Monday 28 May

Came 1st with Adrianne with a Butler score of 58.

Missed a game on our very first board against Charles and Vi though of the 3 pairs who bid 4H, only 1 made it.
I forewent a weak 2S a) not having enough and b) having 4 hearts.  So Adrianne opened South 1C and I bid 1S, Adrianne rebid 1NT.  Now we don't play checkback so with 4 clubs and 4 hearts Adrianne opens 1H.  I therefore just bid 2S rather than try 2H (prefer 6 - 1 spade fit to 4 - 3 heart fit) and this was passed out.
Now 10 tricks in spades is quite straightforward however Charles led 8H which I won in hand, spade to K and Vi ducks the Ace.  Now I have to play Ace and another club ruffed, TS to Charles' Jack and a club comes back ruffed.  Another spade to Vi's Ace and another club ruffed with my last trump. I can't risk my contract now by playing a diamond to the King so just cash my hearts in dummy for 9 tricks.  If Vi takes Ace of spades I will have a trump left and can try the diamond for 10 tricks.  Great defence as usual but then I could have won that first heart in dummy.

Less than half the field bid slam here, though perhaps we had an easier ride.  Against Clifford and Len our bidding went:
1C -  P  - 1D - 1S
2H - 2S - 3C -  P
Playing 1430 there is no point in RKC so I just bid 6C.
Great bid by Len coming in 1S, Clifford could make it harder for us and at least bid 3S, but Adrianne will still have a 4C bid.
Anyway, nothing to the play.  Spade lead won in dummy, clubs break and I claim12 by ruffing 2 hearts and conceding a diamond.

On the next board I am in the obvious 4S and Clifford leads a heart. Contemplating a club ruff for 11 I suddenly wake up and remember this is Butler scoring and I have just been presented with what looks a certain 10 tricks --- so take them!
So winning 10H in hand I play KQ of trumps discovering the break.  So I ignore a club ruff, finesse the spade and just claim 10.
Good score as half the field went 1 off in 4S.  Note that on a non-heart lead you need to ruff two clubs to make 10 ( 4 spades, AK hearts, AK clubs and two ruffs)

 Missed a game against Marilyn and Steve Bailey when Adrianne opened 3S as South.
I would certainly like to punt 4S but everything mitigates against that. Any 'normal' hand with 7 to the KQ can't make game as best likely distribution would be a singleton diamond, but there are still 4 losers unless she has KC onside.  With 7 spades to AK there is no chance of an outside King.  Now a singleton diamond would make game but I feel this is remote, a heart singleton more likely.
The majority bid 4S, what do I know, wrong again.
Oh, and guess what lead we got, yes a heart, so even a singleton heart would still have made game with maybe 2 quick diamond discards.

Only 4 pairs managed to bid and make 4S on this board.  Against Alan and Derek without interference we bid 1H - 1S - 3S - 4S
Alan led 3S which I took in dummy.  Now with KD onside and diamonds 3-3 there is an easy way to make if you play on that suit. I'm not that big an optimist and saw 2 heart ruffs as a way forward.  So I led a heart to Q and Ace, Alan returned a heart to King and I ruffed a heart low.  Over to AD and ruff a heart with Jack, Derek shedding a club.  So I have 8 tricks via a heart a diamond 4 spades and 2 ruffs. I have to try a club now and successfully played to the King.  I exit with JC, covered by Derek's Queen but Alan overtakes with Ace and plays 10S to my last trump the King.  I ruffed a club, drew last trump and played a diamond, making 10 when the King was onside.