Report by John Auld

This match was decided by several bg hands. The Spondon dealing machine was on fire.

Our teams with Butler imps scores:

Dawes

David Hodge & Mark Goddard                        33

John & Irene Auld                                          17

Keith Rodgers & Lloyd Eagling                       -52

Gordon Fullerton & Graham Lee                     -6

Porter

Bill Whalley & Pravin Tailor                              57

John Rolph & Gerry Franklin                           -32

Mike & Daphne Coggles                                  -1

Dick Milne & Alyson McLintock                          7

Markham

Nick Clarke & Wendy Walker                           -42

Di Abbott & Sylvia Goodlud                             -47

Will Irving & Janet Jacques                              -12

Michael Bleaney & Tony Stevenson                    30

The Porter team managed a win thanks in part to Bill and Pravin with the best Butler imps score.

The first of  the big swings arrived on board 5:

Graham Lee and I both judged that the East hand was a perfect pass and subsequently defended 1H doubled- not with great hopes but for lack of any alternative. 1100 seemed like a fair score.

However events were more bizarre at Mark and David`s table. The contract was 4S doubled- not unusual in itself but crucially David was declarer as North trying to make 10 tricks wiith a zero count and no trump tricks. In the circumstances losing 1400 on a part score hand was not bad. This all happened because East opened a weak 2H (standards being lower over the border in Derbyshire), over which Mark bid an impeccable 2NT doubled by West. Now came a system happening; over an opening 2NT 3C would not have been natural and 3S would have shown clubs. David duly bid 3S misunderstood by Mark and doubled hungrily by  West . Alas the confusion continued as David attempted a rescue and Mark raised the level to 4S. I must stress that David and Mark were our best pair notwithstanding this disaster. Also I soon  captured first prize in the catastrophe category on board 12 when I took an imaginative save in 5H doubled and went an imaginative 7 off.

The next major swing came on board 14:

I opened 3C and South`s 4C showed two suits. Now North became concerned that South had spades and diamonds and sold out to Irene`s 5D missing the huge heart fit. Probably this is a pessimistic view but stranger things have happened. The moral is that 4C should show majors after which North would still be bidding hearts. I think that if two suited bids can guarantee denominations partner is much better placed especially at high levels. In the Porter match both Notts Wests made 6D doubled which did the scorecard no harm.

Board 21 was another double game swing:

This was an interesting hand in many ways. Firstly what if anything should North open? Against Irene and me he went for a weak 2 because of the vulnerability. Some good players passed. In my view 3H is obvious. Sometimes it goes wrong but more often you upset the opponents and in this case make 11 tricks. If North starts 3H it would proceed pass 4H double pass and now is it obvious for East to bid 4S?

As it went I played 4S on H Ace lead ruffed in dummy North following low. My problem was that Ace and another trump might lead to opponents drawing trumps and cashing hearts even if trumps break. Accordingly I ducked a spade and ruffed the heart continuation. Now the Ace of trumps and playing on diamonds saw me home for loss of just one heart and two trumps. I could have gone off if South had given North a diamond ruff at trick 3 but that is hard. Perhaps North should signal wuth a high heart at trick one. If I read the hand I could still make by playing Ace and anither trump since they cannot draw trumps. I doubt that I would have managed that.

Congratulations to Derbyshire who won the Dawes and Markham matches and provided an excellent tea.