Less than a month after our narrow loss in the away fixture, we played Clifton B at home. The teams were exactly the same as before, except for a change in our order on boards 3 and 4, with Michael M again stepping in at short notice.

There was another quick (17 move) draw for Dominic although initial computer analysis surprisingly judges Martin to have held quite an advantage, with his opponent's King still in the centre of the board. Ian benefited from a change of colour, preventing Alan's king from castling and then gaining queen for rook. Ian's further material gains shortly afterwards led to Alan's resignation. My poor run continued with another defeat to Manuel: an unusual opening with me apparently in all manner of difficulties, the computer somehow judging the position equal. This soon collapsed after I blundered and with an unstoppable mate threatened I promptly resigned.

With the score 1.5 – 1.5 at the half way stage, things weren't looking good for us. Nigel thought his position was lost, shortly afterwards losing a-pawn, whilst Michael M had also lost a-pawn and was looking uneasy. On the other hand, Michael B looked to have at least a comfortable draw. We then had a seemingly fortunate turn of events.

After pieces were exchanged leaving an equal rook ending, Michael B agreed a draw. Chris was down to less than 2 minutes and despite the-pawn deficit Nigel was apparently holding the position whilst having much more left on the clock. It seemed only a matter of time before Chris would have to agree a draw, which he did on the second occasion of asking. This left the match to be decided on board 3 and our chances looked very slim: John not only had a-pawn plus, but also a time advantage of about 8 against 3 minutes. On top of this, Michael M's king was looking perilous in a corner. After losing another pawn but with his King now released, remarkably Michael proceeded to not only narrow the clocks but also put pressure on his opponent by advancing his king to attack John's passed-pawns – and rook! With time almost up, Michael then managed to set up a swindle position to collect John's rook and the game.

Two much needed points which lifts us up the table. Next week's return match against Bath is yet another crucial fixture for both teams.