SHROPSHIRE COUNTY CHAMPIONS
The Ernest Groome Trophy ( presented in 1926)

 

In 1928 F.S.Smart became the first Shropshire County Champion, repeating his success the following year.
So far ten players have won the title on three or more occasions.
F.Clayton dominated the 1930's with six wins.
D.E.MacNab won every championship from 1938 to 1947. Only the intervention of the war limited the total to four.
Between 1952 and 1963 O.Schalscha, P.Gough, and J.Baldwin each won the title three times.
In 1965 18 year old David Everington won his first title. To date he has repeated this success on a further eight occasions.
John Blore picked up three titles in the early 1980's.
Nick Rutter has to date taken the crown on five occasions (1988 to 2000).
Trevor Brotherton won his fourth title in 2003.
Nigel Ferrington was crowned for the third time in 2004.
Jack Baldwin of Wellington chess club was County Champion three times. In 1956 he won outright and in 1957 he shared the title with R.W.Lewis. He also won in 1963.   Dr.Hugh Gemmell of Shrewsbury chess club won his first title in 1958. He shared the title on two further occasions: in 1966 with G J Elkes and in 1968 with C G O'Reilly.
Gerard O'Reilly won the title in 1968 (at age 14) and again in 1969. He was the youngest of three chess playing brothers from Donnington   Otto Schalscha played for Wellington chess club. He was County Champion in 1951 and again in 1953 this time jointly with P Gough. He repeated his success in 1962.

David Everington (Shrewsbury Chess Club), seen here in 1965 when he won his first county title at age 18. He went on to dominate the event throughout the 1970's and beyond. To date his name has been added to the role of honour a further eight times.
  
John O'Reilly won the title in 1964 and again in 1967 (shared with Dr Gemmell). One of three chess playing brothers and founder members of Newport Chess Club
Alan Knight (GKN Chess Club) won the title in 1970 and again in 1978   Glyn Pugh who, in 1985, shared the crown with David Everington
Johnathan Bourne, the pride of Oswestry chess club, won the title in 1987.   James Clarke of the Nalgo Club won the event in 1984 at age 17

Paul Mukherjee (Nalgo) was 17 when he won the title in 1986. No junior has matched this feat since.
   Trevor Brotherton won his first title in 1992. To date he has appeared on the winners list a further three times including 2003.
Carl Portman, the 1998 champion also has seven league championship wins with three different clubs in the Shropshire league.   Nigel Ferrington of the Telepost Club shared the 1993 title with Trevor Brotherton. In 2001 he won his second crown, adding a third in 2004.
Jamie Hopkins of Shrewsbury Chess Club was champion in 2002
   Newport's Nick Rutter won his first title in 1989. He repeated his success in 1990, 1994, 1997, and again in 2000.
         
         
         

 

If you can help with pictures and information for this feature I would love to hear from you. I hope eventually to feature most of our county champions on this page. Please email me - keithtabner@hotmail.com