On the 24th March, I played on board 10 for the Surrey U-160 team, away to Hertfordshire. I had been to the same venue two weeks previously and remembered mostly the long journey, but this time I did have a reasonably tolerable trip with two Wallington team-mates. As had been the case a fortnight previously, this would decide whether the team won the division or not, but sadly on this occasion we came up short. My own county season has been nothing short of remarkable, if I do say so myself, and I was not to be denied a final win, against Hertfordshire's captain, the 148-graded Michael Price:
A powerful display, I hope you'll agree. Nonetheless I was a little perturbed by his shadow threats in the immediate aftermath of my piece win out of the opening (a very convincing success for the Grand Prix Attack; my opponent seemed to fall apart under very little provocation) and his Kingside pawns seemed a little worrying. But by the end, I had decisively turned the tables, and his King was the one looking stupid. Caught in the open, it is hardly surprising that the black forces were tactically obliterated in the end.
My season of county matches was very strong, and I was pleased to complete the SCCU part of the season unbeaten from 9 matches. Indeed, that followed on from a streak of +6 =2 last season since I lost my very first county match on the 2nd October 2010. I can only deduce that it is the time control responsible, and so this was a good confidence-booster ahead of the Surrey Congress, where I had eventually decided to play up a section and enter the FIDE-rated U-180 Major. In the meantime however, I had my final two Surrey League games of the season to attend to.
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