CONTRACT BRIDGE

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 101, 26 October 1938, Page 20

CONTRACT BRIDGE

N.Z. TEAMS-OF-FOUR TITLE

The New Zealand teams-of-four championship contract bridge tournament was played in Christchurch at the weekend. Ten teams competed, one from Auckland, two from Wellington, four from Christchurch, and three from Dunedin. Dr. Hutchison's Wellington team (Dr. and Mrs. Hutchison and Messrs. H. H. - Wilkinson and W. B. Rainey), the present holders of the cup, retained the championship, with Dr. Bruce McKenzie's Auckland team j second (Dr. Bruce McKenzie and Messrs. Eastgate, Bruce Smith, and Mitchell). Mr. Ashley Duncan's Wellington team (Mr. and Mrs. Ashley Duncan, Mr. and Mrs. H. H. Young) secured third place. Three Dunedin teams, captained respectively „oy Messrs. Penrose, Mathieson, and Halliday, in that order, came fourth, fifth, and sixtji, while the Christchurch teams followed. The tournament was excellently managed by a committee from Crockford's Club, Christchurch. Dr. Bruce McKenzie's team has now filled the second place at three successive tournaments, and has had rather hard luck, especially as in 1936 Dr McKenzie tied for first place and lost on the count-back of cumulative scores. In this year's tournament he had a lead of three points at the close of the third session, but lost this in.the fourth session and was unable to catch up again. The two Wellington teams did very well to secure first and third places. Most of the teams played the Culbertson system, but two Otago teams played the Vienna system. The scores of the leading teams were as follows: —Dr. Hutchison, Wellington, 86 points, 63.70 per cent.; Dr. Bruce McKerizie, Auckland, 82 points, 60.74 per cent.; Mr. Ashley Duncan, Weljlington, 75 points, 55.55 per cent.; Mr. i Penrose, Dunedin, 73 points, 54.07 per cent.; Mr. Mathieson, Dunedin, vl£ points, 52.96 per cent. The annual meeting of the New Zealand Contract Bridge Association was I held in ■ Christchurch on Saturday 'morning, when the following officers were elected:—President, Dr. Bruce McKenzie, Auckland; vice-president, Mr Ashley Duncan, Wellington; honorary secretary and treasurer, Mr. J. C Schneider; management committee, Messrs. H. H. Young, J. G. McDermott, G F. Maxfield, H. H. Wilkinson, C. H. Joplin, W. B. Rainey, and Dr. W. J. Hutchison. It was decided to hold the next annual tournament in Auckland at the Labour Day weekend, 1939.