| NOTTS V OXFORDSHIRE 12th Dec 2010 |
Report by John Auld Captain Eagling had a fair choice of players for the fifth match of the season which should have augured well. The teams: Dawes: Sandy Fulton & Willie Crook; Mark Goddard & David Hodge; John & Irene Auld; David Burgess & Gordon Fullerton Porter: Lloyd Eagling and Frank Ball; Graham Brindley & Graham Lee; Mike & Daphne Coggles; Carol Fisher & Martin Mellor Markham: Janet Jacques & Will Irving; Ellen Overton & Gerry Franklin; Daniel Crook & Alex Allen; Sylvia Goodlud & Nick Clarke Since this is the time of year for quizzes let us start with a conundrum: which card provided the eleventh trick in 5S on board 4? |
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| David Burgess with his monster hand eschewed science opposite a passed partner and bid 4S over the potentially short club opening bid. South led his trump and David surveyed 10 tricks.Diamonds were the only hope for one more but how to develop an extra trick is not obvious. David led the J-covered by Q and A-and the 8 losing to the 9. Now he had D105 on table with North holding K3 and South singleton 7. The 10 was led pinning the 7 and the answer to the conundrum is- the 5 of diamonds became the eleventh trick. +850. |
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Oxfordshire have an advantage in taking a steady stream of young players from Oxford University. Nottinghamshire has a few Nottingham University staff and students and in this match fielded two Cambridge contemporaries in Mark Goddard and David Hodge. David has recently joined Nottingham University`s Maths department and was making his county match debut. On board 30 (above) every North in the Dawes match played 3NT on a heart lead. At our table declarer won on table and played a club to the King ducked. Now he is lost. Irene knew enough about the hand to take the first diamond and play a heart leading to 3 off. Other lines also fail (by one) provided the defence does not endplay itself. Only David Hodge as declarer saw the hand clearly winning the heart on table and playing a club to the ten. Simple and efficient. Finally here is another Christmas question: why should Sandy Fulton buy a lottery ticket? Board 21 provides the answer. |
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Details of the bidding have been suppressed on grounds of good taste but suffice to say that after a competitive auction Sandy landed in 6S as South. Ace of hearts was led and ruffed then J of spades led and run (not covered). Now two more trumps followed and clubs played. West ruffed a club eventually and played a heart. East perhaps brooding already inadvertantly ducked so Sandy`s Queen won. +1430. Careful analysis shows that the chances of bidding and making this slam are in the order of 14 million to one against-the same as the odds against a jackpot win in the National Lottery. At half time the auguries were still good in the Dawes and Porter matches both comfortably ahead for Notts. Unfortunately Oxfordshire fought back to take the Porter by 14-6 VPs as well as the Markham 20-0. Notts won the Dawes 17-3 largely thanks to Willie and Sandy who had a big card. |
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