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 1930s with six wins.
DE 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. He repeated this success on a further eight occasions.
John Blore picked up three titles in the early 1980s.
Nick Rutter has to date taken the crown on 13 occasions (1988 to 2020).
Trevor Brotherton won his fifth title in 2008.
Nigel Ferrington was crowned for the seventh time in 2016.
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 GJ Elkes and in 1968 with CG 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. His name was added to the roll 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. In 2022, Glyn rolled back the years to take the title once more, as the competition returned to over the board play after covid.
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 four times including 2003 and 2008.
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. He has a total of 7 wins, the latest in 2016.
Jamie Hopkins of Shrewsbury Chess Club was champion in 2002, joint champion in 2008, and outright winner in 2013.
Newport’s Nick Rutter won his first title in 1989.
He repeated his success in 1990, 1994, 1997, and has dominated the championship in recent decades with wins in 2000, 2005, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Nathanael Paul took the title in 2020. Online games were used for the later rounds due to the coronavirus pandemic. In 2023 Nathanael won a second title, over the board, and repeated this feat in 2024.
Simon Maydew won the title in 2021 – the entire tournament was played online because of the pandemic.
E Groom Trophy Winners
E. Groom Trophy Winners
| 2024 | N. Paul | 2023 | N. Paul | |||
| 2022 | G.Pugh | 2021 | S. Maydew | |||
| 2020 | N. Paul | 2019 | N. Rutter | |||
| 2018 | N. Rutter | 2017 | N. Rutter | |||
| 2016 | N. Ferrington | 2015 | N. Rutter | |||
| 2014 | N.Rutter | 2013 | J.Hopkins | |||
| 2012 | N.Ferrington | 2011 | N.Rutter | |||
| 2010 | N.Rutter | 2009 | N.Ferrington | |||
| 2008 | = | J.Hopkins | 2008 | = | T.Brotherton | |
| 2007 | T.Pym | 2006 | N.Ferrington | |||
| 2005 | N.Rutter | 1968 | = | Dr.H.D.Gemmell | ||
| 2004 | N.Ferrington | 1967 | F.J.O’Reilly | |||
| 2003 | T.Brotherton | 1966 | = | Dr.H.D.Gemmell | ||
| 2002 | J.Hopkins | 1966 | = | G.J.Elkes | ||
| 2001 | N.Ferrington | 1965 | D.M.H.Everington | |||
| 2000 | N.Rutter | 1964 | F.J.O’Reilly | |||
| 1999 | J.R.Jeggo | 1963 | J.Baldwin | |||
| 1998 | C.S.Portman | 1962 | O.Schalscha | |||
| 1997 | N.Rutter | 1961 | A.Mushens | |||
| 1996 | D.Gostelow | 1960 | D.C.Mease | |||
| 1995 | T.Brotherton | 1959 | A.Ayris | |||
| 1994 | N.Rutter | 1958 | Dr.H.D.Gemmell | |||
| 1993 | = | N.Ferrington | 1957 | = | J.Baldwin | |
| 1993 | = | T.Brotherton | 1957 | = | R.W.Lewis | |
| 1992 | T.Brotherton | 1956 | J.Baldwin | |||
| 1991 | D.Gostelow | 1955 | P.A.R.Mondelski | |||
| 1990 | N.Rutter | 1954 | P.Gough | |||
| 1989 | N.Rutter | 1953 | = | O.Schalscha | ||
| 1988 | C.Roberts | 1953 | = | P.Gough | ||
| 1987 | J.D.Bourne | 1952 | P.Gough | |||
| 1986 | P.Mukherjee | 1951 | O.Schalscha | |||
| 1985 | = | D.M.H.Everington | 1950 | = | J.T.Love | |
| 1985 | = | G.Pugh | 1950 | = | D.C.Mease | |
| 1984 | J.W.Clarke | 1949 | Rev.A.P.L.Hulbert | |||
| 1983 | J.D.Blore | 1948 | H.T.Lobbenberg | |||
| 1982 | J.D.Blore | 1947 | D.E.McNab | |||
| 1981 | D.M.H.Everington | 1946 | D.E.McNab | |||
| 1980 | J.D.Blore | 1939 | D.E.McNab | |||
| 1979 | J.J.Cox | 1938 | D.E.McNab | |||
| 1978 | A.J.Knight | 1937 | = | F.Clayton | ||
| 1977 | P.Bishop | 1937 | = | Rev.A.P.L.Hulbert | ||
| 1976 | D.M.H.Everington | 1936 | F.Clayton | |||
| 1975 | D.M.H.Everington | 1935 | F.Clayton | |||
| 1974 | D.M.H.Everington | 1934 | Rev.A.P.L.Hulbert | |||
| 1973 | D.M.H.Everington | 1933 | F.Clayton | |||
| 1972 | D.M.H.Everington | 1932 | F.Clayton | |||
| 1971 | D.M.H.Everington | 1931 | F.Clayton | |||
| 1970 | A.J.Knight | 1930 | Rev.W.Benson | |||
| 1969 | C.G.O’Reilly | 1929 | F.S.Smart | |||
| 1968 | = | C.G.O’Reilly | 1928 | F.S.Smart |