The first team have played two matches since my posting last week and these have involved travelling to both Crowborough and Horsham. Our Mid-Sussex League match against Crowborough 1 resulted in a 3.5 to 1.5 win for us. Our hosts were missing three strong players and wins were obtained by John and me, while Luke, Geoff and Paul drew. This win gives us a total of 6.5 points out of 7, but Hastings 1's 4-1 win against Lewes 1 means that they are still only half a point behind us. Our last two games are at home against Horsham 1 and Hastings 1 later this month and it is going to be a tough battle to win the first division championship.
Our other match was played against Horsham in the semi-final of the McArthur Cup, the Sussex knock-out competition which was first won by Lewes in 1889. Because the matches are decided over six boards and we had only one car, it was necessary for one player to travel by train. Thanks are due to Paul and Luke for sharing this duty. Horsham are a very strong team and we were at one time in a difficult position. After Luke drew his game and I lost, the remaining four players knuckled down to the challenge and all did well to win. The winners were Geoff, Paul, John and Mustapha, who all faced strong opposition. The 4.5 to 1.5 win means that we face Hastings in the final who defeated Haywards Heath by the same score.
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