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This country has made an impression at the World Bridge Championships at the table. We have another success to report away from the main action.

The International Bridge Press Association is what it seems, a body made up of those worldwide who write about and publicize our game both within our bridge community and in the wider world outside.

Each year, it makes various awards for well- played, bid and defended hand of the year, a Youth Award, sometimes a bridge personality award and also an award , the Simon Award, for the most sporting gesture of the year.

The awards for 2016 were announced and presented this last week in Poland. We are delighted to announce that the winners of the “Simon Award” are James and Sam Coutts from Dunedin.

                      

James                                                Sam

James, who was in Poland as part of our Mixed team was there to receive the award. He describes the circumstances that led to their nomination:

“At the Australian Nationals in Canberra this year, Sam and I had thought we had won a pairs tournament. Later in the evening, it was discovered that there was a scoring error at one of the other tables. This table was that of those who had been told they finished in second-place. Unfortunately for all involved, the error was not discovered until outside the correction times, after the results had become "final". We asked the Tournament Directors to change the result, but were told they could not do so according to the tournament regulations. This was disappointing for all involved. As nothing official could be done, the only thing we could do was to present the real winners, Joan Butts and GeO Tislevoll, with the medals and the prize money when it came time for the prize-giving.

Sam and I both had no hesitation in knowing this was the obvious and right thing to do. So, we are both somewhat surprised that these actions have received such high praise. But at the same time we are proud and honoured to be the recipients of an award that emphasises how the game we love should be played. Apparently this award is not given out that often, and we would like to thank GeO  for the nomination. 

The only thing that we would like to come out of any publicity from this award is the reiteration of the idea that rewarding the real winners of events, based on bridge merits, is what we should all strive for.”

Congratulations to Sam and to James. For James, it was a happy moment to make up for less than happy experiences away from the table and the disappointment of failing to make the top 16 Mixed Teams by a solitary imp.

Richard Solomon

 

 

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