Horsham 1 narrowly defeat Eastbourne 1

Horsham 1 secured a narrow home win over Eastbourne 1 last Tuesday after some nervous moments.

For the first time this season (and the last, as Morgan Blake will be heading off), Horsham were able to field their strongest side, but several players misfired, leading to a tight contest.

Mike Forster ran into early trouble, giving up material but not gaining sufficient attacking chances. His opponent was able to consolidate and win.

It was not all bad news for the Forsters, however, as Matt secured a comprehensive win with a typically energetic performance.

Morgan Blake seemed always in control in his bottom board game, and managed to secure the win in the run up to the time control.

James Mansson's game against Paul Carpenter, however, was far from plain sailing. He was unable to find a way to exploit his opponent's dubious play in the opening, then allowed a strong continuation that would have given good winning chances. Fortunately, his opponent was unable to work out the correct line, instead crumbling rapidly to a comprehensive defeat.

These results left Horsham 3-1 up on the night, securing victory in the match irrespective of the result of the final game. This was fortunate, as Gavin Lock's game was adjourned in what looked like a very bad position. He had given up the exchange in the time scramble for some practical chances, but these seemed insufficient. Home analysis confirmed that his opponent was winning, so Horsham conceded the game.

This gave Horsham a 3-2 win. The full score of the match is given below:

Board Horsham 1 (Home) Result Eastbourne 1 (Away)
1 Gavin Lock 0-1 Oliver Froom
2 Mike Forster 0-1 Adrian Pickersgill
3 James Mansson 1-0 Paul Carpenter
4 Matt Forster 1-0 Mike Reddie
5 Morgan Blake 1-0 Matthew Pannett
3-2

Note that Horsham 1, as the home team, were White on even-numbered boards.