Horsham 1 overcame Horsham 2 in a tightly-contested match on Tuesday 15th October.
The first team were missing only Gavin Lock on board 1, and the second team were also able to put out a good line up.
As technically the away team, Horsham 1 were White on the odd boards.
On board one, Mark Broom found himself under pressure against Dix Roberts, following an inaccuracy in the opening. Apparently it had been a long time since he had faced the line chosen by his opponent, and he chose the wrong one of the two plausible moves! However, he defended stoutly and the game ended as a draw.
The board two encounter between Matt Forster and James Mansson saw a strange opening that resolved in James's favour. After a tough struggle, Matt eventually slipped up, and James secured the full point for the first team.
Mike Forster built up a strong position agains Lucy Bennet-Stevens on board three. Despite some later uncertainties, he eventually prevailed, giving the first team another win.
Anthony Higgs seemed to be heading for victory as Black on board four against Peter Harbott, but made an oversight, allowing his opponent to turn the tables. This gave the second team a valuable point.
On bottom board, Phil Stimpson scored a win for the first team against Alex Taylor in typically aggressive style.
The above results gave the first team a 3.5-1.5 win and a decent start to the season, although the second team can be pleased to have put up a good fight, which bodes well for their upcoming matches.
You can see the full match scorecard here.