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Real Live Inter-Provincials.

A question for you to ponder as you read and salute the winners of last weekend’s Inter-Provincial Championships. You have been silent so far in the bidding. Are you going to remain so?

This is your hand and the bidding so far:

 

2 is Michaels, 5-5 + in both majors, either weak or strong. Over to you.

It was wonderful to have the Inter-Provincials take place at all. Holding them face-to-face in Auckland as was scheduled, or anywhere else, was just not possible. Thus, it was superb to have the opportunity of having the event on Real Bridge. This medium is not to everyone’s liking and there were changes to the teams originally selected. One change was giving teams the opportunity to have 3 pairs instead of 2, as 72 boards per day for 2 days (along with 2 matches on Friday night) is quite tiring using this medium, even if each team had two byes during the weekend. Somehow, team selection made this more of a competition than when those who played were automatic because no selection was involved.

There were the normal four categories, Open, Women, Intermediate and Senior. A Youth competition took place as well with 4 teams, two regional and the other two mixed regions. The Youth event did not form part of the main Dougal MacLean competition.

Congratulations to the directors and scorers, Murray and Caroline Wiggins and Kevin Walker. There were issues but the event went basically as planned giving the players excellent competition. Also, a word of thanks to the chef de missions who had extra pressure in ensuring their players turned up at the right place at the right time.

Open

On then to the winners. The Open event turned into a battle between Waikato Bays and Wellington. The Bays led for most of the event, indeed until they met Wellington in the penultimate of the 14 rounds. Wellington won that battle and clung on to maintain most of their lead in the final round to come out on top:

1	Wellington	181.61
2	Waikato Bays	172.27
3	Canterbury	160.62
4	Auckland/ Northland	150.00

 

Winners:     Martin Reid-Peter Newell, Alan Grant- Anthony Ker, Carl Hayes- Nigel Kearney

Runners-up: Jo and Sam Simpson, Liz and Blair Fisher, Anna Kalma -Richard Solomon

Intermediates

The tightest of the four competitions was the Intermediate event. Otago-Southland were ahead until three big wins saw Canterbury take the lead by 9 vps with one round to go..and these two clashed in the last round. Canterbury would win if they avoided defeat by more than 14 imps.

However, it was Canterbury who led by 15 imps with three boards left. Then, the worm turned suddenly as Otago-Southland picked up 31 imps including being the only region in this event to bid this slam.

 

Judy’s double over 2 was an excellent bid as it enabled her partner to show her hand type (1 was only 2+). Key Card did the rest, 5 showing 2 and the Q. A was led. There were three discards on the run of the diamonds and Pam was home. A game swing on the final board sealed it for Otago-Southland, victory in the match by 16 imps and the title. Never in doubt!

1	Otago-Southland	167.92
2	Canterbury	167.50
3	Auckland-Northland	153.99
4	Central Districts	151.38

 

Winners: Judy Russell- Pam Hodgkinson, Lydia Turley-Barbara Hutton

Runners-Up: Stuart Grant – Tony Quinlivan, Ian Beattie-Sam Gurney, Catherine Fitchett- Julia Thomas

Women and Senior

There was nothing like that drama in the Women’s or Seniors’ competitions. Auckland-Northland were mathematical in both going into the last round. Their Seniors only lost twice including the last round. Their dominance is best shown by the gap between 2^nd and 3^rd place in the chart below.

1	Auckland- Northland			208.97
2	Canterbury			181.97
3	Waikato Bays			144.79
4	Wellington			143.50

 

Winners: Julie Atkinson- Pat Carter

Winners: Jonathan Westoby- Grant Jarvis, Julie Atkinson - Pat Carter

Runners-Up: Shirley Newton- Jenny Wilkinson, Jane and John Skipper

It was almost a repeat in the Women’s event where Auckland-Northland went one better than their Seniors, with just one loss in the 12 matches. Again, there was daylight between 1^st and 3^rd:

1	Auckland- Northland		202.12
2	Otago-Southland		170.84
3	Waikato Bays		156.20
4	Wellington		142.97

 

Winners: Andi Boughey- Carol Richardson, Jan Cormack – Faith Tislevoll

Runners-Up: Donna Ruwhiu – Kristen Collins, Joan Scarlet- Anne Somerville

Youth

Auckland- Northland and Waikato Bays and Waikato Bays fielded regional teams. There was a South Island team and a 4^th under the banner of the Barbarians. They played a double round-robin with the top 2 contesting a 24-board final.

Connection difficulties hampered the South Island team early on and may have unwittingly worked to their benefit as they ousted the strong Auckland-Northland team from the final. They also inflicted the only loss on Waikato Bays and got to play them in the final. However, it was one-way traffic in the final, Waikato-Bays’ way as they won by 89 I - mps.

Winners: Jacob Kalma - Marcus Dudley, Charlotte Jager – Tyrel Glass

Runners- Up: Leon Meier- Joseph Grace, Bronwyn Bouton- Glenn Coutts

Auckland-Northland finished 3^rd.

Dougal Maclean Trophy …for the top overall region.

The following table has yet to be confirmed by the scorers of the event but indicates clearly that the trophy remains in Auckland-Northland.

1	Auckland-Northland		40
2	Canterbury		32
3	Otago-Southland		29
4	Wellington		27
5	Waikato Bays		26
6	Central Districts		14
7	Top of the South		4

 

An exciting weekend’s bridge, not maybe as we imagined it would be a couple of years back but nevertheless a nice way to be able to play at a time when we cannot all play live.

Back, though, to our problem at the start:

 

 

West was Martin Reid and he knew his partner had a strong hand with both majors. It was time to act. The opposition bidding suggested that his partner was very short in diamonds and he should be able to handle the majors. So, Martin bid 6 which proved an easy make on this lay-out.

 

Only 4 of the 24 East-West pairs bid this slam, the others being Carol Richardson-Andi Boughey and Joan Scarlett- Ann Somerville in the Women’s competition and Top of The South’s Virginia Warren – Marsha Woodbury in the Seniors’ event.

 

Do you like defending?

If the answer is “yes”, then this one is for you. If not, have a go any way! I am sure you love discarding to a long suit!

 

It is OK. You only have to find 3 discards! Your partner leads 8 and you insert 9 losing to Q. Declarer starts on the diamonds. Low to the queen and then J with everyone following.

Which three cards do you throw? Your partner will show an immediate dislike of clubs (though your first discard must come before you know that) and then shows a mild liking for hearts.

Richard Solomon

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