Report by John Auld. Thanks to Steve Raine for hand details

This match, the last of the season, would determine Notts final position in the Dawes league, a division we were leading after four matches. Our one loss (0-20 to Warwickshire) left us battling for second place with current opponents Gloucestershire. Any win would be enough.

The teams with Butler imps:

Dawes

Sandy Fulton & Mark Goddard            25

Steve Raine & Ankush Khandelwal     -2

Frank Ball & Gordon Fullerton             9

Lloyd Eagling & Keith Rodgers          -18

Porter

Gerry Franklin & John Rolph              -8

Shirley Ashtari & Dick Milne             -46

Bill Whalley & Pravin Tailor               -5

Toni Smith & Anthony Pettengell        -7

Markham

Clare Batten & Keith Spencer               9

Tim Anderson & Ian Dovey                -28

Mike Bleaney & Tony Stephenson       8

Ray Furlonger & Phil Dale                 -60

So Sandy & Mark  were our best pair. For Sandy bridge is a beautiful game just now.

After set 1 Notts were 11 up. Board 8 was a missed opportunity all round:

Just one pair-from Gloucestershire in the Markham- bid the excellent 6H. Everyone else languished in 4H often after opening with a game bid.

I was asked what bid I would make after three passes. My suggestion of 2C may seem odd but consider the alternatives; 4H risks missing slam and 1H risks missing game. Being a passed hand there is a limit to the excitement partner will generate opposite 2C, and if she shows a negative you can give up with 4H. But at the table it did not seem that way.

Set 2 earned Notts 25 more imps and a lead of 36 which dwindled to 19 after set 3.

Board 24 was an interesting play problem:

After a strong NT Steve Raine played 3S on a heart lead. This looks like 5 losers on a normal trump break but there are chances. I thought declarer would rely on a very favourable spade position of which there are but a few (mostly doubletons including the ten). Instead he tried a high diamond to see the defences signals and judged the suit to be 3-3. Now the Ace of trumps to see what dropped before cashing diamonds. On the last diamond a heart went away as the defence realised that whoever ruffed it cost a trick. In fact the defence may concede a further trick in clubs if declarer reaches a position where hearts and diamonds are eliminated. Now CA and another endplays the defence. Nine tricks in spades was a common result.

In the final set on board 28 Mark Goddard had a great result:

It is always disconcerting when opponents come in over 2NT but there was no stopping Mark at favourable vulnerability. North did the right thing bidding 3NT over 3S but Mark was there again with 4H. Sandy passed where at least one  West went back to spades (surely wrong-if East introduces hearts at the four level he should be happy with your K92). Now South made an unlucky choice of lead, the HJ. It could have been right, stopping spade ruffs, but not today. Mark diagnosed the heart situation winning in hand and ducking the next round. With a trump entry he could finesse spades and just lose a spade, a trump and a diamond. On a club lead the hand is much harder; best is to try HQ at trick 2 which if taken allows declarer to enter dummy and finesse spades to ruff the suit good. It needs a difficult play of ducking the HQ to thwart declarer in this line. Further club leads run declarer out of trumps before he has established spades.

Elsewhere North made 3NT. This hand is an excellent example of the advantage of declaring rather than defending. The opening leads are a nightmare.

Despite this board Notts slipped back to a 10-10 draw and an agonising 1VP behind Gloucestershire in second place. The 1400 penalty on board 25 had something to do with it but we wont dwell on that.