Even with our strongest team, Metropolitan 1 would have been difficult opponents, so the score of 5-3 with two games to finish was a creditable performance.

I had a last-minute panic when I heard that Emil couldn’t play and everyone seemed to have turned off their mobiles.  My special thanks therefore to our new member, Mark Somerfield (no relation to Adrian), who not only came to my rescue but scored our only win.

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Playing a French Defence, Tony said afterwards that the loss of just a single tempo caused his downfall.  Ray adjourned in a double-edged position, but thinks he do well to accept the offer of a draw.  Pity poor Dan who was just a few minutes away from claiming a win by default with his opponent not showing, only to find himself denied the full point by a lower-graded, but difficult to beat, substitute. Paul, facing a Sicilian Defence, sacrificed on f7 to leave himself with a rook and 2 pawns for a bishop and knight, but despite active play failed to find a way through.  Joe fought hard to regain a pawn, but is not optimistic about his adjourned position.  After obtaining a small positional advantage in the Bird’s, I almost threw the game with a weak move, but swindled a draw in the endgame.  Andy started solidly but found himself seriously outgunned, but Adrian notched up a valuable half-point.  Finally, Mark, playing his first game for the 1^st Team, grabbed his opponent’s queen early on and didn’t look back.

Next match – Thursday 12^th November against Wanstead 1 at Golden Lane starting at the usual time of 7.00pm – with Captain Richard back in command.

Alan Palmer

3^rd November 2009