Munster League Cork A will be Division 1 Champions and Limerick B are looking good for Division 2. Ennis A were tied on match points with Cork A going into todays games but we were held to a draw by Limerick A in the first match.
Ennis A 2.5-2.5 Limerick A
1. R Quinn 0.5-0.5 R Delaney
2. T Dunne 1-0 D Chaudarov
3. L Scott 0.5-0.5 P Carey
4. M O’Donnell 0-1 J Solomatina
5. J Cassidy 0.5-0.5 R O’Brien
With Cork A having a comprehensive win over Sarsfields in the earlier round, it meant we were a half point behind them going into a winner takes all clash in the evening. Cork won the match to leave themselves 1.5 match points ahead with just a single round left.
Cork A 3-2 Ennis A
1. J Shanel 0-1 R Quinn
2. H Doyle 1-0 T Dunne
3. P Leichert 1-0 L Scott
4. H De Jonge 0.5-0.5 M O’Donnell
5. S Murphy 0.5-0.5 J Cassidy
Ennis B had a good result in the early round, holding Limerick B to a draw.They were beaten by Cork B in the second match.
Ennis B 2.5-2.5 Limerick B
1. D Murphy 0.5-0.5 P Foenander
2. J Dunne 0-1 D Fanning
3. L Daros 1-0 S Danaher
4. J O’Sullivan 1-0 T Dineen
5. P Timlin 0-1 H Prasad
Ennis B 1.5-3.5 Cork B
1. D Murphy 0-1 L Hackett
2. J Dunne 0-1 B Foran
3. L Daros 0.5-0.5 M Bradley
4. J O’Sullivan 1-0 M Watkins
5. P Timlin 0-1 S Shindji
The 2017/2018 season of the Munster League finished on Saturday in Charleville. Two teams were in with a chance of winning the title. CCYMS were going for a first Munster League title in 25 years and were slightly ahead of Sarsfields going into the final day.
Just one round was left to play and Sarsfields beat Limerick 3.5 to 1.5, with wins by Frank Noonan and Paul Kiely giving them the points as the other games were drawn. It also gave them the title as Cork A beat CCYMS 3-2 in their match.
We had a win over Charleville to finish fourth. A good result to finish the season but a slow start meant we were playing catch up for most of the season. Sarsfields victory over Limerick meant that Limerick and Cork B will go into the playoff with Division Two winners Tralee.
Ennis results from yesterday.
Ennis A 3.5:1.5 Charleville
1. R Quinn 1-0 PJ Rea
2. M O’Donnell 1-0 K Cole
3. J Cassidy 0.5-0.5 K Foley
4. P Quinlan 0-1 A King
5. G Casey 1-0 P Meskell
Some interesting results in todays Munster League. Charleville caused a shock in the first match of the day with a win over Sarsfields, a result which blew the chase for the title wide open and also had an impact on the relegation battle. Cork A were missing two players for their match with ourselves, a bit surprising considering they still had a chance to win the league. We won over the 3 boards that were played to give ourselves an outside shot at the title if we had beaten CCYMS in the last match. Unfortunately from our point of view a close match ended in a tie, Gerry Casey won in the last game to finish to ensure the points were shared.
The battle for first place looks like it will go down to the final series of games. CCYMS are still in a good position to win the title and also Sarsfields depending on how they finished in their second match this evening against Cork B.
Cork A 1-4 Ennis A
1. G Spyropoulos 0-1 R Quinn
2. T McGrath 0-1 M O’Donnell
3. S Lawrence 1-0 M Buckley
4. w/o 0-1 G Casey
5. w/o 0-1 A Shamsiddinov
CCYMS 2.5-2.5 Ennis A
1. K Moynihan 1-0 R Quinn
2. P O’Donovan 0.5-0.5 M O’Donnell
3. G McCarthy 0.5-0.5 M Buckley
4. P Dowdall 0-1 G Casey
5. T Myers 0.5-0.5 A Shamsiddinov
It’s going to be a close finish to Division 1 of the Munster League this year, as after yesterdays matches 3 teams, CCYMS, Sarsfields and Cork A are all still in contention for the title. After beating CCYMS in the first match, Sarsfields could have gone joint top with a win over Ennis A but we drew the match, a result that leaves Sarsfields half a point behind CCYMS but with a match in hand. Cork A are also still very much in with a chance, level with Sarsfields on match points but having played a match more. Ennis A results from yesterday are below.
Cork B 0-5 Ennis A
1. D. Smith 0-1 R Quinn
2. S Murphy 0-1 T Dunne
3. G Condon 0-1 M O’Donnell
4. M Weidner 0-1 J. Cassidy
5. A White 0-1 J Dunne
Ennis A 2.5-2.5 Sarsfields
1. R Quinn 1-0 P Walsh
2. T Dunne 0.5-0.5 P Kiely
3. M O’Donnell 0.5-0.5 F Noonan
4. J Cassidy 0.5-0.5 M O’Grady
5. J Dunne 0-1 L O’Brien
Well done to Tralee who it looks like have won Division 2. They were top of the table going into yesterdays matches and a win and a draw meant in their matches meant they finish clear first. Ennis B’s results are below.
Ennis B 1.5-3.5 Dungarvan
1.A Shamsiddinov 0-1 E Lambden
2. C McGorrian 0-1 J Lucey
3. J O Sullivan 0.5-0.5 C Coughlan
4. S Hehir 1-0 I Gordon
5. P Timlin 0-1 P O’Mahony
Ennis B 2-3 Limerick B
1. A Shamsiddinov 1-0 D Fanning
2. C McGorrian 0.5-0.5 P Foenander
3. J O’Sullivan 0-1 S Danaher
4. S Hehir 0.5-0.5 T Dineen
5. P Timlin 0-1 H Prasad
Ennis had one match today and it turned out to be a very competitive one going right down to the wire. A win for Gerry Casey and a draw by John Cassidy had us a point ahead before James Naughton equalised the scores with a win over Nick Larter. I put us in the lead again although Niall McDonnell probably missed a chance to consolidate an extra pawn at one point. This meant the result of the match depended on the result of Paul Carey vs Mike O’ Donnell. This turned into a bit of a marathon as it lasted over 4.5 hours and I’m not sure how many moves. It looked like Mike missed a win in the late middlegame and it could have ended in a draw but Paul managed to take the win and the match ended in a draw.
Limerick 2.5-2.5 Ennis A
1. N McDonnell 0-1 R Quinn
2. J Naughton 1-0 N Larter
3. P Carey 1-0 M O Donnell
4. R O’Brien 0.5-0.5 J Cassidy
5. T Jennings 0-1 G Casey
Just the one round earlier today in the first division and our match with Cork went well as we took our second win of this season with a 3-2 victory, Gerry Casey sealing the match win with a good win against Gerard Condon.
Ennis A 3-2 Cork A
1. R Quinn 1-0 D Smith
2. J Cassidy 0-1 H De Jonge
3. R Kildea 0-1 B De Gorvic
4. M O’Donnell 1-0 L Hackett
5. G Casey 1-0 G Condon
Ennis Chess 