Prestwick 2012

[David G Congalton]

Open Section Update - With British Girls Under 16 Champion and Ayrshire's number one female player, Ali Roy confirming her particpation in this year's Open, there are now 7 confirmed entrants for the section. Five of the seven are titled players - GM Sarunas Sulskis, last years title winner IM Stephen Burns-Mannion, IM Mark Orr of Wandering Dragons, his Dragons team mate FM Alan Tate and FM Peter Jamieson of Glasgow Montrose.

I hope to confirm the particpation soon of the 2011 (and possibly 2012) Ayrshire Champion Elliot Frew of Greenwood and of Steven Brown of Ardrossan and Glasgow Montrose, who at the time of writing is one of only two other who can prevent Elliot retaining the Ayrshire Individual Championships.

How many times has Elliot been Ayrshire champion?

With five titled players from outside Ayrshire and four non-titled players from inside Ayrshire and we down in Ayrshire being a law unto ourselves sometimes, this may be the time to convene an Ayrshire Association meeting and award the title of Ayrshire Grand Master, which will be recognised throughout the County and beyond as a real title, on Ali, Elliot, Stephen, Pat McGovern and anyone else (Joe Parks, Jim Kleboe, Daniel Deary?) who want to have a go at Messrs Sulskis, Burns-Mannion, Orr, Jamieson and Tate. Although from a previous post Pat may already have bestowed such a title on himself.