Tollemache Qualifier – Suffolk Win!
An article I thought I might never write. At last! Suffolk have qualified for the Tollemache Final. Each year I describe that the event in November in which the county annually competes is just the qualifier for national inter-county teams-of-eight. Since its inception as a county association some 29 years ago (and possibly a year by invite before that), a Suffolk team has gone to the qualifier and come back disappointed.
There have been high but not high-enough finishes in the past but this year was a revelation: Suffolk led their group from start to finish and were a match clear at the end. It was closer than that and with two matches to finish, some of our lead had evaporated. Moreover we had a delicate positions against would-be qualifiers Merseyside & Cheshire and Yorkshire in both. When the dust had settled Suffolk improved against the former from 12-8 to 15-5 and completely reversed the latter, converting a 3-17 half-time losing score into a 16-4 win. This was one of the deals that did it:
| Game All Dealer West | ♠ KJ6 | ||
| ♥ K1087 | |||
| ♦ QJ104 | |||
| ♣ 54 | |||
| ♠ 109543 | ♠ 2 | ||
| ♥ A5 | ♥ 96432 | ||
| ♦ 98 | ♦ AK76532 | ||
| ♣ QJ63 | ♣ --- | ||
| ♠ AQ87 | |||
| ♥ QJ | |||
| ♦ --- | |||
| ♣ AK109872 | |||
| West | North | East | South | |
| Gobert | Yorks | Chambers | Yorks | |
| J. Moore | Yorks | A. Moore | Yorks | |
| Pass | Pass | 3♦ | 5♣ | |
| X | End | |||
At both tables where Suffolk were East-West the auction was sensible; East did not over-egg his mixed offensive/defensive hand and West had a clear double of South's overcall. I say clear but five clubs might have made on other layouts (for example had West been 4-3 in the majors) but Suffolk duly recorded +200 in each room.
| West | North | East | South | |
| Yorks | Price | Yorks | Green | |
| Pass | Pass | 5♦ | X | |
| End | ||||
Jonathan Green selected double rather than a rash adventure to the six-level, David Price was not tempted to bid anything and they had an excellent +800. At the last table North was equally pleased to be offered the chance to defend:
| West | North | East | South | |
| Yorks | Sutcliffe | Yorks | Gemmell | |
| Pass | Pass | 3NT* | Pass | |
| 4♣ | Pass | 4♦ | X | |
| End | ||||
Three no-trump was some quality of minor suit pre-empt. Whatever the details he was two down in his contract and that was another Suffolk positive, +500. These four scores were worth 52 IMPs.
So ends almost thirty years of hurt – Suffolk now have a date in February for the final.
Suffolk at the Tollemache qualifier 2009
Represented by:
David Price (Capt.), Jenny Price, Jonathan Green, Jim Gobert, Chris Chambers, Peter Gemmell, Peter Sutcliffe, Jane Moore, Andrew Moore
Beat: Warwickshire 20-0, Lancashire 18-2, Yorkshire 16-4, Merseyside & Cheshire 15-5, Northants 14-6, North-East (Q2) 14-6, Worcestershire 12-8
Lost: Norfolk 6-14
Published Saturday 5.Dec.2009