A healthy win with 18.42 VPs, which is the same score we got against the same club's Oxford B last year in Division One!  (The match's IMP scores were 126 to 52, for a difference our way of +74.)  What's more, all four Blewbury pairs had positive cross-IMPs:

Finn Clark & Stuart Forsyth (Blewbury) = +2.32
Mike Brown & Malcolm Cochrane (Blewbury) = +1.72
Matthew Wright & Ian Van Maanen (Blewbury) = +1.04
Dermot Paddon & Nigel Carter (Blewbury) = +0.44
Philip Casey & Matthew Wilkinson (Oxford D) = -0.88
Christine Bishop & Ian Bishop (Oxford D) = -1.36
Paul Watson & Paul Smith (Oxford D) = -1.40
Moira Pavelin & Sue Smith (Oxford D) = -1.89

Click here for all the hands from the match

Click here for the Wessex League table so far

BOARD 1 = flat

East-West can make 1NT if left there, but North-South can make 3♠.  Overcalling 2♠  over an opposing 12-14 1NT on the South hand looks normal to me, especially non-vulnerable, unless you're playing some specific convention that stops you from doing so.  You have a decent 12-count, a passable five-card spade suit and king-jacks sitting over the 12-14 1NT opener.  The bid's quite likely to steal the hand (usually desirable!) and as it happens you'd make an overtrick.

BOARD 2 = flat

All tables played in 3♥.  This should go off, according to the double-dummy analysis, but two declarers succeeded.

BOARD 3 = flat

4♥+1 at all tables.

BOARD 4 = -6 IMPs

One Oxford pair got a vulnerable game swing by bidding and making 4♥+1.  Everyone else was either playing in a part-score or going off.

BOARD 5 = -2 IMPs

All tables played in 2♠ by East.  The only question is how many overtricks declarer makes.

BOARD 6 = +7 IMPs

The last hand of an unremarkable first set.  The last making contract is apparently 1♠, but two declarers squeaked home in 1NT.

BOARD 7 = +16 IMPs

Things got more dramatic from now on.  West at our table opened 1♥, I overcalled 2♦ with the North hand and East bid a negative double.  (This could be called aggressive on a five-count and it could have gone wrong, but the 6-4 shape makes the hand powerful and I agree with the bid.)

Successful declarers went "aha, we have a spade fit" and bid spades.  4♠ was bid and made with an overtrick by Mike and Malcolm.  However, West at our table either didn't notice the spade fit or preferred his chances in 3NT, which failed.  3NT-3 vulnerable gave Blewbury a further +300.

Against Dermot and Nigel, even 1NT went two off!

BOARD 8 = +11 IMPs

The wildest distribution of the match.  North-South have two eight-card "fits", but they're 7-1 and 8-0 respectively.  Slam is theoretically unbeatable in either minor, but Stuart and I were happy to be in 5♦+1.

Making things even more colourful, West had a seven-card heart suit and bid them as dealer at every table.  Both Oxford Wests bid some kind of pre-empt (2♥ or 3♥), which announces weakness and hence to some extent helped to push the opponents into game.  Conversely, both Blewbury Wests opened 1♥, after which their opponents at both tables failed to reach their five-of-a-minor game.  That can happen more often than you'd think.  Opening at the one level and announcing strength can be an effective weapon when the hand belongs to the opponents.

North-South shouldn't bid slam, incidentally.  It only makes because the ♦KQ are doubleton.

BOARD 9 = +1 IMP

The normal result was 1NT+1, but Mike and Malcolm made an additional overtrick.

BOARD 10 = +12 IMPs

Stuart opened 1♦, West overcalled 1♠, I made a negative double to show hearts and East leapt to 3♠.  Stuart now bid 4♥ and made it, looking at a spade singleton in a pretty 1462 sixteen-count, for a game swing to Blewbury.  We only have 22 combined points, but all those actions look normal to me.

Only half the Norths in the match bid that negative double.  I think it's clearly correct to do so.  You'd planned to reply 1♥ to partner's 1♦ opening and a negative double means you can do so anyway.

BOARD 11 = -6 IMPs

A difficult hand.  3NT is extremely challenging and failed whenever it was bid, whereas 5♦ is unbeatable... on a 6-1 trump fit, because the trumps break 3-3.  The best contract, though, is 4♥ on a Moysian seven-card fit.  It stops the defence from running lots of spades and indeed even 6♥ is unbeatable if declarer gets everything right.

Mind you, double-dummy analysis says the apparently doomed 3NT contract by South can make an overtrick.  West leads a spade, of course.  Declarer immediately wins and just needs to keep East off lead.  The natural (and unsuccessful) line is to play on hearts, but as it happens you can cross to dummy in diamonds and bash out clubs from the top.  East's doubleton ♣J10 get squished and you'll make seven clubs and three aces.

However, any human who manages that at the table is probably psychic.

BOARD 12 = +3 IMPs

Congratulations to Matthew and Ian, who defeated North's 3♣-1 when I was making 2♣+3 with the same cards.  (My defenders were more obliging.)

BOARD 13 = -5 IMPs

A horrible trap is awaiting North.  If you play in 2♠ (which doesn't look ridiculous and happened on two tables), you'll find East with the ♠AKJ85 sitting over you.

BOARD 14 = +11 IMPs

Two tables stopped in 2♠ by West, while the other two bid game.  Ian and Matthew did well to make 4♠, since all other declarers made exactly eight tricks.

BOARD 15 = +15 IMPs

Oh dear, oh dear.  East bid an Unusual 2NT on a bland 2254 nine-count against me and Stuart.  Personally, I never, ever bid an Unusual NT or Michaels on a 5-4 hand.  5-5 distribution is extremely powerful and pretending to have it is liable to lure partner into an expensive sacrifice.  Admittedly, our East had the vulnerability in her favour, but that's still not an action I'd endorse and the outcome didn't support it.  When her partner suggested afterwards that it might not have been best, she defended herself by saying she'd thought he'd have more points (but he hadn't yet had a chance to speak when she bid 2NT).

This cost 800 on a part-score hand.  The only successful contract at any table was 2♥ from Dermot and Nigel.

BOARD 16 = -3 IMPs

Stuart and I lost IMPs by playing in 3♦-1 when all the other tables were in 1NT.  This is a good hand for the weak 1NT.  (West can't overcall hearts at the one level, although personally I'd probably overcall anyway.  The 1NT opening thus bought the contract.)

BOARD 17 = -9 IMPs

Stuart and I bid an unmakeable 4♠, which I then played like an idiot.  At least we weren't vulnerable.

BOARD 18 = +10 IMPs

3NT-1 at all tables but one.  3NT+1 from Ian and Matthew.

BOARD 19 = -10 IMPs

A hand to discuss.  Everyone made thirteen tricks and the grand slam is unbeatable, but only one table even reached six.  The successful Oxford pair got there by opening 2♣ on the North hand, which I think is good enough on playing strength (Stuart disagrees) but nonetheless a dodgy bid because of your minors.  You can expect an ugly auction that wrong-sides the contract.  You'll open 2♣, partner might reply 2♦, you'll say 3♦, partner will almost certainly now bid a major and suddenly you have no idea what to do.

As it happens, though, it worked.  South gave a 2♥ positive to the 2♣ opening, then later supported diamonds.

What's the best auction?  Is the grand slam biddable?  Assuming the system played by me and Stuart, I'm tempted to suggest the following.  1♦ (not expecting the hand to be passed out) 2♥ (which for us is a fit-jump showing 5 hearts and 4 diamonds...  it certainly can't be strong since South passed as dealer), 3♣ (well, it's forcing) 3NT (having the spades stopped) and now North will be considering seven.  The auction strongly suggests club shortage in the South hand, so you have all the suits sewn up.

If you've never heard of fit-jumps, incidentally, they promise a trump fit while showing a good side-suit.  They're forcing if you've fit-jumped in a lower suit (because partner will at least return to the agreed trump suit) but non-forcing in a higher suit (so this particular hand is very much at the upper limit of the permitted strength).  This convention sometimes lets partner bid magic games, or conversely lets you diagnose a misfit and tell when it's right to defend.  The downside of the fit-jump I've suggested on this hand is that emphasising your red suits might make you miss a spade fit...  but you never know.  If North has spades, he might mention them over 2♥ to bid out his shape.  You'd then raise spades and would have shown all thirteen cards in your hand in two bids!

BOARD 20 = +11 IMPs

Matthew and Ian made 4♠, whereas the other tables were all in 2NT (making exactly).

BOARD 21 = -11 IMPs

The par contract was 3♥, made by Mike and Malcolm despite a gruesome 5-1 trump break.  Two tables tried 3NT, of which one failed and one succeeded.  (The key to the defence is that North must keep all his hearts, which should be marked after declarer showed five hearts in the auction.)

The fourth table had an auction I've never seen before.  We were laughing about it afterwards.  I opened a Trash Major on that one-point North hand (garbage with a five card major) and all four players at the table both bid a suit and (re)doubled.

BOARD 22 = +17 IMPs

Mike and Malcolm made 4♠, while Matthew and Ian made 3NT.  Oxford's declarers failed in the same contracts.  (Declarer can enjoy a lucky spade position, but 3NT fails if North takes the opportunity to make a lead-directing double of Stayman.  Even when the opponents open 2NT and you hold rubbish, don't go to sleep!)

BOARD 23 = +5 IMPs

The only successful contract was 3♦ by Mike and Malcolm.  The only plus score for North-South was by Dermot and Nigel, taking 200 from 2♠-2.

BOARD 24 = +7 IMPs

Oxford bought the contract at all four tables...  but in 4♠-1 and 5♥-2.

Congratulations to everyone!  The next match is on Wednesday against Banbury.