Saturdays are open to anyone - not just those taking part in featured games. 
There are certain wargamers who cannot make Monday nights so third Saturdays provide the opportunity to turn up and grab whatever space is available to play their own games.  Why not do the same?
Usually someone suggests a theme then club and player resources are pooled to recreate a large scale battle.  Sometimes we even arrange a two-day game.

ALBUERA - Saturday 16th FEBRuary 2019

Saturday saw a re-fight of Albuera under Age of Eagles rules, put on by Stu.  If Mr Churm's two day events (Dresden, Leipzig) make him our Cecil B deMille, then Stu can lay claim to being our Sam Peckinpah. Never before was so much blood (principally Spanish and French) shed in so small an area so quickly and consistently.

For those not acquainted with the original, Marshal Beresford deployed an Anglo Spanish Army at Albuera to cover the siege of Badajoz. Soult set about shoving him aside, and marching to relieve the fortress. Unbeknown to Soult, General Blake effected a junction with him just in time, giving the allies a substantial edge in quantity, if not quality. Soult feigned an attack on Albuera, but then sidled round to the allies right flank, held by Blake. The action saw  two things almost unique in the Peninsular War - firstly, Blake's brigade of Spanish Guards and the Irish regiment held the French at bay by sustained musketry, inflicting severe casualties on them; and secondly, almost a complete brigade of British infantry was ridden down by a flank attack by Polish and French cavalry.By the end of the day, the allies were still in place, and Soult had to haul off. An allied victory; but one in the "Another such and we are ruined" category.

Our game began with Andy Gledhill (Soult) demonstrating in front of Albuera, while Jim (Latour-Maubourg) massed his dragoons and Polish lancers (All three brigades elite) and hurled them at the cavalry on the allied right - two Spanish brigades, classed as conscript LC under Blake (CJ); and One British elite Heavy Brigade (Lumley), commanded by Bob (Beresford). Bob countered by launching an attack on the French right wing. This came to naught, with the allies driven back, albeit with heavy casualties on both sides. As the French infantry came on, The Spanish Guards and Irish emulated their predecessors magnificently, wrecking a french Brigade in just one move. However, as further French brigades came up, they were forced back, suffering heavy losses. While they kept the field, many of their compatriots did not (Though it has to be said they died on the field of honour, rather than fleeing). Their discomfiture was not in vain though, as they bought just enough time for the British to form a new line behind them. Many of the French brigades were fairly small, and they suffered grievously for their success. All came down to the cavalry combat on the right. It has to be said that "Blake" and "Lumley" saw this in very different terms. Lumley took on a dragoon brigade, forcing them back with casualties; "Blake" united his two conscript brigades to take on the elite Polish lancers, and drove them back with loss to neither side. "Lumley" took on the next French dragoon brigade; and was a little upset that the Spaniards, having narrowly won their melee, fell back to regroup instead of trying again...From this moment onwards, Lumley's brigade seemed in constant combat with one or another of the french brigades. By the end of it, they had wrecked all three French cavalry brigades on this wing, suffering barely any losses themselves. Blake did manage one more charge. It was not a success, with  "Blake" and the Spanish hussars last being seen riding very hard for Badajoz shouting the English had been defeated!

At this point, the game ended. The Spanish army was down to one untouched cavalry brigade, and the remains of the Guards and Irish, who would probably have decamped about now. The french cavalry had been wrecked as a fighting force; and although each had a couple of fresh infantry brigades, both French and Anglo Portuguese were pretty well played out. Stu's considered opinion was that the day was now over, and that the Allies had done just enough to hang on, and prevent Soult from relieving Badajoz. A victory, but a narrow one.

"Man of the match" and "Unit of the match" was not a difficult decision. Under Bob's command, Lumley's cavalry ( 3rd Dragoon Guards, 4th Dragoons and 13th Light Dragoons) performed miracles, taking on each of Latour-Maubourg's brigades in succession, and defeating every one. The casualties they inflicted exceeded their own original strength! The award for fastest rider went, without dissent, to Blake (CJ), who outpaced his fleeing hussars in his attempt to leave the field (Shades of the Old Scottish song, "Johnny Cope": 'Now Johnnie, troth, ye werena blate /To come wi' news o' your ain defeat/, And leave your men in sic a strait/Sae early in the morning...").

Fuentes and Salamanca are being pencilled in for later in the year.