Gutsy performance but Hackney 3 go down to Metropolitan

The old Hackney spirit of fight was in full force in a brave showing against a higher graded Metropolitan in our latest London League Div 4 encounter. Solid draws by Mark Rivlin and Gerald Howgate were backed up by interesting adjournments for Shaun and Maria Tracey and Peter Burgoyne. Matthias Lataille, Jack Morgan and debutant Chris Gribben battled hard, each eventually losing. Special mention for Chris who almost turned round a completely lost position into an unlikely draw. Captain Mark Rivlin told Sky Sports after the game: "I'm proud of the lads (and Maria). We covered every blade of grass or whatever the chess equivalent is. The season is a marathon not a sprint and we are still in the promotion mix with a shout."