Glastonbury Chess Club defeated local rivals Wells in the first round of the Somerset Cup last week after a sensational late recovery.

The evening started with two quick finishes. Grandmaster Matthew Turner proved too strong for his Millfield pupil Max French, but this early lead for the Thorns was soon matched by a win for Wells' Tony Austin.

After two hours of play the match score remained tied, but then the Cathedral Men won two games that gave them an impressive 3-1 advantage.

Chris Strong defeated Edward Small and Jonathan Rossi forced the resignation of Haroon Symonds.

What proved to be the Glastonbury fightback began when Tim Wallis agreed a draw with Matt Goatcher after a remarkable game in which no pieces were taken until more than two hours and 30 minutes of play had elapsed.

Martin Willis then reduced the deficit with a forced win over Zoe Strong which left the overall result in the hands of brothers Hugo and Caspian Fowler.

With the three-hour limit getting ever nearer both had clear winning chances, but would they have sufficient time to take full advantage?

Eventually, in a dramatic flurry of moves, each achieved victory with only seconds to spare with the final match score now 4.5-3.5 in favour of the Thorns.

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