Wallington 1 v Kingston 3, Surrey League division 4 match played at Wallington on 23 October 2024

We always knew this would be tough. Kingston 3 were up against Wallington’s first team, and they had strong players (including a certain Mr P Lalić) on boards 1 to 3. That we ran them so close is testimony to the fighting spirit of the team and bodes well for future battles in Surrey division 4.

David Bickerstaff and Kingston captain Ed Mospan had good wins against lower-rated opposition on boards 4 and 5; Jon Eckert (pictured above) had an excellent draw with Black against the strong Wallington (and indeed Coulsdon) veteran Nick Edwards on board 2; and Alicia Mason and Ye Kwaw fought hard before succumbing on boards 3 and 4.

Board 1 was a battle of the Kingston Peters – Peter Lalić (moonlighting for Wallington) and Peter Roche, a former Kingston chair now happily restored to competitive action after a five-year break. Facing the mighty Lalic is no bed of roses, but he gave him a good run for his money in a well-contested game.

Stephen Moss, Kingston club captain