Francis, Branch out front

THE HOMETOWN DUO of Jack Francis and Wilma Branch put themselves in strong positions in their respective divisions when the Ronald “Suki” King International Checkers and Draughts Festival continued at Divi Southwinds Resort yesterday.
After the end of three rounds  of play in the men’s World Go-As-You-Please qualifier, Francis was in a tie for first position with Italian Sergio Scarpetta on 10 points, while Branch also found herself tied with Ukraine’s Nadiya Chyzhevska atop the standings in the women’s qualifying tournament with seven points at the end  of the second round.
With American Jim Morrison, who is trailing  closely behind on eight points, and Michael Holmes  (7 points) playing each other, and Francis and Scarpetta locked in a top-of-the-table clash up to press time, the top three positions could see a major shift come today.
In Francis’ first two matches against compatriot Oliver Whitford and American Alex Holmes, he scored a win and a draw in each of the two-game series.