Monday 19 May

Playing N/S with Adrianne came 1st with a Butler score of 60. Mostly it was just steady bidding and play.
One great gift from Cezary who opened 2N with both minors except Steve was playing the usual 20 - 22 and raised to 6N. We took the first four tricks, though if I don't find a spade lead, Cezary can run 11 tricks and it would have tested our discarding.

We picked up a few points here by not bidding. After two passes Adrianne opened 2H and Ernestine bid 2S.  Now I'm not bidding 4H because a) I don't expect it to make and b) the opponents with a good spade fit and heart shortage will always go to 4S green against red and I 'm not sure I can defeat that. So I passed.  Moreen raised to 3S and although Ernestine has a 6th spade, she quite reasonably passes it out. Ten tricks are unbeatable. At every other table it is either 4S, 5S or 5H going two or three off though only one was doubled.
Note that if 4H makes (e.g. if Adrianne has doubleton diamond and doubleton spade), then 4S still makes. Sometimes better not to compete when you are outgunned by the spade suit, and remember the Law of Total Tricks.

I didn't get us a good score on this second last board and although I was a bit annoyed, I think I actually got it right to go one down! It was just an excellent play by Jim McMahon.
When Jim F and Jim M came to the table for the last round I had put the scrolling results on and we were both leading. We joked we'd better just have two flat boards but this one was never going to be that way. Our bidding went:
1D - 1S - x - P
1N - 2C - 5D - passed out.
Jim F led AC and I ruffed. This looks an easy contract, 4 diamonds, 3 ruffs, 3 spades and AH. I led a diamond to the Ace and Jim showed out. OK, still can get 11 on a double heart finesse. So I ruffed another club, diamond to 10 and K, ruffed a club. Now Jim F didn't bid a Michaels but maybe can't because he is certainly 5 - 5. In fact 6 spades must be likely. I lead a small spade from Dummy, if Jim M ruffs it is with his diamond winner.  Well Jim did ruff and then puts down KH. So East is 6-5, maybe 6-6 in the black suits.  Looks like Jim M has KQxx(x) of hearts. Now I thought it didn't matter if I ducked this and won the continuation, but it would.  Jim could switch to a club and I would lose two hearts and the spade ruff. So I took the AH and led back a heart expecting West to win this, but no.  East wins, plays another spade for West to ruff and I'm down one.
If I had ducked KH I would have made. If Jim McMahon had played a small heart, or exited with a club I would have made. The KH is the only card to give me a losing option and I took it! But still, probably the right mistake to make.