European Senior Team Championship

[IMarks]

Ian, Does sound rather like an excuse, presumably the
Dutch had the same noise problems

Nope, not an excuse. You had to be there. Let me explain. One of the Dutch players (my opponent, in fact) was in a wheelchair, therefore for ease of access our match was played at a table not far from the door and on the main 'route' into and out of the playing hall. All VAS's matches are played here, therefore they are 'acclimatised' to it to an extent, whereas for each of their opponents it is a novel experience. Besides, judging by the number of times he had to shoosh people, my opponent was obviously discomfited by the racket too. (Not just my word; used by other players too today.)

As Andy says, tolerance to noise varies from player to player. That is why FIDE laws state that it is up to the arbiter(s) to ensure acceptable conditions. At the risk of sounding like a big sook, I'd say that neither Andy nor Alex nor Lara would have let things escalate to the levels they did for a good half hour today.