McArthur cup final 2015

Hastings & St Leonards were to host Brighton & Hove for the 2015 final. Geoffrey James was to renew a rivalry that stretched back to 1969 when he faced John Sugden. Their opening was a Caro-Kann defence. Geoffrey won an exchange and soon after the game. Brighton & Hove took the lead. Brian Denman was paired with Howard Tebbs. Their game was a Slav defence. This was to end in a draw. Simon Wilks was to play Sussex County Chess Association president Robert Elliston. The game was a Catalan with Simon playing the black side. This ended peacefully in a draw. Julien Carron making his debut for the club was to face Francis Rayner, who has represented Wales apparently. The opening was an Open Sicilian. At the end of a joint time scramble it became apparent Francis had made one move to few. The game was won by the Brighton & Hove player. My game finished next. It had been a Bird's opening. My opponent offered the draw and i accepted. Brighton & Hove now had 3.5 points and could not be caught. Callum Brewer, a promising young player, was playing Rasa Norinkeviciute who has a WFM title. The opening had been a Sicilian defence. Callum won a pawn and with seconds to spare on Callum's clock, Rasa resigned, although mate was inevitable. So the final score was Hastings & St Leonards 1.5 Brighton & Hove 4.5. Brighton & Hove had won the match and retain the McArthur cup.