Board 3 of the U2050 match between Surrey and Essex played at Cheam Parochial Hall on 7 December 2024

Essex is always a strong team and Surrey needs to call upon its full strength. It is fair to say that Kingston has made a solid contribution over the years. The Surrey team of 16 comprised three Kingston players – Peter Andrews on board 1, John Foley (pictured above) on board 3 and Alan Scrimgour on board 5, all playing Black. This was one of the last games to finish and a small crowd, to which the players were oblivious, had gathered around the board. The Surrey team captain, Graham Alcock, beamed when this game finished, but then put on his serious face as he needed Marcus Gosling to draw with a pawn against two knights, which he duly did, but not before he made an illegal move in the time scramble, stretching nerves to the limit. Surrey won by one match point to keep us in the running to reach the national knockout stage.