3rd Team in the Mid-Sussex League

Report from Gary Willson on Hastings & St Leonards 3rd Team in the Mid-Sussex League

The matches for the season went as follows:

1 0.5:4.5 loss to HSL 1 (as expected)
2 3:2 win at home to Crowboro, an excellent result
3 3:2 loss away to Horsham 3, a very creditable performance
4 1.5:3.5 away win to Woodpushers, arguably our match of the season. It made avoiding relegation a distinct possibility, but also gave our 2nd team a green light to go for promotion ias division champions
5 1:4 loss at home to Horsham 2, an expected result.
6 2:3 away win at Eastbourne 2, possibly our most satisfying result, as it “guaranteed” our safety, as well as beating our neighbours :).
7 2.5:2.5 away draw to Lewes, a very close game, tense to the very end.
8 2.5:2.5 home draw to Uckfield. Good performance against our higher rated opponents, Brendan’s draw on the top board a notable performance.

My thanks go to all the players who contributed throughout the season. Needing to balance putting out as strong a team as possible whilst giving opportunities is not an easy thing to achieve. Equally difficult was managing the nominations rule in the MSL, and I think across the 4 teams we managed this as well as can be expected this season.

Away games continue to be problematic. Getting a team together can be a difficult task, so my thanks (and the thanks of the club) go out to all the players who contributed this season (esp Mssrs Bryant, Wheeler, Hann, and Woodhams, and also to Mssrs Blewiit, Ruane, Cload, Cosens, Stock, Hudson, and Ms Pontonutti)

Gary Willson