“On the sixth day of Christmas, HammerChess gave to me…”
“… Thames Valley, by Bajrush Kelmendi”
I’m delighted to report that our Thames Valley team has finished the year with a 100% record!
Our season began with a win in the TV Cup against Uxbridge, with a strong 4.5-1.5 victory.
Win aside, the match was notable for an appeal on our only losing board – following an illegal move by the Uxbridge opponent, Jim claimed the penalty. In the ensuing reset of positions – which rather confusingly involved another (non-captain) member of the Uxbridge side, Jims clock was not stopped, leading to him being a couple of minutes down through no fault of his own. The game played out to a finish with Jim losing on time… We shall await the results of the adjudication!
This was followed swiftly by a win over Surbiton B at The Anvil – our first league game proper of the season.
Perhaps our best result so far was an away win at Kingston in November. Not a single Hammer player lost their game, with the score sitting at an impressive 6-1, with one adjournment.
This leaves the table looking very interesting for us. With 2 wins from 2, we sit in second place:
The New Year brings a very busy period for the Thames Valley team, with six matches between 8th January and 5th February, all 7.30pm starts.
- Monday 8th Jan – Ealing away
- Monday 15th Jan – Kingston home
- Thursday 18th Jan – Richmond away
- Wednesday 24th Jan – Surbiton A away
- Wednesday 31st Jan – Surbiton B away
- Monday 5th Feb – Ealing home
I have highlighted our most important matches in red in the battle for survival. This period only has a couple of other senior games (1 x London 3, and 1 x Middlesex 2), so January is effectively the Thames Valley month for first teamers. I would therefore like to field the strongest team possible, so would really appreciate if all high-graded players can make themselves available on these dates!
Thanks for your commitment, and have a Happy Christmas!
Bajrush.
Nicely done Mr Chairman