The B team got their league campaign underway with a trip across the room to face our C team colleagues. Club derbies are always a little tricky — you want to win, but you also want to be able to look your mates in the eye at the bar afterwards. This time, though, the scoreboard was rather unforgiving: 6–0 to the Bs.

On top board, Peter Chaplin slowly turned the screw against Ian Pickup, while Humphrey Andolo, making his debut for the team, held his nerve to score a solid win over James Hennefeld. Aldrin Malibiran brought his usual attacking energy to dispatch Alan Papier, giving us a strong start.

Further down, Martin White edged a close positional tussle with Elmira Walker, and Aleksei Zverev ground down Dave Williams after a long fight. The final word went to Aldrin’s son, Alexis, who wrapped up the evening with a patient win over Hector Hu (by the way, thanks, Hector, for coming in as a late replacement!) to complete the clean sweep. With both father and son scoring wins, the Malibirans are fast becoming a family production line for Downend points.

The 6–0 scoreline flatters us a little, as the C team pushed hard on every board, but it’s a fine way to begin the season. Next up: a real away trip this time, as we head to South Bristol. No doubt the C team will be saving their best for the return match later in the season.

Peter Chaplin