The friendly?but fiercely competitive second Henderson Layne Memorial Draughts Tournament enters its final two rounds this weekend with joint leaders in all three categories.
After three rounds of the competition, which is being played in Best Road, Christ Church, World champion Ronald “Suki” King and Jack Francis are tied in the Masters category on 19 points.
Francis caught up with King, the World Go As You Please champion, Monday when he polished off Keith Griffith and Colin Price 2-0 apiece, while King steamrolled Royland Mapp 2-0 and pushed past Junior Waldron 1-0.
Darwin Lorde surprisingly whipped defending champion Richard Grazette, who has been struggling from the start, 2-0 to be third on 15 points. Lorde also recorded a 1-0 victory over seasoned campaigner Mike Barker.
Oliver “Ollie” Witford and Northern Draughts Club veteran Sam Marshall are locked in joint leadership of the Majors division with 16 points. They are followed by National B Class champion Julian Burgess and veteran Hendy Grazette on 15 points with Hallam Hope trailing on 14 points.
The Minors category is also competitive with defending champion Selwyn Williams, Oliver “Lefthander” Springer and Edward Moore all on 13 points.
Farmers Choice and Caribbean Alliance Insurance are among the sponsors of this second tournament in memory of the late draughts player Layne, more familiar to his vanquished opponents as “Hot Cakes”. The tournament concludes on Saturday and Sunday. (HH)
