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Northland News with Tania Brown

A Big Score, The Northland Teams and An "inelegant flat board".

July 29th saw the Kerikeri New World tournament which attracts entries from all over the North Island. Mainly because of the A points on offer of course but the very, very generous prize money also helps. $200 for 1st, $150 2nd, $100 3rd and $80 4th.  In addition to that, there is the top Junior pair and top Intermediate pair prizes as well.

With a whopping 67.99% in the afternoon session the winners of the day were Whangarei’s very own Margaret Hooson and Richard Bland. Both play a very basic system but it goes to show it is not about all the fancy add ins, but playing the cards and both do that absolutely beautifully.

Margaret Hooson  Richard Bland.jpg  Sandy Joe and Marge Duncan.jpg  Tonni Keijzer  and Charmaine Churches.jpg

Overall winners, Margaret Hooson and    Intermediate Winners, Sandy Joe           Junior winners, Tonni Keijzer and

Richard Bland                                         and Marj Duncan                                       Charmaine Churches

 

August 12th saw the Northland Teams competition. Each of the clubs, Dargaville, Paihia, Kerikeri and Whangarei, put forward a Junior, Intermediate and Open team to play. I am pleased to say that Whangarei squeaked through as the winner with a win for the Open team, a win for the Junior team while Dargaville took away the Intermediate section.

Whangarei Juniors.jpg                              Dargaville Intermediates.jpg

 Whangarei's Junior winners: Kim Thomas, Lyn Nelson,      Intermediate winners from Dargaville: Gerry Varney, Pam Rope,

Elizabeth and John Parker.                                                  Peter Ball and John Nielsen.

 

I have not a picture of the Whangarei Open team as someone had to take the photos. Also I have to confess I was away that day, so was not there to supervise said competition.  Congratulations though to Neil Ruddell, Margaret Hooson, John McIntosh and Andrew Liu. Well done, guys.

You run… I don’t!

Here was an unusual way to get a flat board during this event…Open Section, of course! Juniors would never bid like this

East Deals
None Vul
4
J 5 3
8 7 5
J 10 8 6 3 2
10 7 6 5
A Q 10 8 6 2
3 2
7
 
N
W   E
S
 
K Q 9 8
9 7
K Q 10 6
K Q 5
 
A J 3 2
K 4
A J 9 4
A 9 4
West North East South
    1 NT Dbl
2  All pass    

 

North would certainly have run to clubs had West not bid…but why bother when the opponents want to play there? Such were North’s thoughts. West and East were, as one might say, on different wavelengths.

This inelegant contract went 2 down for -100. At the other table, East-West overbid just a little, to 4Spade-small, got doubled and went one down. Just another (not so boring) flat board.

Best wishes to Paul Carson Wenmoth and Sue Brown on their bid to represent Auckland/Northland in the National Rubber Bridge competition. Their final Auckland opponents do not stand a chance!

There are some hilarious posts coming back to me from Lyon. What is heart-warming though is that so many of you are behind the teams over there. Matt Brown says the teams sees all of the posts and appreciates all of the support. (Whangarei players are all very proud of the performance of the team but especially Matthew Brown.)

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