| ..GLOUCESTERSHIRE v NOTTS 16th September 2012... |
Report by John Auld
Cheltenham and back in a day meant more driving than bridge for this match. Our car contained Irene and me with Mark Goddard and William Crook, and we constituted a team of four in the Dawes match when I finally found Cheltenham bridge club.
The teams:
Dawes: John and Irene Auld; William Crook and Mark Goddard; David Burgess and Gordon Fullerton; Keith Rodgers and Lloyd Eagling
Porter: Graham Lee and Robin Fisher; Martin Mellor and Carol Fisher; Gerry Franklin and John Rolph; Tim Anderson and Bernard Scanlon
Markham: Nick Clarke and Ray Furlonger; Ellen Overton and Jackie Parsons; Mike and Daphne Coggles; Janet Jacques and June Marron
Board 6 provided early encouragement: |
|
|
|
Show Detail |
| At our table we competed to 3H for -50 on an uneventful deal.At the other table South made a transfer overcall of Mark`s 1NT after which East-West gave it 110% as it is called in this Summer of sport. Against 5D doubled South cashed a heart and played J of clubs won in hand by Mark who crossed twice to dummy via a spade and a heart ruff to pick up trumps and leave this: |
|
|
|
Show Detail |
West made a good bid preferring NTs to hearts and of course 3NT rolled home. 4H is clearly inferior but can be made by developing diamonds using trumps for entries. Hardly anyone bid and made game but Mark and Willie were there with 4H+1 by West, right siding the contract and getting a spade lead.
Choosing 3NT rather than a 6-3 major fit is unusual but even rarer I think is spurning a 5-4 fit. |
|
|
|
Show Detail |
On board 21 I was not tempted to open 1NT at adverse vulnerability. Now the auction developed favourably. I could show strong heart support with 3D and then 3NT was an obvious suggestion. Irene passed impeccably and East led diamonds. Everywhere else North South tried 4H - and failed in practise.
The Dawes team had a big lead with one set to go but gave a lot back before emerging 15-5 victors; the Porter won 16-4 and the Markham team lost 4-16.
Willie and Mark were clearly the best Notts pair and according to the Butler imps Gerry Franklin and John Rolph and Graham Lee and Robin Fisher also did well.
It was a reasonably harmonious drive back to Nottinghamshire. |
|
|
|
Show Detail |
Mark ran the 9 of clubs to North who felt endplayed; a heart gives a ruff and discard, a club is into the tenace so he led a spade. In fact anything but a spade is OK. The ruff and discard does not increase declarer`s trick total and the club back leaves declarer with the spade loser. +750 meant 13imps.
On board 4 our opponents judged well to find game on minimal values: |
|
|
|