City of Belfast Championship
This event attracted 32 players, including four past and present Ulster champions. Top seed Tom Clarke was the only player with full points after three rounds but then losses in the next two rounds to Steve Scannell and Richard McMaster put him out of contention. Going into the final round Scannell and McMaster, who had drawn with each other in Round 3, were in the lead with 4½ points, with Nicholas Pilkiewicz next on 4. McMaster had on paper the easiest task of the three leaders in the last round, being rated over 400 points better than his opponent Tony Parker, but in the end he had a very hard struggle before scoring the full point. North Belfast team-mates Scannell and Pilkiewicz were paired against each other and it was the latter who eventually won in a game that went down to the last minute of the playing session.
Leading final scores: 1st Richard McMaster 5½/6; 2nd Nicholas Pilkiewicz 5; 3rd equal Steve Scannell and Neil Fisher (who had an excellent last round win against former Ulster champion Michael Holmes) 4½ (Scannell took the 3rd place prize on tie-break but Fisher had the consolation of winning the under 1800 rating prize); 5th equal Tom Clarke, Kieran Greer, David Robb and Mark Newman 4; 9th equal Michael Holmes, Des Moreland, Tony Parker (who took the under 1650 rating prize), Stephen McCann and Alan Burns 3½.
Although the tournament was run in one section the Junior (under 1450) competitors had their own prize list and here David Collins and Ian Woodfield shared 1st with 3 points with David O’Donnell taking 3rd prize on 2½.
COMPLETE RESULTS
1. R. McMASTER 5.5
2. N. PILKIEWICZ 5
3-4. S. SCANNELL, N. FISHER 4.5
5-8. T. CLARKE, K. GREER, D. ROBB, M. NEWMAN 4
9-13. M. HOLMES, D. MORELAND, T. PARKER S. McCANN, A. BURNS 3.5
14-20. D. MALLAGHAN, J. STRAWBRIDGE, P. McLOUGHLIN, J. McLEAN, D. BARLOW, D. COLLINS, I. WOODFIELD 3
21-24. A. COOTES, S. McCONAGHY, W. STOREY, D. O'DONNELL 2.5
25-30. G. ANNESLEY, C. DUNLEAVY. E. MORGAN, J. CLIFFORD, R.TRIGGS, S. LINTON 2
31. J. CAHOON 1
32. J. WOODFIELD 0
