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The New Zealand National Teams Trials

The Orewa Bridge Club was the scene this past weekend for the trials to determine our National Teams for two events in 2019, the Asia Pacific Bridge Championships (APBF), to be held in Singapore, in June, and the World Championships in China in October.

In two of the four categories, our teams had been pre-selected, with no trials deemed necessary. These pairs qualified:

                                      ABPF                    World Championships

Women                         Jane Skipper          Jenna Gibbons

                                      Jane Lennon          Christine Gibbons

                                      Steph Jacob           Linda Cartner

                                      Rebecca Johnston Glenis Palmer

                                      Jenny Wilkinson     Jenny Wilkinson

                                      Shirley Newton       Shirley Newton

Seniors (for both events): Tom Jacob- Brian Mace, Malcolm Mayer – Jonathan Westoby, David Dolbel- Denis Humphries.

The other two categories would be subject to trial. In the Open, a 96-board match was held between two teams:

Michael Cornell – Ashley Bach, Peter Newell - Martin Reid,

Michael Ware- GeO Tislevoll, Matthew Brown – Michael Whibley.

The match was divided into 6 stanzas. Ware hit the front early and led by 54 imps at the half-way point. Set 4 was good for Cornell as they reduced the deficit to just 23 imps but the fifth set decided the match, Ware winning it by 46 imps. Although Cornell won the last set by 19, it was too little too late, leaving Ware the winners by 50 imps.

This means that the team of Michael Ware- GeO Tislevoll, Matthew Brown – Michael Whibley will go to the World Championships though the names of the third pair for this event and the team for the ABPF have still to be announced.

The Mixed Team category is a new one. It attracted a good amount of interest. Eight pairs in four teams were selected to play 3x 32 board matches at Orewa.

Match 1 did not represent what was to follow. Carter (Patrick Carter- Julie Atkinson, Barry Jones- Jenny Millington) had a 19-imp win over Grant (Alan Grant- Jane Lennon, Kate Davies- John Patterson) while Henry (Annette and Stephen Henry, Anne Somerville- Moss Wylie) won by 11 imps over Simpson (Jo and Sam Simpson, Liz and Blair Fisher).

After that, it all went wrong for Carter who lost both their other matches by 47 imps. Grant recovered in match 2 to beat Simpson by 52 imps and in what proved to be virtually a head to head play-off beat Henry by 31 imps in their final match to leave the final placings as follows:

1.    Grant	37.38
2.    Henry	35.08
3.    Simpson	29.34
4.    Carter	19.20

 

Thus, as with the Open Team, the winners go to the World Championships with no decision as yet regarding third pair or APBF. Congratulations to Alan Grant, Jane Lennon, Kate Davies and John Patterson.

               
Jane Lennon and Alan Grant                            John Patterson and Kate Davies

 

Both categories played the same boards. Board 16 in set 3 was pure dynamite.

 

At all 6 tables, the bidding reached 6 albeit by different routes. Yet, paths were to differ from then on. Three of the six North-South pairs elected to bid on to 6. Holding so many aces, it would appear that they had hopes of making. All three pairs were to be disappointed though the amount of damage inflicted varied.

The K lead did not look too harmful for one South. Perhaps, there were visions of setting up the 10 to discard dummy’s heart. Alas for South, there was no way back to their hand as the A was ruffed with declarer finishing up 4 down -800. Deep Finesse has this contract three down, -500 which was the result in one of the matches though in the third match, the Open trial, the declarer escaped for just 2 down.

Interestingly, the opening lead to 6x in the other two matches was the 10 and Q, with both West players seemingly wanting a diamond ruff, despite their holding of KQ doubleton. In fact, on this deal, the defence will take 2 diamond tricks naturally. Trying to condense one of their diamond winners with their trump trick was not a good idea.

So, the three East-West pairs collected 300, 500 and 800. Two of them would be very happy but not the one with the biggest of those plus scores.

The other three tables saw 6 as the final contract, once doubled. This was the right action by the North-South players, as long as West was the declarer. North would start with the A and with the singleton appearing in dummy, the South players could ask for a club, though that would be the obvious switch from the North hand in any case. In both cases, therefore, the contract was a comfortable 2 down (club ruff followed), earning 11 and 12 imps respectively for their teams.

However, pity the poor South who was on lead to 6x. Axx in one minor: AJ10xx in the other. Normally, the ace from the 3-card suit would be a much safer choice. Not on this day, however. Even a trump lead would have been fine for the defence.The A got ruffed and after one round of trumps, both of dummy’s spades disappeared on high diamonds… making 12 tricks for +1660 which more than made up for the -800 at the other table. Happy memories and nightmares, indeed.

We look forward to the announcement of the full New Zealand teams in the next few days. Thanks to those who ensured the trials appeared on BBO. Bridge can be good “television” sport.

Richard Solomon   

 

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