Exciting finish in Oamaru teams

Press, 26 November 1980, Page 13

Exciting finish in Oamaru teams

CONTRACT BRIDGE

J.R. Wignall

The Oamaru Bridge Club’s pleasant and spacious new rooms -were the scene of this year’s Otago-Southland teams of four competition which attracted the very good entry of 20 teams from a number of South Island clubs.

The first day’s play consisted! of five qualifying rounds at the end of which the/'top teams played _ a round-robin tp determine the eventual winner.

R. P. Kerr’s Christchurch four (Mrs Kerr, R. J. Brightling and K. G. Wooles) were the leading qualifiers but could not sustain the pace and had to be content with third place. Meantime the event moved to an exciting climax. All depended on the last round in which the two leaders at that stage had to play each other. It had all the appearance of a battle between David and Goliath. S. R. Burgess (Christchurch) was playing to win the event for the seventh year in succession, while his partner R. Scott (Dunedin) had four wins to his credit. Their team-mates were M. L. Sykes who was playing for his third title, and J. R. Wignall. They went into the match secure in the knowledge that a draw or even a very narrow loss would see them home. But David Green’s Otago team (Mrs J. Jones, Mrs C. Whitney and D. McLaren) were by no means overawed. At half-time they had eeked out a slim lead in a very close game, and in the second half they added just enough to give them a win. . ; w

So, for the first time, two teams scored' the same number of victory points,

and the title was shared. On this deal from the last round, the Otago four reached a better contract, but were unlucky to lose a few points. South was the dealer with only his side vulnerable: N. A Q 10953 V 65 4 A 10 9 2 A A 4 W. E. A AK764 AJ2 VAQ4 V 109 873 2 ♦ 8 A 75 A Q 8 6 2 *97 5 S. A 8 V KJ 4 KQJ643 A KJ 103 When Sykes and Wignall held the North-South cards they reached the slightly precarious contract of three no-trumps after this auction; S. W. N. E. I < Dble Redble No 34 No 3 A No 3NT All Pass On any lead but that of a spade the declarer would have had a very simple task in taking six tricks in diamonds and three in clubs after driving out the queen. Green however found the diabolical lead of the six of ' spades . giving South several very uneasy

moments. Correctly diagnosing that most of the outstanding high card strength was on his left, in the hand that had made a takeout double. South realised that the most important thing was to keep his right hand opponent off lead.

The best chance of doing this was to play dummy’s highest spade to the first trick and accordingly South rose with the queen. When this held there were no further problems, especially when on the run of the diamonds West found the discarding next to impossible. The declarer finally emerged with 11 tricks for a score of 660. When the board was replayed McLaren and Mrs Whitney reached the rather less precarious contract of five diamonds. Against this West led the ace of spades before switching to a trump. Competently, the declarer drew two rounds

of diamonds before playing the ace king and jack of clubs.

Deciding that his lefthand opponent, who had also shown strength in the bidding, was more likely to hold the missing queen of clubs, McLaren discarded a heart from dummy. When the jack held the trick he was home, able to ruff one heart and one club on the table.

Had West of course covered the jack of clubs with the queen the declarer’s 10 would have been established, again for a heart discard. In spite of the

superiority of the five diamond contract the scoring table is such that it scored only 600 points for a small loss. But the Christchurch declarer’s blood ran cold when he realised that in his three no-trump contract had he played low to the first trick East’s jack of spades would have won.

A heart switch now would have enabled the defenders to take six tricks in the suit and three in spades to put the contract five down.

No less than seven tricks therefore hung on the decision at the first trick.