A team won 16-4 (McPhee & Lonsdale, Lintotts, Proctor & Smith, Wilkes & Webley).

B team lost 1-19 (Perceval-Price & Noble, Bygotts, Claridges, Dawe &Thomson).

The A team proved their stamina by wearing down the opposition after a very poor start. Generally a disappointing day for the B team – things just did not go right for a team weakened by late withdrawals.

Lots of hands of interest - here are some highlights:

Board 1

There are two problems for N/S. One is how to get to game – probably 5C – and the other is how to make it. Making game revolves around restricting club losers to one.

Most declarers managed this once East opened a weak 2D or 2S by playing a club to the king.

This was a typical auction (similar at several tables):

Personally, I would have bid 4C immediately over 3H with the north cards. East started with the seven of hearts, won in dummy and declarer started with a spade – presumably to discover who held the ace. East won and continued with a second heart. Declarer now played cashed two top diamonds (ditching a heart) and then guessed trumps correctly – presumably on the basis that East would not hold both black aces. I did wonder what would happen if East did not play a second H (pretending to hold a singleton H) since a ruff is very unlikely. On further reflection, it is right to continue because east has to show up with as much length as possible in the other suits in the hope that declarer plays them for a void club!

Note that the same guess applies in 3NT – at least on a spade lead. Getting to the game contract did not prove difficult for the Bygotts – they reached a no play 6C after Jeremy opened 1C on the north hand. Rob and Nick also reached 6C after Nick opened the North hand with 3C. This must say something about hand valuation – but I don’t know what!

Board 2 featured another multi/weak two opener

Whether south opens 2D multi or 2H, I think that west has a clearcut 2NT bid. Starting with a takeout double of these sorts of very flat hands just asks for trouble –especially since most pairs play system on over this 2NT overcall, so you can still find other fits if responder has a shapely hand. Starting with a takeout double cost Leics dear against the Lintotts with this auction.

Most people would play double followed by double by west on this auction as penalty orientated, especially since north clearly wants to play in D – so maybe east should have passed out in 2H doubled which probably gains +500. As it is, west was unable to show both a flat hand with H stop and the spade suit on the third round of bidding so ended in the wrong game. After H to ace and H ruff, there was no chance for declarer. Perhaps declarer should have played KQ or QH under the ace - at least there is some chance of a switch then.

I thought that board 3 was the most interesting board of the day.

At our table south passed, rather than opening 3C (obviously a purist that did not like to pre-empt with a four card major. I’m not sure whether this made things easier or harder for us – since I spent most of our auction worrying about partner having wasted values in clubs. Look at the west hand. Assuming you open 1H, what will you rebid over partner’s 1NT response (thankfully, trusty partner mustered up a response on his cards!). After much deliberation, and to my partner’s amazement (although fewer and fewer of my bids amaze him these days!) I decided to rebid 3D. This was our full auction.

I knew that Richard would not go past 3NT unless he held at least four good diamonds (or Kxxxx). The only regret in the play was spotting that 6H would also make (but not 7H because of the diamond ruff).

The variety of results on this hand was amazing. Proctor and Smith did very well as N/S to buy the contract in 5C doubled for only –500. Wilkes and Webley did less well to defend 5C undoubled, although they seemed pleased that it had gone two down!

This was their auction:

Presumably, 4NT was just an attempt to muddy the waters with such a wonderful club fit. Nigel thought that his pass of 5C was forcing having bid a vulnerable game. Partner did not agree. My view is that the pass would be forcing if both players had bid on the way to game – but not on this auction. I think that west should realize that the oppos have a super C fit. Anyway, a 5D bid over 5C seems to describe this hand rather well after the jump to 4H. I certainly wouldn’t want to risk defending yet at this vulnerability.

The Lintotts were a little unlucky to conceed a big score as N/S after this auction:

North’s first round pass might have worked out well – it is often a mistake to confirm a big fit your way to the oppos when you cannot outbid them. East’s 6H bid looks jolly frisky and south’s double was lightner for a D lead.

One B team pair allowed N/S to play and make 3C. This looks like an incredibly pessimistic view from West even if East passes throughout. West has close to game in their own hand.

Board 9 also generated lots of interest and was my moment of madness:

I don’t really want to publicise our auction

My pull of 3NT doubled to 4C is my wimpiest bid for a long time. My two dark fears were a) that partner was not ready for a D lead or b) that partner had no clubs. For a) partner could take some action and I also know that RL would not bid 3NT here with a club void. Partner would probably have made ten tricks in 3NT doubled. Defeating 4D by one trick was scant reward. Most East/Wests were going down in 5C.

Perhaps I should just have claimed that south sacrificed in 4D over our 3NT bid??

Dawe and Thomson and Noble?Perceval-Price successfully bid 3NT for the B team on this board. Fortunately, my lapse didn’t cost too much as both Leics A team pairs bid 5C with ten tricks as the limit.

Hand 20 was a great success for Wilkes and Webley.

Mike opened 1© with the North hand and Nigel responded 1ª . So far, so good. But what would you rebid with Mike’s cards? The North hand only has 12 HCP but it is very strong in terms of controls and shape. Some jumped to 4ª or even to 4§ (Splinter) which seems excessive. I would argue for a raise to 3ª but Mike decided that it was only worth 2ª .

Now look at it from South’s point of view. Is he worth another bid after 1© - 1ª - 2ª ? The singleton in partner’s suit looks unpromising. Some Souths passed it out in 2ª but Nigel leapt fearlessly to 4ª . Now Mike decided he had not really done justice to his hand so he tried a cue-bid of 5¨ . Nigel retreated quickly to 5ª and this became the final contract. How would you plan the play on ¨ J lead?

Nigel won ¨ A, crossed to § A and led § Q, throwing a diamond away when this was not covered. OK so far. Now he tried © A and another heart from dummy. East ruffed in mistakenly with ª 3 but Nigel over-ruffed and proceeded to cross-ruff merrily.

The defence was unable to stop him from trumping no less than four hearts in hand. Finally, leading yet another minor card from hand, he was even able to make ª K en passant. That made eight trump tricks in all, plus two red aces and § AQ. So 5ª made an over-trick! Nigel could hardly resist a "come on, bid up, partner!" before the next board.

4ª is a better contract but it’s not easy to make if West leads Ace and another trump. Now you can count on a maximum of five trump tricks and must aim to do something with hearts. Say you take a good view and successfully finesse © 9 at trick 3. If you try to cash © A now, East can ruff and there is no way to recover. Perhaps you ruff a heart back to hand instead but East should throw a club.

Now declarer may try § A and then § Q but West covers, forcing the ruff in dummy. You’d like to ruff a heart back to hand, cash § J, cross to ¨ A, draw the last trump and claim © A as your tenth trick. But when you ruff that third heart, East can throw his last club away, so § J doesn’t stand up. All in all, I think that 4ª always goes down on best defence but every pair except one bid and made game.