Suffolk v Essex
The last Eastern Counties match of the season and all to play for! Well, not quite but more than just pride and local rivalry with Suffolk visiting Essex. A modest win would give the first team a best ever finish of second in their division and the 'B' team could afford a draw to achieve the same position. When the dust had settled, the 'A' team had pulled off a maximum win, 20-0 but the 'B' team stumbled to a 7-13 loss, missing out by two victory points. The 'C' team completed an up and down year with a 5-15 loss.
Signs that it was going Suffolk's way in the first team came as early as board one:
| Love all, dealer North | ♠ 102 | ||
| ♥ Q1098 | |||
| ♦ Q9853 | |||
| ♣ QJ | |||
| ♠ A6 | ♠ K874 | ||
| ♥ A6532 | ♥ K7 | ||
| ♦ KJ2 | ♦ 76 | ||
| ♣ 1062 | ♣ AK543 | ||
| ♠ QJ953 | |||
| ♥ J4 | |||
| ♦ A104 | |||
| ♣ 987 | |||
| West | North | East | South | |
| Lockhart | Essex | Chambers | Essex | |
| Pass | 1♣ | 1♠ | ||
| 2♥ | Pass | 2NT | Pass | |
| 3NT | End | |||
South led the spade queen and I ducked in both hands. A smart diamond shift might have seen me awkwardly placed, but refusing to take the trick was an attempt to safeguard the contract when south could not win a club trick but had the ace of diamonds. South played a spade at trick two and, after one top club dropped the knave, I was able to lead a club to the ten, losing an unnecessary trick to the queen but surviving when south had the diamond ace as expected.
When Debby Sutcliffe and Maria Allnutt for Suffolk defended the same contract, west declared. With her partner silent Debby, north, led a diamond to Maria's ace who continued the ten to the knave and queen; trick three saw the diamond suit cleared. A club to the ace collected the queen from north and declarer was at the cross-roads. If north had queen alone he had next to lead towards the ten – if north had queen-knave the king was the successful play. With very little to guide him, he guessed wrong and played low from east; Debby scooped this trick and two more to get the 'A' team off to flying start.
Suffolk v Essex
'A' Team won 20-0 VPs (+107 IMPs)
P. Gemmell / P. Sutcliffe
C. Chambers / E. Lockhart
M. Allnutt / D. Sutcliffe
B. Davies / C. Stokes
'B' Team lost 7-13 VPs (-17 IMPs)
C. Bamberger / R. Green
M. Bone / Leigh
G. Beeton / S. Flin
N. Denny / R. Mascall
'C' Team lost 5-15 VPs (-31 IMPs)
J. Lang / A. Moore
N. Less / H. Mason
R. Parish / A. Shearman
J. Mayhew / A. Wilmer
Published Saturday 15.Mar.2008