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Bridge in the South starts each year with one of the more popular events, the Alexandra Holiday Pairs. This perennial favourite had 42 pairs competing over two nights (and enjoying the weather during the days) up in Central Otago and was won this year by Elwyn Hughes and Elspeth Welsh from Cromwell. But the first main event is the Regional Swiss Pairs, hosted this year in Invercargill. This event was taken out by the Dunedin pair of John Sheehy and Maria Godfrey, who gained the lead in round 4 and didn't let it go until the music stopped after round 9.

Next on the Southland itinerary was the Otago Festival Pairs, comfortably won by the pair of Peter Hall and Anne-Marie Russell – a massive 68% in the second round from Dunedin's Graeme Stout and Frances Sheehy wasn't enough to catch them. 

             

Festival Pairs winners, Anne-Marie Russell   

and Peter Hall

Early March brought the Otago Autumn Teams and Pairs, as well as the Invercargill Intermediate and Junior Pairs. The fact that these events were run on the same day was noticed when the scoring program in Invercargill went "kaput" and all their local computer experts was up playing in Dunedin. Multiple phone calls during session times would have been a disruption were it not for the 'Gunn' director of the weekend – Lindsay Gunn. The Autumn events in Dunedin perhaps proved that those in the Autumn of their life could still keep up, with the Teams taken out by locals Dai Redshaw, Michael Atkinson, Dennis McCaughan and Nina Hewitt, while the Pairs was won by Jeff Miller and Graeme Stout.  (late summer, surely, rather than "autumn"?)

                

       Autumn Pairs success for Jeff Miller                 and in the Teams Dai Redshaw, Michael Atkinson,

        and Graeme Stout                                           Dennis McCaughan and Nina Hewitt

The Invercargill events were won by locals Yvonne Hughes and Grant Milne for the Intermediate, and Te Anau's Norma Macdonald and Ruth Slee for the Junior. Norma and Ruth had an absolutely golden first session, scoring 77.78%. While the second session brought them down to earth a little, they still won the event by nearly 19%, a great effort.

The Alexandra All Grades event was cancelled this year due to only 9 pairs entering, but Taieri was able to attract 25 pairs for their Open B Pairs – which was won by locals Donna Ruwhiu and Kristen Collins.

As for other news, I can report that the Dunedin lessons are introducing 38 newcomers to the game, including some keen youths. One (before lessons had started) asked questions about artificial bids → ace asking → responses thereof → “What would you do when they interfere? Doesn't one of the opponents get a chance to bid between 4 and the answer?”, and the other commented after their second session of mini-Bridge “I know how this all fits together. I just want to know what sequences like 1 – 3 means”. So watch out for some more keen bridge players from down south in the next few years.

The big success story is Dean Eidler's 'Improve your bridge' seminar, where 50 club players from as far afield as Palmerston attended a course on take-out doubles. So despite the table numbers decreasing around the region, it looks like the fields will just be getting tougher to win!

Finally, success for Chris Ackerley who will be partnering Auckland's Douglas Russell at this year's Senior Bermuda Bowl events in France. Very late summer! Meanwhile, Sam and James Coutts will be the reserve pair for the New Zealand Open Team which will take part in the Pacific Asia Bridge Federation Championships in Seoul. Congratulations to all of them and also to Sam who has just become a grand-master, still very much in the "spring" of his bridge career.

 

 

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