Bombardier whitewashed by rampant Queens

Queens entered 2007 hoping that this year would prove to be a better year than the previous one and with that, they wished for more efficiency throughout the 2nd round of subsequent fixtures, even more so than before as Malone laid down the gauntlet with a comprehensive 4.5-0.5 win over div 2. surprise package Portadown.

On the other hand, "Battling Bombardier" are not involved in the promotion battle this year and find themselves in mid-table mediocrity. The fact that Bombarider have nothing to play for could make them an even more dangerous proposition, something which Malone found to their displeasure just before christmas.

The team's line-ups boasted no surprises and both sides were unchanged since their last meeting which resulted in a 3.5-1.5 win for QUB.

The first point to be decided on the evening was the match-up between Chris Millar and Drew Ferguson on board 5. In the previous meeting, Millar had comfortably won and described his performance as "ordinary, against an ordinary player" so it came as little surprise when the in-form Millar eased to victory. Millar - bursting with the over-cockiness of youth stated that "I consolidated Drew with the thought that I would probably make similar mistakes when I got to his age"

The remaining 4 games proved to be very tight and close, with the most interesting game being between Leitch and McConaghy. McConaghy perhaps had been urged into attending the gym more than his usual 4 times a week by Bill McKittrick in order to combat and dutifully teach his former teammate a lesson. Whatever it was it was working as McConaghy took the game to his opponent but quickly found himself in trouble on his neglected queenside. A miscalculation by Leitch allowed his opponent back in the game but Leitch's attack was too strong and checkmate was inevitable, yet McConaghy's assistance in executing this checkmate was well received by Leitch...who was suffering from tiredness due to his 3 exams earlier that day. Leitch later returned the favour at the Williamson Shield!

Fred MacDonald faced the steady Paul McNaughten on board 2 and it proved to be an impressive performance from the Holywood based player, whose lack of match practice was evident in his earlier performances this season. MacDonald was able to build up a lead and cooly dispatch his opponent's defenses in a favourable endgame.

Mark Newman has been struggling this year in the league and hasn't settled for his new club or produced the performances of which he is capable of. It proved to be another frustrating evening for the highly respected committee member as he ran into time trouble in a dubious position. His opponent though was Claudio Mendicute - a player in top form of late, thus Claudio's victory put QUB 4-0 in front!

The last match to finish was the encounter on board 4 between Slovakian Vladimir Pucovsky and Bill McKittrick. Stalwart McKittrick was yet again unrewarded for a good battling performance as he blundered a piece in an evenly balanced endgame. McKittrick's frustration was highlighted at the end of the game - yet understandably so.

The first whitewash of the year was produced tonight at the Peter Froggatt Centre...yet the scoreline seemed unlikely throughout, but Millar will argue that the result was never in doubt and his team has produced the best possible remedy in answer to Malone's thumping win. Next week will see the match of the season and a potential promotion decider between Malone and QUB. Although Groomsport will have a say in where the title goes, many will still feel that this game is the crucial fixture and will penultimately decide who has the advantage in these latter stages of the season. Will Malone stop the QUB "Galacticos"?