By Neil Bonnell, Warwick Bridge Club
In a very close finish Noela Collins and Mavis Simpson edged out John Nankervis and Pat Kelly in the Winter Pairs, with David Moran and Nea McGinness in third place.
Disciplined bidding is regarded as prerequisite for success in bridge, but occasionally the free spirits have their day. The most surprising result on Board 23 (above) from last Monday was a score of zero for each pair when no player was prepared to make an opening bid. At that table, South followed the “rule” that it is wrong to open with a weak two bid (2H or 2S) in one major suit if you have a four-card suit in the other. So, South made a disciplined pass; West couldn’t see the value of a 6-5 shape in the minor suits: North, without a five-card suit, could see no future after partner had passed; a mesmerised East didn’t want to get involved and allowed the hand to be passed in. There must have been some consternation for both pairs to discover that they could both have made game: North/South in both hearts and spades while East/West could have made their game in both clubs and diamonds. Three free spirits sitting South did bid their hearts and won the auction, but stopped short of game. Top score for the board was 200, which was achieved by Hilary Richardson and Ros Hart for 3H making eleven trick.s The two West pairs who played in 3C made eleven tricks for 150. All pairs missed out on the game bonus of 500 points.
Results: Monday, 13/06/22 (6-table Mitchell): N/S J. Nankervis P. Kelly (66.3) 1; R. Hart H. Richardson (59.7) 2; J. Mobbs S. Goddard (52.3) 3. E/W N. Collins M/ Simpson (66.7) 1; D. Moran N. McGinness (55.0) 2; B. Reid J.McKeen (52.7) Winter Pairs overall: N. Collins M. Simpson 1; J. Nankervis P. Kelly 2; D. Moran N. McGinness 3. Friday, 18/06/22 (4-table Howell): N.Collins M. Simpson (63.7) 1; Jenny Smith P.Kelly (61.9) 2; R. Hart J. Nankervis (54.2) 3.
