Horsham 1 lose crunch match against Hastings 1

Horsham 1's hopes of winning the league ended with a defeat against a very strong Hastings 1 team.

Horsham unfortunately had two of their first choice team (Gavin Lock and Matt Forster) unavailable, while Hastings 1, in addition to their club regulars, wheeled out GM Bogdan Lalic on board one.

James Mansson unsurprisingly lost with the Black pieces against Bogdan Lalic on top board.

Matters were then not helped by Phil Stimpson losing to Howard Tebbs, which left Horsham with a 2-0 deficit to overcome.

Anthony Higgs was able to strike back in amusing fashion, as Francis Rayner, in extreme time trouble, blundered into a mate in one. Admittedly, the position was already tough for him.

However, Horsham were unable to achieve what they required on the remaining two boards.

Dix had to concede a draw against John Sugden, while Mike Forster's position rapidly deteriorated against Nicolas Varley, and in the end he had to admit defeat.

The final score was therefore a 1.5-3.5 loss for Horsham 1.

Horsham 1 had White on even-numbered boards.