Victorious first outing for knock-out team

There are ten teams playing in the MSCL knock-out handicap this season and the first time Brighton and Hove have entered a team. For finish-on-the-night three hour game enthusiasts this is essentially the one to join - no adjournments to alien computers or adjudications by ingenious experts, and no post-match negotiations before you lose on time in ten days rather than ten seconds. No - it's easy-peasy done and dusted, and captains can sleep in their beds, happy in the knowledge that a nightmare of neglected admin. won't wake them sweating in the night.

Tea and biscuits are for sissies in Staplefield where 'refreshments' are taken seriously. A merry time was had by all as our four-person team defeated theirs by 2½-1½ (with a default on board 5). The dreaded QPF wasn't needed by Rob who was first to win. The other three boards, on digital clocks, tried all moves in 60 minutes with a 30 second increment from move one. This seemed to work well, in spite of the automatic additions being somewhat baffling for an Arg. not used to digital. I was keen to try this, or, as it turned out, observe this and the Args. only needed the clocks to gamely give it a go.

		Argumentatives	KO 1		Brighton	KO 1
	Grade	Player	Result		Player	Grade
1.	159	Graham, Jim	1/2	1/2	Jones, Robin	163
2.	154	Kington, Paul	1	0	Cain, Michael	125
3.	105	Collard, Dennis	0	1	Brown, Terry	113
4.	102	Garson, Mike	0	1	Counsell, Robert	112