Local bridge player honoured

Press, 26 January 1988, Page 10

Local bridge player honoured

It was very satisfying to see contract bridge recognised in the New Year’s Honours List by the award of Queen’s Service Medal to John F. G. Lawson, of Christchurch. There would be few who are more deserving. John Lawson and his now deceased wife, Octavia, first took up duplicate bridge in Dunedin where they joined the Otago Bridge Club in 1960. After moving to Christchurch in 1963 they began a long

and active membership of the Christchurch Contract Bridge Club.

Lawson became in order, a committee member, president, manager and eventually a life member. He also served on the Canterbury Bridge Centre, then on the New Zealand Contract Bridge Association’s Management Committee becoming New Zealand President for one year.

He was rewarded for his services by being made a life member of the N.Z.C.8.A., a very rare honour.

Although active in administration much more of his efforts have gone into directing, and he has organised and run tournaments all over the South Island. Many hundreds of bridge players have thus had the opportunity to play competitive bridge who would otherwise have been unable to obtain access in the large clubs.

After many years as senior director of the Christchurch club it was no surprise when he was appointed to a similar position at the New Zealand National Congress at Rotorua.

Lawson’s main activity in recent years has been assisting small in

country areas to form themselves and establish a regular playing schedule. In this way he has helped bridge communities at Hawarden, Bishopdale, Darfield and Diamond Harbour as well as several others. In the country areas he has also done some teaching to bring new players into the game.

John would never claim to be in the top echelons of bridge players, but he was. the holder of the Canterbury Men’s Pair title for one year and still cherishes an Otago-South Teams of Four held in 1972 which he won in a team consisting of himself, his wife, the late Kath Ellis, and Mrs Eva Rickard.

It was a particularly noteworthy achievement because all the top Otago players were taking part and remembering Lawson’s beginnings in Otago they were not disposed to generosity. John Lawson has earned his Queen’s Service Medal, which he can wear with pride and satisfaction. The rest of us can note that only Bruce Bell who was awarded an MBE some years ago has also been honoured for services to contract

-bridge in New Zealand. ‘ Although he plays little competitive bridge these days he was quick to give me the correct answer -when presented with the following deal. It was brought to my attention by Maurie Lewis who has an eye for interesting hands. North was the dealer with neither side vulnerable:

The auction was:

The final contract of four spades was wellfor although North

CONTRACT BRIDGE

J.R. Wignail

had a lot of controls and South lots of distribution, the two hands were rather misfitting. Even so 12 tricks can be made with relative safety after a diamond lead despite there being a few, problems with entries. Can you see how?

The answer is nice and simple. West’s opening lead of a diamond is won in dummy as South discards a club. A low heart from the table is taken by the king, as the declarer’s jack falls. Now there are two top diamonds and two top hearts in dummy on which South’s remaining four small clubs go away.

Then the declarer enters his hand by ruffing a club to lead the queen of spades through West’s doubleton king thus picking up the trumps without loss.

South has lost a trick in hearts which he need not have done, but regained two - a fair enough exchange. F A.