Match Report: 27/10/25

Match Report: 27/10/25

Northenden 4 – 1 Eccles
Geoff Lawrence Trophy (Stockport League)

Wow! This was the first defeat of the season for Eccles, and it came in the opening round of the newly created Geoff Lawrence U1851 Trophy, held in memory of Geoff himself.

Well played to the Northenden Knights — and good luck progressing through the next rounds!

🌟 Man of the Match

This one’s a little different from the norm, let me explain…

I first asked Eccles Captain Dave Boulden who he’d nominate as Man of the Match. He chose top board Eccles player Armand Catz, thinking it had to be an Eccles player.

Then I asked Northenden Captain Nathan Harvey-Jones the same question — and he said Dave Boulden, I thought how cool is that?

Dave said he really enjoyed the game, the venue was great, everyone was sober (😄), and Eccles were simply outplayed.

Nathan said Dave’s game looked interesting, so he was inclined to vote for him… but after some thought, he decided on Northenden player Aram Marsh as Man of the Match, he described his game as “a very commanding performance employing a Surtees Opening!” Nice one Mike 🤦

Dave later added some insight into his own game:

“I played the mainline Kalashnikov , and Jason deviated with Nf3 instead of Nb5. After Nf6 he played Bc4, which I’ve never seen before. If I play Nxe4 then he would have Bxf7+, Kxf7 and Qd5+ regaining the piece. Very complicated — I avoided that, but really enjoyed the game!” 👍

Thanks to everyone for the great team spirit and thoughtful feedback.

♟️ Next Match:
Thursday 30/10/25
Eccles vs Winwick
A Division – Warrington League

🕕 Upcoming at Eccles Chess

Monday : Ladies & Learners from 6.30pm – “Learn to Play Better Chess” from 7.30pm

Wednesday : “Chess is Fun for Everyone” from 7.00pm

Venue: Eccles Chess Club, 21 Church Street, Eccles M30 9DF

All Welcome!