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The Wellington Regional Committee has thanked and farewelled Dinnie Hall, our chair over the last 6 years. She was still smiling as we broke up, which is a tribute to the enervating effect of bridge administration. Or maybe it's just the way Dinnie is. Or her planned overseas travel being 8 days away. The new Committee takes up its role in July. The above picture shows Dinnie flanked by committee members, Paul Maxwell and Tony Sutich.

The Wellington region has been preparing for two nation wide events later this year. We have finalised our teams for the Interprovincials, holding trials on the 15th May with an increased number of entries compared to last year. Our rubber bridge competition is also progressing well. The 33 initial pairs are now down to 8 pairs, contesting for Wellington's two places in the final.

The local Interclub competition has completed four rounds. Once a month on a Friday evening, we see 232 players playing 24 boards across 5 groups; open, open restricted, intermediate, junior and novice. The organisers over the years have to be congratulated on finding and tuning a format, day and time that appeals to players at all levels.

Speaking, or not speaking, of seeking ways to increase Junior participation, the Karori club tried a different format recently. This was a separate one session Junior tournament that was not  an adjunct to an open or intermediate tournament. Sadly, there was no particular increased interest from this innovation. Barbara Page and Ed Hudson were convincing winners from the 12 pairs taking part.

Simon Grant and Kevin Bateman, won the Hutt Junior on the 22 May. Their score of 71.43% in the second session clearly helped them seal the result. Pat D'Arcy and Graeme Norman won the simultaneous Hutt Open from Brian Cleaver and John Patterson.

 Pat D'Arcy and Graeme Norman, Hutt Open winners.

Chris Farrow and Jan Brunton won the Paraparaumu Intermediate, held the same day as the Hutt Club's events, and averaged 63% over the two sessions. Graham Potter and Mira Trifunovic were second, just ahead of Phillippa Gardiner and Michael Norrish.

Sandra and Rodney Dravitzki won the Otaki Multigrade on the 29th May, scoring consistently highly. Lyn and Dave Edwards were the second pair. If there had been a prize for the most inconsistent pair, I would have been a strong candidate.  My partner and I improved from an initial score of 36% (I have no acceptable explanation for this) to a score of 62% in the afternoon.

Many of the region's bridge players, including most committee members, left Wellington for the Hawkes Bay Congress over Queens Birthday weekend. As usual, most went home happy, whether it was bridge or social success or both. I heard mainly positive comments on the new venue.

The Victoria Bridge Club's Swiss Pairs tournament offers a different format from the usual duplicate. The initial ordering for the first round of this tournament is set according to a pair's combined rating points. So, pair 1 is highest combined ratings, and so on. Hence there's a  possible challenge in achieving one's par at the end of the day, as if we need another scoring methodology! Charles and Anthony Ker (pair 1, so playing up to their initial ranking) were the eventual winners from Graham Stronach and Sandy McKirdy (pair 38, so a difference of +36). Dale Lacey and Robyn Freeman-Greene (pair 18, difference +15) were third.

 Anthony and Charles Ker with Pat Knight representing the host club.

Graham Stronach and Sandy McKirdy have been achieving some other local success recently when they won the Kapi Mana Open from Anna Herries and Annette Henry. Joan Waldvogel and Max Wigbout had won the club's Multigrade held some weeks prior.

Sandy,the Sommerset Village Aotea representitive, Graham and Kapi Mana President Margaret Robertson

 

 

 

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