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Central Districts' News with George MacLachlan
The Christmas Cheer tournament at Palmerston North is by far the best supported tournament in the region. Typically, 30 tables were in play and players came from far and wide .. as evidenced by the winning pair of George Masters (Hastings) and Russell Wilson (New Plymouth.) Mairi and Matthew Bristow put on the most outstanding Christmas Dinner and the prizes table was worth a trip in itself.
Second place went to Charles and Anthony Ker.
Intermediate pair Alistair and Jack James were an impressive third. It is always nice to see a father/son partnership taking part. Top junior pair were Megan Eddy and Trish Peters.
WINNERS at PALMERSTON NORTH'S CHRISTMAS CHEER
Overall winners, George Masters Intermediate winners, Alistair and Junior winners, Megan Eddy and Trish Peters
and Russell Wilson Jack James
The following board was very good for George and Russell. They play a Strong Club system and were able to bid to the top spot as follows:
| Board 16 West Deals E-W Vul |
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| West | North | East | South |
| George Masters | Russell Wilson | ||
| 1 ♣ | Pass | 1 ♦ | Pass |
| 1 ♥ | Pass | 1 ♠ | Pass |
| 1 NT | Pass | 2 ♣ | Pass |
| 2 ♠ | Pass | 3 ♠ | Pass |
| 4 ♠ | All pass |
1
and 1
confirmed Russell held 0-4 hcp, any shape. George showed 19-21 balanced. Russell used Stayman to find the spade fit and invited game. Gorge accepted.
However, for most of the room, the bidding started and ended with 1 from West. Even an auction like :
West East
1 1
2 Pass
would have secured most of the match-points with +170 or even +200 (3 overtricks) outscoring 130 from 1.
Karen and Murray Carter 3rd in the Babich Wines NZ Wide Pairs
The Babich Wines New Zealand Wide Pairs proved to be a highlight in the careers of New Plymouth's Karen and Murray Carter. They finished 3rd out of 2,018 pairs with 74.39%. They learned bridge in the 1970's and played regularly until 1988 when they took a break to raise their family. They returned to regular play in 2011 and have proved to be a very competitive partnership.
Competitive but "Medalless"
That would describe our Region's efforts in the finals of the Inter-Provincial Championships. Our Open Team finished the highest in third place. Both the Intermediates and Seniors finished 4th while our Women fished 6th. That left us in 5th place in the overall Dougal McLean ladder.
Other Tournament News
The New Plymouth 8B Anniversary Pairs held recently resulted in a comfortable win for Colin Carryer and Sandra Calvert who have enjoyed a very successful run at regional tournaments this year. Meanwhile, Alister Stuck and Charles Ker really enjoyed themselves at the Hawke's Bay Christmas Cheer held at the Taradale Bridge Club in late November. They averaged 67.07% over the two sessions to win by nearly 20%.
The Hastings Intermediate Pairs produced victory for Annette Hagan and Jenny Peters whose second round 62.98% was the only 60% + score of the day.
The George Masters Motors Zelda Morris 10A Pairs held at Hastings saw Liz and Blair Fisher win by 5%.
Wayne Burrows and Clair Miao won the Palmerston North Swiss Pairs in fine fashion. This followed on from their success in the South Island Pairs when after a shaky start (a 46%) they then produced a 61, 64, 58 to win by 9%.
Swiss Pairs winners in Palmerston North 3rd in Babich Wines NZ Wide Pairs
Clair Miao and Wayne Burrows Karen and Murray Carter
2018 TOURNAMENTS
The annual 3-clubs Picnic Tournaments begin at New Plymouth Picnic on January 28th. Wanganui is the following Sunday (February 4th) and Hawera holds their Picnic on Sunday, February 11th. Allan and Kevin Upson (Hawera) kindly donated an impressive cup for the pair with the highest net score who play in all three events.
Feilding holds their Open tournament on Sunday 25th February
Marton club also provide a Picnic Tournament TO be held on Sunday 18th March.
Happy holidays everybody...!
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