Ireland lead the Stokes Cup for u-12s going into the last round this afternoon.
Despite a poor start – drawing against Wales while England hammered Scotland – the u-12s have recovered superbly to lead the tournament by half a point ahead of the last round of games. Two 3½-2½ wins over England, a 6-0 whitewash of Scotland and a 4½-1½ win over Wales mean we just need to match England’s score in the last round against marginally weaker opponents.
The full scorecard for rd 5 isn’t in yet, but going on form, it appears likely that Michael Higgins and Benildus’ Ross Beatty avoided being our only defeat this morning, and have moved to 5/5 and 4½/5 respectively. For Ross, that means he’s probably pushed through the 1500 barrier!
@BeattyChess on twitter will be carrying short updates of the final round action. The final round was due to get underway at 2.
Elsewhere, we’re all but guaranteed third in the main event, the Glorney Cup, after a surprise 5-0 hammering against an England side rated about the same as us. The girls’ team play Scotland this afternoon needing a draw to avoid coming last, while the u-14s are second in the Robinson Cup despite two narrow defeats to England, and look good bets to secure that second spot.
Best of luck to all!