Blewbury beat Oxford C with 14.10 VPs (103 vs 76 IMPs).  Congratulations, everyone!

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Cross-IMPs

BLEWBURY: Finn Clark & Stuart Forsyth = +1.35 IMPs
BLEWBURY: Dermot Paddon & Diane Bell = +1.00 IMPs
OXFORD C: Dhanesh Goberdhan & Nick Newell = +0.58 IMPs
OXFORD C: Peter Finbow & Andy King = -0.10 IMPs
BLEWBURY: Shirley Moore & Hilary Strang = -0.13 IMPs
BLEWBURY: Mike Brown & Malcolm Cochrane = -0.47 IMPs
OXFORD C: Mark Hancock & Philip Bacon = -0.78 IMPs
OXFORD C: Irene Holland & Richard Sills = -1.46 IMPs

BOARD ONE = +3 IMPs

This might look like an unremarkable part-score deal, but that apparently placid scorecard includes 3♥-3 by East (after West competed aggressively with Michaels on a weak 5422 opposite a passed partner) and 4♥-3 by North (after Oxford's pair got into a tangle against Shirley and Hilary).  Yes, both East and North declared in hearts.

Stuart and I played in 3♦-1 and Stuart said afterwards that the most successful bid on his hand (South) would have been opening a 15-17 1NT and playing there.

BOARD TWO = +7 IMPs

4♠ has no play whatsoever, but almost all tables played there for 4♠-1 because this is Teams scoring.  Mike and Malcolm won the board by playing in 2♠+2.

BOARD THREE = -10 IMPs

The best contract is 5♦, which was only reached once.  Other tables played in 3♦+2, 4♣ and 3NT-1.

The bidding at our table was 1♣ by North (having AK to six of them), a 1♥ overcall by East (mandatory despite the suit quality) and a 1♠ bid by South (showing five since a negative double was available to show four).  North then reversed with 2♦, South raised to 3♦ and the bidding ended there. Looking back, I think South could have bid more strongly.  With a ten-count including two aces and a singleton, 3♦ feels like an underbid opposite a reverse since you could have raised with a much worse hand.  Casting around for a game-forcing alternative, cue-bidding the opponents' suit with 3♥ seems like a reasonable move.

BOARD FOUR = flat

4♥ or 3NT by East-West.  It's IMP scoring, so it doesn't matter which one you choose.

BOARD FIVE = -10 IMPs

Theoretically, 3NT is unmakeable.  Commiserations to Hilary and Shirley, who bid the aggressive game (good tactics at teams) but were the only pair to encounter the correct defence.  (North leads the ♥J and South overtakes with the queen to play another.)  This isn't the only hand in this match where Hilary and Shirley bid well, but were then unlucky with defence or distribution.

BOARD SIX = -1 IMP

Stuart and I had a beautiful auction to what at duplicate would have been a complete bottom.  Stuart opened 1NT and I splintered with 3♥ to show a singleton or void.  Stuart only had ace-doubleton in that suit, so we bid the safe 5♣ and made an overtrick because the trump king was onside.  Unfortunately, though, it would have been better for Blewbury had the club king been offside.  That would have defeated the more common contract of 3NT.

I like splinters opposite a 1NT opening.  They don't come up often, but this match had two good hands for them.

That was the end of the first set, which Oxford won by 21 to 10 IMPs.  Blewbury then had a jaw-dropping second set, scoring 12, 12, 12, 14, 0 and 17 IMPs for a total of 67 IMPs in six boards.  Words fail me.  That's close to the total IMPs Oxford C managed in the whole match.

BOARD SEVEN = +12 IMPs

Diane and Dermot were the only North-South to go plus, taking 600 for 3NT.  (The computer thinks 3NT makes three overtricks, but that's on double-dummy analysis that needs amazing finesses, dropping a singleton king offside, etc.)

BOARD EIGHT = +12 IMPs

This was hysterical.  Stuart opened a 15-17 1NT and I replied Stayman, whereupon South bid a lead-directing double on the surprising club holding of A1092.

Stuart held KQJ75 of clubs and redoubled.

This came around to South, who pulled the redouble.  (Stuart would have made an overtrick for 2♣xx+1.)  Unfortunately, South rescued himself by bidding 3♣ on his four-card suit when we've already said there's a club stack sitting over him (and Stuart and I would have underlined that if he'd asked us).  He thus played a six-card trump fit at the three level (doubled) when he'd had a nine-card heart fit available.  This cost Oxford 800.  For what it's worth, I think South should have bid 2♥ rather than 3♣ (although of course an even more important point is not to double Stayman with such puny clubs).  He's already (mis)announced a club holding, so he might as well bid a second suit (weak though it is) to give partner a choice of trumps.

Also, congratulations to Hilary and Shirley for defeating 3NT when the opponents didn't bid their cold spade game.  (East didn't bother with Stayman.)

BOARD NINE = +12 IMPs

Almost as amazing as the previous board.  The four scores were:

(a) 2♦+1 by South (the only North-South plus score, achieved by Shirley and Hilary)

(b) 2♥-1 by South

(c) 2♠+2 by East (congratulations to Mike and Malcolm)

(d) 5♦x-3 by East, who actually claimed 5♦x-4 and then realised too late that she'd overlooked an eighth trick she'd already made when she hit "claim".  We adjusted the score to the actual result.  This surprising contract had come about after South opened a 15-17 1NT, Stuart made a Landy-like bid to show the majors and I leapt to 4♠.  The computer thinks this can't make, but beating it requires South to lead a club from AQ72 rather than a safe-looking diamond from KQJ9.

South then found the imaginative bid of 5♦ on a four-count and four weak trumps.  After the formality of a double, that was the final contract.  I like her logic, though, and at the vulnerability she showed a small profit compared with the 620 I might have made in 4♠.  Stuart's shown the majors.  She has a singleton in spades and so much heart length that she could assume (correctly) that partner had shortage.  Sure enough, dummy went down with a beautiful KQJ9 of trumps and lots of useful cards outside.  It was the perfect dummy, in fact...  but everything fell apart when (unsurprisingly) the trumps broke 4-1.

BOARD TEN = +14 IMPs

Dermot and Diane took 800 from 2♥x-3 vulnerable after West bid a weak jump overcall, Dermot made a negative double and Diane was happily looking at AKJ5 of trumps.

Other results included 1NT+4 (easy at the one level) and 3NT-3 after Stuart found the brilliant defensive switch of king and another diamond from a doubleton.  I had AQ1043 and that gave us five diamond tricks.

The most sensible auction was Shirley and Hilary's to a comfortable 3♣+2.

BOARD ELEVEN = flat

Two Souths played in 3NT minus a million after the defence cashed six heart tricks...  ah, no, I'm wrong!  That was only with me and Stuart.  Shirley and Hilary got the lead of the spade nine.  This is interesting, because: (a) declarer can now make nine tricks, with five clubs and four spades, and (b) seeing the nine makes the spade suit solid all the way down to the eight.  You can thus afford to win with the ace on table (unblocking the queen from hand) in order to finesse clubs.  Whatever happens, the defence can't disrupt your communications.

Curiously, this hand would have been perfect for another splinter opposite a 1NT opening.  South opens 1NT, West overcalls something Landy-like and North jumps to 3♥ to show his singleton (actually a void).  Holding J532 opposite partner's shortage, South now knows that 3NT should be a comedy disaster and must desperately scramble for a less catastrophic spot.  The South hand is 4333 and so has no suit except hearts, but that doesn't matter.  Anything's better than 3NT.  Bid a three-card suit, play in the 4-3 fit you dislike least and hope trumps don't break too badly.  (As it happens, 4♠ and 5♣ are both unbeatable, while 5♦ only fails because the trumps break 5-1.)  The best continuation for South, though, is actually a cue bid of 4♥!  This must show his actual hand, i.e. asking partner to choose trumps because you're 4333 and have no suit of your own to bid.

Well, I say "a perfect hand"...  the North hand's a little thin for a splinter.  You'd prefer to have more points to invite partner to bid a minor-suit game, but the void is powerful.

BOARD TWELVE = +17 IMPs

Blewbury's pairs stopped safely in 4♠, while Oxford's pressed on to 5♠-1 and 6♠-2.

BOARD THIRTEEN = +6 IMPs

A quiet part-score hand.  Congratulations to Mike and Malcolm for defeating 3♥ and being the only East-West to go plus.

BOARD FOURTEEN = -1 IMP

East-West can make 3NT+1, but only two tables bid it.

BOARD FIFTEEN = -17 IMPs

Hilary and Shirley were robbed.  They were the only pair to bid the superb diamond slam, but trumps broke 4-0.  The moral victory is theirs.  Best auction by miles, brought down by terrible luck.

In contrast, Stuart and I were defending a theoretically unmakeable but hard-to-defend 6NT...  so that squeaked home.  Sometimes there's no justice.

BOARD SIXTEEN = +6 IMPs

North-South can make ten tricks in diamonds, which was the result at all tables...  except when I was mysteriously allowed to steal the hand in 2♣+1.  (South should have bid a negative double and North should have protected with 2♦, although both are marginal decisions.  North's pudding includes a doubleton queen-jack of my suit, while South has shape but is thin on points.)

BOARD SEVENTEEN = +11 IMPs

Dermot and Diane did best as North-South by letting East play in 3♥.  Other North-Souths went overboard in 5♦-3, 5♦x-2 and 4♠x-3.  (Hilary and Shirley escaped undoubled by bidding aggressively and not letting the opponents realise what was going on.)

At our table, Stuart made an extremely useful 3♣ fit-jump in support of my heart overcall.  (4+ hearts and 5+ clubs.)  Thus, when the opponents pushed on to 4♠, I knew we had something useful in all four suits and was confident in my double.  Declarer should only have gone one off, though.

BOARD EIGHTEEN = -2 IMPs

North-South have a thin slam available in diamonds, spades or no-trumps, but it needs the club ace onside.

BOARD NINETEEN = flat

The only truly flat board.  4♠+1 everywhere.

BOARD TWENTY = -12 IMPs

Blewbury bought the hand on all four tables and went off every time.  South has a difficult bid.  Holding ♠ K2 ♥ AKQ72 ♦ Q1052 ♣ Q9, you hear the opponents bid 1♣ 1♥ 2♣ 2♥.  I see three options available:

(a) pass throughout.  You have no good bid on round 1, then on round 2 you like the proposed contract.  Pass looks attractive and going plus would have been an excellent result for North-South on that hand.

(b) double, then pass the 2♠ response that's almost guaranteed to be coming.  You know partner has heart shortage.  The bidding suggests that everyone has a long suit, so hopefully it'll be a 5-2 fit.  Possibly even 6-2.  You only have a doubleton spade, yes, but maybe the extra high card strength will compensate for the inadequate trump length.  The main danger is that partner has both spades and diamonds, in which case you're likely to hear the wrong one.

(c) an immediate 1NT overcall, despite the scary and inadequate holding of Q9 in opener's suit.  I think you'll find a lot of top experts bidding that anyway, especially against opponents who are playing five-card majors and a short club.  I still remember a match when I opened 1♣ and someone overcalled 1NT with three small clubs, then thought this was normal when I asked about it afterwards.  It gets a difficult hand off your chest immediately.  The club holding makes the bid unpleasant, but...  1. partner might have clubs too.  This was actually the case, after a fashion, and as it happens 1NT was the best available North-South spot.  2. if partner doesn't have clubs, they'll have length elsewhere and will be able to bid intelligently after that constructive start.  3. it's deceptive.  Even if the opponents do indeed have a club fit, they might never realise given their short club bidding system and your overcall.

BOARD TWENTY-ONE = -1 IMP

4♠ everywhere.  One declarer made an overtrick.

BOARD TWENTY-TWO = -9 IMPs

East-West can make 5♣, although one pair stopped in 4♣+2.  Spades are more precarious, being a 5-2 fit rather than 6-3, and double-dummy analysis says only nine tricks are available...  but Hilary and Shirley made 4♠ anyway.

BOARD TWENTY-THREE = -13 IMPs

Peter Finbow and Andy King were the only North-South to bid the unbeatable 6♠.  It needs trumps to come in for only one loser, but they do.

BOARD TWENTY-FOUR = +3 IMPs

Stuart and I bid this aggressively to 3NT+1, so he was disappointed to see that an Oxford pair managed the same result.  Congratulations to Diane and Dermot for stealing the hand in 2♠-1 the other way.

And that's that!  Blewbury have now played three of their five matches for the season.  It's been a busy October, but things will now be quieter.  We have a match in December (against Wantage!) and another in February.

Many thanks to everyone!