The Knights were full of hope to achieve a win against North Bristol in the Minor Knockout, especially when we found that their regular top board was not playing. We were close to the maximum permitted average rating of 1700, while they had 1546, but they gave us a severe testing.

It all began very promisingly when Carolus carried on his form from the Swindon congress with a comprehensive rout of his opponent, winning material and forcing home a passed pawn. The other games looked evenly balanced.

Alan won a piece in the middle game but had given up three pawns. He was able to mobilise his pieces, including his King, and block any possibility of the pawns advancing dangerously. In due course he prevailed so that we were 2-0 ahead.

The bad news was that Joe went astray in a complicated middle game and emerged with two rooks against Queen and rook into an ending that he could not hold. And then I had an aberration and took a pawn which allowed an obvious reply, losing me a bishop. I played on in hope of some sort of swindle or flukey drawn ending but we were pretty certain to be 2-2 with just Martin and James to finish.

We needed at least one of them to win since, otherwise, we would lose on board count. James's game was too close to call and it was unclear if he would win, lose or draw. It was a relief when he stood up and mouthed the word "draw".

But then Martin's fairly level ending with R+N v R+B took a turn for the better as he won a pawn and he reached one of those positions where he was never going to let the win slip. They were both short of time so it was a huge relief when he forced a passed pawn to clinch the game and the match 3½-2½.

We shall be away to Clevedon in the second round, early in the New Year, so we shall have to play more consistently if we hope to progress.