This took place at the Legion in Glasgow on Sunday 28 November. The format used was a four-round Swiss system. Matches were played without referees. Fifteen players took part and the competition was won by Steve Bennett who recorded victories in all of his matches. It was not a good day for Glasgow players with Malcolm Lees finishing fifth and John Halpin, Baver Bari and Ronnie McKenzie filling the next three spots.
Steve Bennett beats Gareth Christie in the deciding matchTom Burns was close to defeating Gareth ChristieBrian Spoors loses out to Marco BevilacquaBaver Bari finished strongly to take seventh place
After two events the National Championship looks like this:
The second event in the Scottish championship takes place this Sunday at the Legion in Glasgow. These are the current standings after Event 1 in Letham
After a gap of 18 months the new season kicked off at last. Season 2019/20 was called as it stood and season 2020/21 was written off. We start again as season 2021/22.
Three games were played. First up was Colin Berry against Brian Spoors. Spoors led 1-0 at half-time but two quick second half goals turned the game for Berry. Spoors, however, managed a late equaliser to gain a deserved share of the points.
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Next up Berry took on Baver Bari. Bari was favourite to win but it was Berry who took an early lead. It was no surprise when Bari levelled the game before the interval. Bari was dominating possession but he was leaving gaps in his defence and Berry was able to exploit this with quick breaks to score two further goals to take a 3-1 lead. Bari pressed forward, succeeded in reducing the deficit but was unable to complete the comeback.
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In the final game Dave Gladman played Brian Spoors. Gladman dominated the first half and displayed fine finishing as he raced to a 3-0 lead which he held till half-time. It was a better second half for Spoors as he pulled a goal back early in the second period. Hopes of a comeback were dashed, however, when Gladman added a fourth to complete the scoring.
On a wet and windy night only five players braved the conditions to play. Four cup matches were played.
First up was a preliminary round match in the Handicap Cup. Dave Gladman started a goal to the good against Dave Butler. Gladman’s strategy was clear from the start – keep possession. In the first half he did this pretty well, limiting Butler to one really good opportunity. Butler had much more of the ball in the second period and probably feels that he should have taken one of the two or three excellent chances he had. The Gladman goal survived, however, and he progresses to the next round where he will start his match against Brian Spoors with a four-goal deficit.
All the other matches were in the Glasgow Cup. Ryan McPhail played his first matches in Group A, against Dave Gladman and Baver Bari, players expected to finish in the top two places in the group. In the first match he demonstrated the improvement he has made in defensive skills losing only 1-0 to Baver Bari. In the second he proved that he knew something about attacking as well, taking a shock 2-0 half-time lead over Dave Gladman. Gladman is undefeated in league and cup this season and he was fresh from his Handicap Cup victory over Dave Butler. That record remains intact, however, as he scored two second half goals to secure a point which ensures that he finishes top of the group. McPhail, on the other hand, is starting to compete well and can be pleased with how his play is progressing.
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In Group B Dave Butler had a comfortable 3-0 win over Colin Berry. Butler scored in his first attack . Berry was never allowed to settle, his defence put under long periods of pressure for much of the game. After losing a goal so early he did well to resist the repeated waves of attack and limit Butler to two further goals. Butler moves to the top of Group B, ahead of Tom Burns on goal difference.
Handicap Cup
Preliminary Round
Gladman
1
0
Butler
Glasgow Cup
Bari
1
0
McPhail
Gladman
2
2
McPhail
Butler
3
0
Berry
Glasgow Cup results and tables can be viewed here.
Eight games were played tonight, five in the league and three in the Glasgow Cup.
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In the league Dave Butler lost his 100% record after a no-scoring draw with Dave Gladman. Butler had much the better of the first half with Gladman failing to have even one shot on goal. The second period was more even but defences were still on top. Both players remain undefeated but Gladman has now had five consecutive draws. Butler’s draw allowed Tom Burns to go five points clear after defeating Dave Houston 3-0. Burns, however, has played three more games. Later Houston did get another point on the board. He led Baver Bari 1-0 at half-time but couldn’t hold on to that lead and conceded in the second period. Bari had earlier lost out to John Mathieson who is now only three points behind Bari but with four games in hand. Colin Berry continues to enjoy perhaps his best season, moving on to the eighteen point mark with a 3-0 win over Brian Spoors.
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In the Glasgow Cup, Tom Burns again lost out to Dave Butler. This time it was by a two goal margin, Butler scoring in each half. Also in group B, Dave Houston lost out narrowly to Colin Berry by 1-0. Houston had by far the greater number of chances in this match but could not convert any. In group A, Brian Spoors look the lead against John Mathieson. Mathieson eventually equalised but he spurned so many opportunities to win the game. It was an inspired performance by the Spoors’ goalkeeper. Mathieson will probably now have to settle for third place in the group.
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League
Butler
0
0
Gladman
Burns
3
0
Houston
Berry
3
0
Spoors
Bari
1
2
Mathieson
Bari
1
1
Houston
Glasgow Cup
Mathieson
1
1
Spoors
Houston
0
1
Berry
Butler
2
0
Burns
The League table can be viewed here.
Full Glasgow Cup results and tables can be viewed here.
It was another busy night al the Legion with fourteen players attending. In addition to the twelve league players the club also welcomed Barry Corr and Andy Shearer. Twelve league matches were played
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The key match was between leading players Tom Burns and Dave Butler. Burns started the stronger, forcing Butler on to the backfoot. A poor defensive block by Butler allowed Burns to opportunity to score and he did. Burns continued to dominate but could not find a second goal. Gradually Butler started to gain more possession and it was he who was looking the more impressive. This time it was Burns who made a blocking mistake and the score was level. Either player could have scored the winner but Butler was more dominant in the second half and it was he who found the goal. Butler went on to defeat Dave Houston 2-0, making it eight wins from eight matches. Burns later had a good win against John Halpin, keeping him three points clear of Butler but having played three more.
Fraser McKenzie returned to league action and proved he will be a difficult player to beat, conceding only two goals in defeating Brian Spoors and drawing with Baver Bari and Dave Gladman.
GTSA’s Malcolm Lees has become the Scottish National Champion for season 2019/20. He fought off the challenges of Tom Burns and Steve Bennett to secure the title. The third and final championship event took place in Letham on Sunday 19 January.
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After two events Tom Burns led Malcolm Lees on goal difference but after three rounds of play in the third event Lees was now ahead, again on goal difference. As they started the final games Steve Bennett was also in a position to take the title. Bennett lined up against Lees, Burns against Andy Beskaby. To win Bennett needed to beat Lees and hope that Burns lost to Beskaby. Lees needed to beat Bennett and Burns needed to better Lees’ result. Everyone expected Bennett to defeat Lees, in which case Burns would only need a draw against Beskaby. Burns was definitely the favourite going into the final game.
Burns did get a draw against Beskaby, enough to put him ahead of Bennett. Burns went ahead but was pegged back. It was a close match and a fair result. It wasn’t a surprise when Lees took a first half lead against Bennett. He’d done that before. It’s just that he’d never kept that lead – ever. But today would be different. Bennett peppered the Lees goal with shots but could not make the breakthrough. Lees held on and the championship was his.
Only two games were played this evening. Dave Butler continued his 100% record with a 2-0 victory over Brian Spoors. The winning margin could have been greater with Spoors’ goalkeeper performing heroically. Butler moves into second place in the league.
Dave Gladman remains unbeaten after a 1-1 draw with Baver Bari. Gladman’s opening five victories have been followed by three draws. Gladman had to work hard to salvage the draw after Bari had led for most of the match.
The first club night of 2020 saw four league games take place and also the welcome return of former club member, Andy Shearer (pictured below) on holiday from New Zealand. The league games saw Baver Baver try to gain revenge over Colin Berry for his previous last second defeat in their previous fixture. After an exciting end-to-end affair, it finished 1-1, with both goals coming in the first half. Either player could have won but some good Berry goalkeeping kept Bari from finding the winner.
Tom Burns then extended his pole position in the league with a win over Brian Spoors. Three goals in the first half ended any chance of an upset. The first alternative old firm derby for a few years between arch rivals Colin Berry and Ronnie McKenzie produced the major talking points of the night. The game started off at a frantic pace with Berry making his intentions clear by hitting both crossbar and post in the first ten minutes. Indeed it was Berry who landed the first blow with a well taken goal midway through the first half. Although Berry dominated the first half, it was McKenzie who took control of the second. With five minutes to go Berry failed to take a chance to make it 2-0. This was to prove costly as McKenzie scored with the last touch of the game. A speculative long shot took an eternity to find the back of the net. Even although the ball crossed the line well after the final whistle had gone, crucially, McKenzie had flicked before the buzzer had sounded. The players had to settle for a 1-1 draw. Berry has improved significantly this year and and is now just one point short of last season’s total.
The final game of the evening saw Burns and McKenzie play out a ding dong match with chances galore. It was McKenzie who got karma, losing a goal in the last thirty seconds to go down 1-0. His fine play, however, will surely produce more positive results as the season progresses.
Tom Burns was presented with the Glasgow Cup after last week’s victory over John Halpin.
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After the previous busy two meetings only four players were present tonight. John Mathieson and Brian Spoors had travelled to Edinburgh for the Capital Cup organised by the new Edinburgh club.
Two Glasgow Cup matches were played. In group A Dave Gladman defeated Baver Bari 2-0. Gladman led 1-0 at half-time. In the second period Bari pushed forward and there was some nervous defending by Gladman. Late in the game, however, Gladman broke forward and sealed the match with a second. He has now consolidated his position at the top of the group. In group B Tom Burns recorded his second win, beating Colin Berry. Berry started well but two Burns goals in the space of a minute mid-way through the first half won the game.
The club will now have a Christmas and New Year break. The next meeting will be on Monday 6 January.
