Kingston C v Maidenhead D, Thames Valley League division X match played at the Willoughby Arms, Kingston on 4 November 2024

Maidenhead sent two teams to Kingston on Monday 4 November – their B and D sides – which is no mean feat considering the distance and logistics. They would have managed to get all 10 players over to us, too, but for a late dropout from the B team, which left them one short and meant their D team top board had to move up to the Bs. That default was important in ensuring a Kingston victory in a four-board match.

We had juniors Jaden Mistry and William Lin on boards 1 and 2, and both played forceful games to win against decent opponents. Rob Taylor lost on board 3 and looked at bit disconsolate – “take the positives”, as they say, Rob, the wheel will turn – and Colin Lyle won by default on board 4 to complete a welcome 3-1 TVX victory. Kingston have half a dozen promising juniors, and they are very important to the future of the club.

Stephen Moss, Kingston club captain