Source: EBU
Saturday, September 20
The Premier League started this weekend, with the first round beginning at 10:45 this Saturday. Matches from the First Division are being broadcasted on BridgeBase Online. Vugraph schedule
The League is made up of two or more divisions of approximately eight teams per division. At the end of each year’s League, teams are promoted and relegated between successive divisions. Assuming two divisions of approximately eight teams, two teams are promoted from the Second Division to the First Division, and two teams are relegated from the First Division to the Second Division. The winners of the First Division earn selection to represent England in one weekend of the 2015 Camrose Trophy series, and in The European Champions’ Cup 2015.
In the second match of the first day: Dhondy played against Crouch.
Dhondy: Heather Dhondy, Sally Brock, Brian Callaghan, Barry Myers
Crouch: Peter Crouch, Simon Cope, Ben Green, John Holland
After the first 10 boards the score was: Dhondy 22 – Crouch 8, when board 11 hit the table:
Board 11
South opened 2, showing a weak hand with diamonds or a strong hand. West with his cue bid of two diamonds showed both majors. East closed the spade game, his partner passed …
Lead: Q
Declarer won the trick with dummy’s A and won the next three tricks with A, Q and J respectively, where Crouch discarded a diamond. Holland continued the A and K, when North discarded over the second diamond, Callaghan played the J and claimed 13 tricks …
At the other table …
South passed and West opened 1NT, East continued with a spade transfer and the 2NT opener rebid showed 4 spade cards.
Holland continued with a retransfer, to locate West as the declarer. The partnership exchange a couple of cuebids, West denying diamond control.
Holland with A and K asked for his partner’s keycards with 4NT, the 5 response showed 0/3 and 6 was an invitation to Grand Slam asking for diamond third round control. West with a diamond doubleton and 4 trumps bid the spade Grand slam.
North led the 10…declarer won the first trick and played two more trump rounds ending in his hand. South never discard a diamond …West followed with A, K y J, South covered and Green ruffed with his last trump.
The declarer continued with his A, he ruffed a club in dummy, played the last trump pitching a club from dummy, discarded a heart in the 10 … but North was waiting him with his Qxx for one down.
The awful diamond distribution, the 3-1 spade distribution plus a good defense taking care of the key suits, managed to make E/W to score the Worst of Results: playing a Grand Slam one down, while in the other table the partnership sitting in their places played a cheap spade game, thanks to, for many of us, an unexpected 2 opening bid…that helped to score 11 IMPs.
The match ended Dhondy 41 vs Crouch 22.