Kelly's Heroes in pole position as Division 2 splits
Division 1
- Muldoons 1 4-1 The A Team
- Strand 1 3.5-1.5 Strand 2
Despite a shock defeat for Nicholas Pilkiewicz (1851) at the hands of Bobby Thompson (1476), leaders Muldoons 1 had an easy time against The A Team, as Stephen Morgan, Gareth Annesley, Stephen Wood and Danny Mallaghan racked up the wins to put themselves 12.5 points ahead of Strand 2, who remain in a surprising second place despite a 3.5-1.5 defeat by Strand 1. Brendan Jamison, Daniil Zelenchuk and Edward Khanzharov all drew for Strand 2 against players rated well over 200 points higher (over 400 in Khanzharov's case) - in that context, Strand 2's excellent performance over the course of the season is somewhat less surprising. The other scheduled match this week, Ballynafeigh 1 vs Ballynafeigh 2, was postponed.
| Played | Points | |
|---|---|---|
| Muldoons 1 | 8 | 46.5 |
| Strand 2 | 8 | 34 |
| Strand 1 | 7 | 33 |
| Civil Service | 8 | 26 |
| Ballynafeigh 1 | 7 | 25 |
| Ballynafeigh 2 | 7 | 10.5 |
| The A Team | 8 | 9 |
Division 2
- Ballynafeigh 3 2-3 Muldoons 2
- Strand 3 5-0 Ballynafeigh 4
- Strand 4 3-2 Bangor
- Ballynafeigh 4 4-1 Fruithill Ravens
- Ballynafeigh 4 0-5 Bangor
With leading side Kelly's Heroes having completed their pre-split fixtures, Bangor still had a slim chance at sneaking into top spot - they needed 13 points in total from their two remaining matches. They were helped by the cancellation of their postponed match against Ballynafeigh 4, from which they claimed full points, but a shock defeat to Strand 4 means the Marlborough Park North side hold a 3.5 point lead going into the final phase of the season. The match included the upset of the week as Jake Patterson (1127) beat Sam Moore (1562), with Geoff Hindley (1036) beating Walter Wilson (1341) and the unrated Calvin Patterson beating Alwyn Pollock (930) to seal a great win. Strand 3 whitewashed Ballynafeigh 4 and Muldoons 2 claimed a narrow win over Ballynafeigh 3 in the week's other scheduled matches, while in the last remaining postponed match, Ballynafeigh 4 beat the Fruithill Ravens 4-1.
| Played | Points | |
|---|---|---|
| Kelly's Heroes | 8 | 43 |
| Bangor | 8 | 39.5 |
| Muldoons 2 | 8 | 39 |
| Strand 4 | 8 | 30.5 |
| Fruithill | 8 | 30 |
| Ballynafeigh 3 | 8 | 29 |
| Strand 3 | 8 | 22.5 |
| Ballynafeigh 4 | 8 | 13 |
| Fruithill Ravens | 8 | 4.5 |
The division will now split into three subdivisions of three teams each, playing each other twice:
- Division 2: Kelly's Heroes, Bangor, Muldoons 2
- Division 3: Strand 4, Fruithill, Ballynafeigh 3
- Division 4: Strand 3, Ballynafeigh 4, Fruithill Ravens
Divisions 2 and 3 look very competitive, with the teams in each division separated by just four and 1.5 points respectively; Division 4 looks a little more cut and dried, with Strand 3 leading by 9.5 points.
