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Gore 2004....Dorothy Gray, Ngaire Keane and Pam Bush. 

Twenty Years Ago...

A "Grand" Time in Southland.

More from late 2004 and I went on an official bridge visit to Southland clubs. At Gore, it was the “night no-one seemed to want to bid” with most contracts being at the 1 or 2 levels. There was one very marked exception as my partner for the night, Vern Vercoe, discovered.

 

As South, Vern opened a Precision 1, then bid the suit naturally and was soon propelled to grand by his partner via simple Blackwood.

This is a great “grand” needing just trumps to behave and hearts no worse than 4-2 or singleton J…except West made an unhelpful Q lead immediately taking away a useful entry to dummy too early. Vern then played a club to his king. The trump break was annoying as it used up a second entry to dummy to draw all East’s trumps. With his only entry left being in hearts, Vern had to hope for a 3-3 break or doubleton J. Being hospitable to visitors down South (and their partner!), the heart suit obliged and Vern made his contract.

The article referred to the Mossburn Bridge Club, one I could not visit, a club of about 30 members which really blossomed once a year with a tournament which attracted up to 52 tables.

On to Winton which was referred to as “the club from which no-one wanted to go home”! “While a northerner delayed proceedings with a few words to the throng, there were an awful lot of people around the club come midnight.

The players did not worry about playing rather more than the 22 or 24 boards most clubs have to offer. At the end of the session, one is expected to stay at one’s finishing table and have a drink with one’s final opponents. The bar is a very important social and financial aspect of the club.”

Our society has changed in many ways making social activities like the above rare. We go home earlier. We must be careful about drink and drive and we see the results and more on-line. However, problems like the following which occurred that night in Winton still remain :

 

South was Gordon Burgess and there was an awful lot of bidding taking place. East appeared to have bid their Weak 2 twice with West sounding quite confident about hearts.

So, perhaps as a sacrifice (surely West had no diamonds?), Gordon bid 7, which West doubled. My dummy was almost perfect (I am still looking for the “perfect” one for partner!) :

 

Gordon could ruff the opening heart lead, draw trumps and take a successful club finesse. Had that suit broken 3-3, Gordon would have made 13 tricks but with only one discard available once dummy’s clubs were established, there was still an inevitable spade loser.

Meanwhile, the defence could take a spade, two clubs and a diamond against 6 x (+500), the best North-South could achieve once their opponents had sacrificed at the 6-level.

Of course, it might not all have got so high had East opened 3 and South called 5 (successfully) or 3NT (with West on lead, less so! Dummy would fail in their role to take care of the heart suit!)). Compared to many 3-level pre-empts these days, that East hand was a monster! East would not have enjoyed playing 5 x if the defence got into ruffing hearts...better for the defence than a slam!

The hospitality continued at the Invercargill Club  which was described as a city “where every second person “used” to play bridge or “used to play more regularly”. The article described the club’s “superb facilities just waiting to be used rather more than they are at present.”
              at Invercargill

 
Elspeth Welsh, Max Skerrett, a northern visitor, Fergus More 
and Eileen Hughes. Fergus may still not play that regularly 
but he contributes by being NZ Bridge's Hon. Solicitor. 

“Southern hospitality” is well known and was very much part of my experience and the article. As is evident, our approach to a session of club bridge seems to have changed. We have the technology now but are we as social? We like to believe our clubs provide a social activity. Visiting Southland in 2004 was a very enjoyable experience.

Richard Solomon

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