Ringwood B V Highcliffe D

Comment for organiser

It was great to welcome Highcliffe for our first match of the season, albeit as a non-playing captain. On paper, we were the favourites, but every match was well-contested and Highcliffe played brilliantly and deserved the draw. First to finish was Dan, with a lovely tactic that sacrificed a queen, but meant that Tim would have to give up his to avoid a back-rank mate. After the exchanges, he was a clear rook up, which was enough to call it a day. I'm not sure whether the knight that Julian lost was a long-term sacrifice or an oversight, but he certainly got a lot of compensation which was converted to a win. When I left, the two remaining games seemed pretty even and ended with a win to each team. All the best to Highcliffe and thanks for a thrilling match

Rob Davenport