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A month ago, we had the annual popular Babich Wines New Zealand Wide Pairs. There were 750 competing pairs at 44 clubs, 5 of which
played on-line.

It's time to celebrate the winners.

Have you seen this picture before?

Well, not really but those of you with good memories will see a strong, indeed very strong resemblance to the 2020 winners. Stand up, therefore, and take the accolades, Vivienne Sexton and Maureen Russ from KeriKeri, who won both this year's and last year's events. Anyone would like to wager on a "bridge hat-trick" next year?

Second Place                                                                                        Third overall

     
The Te Anau club have supported this event every year. It is nice               Wayne Burrows and Bob Hurley scored very well at Palmerston North
therefore to see the club rewarded this year as club President,
Jill Mchlery (left) presents Marg Cockburn and Marg Hughes with
their prize wine: united in name, united in partnership.The club presented
them not just with a certificate for coming second in this event but a further
certificate for being part of the team which won the New Zealand Intermediate
Teams at the 2015 National Congress. Perhaps a little late in acknowledging
this but still a nice gesture and capped a lovely presentation ceremony for
the two Marg's.

                  Fourth overall                                                                                   Fifth overall

                                             

                                                   Ken Yule and Lesley Quilty at Matamata                                                   at Hamilton, Barry Jones and, wait a minute.....                                                                 

Observant readers will notice that Barry Jones is not sharing the limelight with his partner of the evening and indeed life partner, Jenny Millington. Jenny was not there for the presentation but was for the all- important session and, so I am led to believe, for the wine sampling. Barry certainly did not open any bottles in my presence!

    Top Restricted Open Pair                                    Second Restricted Open Pair

 
Ed Roggeveen and Chris Marshall (Picton)              Jenny and Peter Story (Kaikoura)

2nd Intermediate Pair                                                 2nd Junior Pair

                     
Jenny Meads and Simon Loudon, Marton                    Christine de Vries and Hilary Williams, Rotorua

For the first time, we had a Novice Grade with the top two pairs winning some wine.

 

   Top Novice Pair                                                    Second Novice Pair

       
Pauline Clifford and Phillippa Holstein (Kaikoura)    Greymouth's Richard and Paul Meek
                                                                             If there are any queries about whether Richard
                                                                             is too young to be accepting such a prize, then
                                                                             we will just say he is holding the wine for his father!

and finally on behalf of those whose score was not quite large enough to scoop a wine prize, here are the winners of the most hotly contested category, nearest to 50%.

Other prize-winners were Janenne Oates and Frances Loader (Taihape), the top Intermediate pair and Feiding's Paul and Stephen Kauri, the top Junior pair.

Richard Solomon                                                                         

 

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