Ballynafeigh 1 and Muldoons 1 pull away as season reaches halfway point

Division 1

• Ballynafeigh 1 4-1 QUB 1
• Muldoons 1 4-1 The A Team

With half of the season still to go, the battle for the Silver King appears to be a straight fight between Ballynafeigh 1 and Muldoons 1. The former achieved a 4-1 win against an under-strength QUB 1 side, probably ending the latter's title aspirations. Muldoons 1, up against The A Team, did not have as easy a time as the 4-1 scoreline suggested, with Danny Mallaghan (1795) falling to a surprise defeat against Bobby Thompson (1460), and Stephen Wood and Nicholas Pilkiewicz only winning after their respective opponents failed to convert chances.

Division 2

• Kelly's Heroes 2-3 Ballynafeigh 3
• Civil Service 2-3 Muldoons 2
• Bangor Webbs 1.5-3.5 QUB 2

QUB 2 closed the gap on leaders Ballynafeigh 3 after an excellent performance against a Bangor side that outrated them on every board by an average of nearly 200 points. Ram Rajan (1368) was particularly impressive in beating Alan McConnell (1687) with the black pieces, while Bernard McCaughey (1410) also did well to draw with Sam Moore (1632). Ballynafeigh 3, meanwhile, kept their noses in front with a 3-2 win over Kelly's Heroes, in which the Zelenchuks both claimed victory despite being 150-point underdogs. Muldoons 2 defeated Civil Service 3-2, with Pat McKillen obtaining the only decisive result against Jim McLean, while Fruithill vs Ballynafeigh 4 was postponed.

Division 3

• QUB 3 4.5-0.5 Ballynafeigh 5
• QUB 4 3-2 Ballynafeigh 7

QUB 3 are an incredible 25 points ahead after crushing Ballynafeigh 5, with Derek Truesdale spoiling the whitewash by holding Chris Roe to a draw. QUB 4, despite playing a man down, narrowly beat Ballynafeigh 7.