The England Senior Team have had a great 10 days in Wuhan and it continues Wednesday and
Thursday with a semi final match against the Netherlands.
The team qualified in the round robin in fourth place of
24 teams winning 15 matches and drawing one out of 23.
As a result we were matched with China in the Quarter Final a team including a former Venice Cup
winner.We took an early lead against China and at the half way mark led by a useful
but inconclusive 30 imps.In the fourth and fifth sets we lost a total of 36
imps to enter the last set 6 imps down.
In the final set of 16 boards we had slightly the worst
of it for a good while and with 3 boards remaining we were 18 IMPs down so to
the fateful final boards.
On 94 the lay out was as follows
QJx
KQJxx
X
Kxxx
Axx
Axxx
AJTx
Ax
So an excellent and cold heart slam missed by China but
bid by Kendrick and Ward to win 11 IMPs. The deficit was down to only 7 IMPs.
Then the penultimate board
ATxx
Xx
Kxx
Kxxx
Kx
KJ98x
AQxxx
J
China reached 3NT which was defeated by a club lead
whilst in the other room England played in 2H making 10 tricks for a gain of 6 IMPs to make the match score 164 -163 to China. At this stage I should mention
that we would lose the match if the scores finished level based on the round
robin match.
So to the last board of the match which I give as a
bidding problem.Alan Mould held at favourable vulnerability the following hand
Ax
Tx
Kx
AKxxxxx
The bidding went pass pass 1NT (13 -15 in the Chinese
methods)?
Three possibilities spring to mind 3C, pass or double. Here opponents were vulnerable so may go more than one off in this contract on
a top club lead and if you bid or warn them with a double they are off the hook
so Alan passed and the defence defeated this by 3 tricks for +300 while in the
other room 3C made four for a gain of 5 IMPs and the match by 4 IMPs.
It has been an exciting 10 days and the team has played some fine bridge.
David Jones (Non-Playing Captain)
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