Ealing A 4 - Wimbledon A 4
: Created:06 Jan 2010 , byEaling will be putting this match into their saved column because at 3-1 down, our South London visitors on a snowy night, looked completely in command. A couple of quickplay wins with the Black pieces saw Ealing recover to draw the contest.
The Affair of the Ringing Alarm
Holmes and I were sitting by a blazing fire in 221B Baker Street today and with the weather so cold and snowy outside, neither of us had any inclination to venture forth. Champing on our pipes we got to mulling over the strange events of last night down at our club inside the The Harvester Restaurant and Pub.
Holmes, were you not puzzled by the fire alarm going off mid-evening?, I asked him. Huddled up in his armchair with up-drawn knees and brow furrowed with thought, he gave no immediate reply. Then with a start he emerged from his reverie and with his usual whimisical smile replied, There was a certain curiousness about the circumstances, Watson but I believe there is a logical explanation.
But surely Holmes, the alarm exploding into life half-way through the chess match when there was no visible evidence of fire was inexplicable. He nodded and observed, It has not happened before my friend.
What about the behaviour of the club secretary who whilst others were putting on their coats to leave, was seen furtively gathering up chess sets and clocks. I didn't like the cut of that man's jib. Yes, replied Holmes, the fellow is most unprepossessing but my keen powers of detection led me to particularly watch the action of the Harvest manager. He persuaded the members and their visitors to stay and he mended the alarm. My conclusion is that it was just an accident that the alarm went off.
Amazing Holmes. How do you do it? I gasped.
Elementary my dear Watson and what's more the Wimbledon chaps were not put out by the interruption and behaved with exemplary sportsmanship.
Ealing are top of the Thames Valley league, the pasty-faced secretary told me. Mmm, responded Holmes who was rapidly losing interest in the subject. However I continued to enthuse about the club's title hopes. Nine matches played and seven and a half points on the board. The Stanisic Defence claimed another victim last night.
Is that the one where the Ealing player hides his bishop behind a forest of pawns all the same colour?, Holmes replied in acid tones. Holmes the defence is a true wonder and with another good win coming from our board six plus worthy draws by Rick McMichael, Alan Perkins, Adrian Ociepka and Martin Smith we fought back from a difficult start.
His eyes closed and it was evident that with this mystery solved, he was only interested in the next case. The front door bell rang and moments later a man burst past Mrs Hudson into our rooms. Holmes, my name is Sir Henry Baskerville. A huge and grotesque hound...