So it wasn’t meant to be. For the second World Junior Championship in a row, the U20s had to settle for the silver medal.
Starting the day 35 down and with only the single stanza to play, it was important not to let even more swings go out the gate and make the task much more difficult. Early on, we gained a game swing when Dan and James caused them to miss theirs. It went straight back after a Polish pre-empt kept us out of ours. But as the stanza progressed, we seemed to be making gradual inroads into their lead.
The advancement juddered to a halt halfway through the set. A deal which had seemed to be more IMPs in suddenly became a game swing out as the old defensive bugbears raised their ugly heads once more. This was followed by another on the next board and the critical momentum and pressure that we had built up had fully ebbed away. There were some brief flashes of hope in the dying boards, but the Polish demonstrated greater accuracy in card play at the critical moments to run out deserved winners.
Both Michael Byrne and I would like to say how proud we are of the team, the effort they put in and the performance they produced. For Dan McIntosh and Tom Paske it was a second disappointment in a world final after Beijing. For Shivam Shah, Tom Rainforth, Graeme Robertson and James Paul, this was their first international medal and surely not their last.
Showing posts with label u21. Show all posts
Showing posts with label u21. Show all posts
Sunday, 17 October 2010
Saturday, 16 October 2010
Philly Youngsters, Part Six
They certainly don't like to do things the easy way.
After yesterday's remarkable turnaround, the team faced 64 boards against the Polish. The first three stanzas to be played today, the other tomorrow (or today as you read this). Straightaway there were opportunities. A reckless slam try from one of the opponents looked to have scored an own goal, but Tom Paske made the completely natural lead - the only one to give it away. From there, things degenerated over the remainder of the first half of the match. More no play slams and games being let through the net in an ever increasing torrent of IMPs.
At 70 IMPs down with 32 to play, a line-up change was required and the new formation brought instant success. Over the course of the third set, the team halved the deficit to close play 35 down. Can lightning strike twice? Who knows, but psychologically the team is in the ascendancy, while the Poles have to sleep while mulling over the fact that it could have been all over already.
Do these English boys really know what defeat is?
Come and support them on BBO Vugraph at 3PM UK time for the final exciting stanza - well it will be if we complete the fightback.
After yesterday's remarkable turnaround, the team faced 64 boards against the Polish. The first three stanzas to be played today, the other tomorrow (or today as you read this). Straightaway there were opportunities. A reckless slam try from one of the opponents looked to have scored an own goal, but Tom Paske made the completely natural lead - the only one to give it away. From there, things degenerated over the remainder of the first half of the match. More no play slams and games being let through the net in an ever increasing torrent of IMPs.
At 70 IMPs down with 32 to play, a line-up change was required and the new formation brought instant success. Over the course of the third set, the team halved the deficit to close play 35 down. Can lightning strike twice? Who knows, but psychologically the team is in the ascendancy, while the Poles have to sleep while mulling over the fact that it could have been all over already.
Do these English boys really know what defeat is?
Come and support them on BBO Vugraph at 3PM UK time for the final exciting stanza - well it will be if we complete the fightback.
Friday, 15 October 2010
Philly Youngsters, Part Five
I think it is fair to say that today will be burned bright into the history of English Bridge.
The World Championship semi-final against the Netherlands. As soon as board 2, the action had started. Dan and James had a mix-up using their defensive methods against a short club and conceded a 1400 penalty. However, there had been issues of whether the 1C bid had been alerted properly on both sides of the screen. The resulting ruling went against the team, but captain MGB decided to appeal. The rest of the set was up and down. Despite a couple of other big swings out, we still led by three at the end of the stanza.
Immediately things went wrong at the start of set 2. A tricky discard problem caused a slam to be let through and the psychological tone was set. The Dutch couldn't get anything wrong and we couldn't get anything right. The result? 1-78. It is fair to say that things weren't the brightest in the England camp at that time.
We regrouped. There wasn't much to the set three boards but we eked a few IMPs back. Twelve of them. So prior to beginning the final set we were looking at the wrong end of a 62-IMP deficit and only 14 boards to do something about it.
This lot are made of stern stuff. They have a lot of experience of generating obscene quantities of IMPs in very short spaces of time in online matches. So they didn't ever stop believing that it was possible to come back. Quite the opposite. If they could get off to a sharp start then they knew that the pressure would start to tell. After all, the opponents could only lose it from here.
The first few boards in the Open Room didn't encourage much, indeed we lost a further game swing next door. But then James and Dan threw caution to the winds and rolled in a couple of light games. In the other room Graeme was allowed to make a cold-off 3N and the noose was definitely tightening. We also received the news that we had won our appeal that transferred a further 17IMPs into the account.
The critical deal came four from home. The Dutch East came in over a 15-17NT and in a competitive sequence his partner made what he thought was a lead-directing double. His partner took him seriously and 'saved' over our 4H game. This resulted in a 1700 blowout and the decisive 15 IMP swing. Both pairs came out to score up thinking they maybe hadn't done quite enough. As the scores totted up, suddenly the impossible became reality. We had won the semi final.
Credit to the Dutch, they had played superbly in a memorable match. We are sorry it had to be them, because we know them well. Their coaches Marten and Monique are genuinely really nice people who have their teams play the game the right way. We hope they can win the Bronze tomorrow as some consolation.
Anyway, we are just trying to wind down now to get some sleep before tomorrow. Poland await in the final.
The World Championship semi-final against the Netherlands. As soon as board 2, the action had started. Dan and James had a mix-up using their defensive methods against a short club and conceded a 1400 penalty. However, there had been issues of whether the 1C bid had been alerted properly on both sides of the screen. The resulting ruling went against the team, but captain MGB decided to appeal. The rest of the set was up and down. Despite a couple of other big swings out, we still led by three at the end of the stanza.
Immediately things went wrong at the start of set 2. A tricky discard problem caused a slam to be let through and the psychological tone was set. The Dutch couldn't get anything wrong and we couldn't get anything right. The result? 1-78. It is fair to say that things weren't the brightest in the England camp at that time.
We regrouped. There wasn't much to the set three boards but we eked a few IMPs back. Twelve of them. So prior to beginning the final set we were looking at the wrong end of a 62-IMP deficit and only 14 boards to do something about it.
This lot are made of stern stuff. They have a lot of experience of generating obscene quantities of IMPs in very short spaces of time in online matches. So they didn't ever stop believing that it was possible to come back. Quite the opposite. If they could get off to a sharp start then they knew that the pressure would start to tell. After all, the opponents could only lose it from here.
The first few boards in the Open Room didn't encourage much, indeed we lost a further game swing next door. But then James and Dan threw caution to the winds and rolled in a couple of light games. In the other room Graeme was allowed to make a cold-off 3N and the noose was definitely tightening. We also received the news that we had won our appeal that transferred a further 17IMPs into the account.
The critical deal came four from home. The Dutch East came in over a 15-17NT and in a competitive sequence his partner made what he thought was a lead-directing double. His partner took him seriously and 'saved' over our 4H game. This resulted in a 1700 blowout and the decisive 15 IMP swing. Both pairs came out to score up thinking they maybe hadn't done quite enough. As the scores totted up, suddenly the impossible became reality. We had won the semi final.
Credit to the Dutch, they had played superbly in a memorable match. We are sorry it had to be them, because we know them well. Their coaches Marten and Monique are genuinely really nice people who have their teams play the game the right way. We hope they can win the Bronze tomorrow as some consolation.
Anyway, we are just trying to wind down now to get some sleep before tomorrow. Poland await in the final.
Thursday, 14 October 2010
Philly Youngsters, Part Four
World Championship KOs are places of extreme emotions.
We finished off the Round-Robin with two more wins - 20-10 against Germany and 18-12 against Poland. With first place wrapped up we exercised our rights by selecting Hungary for the quarter-finals and the winner of Sweden-Netherlands for the semi. Despite not being at our best, we prevailed in a scrappy match by 57 IMPs.
Who would we end up playing? At half time, Sweden were up by 20, but the Dutch came storming back to win by over 30 leaving several of the very young Swedish team in tears.
For every winner there is a loser.
Tomorrow we try to make sure that at least for another day it won't be us.
We finished off the Round-Robin with two more wins - 20-10 against Germany and 18-12 against Poland. With first place wrapped up we exercised our rights by selecting Hungary for the quarter-finals and the winner of Sweden-Netherlands for the semi. Despite not being at our best, we prevailed in a scrappy match by 57 IMPs.
Who would we end up playing? At half time, Sweden were up by 20, but the Dutch came storming back to win by over 30 leaving several of the very young Swedish team in tears.
For every winner there is a loser.
Tomorrow we try to make sure that at least for another day it won't be us.
Wednesday, 13 October 2010
Philly Youngsters, Part Three
Consolidation was the name of the game today. And the boys duly delivered. After a tough opening match against Israel which they drew 15-15, we had a number of other contending teams to play. USA1 were up next having climbed through the field to second place. Despite a slam swing out, they didn't really have a sniff and a 20-10 victory propelled them back into the qualifying maelstrom. The dangerous Norwegians followed and tight play in both rooms limited them to a single partscore swing out and gave us another solid 22-8. The final match of the day was against the Chinese Taipei team who by now were well out of things. Again, ruthless play saw them through with a 25-4 victory.
These results leave them 26VPs clear of Israel in 2nd and 52VPs clear of the ninth placed team. Winning the Round-Robin is a huge advantage since it bestows the right to pick opponents in the QF and then which QF supplies the semi opponents, although we were informed in the Captain's meeting that there will not be any carry over.
So, time to keep calm and finish the job tomorrow against Germany and the perenially dangerous Poles. Then, hopefully see how things lie and negotiate a 40-board QF.
Now the team feels its collective stomachs rumbling. More updates tomorrow.
These results leave them 26VPs clear of Israel in 2nd and 52VPs clear of the ninth placed team. Winning the Round-Robin is a huge advantage since it bestows the right to pick opponents in the QF and then which QF supplies the semi opponents, although we were informed in the Captain's meeting that there will not be any carry over.
So, time to keep calm and finish the job tomorrow against Germany and the perenially dangerous Poles. Then, hopefully see how things lie and negotiate a 40-board QF.
Now the team feels its collective stomachs rumbling. More updates tomorrow.
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
Philly Youngsters, Part Two
So fortunes can change. First up were USA2, who we turned over 20-10. Although it has to be said they were handicapped in that half of their team was even shorter than Shivam and could barely see over the table to see their cards. Emboldened by this, the team promptly nosedived to the Canadians 13-17. The field kept beating itself up though, so despite this reverse we were still well in contact. Knowing that a couple of big wins would see us go screaming skywards, they set right to it. The Hungarians were lasered 24-6, the French were fried 25-4 (simultaneously dropping them out of the QF spots) and the Aussies barbecued 25-4 as opponents were tilted out left, right, centre and pretty much every way imaginable. The end result? England U21s leading the RR qualifying after 9/15 rounds by 11VPs from the Germans.
Chickens, however, have most definitely not been counted. The remainder of the matches are mostly against teams who are currently in qualifying positions, so the boys will need to keep it tight to retain their spot at the head of the field. Much hard work remains to earn the right to pick QF opponents.
Now we are packing the kiddies off to bed nice and early to get their much needed snooze. I think tonight's story is the one about the big bad wolf who liked to splinter with singleton honours.
Chickens, however, have most definitely not been counted. The remainder of the matches are mostly against teams who are currently in qualifying positions, so the boys will need to keep it tight to retain their spot at the head of the field. Much hard work remains to earn the right to pick QF opponents.
Now we are packing the kiddies off to bed nice and early to get their much needed snooze. I think tonight's story is the one about the big bad wolf who liked to splinter with singleton honours.
Monday, 11 October 2010
Philly Youngsters, Part One
Afternoon all, the coach here. Now we are settled in and play has started, it is time to reflect on a disappointing start to the event. Despite turning up bright, breezy and prepared (and with some insider advice from visiting Swedish pro Mr Hallberg) we were turned over by his countrymen 11-19 after a couple of iffy scores. Things were rapidly righted against the Dutch with a 24-6 pasting that saw the team move into something nearer top gear. However, as in many other sports, the half-time break came at the wrong time for the team and the rhythm was broken. Two more losses in the afternoon to Uruguay (13-17) and a tough Chinese team (10-20) have dropped us to ninth, one spot out of the qualifiying places.
Despite these results, the team know that things are very much in their own hands and they have much more in reserve to give than the others. The field is still tightly bunched and the short ten board round-robin matches do throw up some freak results. One or two bits of bad luck or bad play and it can be difficult to catch it back on even the weak teams.
Still, I have now devised part one of my coaching masterplan. I have located somewhere where we can get our morning cup of tea in. Can't really function until we have got a good brew into the system. That is the first thing, for part two, where can I get hold of some Weetabix...
Despite these results, the team know that things are very much in their own hands and they have much more in reserve to give than the others. The field is still tightly bunched and the short ten board round-robin matches do throw up some freak results. One or two bits of bad luck or bad play and it can be difficult to catch it back on even the weak teams.
Still, I have now devised part one of my coaching masterplan. I have located somewhere where we can get our morning cup of tea in. Can't really function until we have got a good brew into the system. That is the first thing, for part two, where can I get hold of some Weetabix...
Monday, 20 October 2008
Beijing U21s. Part Seven
So, the competition is over and the medal has been won. Everyone would have liked a Gold one, but reaching the final of a World Championship and winning a Silver medal is a fantastic achievement and the whole team should be very proud.
The only thing that remains is to look at what went right and what we can learn for next time. The first thing is to never give up — after day one we had lost two matches and were on 48/75, not in a qualifying spot and not the start we had hoped for. But we stuck to our guns and won the next 11 to zoom into first place. The second thing is that plenty of preperation is essential — lots of practice with your partner, discussion of sequences, as well as making sure you arrive early for every match and start your campaign on the right foot.
The England team did all of this, and we return home heroes.
The only thing that remains is to look at what went right and what we can learn for next time. The first thing is to never give up — after day one we had lost two matches and were on 48/75, not in a qualifying spot and not the start we had hoped for. But we stuck to our guns and won the next 11 to zoom into first place. The second thing is that plenty of preperation is essential — lots of practice with your partner, discussion of sequences, as well as making sure you arrive early for every match and start your campaign on the right foot.
The England team did all of this, and we return home heroes.
Sunday, 12 October 2008
Thoughts of a Selector (3)
Hearty congratulations to all our teams for reaching the knockout stages of their events. They have surpassed expectations, a fantastic achievement. Well done from everyone back home to our players, captains and coaches, and good luck in the knockouts.
The importance of attaining a high finishing position in the group stages has become truly evident. Not only does it give the team a choice of opposition in the first knockout round, it also give the team a high seeding, which means if they reach the later stages, they will be kept apart from the stronger oppositions. This certainly appears to be the case for those of our teams that won or came 2nd in their groups.
Open team
The Open team finished 2nd in Group D are were drawn against Bulgaria in the Round of 16. They were quite happy with this draw, there were many more difficult teams they could have been pitched against. It wasn’t easy, no match is at this stage, but in the end they won by a fairly comfortable margin of 45 Imps. They won’t be unhappy with their next draw either, in the Quarter-final they meet Romania, with the prospect of Germany or Netherlands in the Semi-final if they win. Had they not finished 2nd they would have had a much tougher draw. USA, Poland, Italy, Brazil, China, Norway are all in the other half of the draw, I’m sure England will be pleased to have avoided them.
Women’s team
The Women’s team won their group with the 2nd highest VP score, only Germany scored more. They were able to choose their opponents in the round of 16 and were very happy to pick Singapore. It was not a walkover, but the final margin of 53 Imps was comfortable enough. They, like the Open team, won’t be unhappy with their next draw, in the Quarter-final they meet France, with the prospect of Russia or Finland in the Semi-final if they win. Germany, China, USA & the Netherlands are all in the other half of the draw, I’m sure England will be pleased to have avoided them.
Senior’s team
The Senior’s team finished 6th in their group and were picked by Poland in the round of 16. The match was a struggle for a long time but they emerged as winners in the by a comfortable margin of 50 Imps. In the Quarter-final they play Japan, and if they win that they will face Indonesia or the Netherlands in the semi-final.
Under 28’s
The Under 28’s finished 6th in the qualifying Swiss and were picked by France in the Quarter-final. France started the match with a carry-over of 12 Imps. They were unable to overturn this and eventually lost by 50 Imps. Well done to them nevertheless for getting this far, in a field of 74 teams this was no mean achievement. The players will now move into the pairs and the individual events where they have a further chance of glory.
Under 21’s
The Under 21’s won the qualifying group and as a result were allowed to pick their opponents for both the Quarter and Semi-final, a huge advantage. In the Quarter-final they chose the Netherlands. They started with a carry-over of 12 Imps and won the macth in comfort, ny a margin on 74 Imps. They have chosen China for their semi-final opponents who they beat comfortably in the group stages, and again start the match with a 12 Imp carry-over. The other Semi-final is between France & Bulgaria.
The importance of attaining a high finishing position in the group stages has become truly evident. Not only does it give the team a choice of opposition in the first knockout round, it also give the team a high seeding, which means if they reach the later stages, they will be kept apart from the stronger oppositions. This certainly appears to be the case for those of our teams that won or came 2nd in their groups.
Open team
The Open team finished 2nd in Group D are were drawn against Bulgaria in the Round of 16. They were quite happy with this draw, there were many more difficult teams they could have been pitched against. It wasn’t easy, no match is at this stage, but in the end they won by a fairly comfortable margin of 45 Imps. They won’t be unhappy with their next draw either, in the Quarter-final they meet Romania, with the prospect of Germany or Netherlands in the Semi-final if they win. Had they not finished 2nd they would have had a much tougher draw. USA, Poland, Italy, Brazil, China, Norway are all in the other half of the draw, I’m sure England will be pleased to have avoided them.
Women’s team
The Women’s team won their group with the 2nd highest VP score, only Germany scored more. They were able to choose their opponents in the round of 16 and were very happy to pick Singapore. It was not a walkover, but the final margin of 53 Imps was comfortable enough. They, like the Open team, won’t be unhappy with their next draw, in the Quarter-final they meet France, with the prospect of Russia or Finland in the Semi-final if they win. Germany, China, USA & the Netherlands are all in the other half of the draw, I’m sure England will be pleased to have avoided them.
Senior’s team
The Senior’s team finished 6th in their group and were picked by Poland in the round of 16. The match was a struggle for a long time but they emerged as winners in the by a comfortable margin of 50 Imps. In the Quarter-final they play Japan, and if they win that they will face Indonesia or the Netherlands in the semi-final.
Under 28’s
The Under 28’s finished 6th in the qualifying Swiss and were picked by France in the Quarter-final. France started the match with a carry-over of 12 Imps. They were unable to overturn this and eventually lost by 50 Imps. Well done to them nevertheless for getting this far, in a field of 74 teams this was no mean achievement. The players will now move into the pairs and the individual events where they have a further chance of glory.
Under 21’s
The Under 21’s won the qualifying group and as a result were allowed to pick their opponents for both the Quarter and Semi-final, a huge advantage. In the Quarter-final they chose the Netherlands. They started with a carry-over of 12 Imps and won the macth in comfort, ny a margin on 74 Imps. They have chosen China for their semi-final opponents who they beat comfortably in the group stages, and again start the match with a 12 Imp carry-over. The other Semi-final is between France & Bulgaria.
Saturday, 11 October 2008
Beijing U21s. Part Six
And now we're into the Semi-final!
Our match against The Netherlands went pretty much to form, we won 20 in the first set, then 15 then 7 to win by 54 IMPs. Every pair played two sets so the team is feeling fresh and confident.
Our match against the Chinese is a bit of an unknown quantity — we played them in the round robin and beat them by 45 IMPs, thanks in part to a 3
doubled up one that our lads rolled home for 13 IMPs. We have to start sensibly and keep the pressure on, and make sure we cut out the errors — matches are lost not won.
Now, time for a game of Mario Kart I think — Rob Myers has thoughtfully brought his laptop and if I can only figure out how to use the keypad I might be able to win the Mushroom Cup...
P.S. Having just read the Seniors blog I can only apologise for my erroneous statement implying that the seniors team did not make it all the way up the Great Wall of China. That was based on speculation and assumption, and I should not have in anyway suggested that they are all a load of decrepit old people — they are a bunch of athletic tigers, waiting to take down the enemy as Poland found out to their cost today!
Our match against The Netherlands went pretty much to form, we won 20 in the first set, then 15 then 7 to win by 54 IMPs. Every pair played two sets so the team is feeling fresh and confident.
Our match against the Chinese is a bit of an unknown quantity — we played them in the round robin and beat them by 45 IMPs, thanks in part to a 3
doubled up one that our lads rolled home for 13 IMPs. We have to start sensibly and keep the pressure on, and make sure we cut out the errors — matches are lost not won. Now, time for a game of Mario Kart I think — Rob Myers has thoughtfully brought his laptop and if I can only figure out how to use the keypad I might be able to win the Mushroom Cup...
P.S. Having just read the Seniors blog I can only apologise for my erroneous statement implying that the seniors team did not make it all the way up the Great Wall of China. That was based on speculation and assumption, and I should not have in anyway suggested that they are all a load of decrepit old people — they are a bunch of athletic tigers, waiting to take down the enemy as Poland found out to their cost today!
Friday, 10 October 2008
Beijing U21s. Part Five
A day off blogging for the esteemed Captain, so it's up to the Coach to fill in.
Another sterling effort from the lads who followed up a solid win against Argentina by bringing home the Ashes in style by taking a maximum from the Aussies. This put us 2VPs ahead of the French at the top of the table and we were keen to hold on to this advantage as it would give us preferential choices for the knock-outs. This was accomplished by means of a resounding tonking of Singapore, whose hopes of qualifying were simultaneously left in tatters. This in addition to the very surprising demise of the the Poles — who won the U20 Euros by the proverbial country mile.
So, given choice of finishers 5-8, we elected to lock horns again with the Dutch and then choose the winner of China vs Norway as our possible Semi opponent. Not only that, but in both matches we would start with the maximum possible carry over of 12 IMPs.
So, all that remained was the obligatory game of celebration night-time frisbee — something of a ritual in these parts, it's all about the long game you know.
Must fly. Got to tuck them up tight in bed for an early night and read them a story.
Another sterling effort from the lads who followed up a solid win against Argentina by bringing home the Ashes in style by taking a maximum from the Aussies. This put us 2VPs ahead of the French at the top of the table and we were keen to hold on to this advantage as it would give us preferential choices for the knock-outs. This was accomplished by means of a resounding tonking of Singapore, whose hopes of qualifying were simultaneously left in tatters. This in addition to the very surprising demise of the the Poles — who won the U20 Euros by the proverbial country mile.
So, given choice of finishers 5-8, we elected to lock horns again with the Dutch and then choose the winner of China vs Norway as our possible Semi opponent. Not only that, but in both matches we would start with the maximum possible carry over of 12 IMPs.
So, all that remained was the obligatory game of celebration night-time frisbee — something of a ritual in these parts, it's all about the long game you know.
Must fly. Got to tuck them up tight in bed for an early night and read them a story.
Thursday, 9 October 2008
Beijing U21s. Part Four
The matches on Wednesday went reasonably enough. We chalked up 23-7 against the Netherlands, the crazy pair having a very tough time of it when faced with my top pair. Against Poland we lost by 4 IMPs, but had the better of the big hands. They had a few lucky partscores to creep ahead though.
More importantly today saw all the England teams join together and go on a team outing. Jason Hackett did everyone a favour by hiring a coach and guide and organising a trip out, first to the Forbidden City and then to the Great Wall of China. Of the 20 players (U21s, U28s, Open and Ladies — sadly there were no members of the senior team since they don't really have the stamina to make it up the Great Wall!) that went off, only 5 climbed all the way to the top. Adam Hickman and I went first and on the way down we passed Ben Paske, Susan Stockdale and Martin Jones who also reached the pinnacle. The rest made it up a few steps before discretion took over and they took refuge in the cafe.
Tomorrow the final 3 matches await us, then the tricky decision of whom to choose!
More importantly today saw all the England teams join together and go on a team outing. Jason Hackett did everyone a favour by hiring a coach and guide and organising a trip out, first to the Forbidden City and then to the Great Wall of China. Of the 20 players (U21s, U28s, Open and Ladies — sadly there were no members of the senior team since they don't really have the stamina to make it up the Great Wall!) that went off, only 5 climbed all the way to the top. Adam Hickman and I went first and on the way down we passed Ben Paske, Susan Stockdale and Martin Jones who also reached the pinnacle. The rest made it up a few steps before discretion took over and they took refuge in the cafe.
Tomorrow the final 3 matches await us, then the tricky decision of whom to choose!
Thoughts of a Selector (2)
We’ve reached the rest day and there is one day to go in the qualifying stage so time to reflect of the progress of all our teams, and sum up the position of the main opposition.
It’s still all going very well, all of our teams are still occupying their respective qualifying positions, and three of them, the Women, the Seniors and the Under 21’s are virtually assured of qualification to the knockout stages. Let’s look at the series one by one.
Open team
The Open team are still going well in Group D, and are still lying 3rd in their group. It’s panning out very much as I predicted in my last report, with five teams in contention for the four qualifying slots. Every match is important but there will be three matches on the final day that will have a large bearing on the final outcome of the group. They are Germany (1st) against Turkey (4th) in round 15, England (3rd) against Germany (1st) in round 16, and USA (2nd) against Indonesia (5th) in round 17. Germany have a sizeable lead but it is not yet an unassailable one, they can still be caught. The most important thing for England is to qualify, but if they can qualify in 1st or 2nd position that would allow them to have some choice of opposition in the first knockout round, and avoid the top seeds (listed below).
What about the other groups? There always seems to be one group that gets labeled the group of death, but in this case I think there are two groups that could qualify for that label.
First take a look at group A. Italy look safe, but behind them Denmark, Canada, France, Brazil, South Africa, Ireland, Pakistan & Japan are all teams that would fancy their chances of qualifying, but at least four of them are not going to make it. Even worse, from their point of view, is the fact that Estonia are occupying one of the qualifying slots at the moment, which mean five may not qualify. Also don’t rule out Romania and Finland who are also in there with a chance.
Now look at group B. Israel lead by a large amount and look safe, and main contenders for the other slots are Netherlands, China, Hungary & India. Again there could be a few casualties in this group, Austria, Sweden, Argentina & Russia, all fancied teams, are all quite a bit off the pace.
There are no big surprises in group C. Norway & Poland are neck & neck at the top, with just half a VP separating them, both look safe. Behind them the main contenders are Bulgaria, Spain, New Zealand and Belgium.
Who will be the top seeds? Well it can still change quite a bit in the last three matches but if the seeding were to be done on the currents scores the top eight would be 1. Germany 2. Israel 3. Italy 4. Norway 5. Poland 6. USA 7. Netherlands 8. Estonia, quite a formidable bunch.
Women’s team
The England Women’s team have continued their terrific form in Group E, winning thirteen of their fourteen matches so far, and have collected the maximum 25 victory points from six of them. They lead their group by 15 VPs from second placed USA and are a massive 50 VPs ahead of third placed Italy. They are certain to qualify for the knockouts, and the only question now is whether they can hold onto their lead and win the group. The match that will probably decide the group comes in round 15 when they play the USA, if they get a decent result from that match they should take the group. It will be very advantageous to win the group, as it will give the team a better choice of opposition on the first knockout round, and also get them a higher seeding for the latter stages which is very important. USA, who are currently second in the group look safe too. The other qualifying slots are currently occupied by Italy, Poland & Japan, with Brazil leading the chasing group.
Women’s Group F is very tight. Hosts China lead the group, but they are far from safe. The other qualifying slots are currently occupied by Finland, France, Denmark & Russia, with Spain and Scotland not far behind. China have a really tough finish, they still have to play Finland, France and Denmark, and France and Denmark also have to meet each other, so there will be opportunities for the chasing group, which means Scotland have a good chance of qualifying.
Women’s Group G has been completely dominated by Germany. They’ve won 12 and drawn one of their fourteen matches, and have just had a run of seven successive maximum 25VP wins. They are virtually certain to win their group, and Netherlands, who lie 2nd, look fairly safe too. There will be a mad scramble for the other qualifying places, it’s impossible to predict who the other qualifiers might be.
Who will be the top seeds? Well it can still change quite a bit in the last three matches but if the seeding were to be done on the currents scores the top eight would be 1. Germany 2. England 3. China 4. USA 5. Netherlands 6. Finland 7. France. 8. Italy.
The England women will be hoping this order doesn’t change, since at things stand they would not be due to meet any of the strongest teams, Germany, China, USA & Netherlands, until the semi-final.
Senior’s team
The Senior’s team are currently lying joint 3rd in group K, and they now a comfortable 36 VPs ahead of the last qualifying slot, so with only two matches they are certain to qualify. Their aim now is to finish as high as they can since if they finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd in the group, this will allow them to have some choice of opposition in the first knockout round. USA who lead, and Japan who are second have built up quite a large lead over the rest, and may be too far ahead to catch, so the realistic target for the England team to aim for is 3rd in the group. France (joint 3rd) and Chinese Taipei (5th) also look safe.
A similar situation exists in Group L where Indonesia who lead and Australia who are second have built up a big lead over the rest. Poland (3rd) Canada (4th) and Egypt (5th) look fairly safe too.
The top seeds, as things stand, would be 1. USA 2. Indonesia 3. Australia 4. Japan 5. Poland 6. France 7. Canada 8. England, but both groups are so close that this order is likely to change quite a bit by the finish.
Under 28’s
The Under 28’s continued their fine form, and although they are not yet guaranteed to qualify, they are certainly in a very good position. They are currently lying 3rd with an 18 VP lead over the last qualifying slot. All the teams at the top have already played each other, so the teams that are making a late surge will find it difficult, as they will probably have to play the teams at the top in each of their last three matches, so it won't be easy for them to dislodge any of the leading teams. Ideally the England team would like to finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd in the group, as this will allow them to have some choice of opposition in the first knockout round. They are only 12vps behind leaders Poland, so it’s still possible that they could finish in first place. The leading 5 teams, who have been at the top most of the time, are Poland, Israel, England, Belgium & China, and I’ll be surprised if any of these five don’t qualify.
Under 21’s
The Under 21’s are 2nd in their group, they have qualified in comfort and are now setting their sights on finishing as high as they can in the group. France lead the group and Bulgaria are in 3rd place. Ideally the team would like to finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd in the round robin, as this will allow them to have some choice of opposition in the first knockout round, and as things stand it looks very likely they will achieve this.
Under 26’s
We’re not represented in this event, as our team did not qualify from the Europeans. Poland are leading this event, and are followed by Netherlands and Australia.
Other Home Nations
A very brief round up of the other home nations:-
Open
Ireland are 9th in Group A, 10.5vps behind the last qualifying position and still have a chance of qualifying, Scotland are 14th in Group B, Wales did not enter a team.
Women
Scotland are 7th in Group F, 7vps behind the last qualifying position and still have a chance of qualifying Ireland are 13th in Group G, Wales did not enter a team.
Seniors
Ireland are 11th in Group L, Wales are 15th in Group K, Scotland did not enter a team.
Under 28's
Ireland are 42nd, Scotland are 48th, Wales are 51st.
It’s still all going very well, all of our teams are still occupying their respective qualifying positions, and three of them, the Women, the Seniors and the Under 21’s are virtually assured of qualification to the knockout stages. Let’s look at the series one by one.
Open team
The Open team are still going well in Group D, and are still lying 3rd in their group. It’s panning out very much as I predicted in my last report, with five teams in contention for the four qualifying slots. Every match is important but there will be three matches on the final day that will have a large bearing on the final outcome of the group. They are Germany (1st) against Turkey (4th) in round 15, England (3rd) against Germany (1st) in round 16, and USA (2nd) against Indonesia (5th) in round 17. Germany have a sizeable lead but it is not yet an unassailable one, they can still be caught. The most important thing for England is to qualify, but if they can qualify in 1st or 2nd position that would allow them to have some choice of opposition in the first knockout round, and avoid the top seeds (listed below).
What about the other groups? There always seems to be one group that gets labeled the group of death, but in this case I think there are two groups that could qualify for that label.
First take a look at group A. Italy look safe, but behind them Denmark, Canada, France, Brazil, South Africa, Ireland, Pakistan & Japan are all teams that would fancy their chances of qualifying, but at least four of them are not going to make it. Even worse, from their point of view, is the fact that Estonia are occupying one of the qualifying slots at the moment, which mean five may not qualify. Also don’t rule out Romania and Finland who are also in there with a chance.
Now look at group B. Israel lead by a large amount and look safe, and main contenders for the other slots are Netherlands, China, Hungary & India. Again there could be a few casualties in this group, Austria, Sweden, Argentina & Russia, all fancied teams, are all quite a bit off the pace.
There are no big surprises in group C. Norway & Poland are neck & neck at the top, with just half a VP separating them, both look safe. Behind them the main contenders are Bulgaria, Spain, New Zealand and Belgium.
Who will be the top seeds? Well it can still change quite a bit in the last three matches but if the seeding were to be done on the currents scores the top eight would be 1. Germany 2. Israel 3. Italy 4. Norway 5. Poland 6. USA 7. Netherlands 8. Estonia, quite a formidable bunch.
Women’s team
The England Women’s team have continued their terrific form in Group E, winning thirteen of their fourteen matches so far, and have collected the maximum 25 victory points from six of them. They lead their group by 15 VPs from second placed USA and are a massive 50 VPs ahead of third placed Italy. They are certain to qualify for the knockouts, and the only question now is whether they can hold onto their lead and win the group. The match that will probably decide the group comes in round 15 when they play the USA, if they get a decent result from that match they should take the group. It will be very advantageous to win the group, as it will give the team a better choice of opposition on the first knockout round, and also get them a higher seeding for the latter stages which is very important. USA, who are currently second in the group look safe too. The other qualifying slots are currently occupied by Italy, Poland & Japan, with Brazil leading the chasing group.
Women’s Group F is very tight. Hosts China lead the group, but they are far from safe. The other qualifying slots are currently occupied by Finland, France, Denmark & Russia, with Spain and Scotland not far behind. China have a really tough finish, they still have to play Finland, France and Denmark, and France and Denmark also have to meet each other, so there will be opportunities for the chasing group, which means Scotland have a good chance of qualifying.
Women’s Group G has been completely dominated by Germany. They’ve won 12 and drawn one of their fourteen matches, and have just had a run of seven successive maximum 25VP wins. They are virtually certain to win their group, and Netherlands, who lie 2nd, look fairly safe too. There will be a mad scramble for the other qualifying places, it’s impossible to predict who the other qualifiers might be.
Who will be the top seeds? Well it can still change quite a bit in the last three matches but if the seeding were to be done on the currents scores the top eight would be 1. Germany 2. England 3. China 4. USA 5. Netherlands 6. Finland 7. France. 8. Italy.
The England women will be hoping this order doesn’t change, since at things stand they would not be due to meet any of the strongest teams, Germany, China, USA & Netherlands, until the semi-final.
Senior’s team
The Senior’s team are currently lying joint 3rd in group K, and they now a comfortable 36 VPs ahead of the last qualifying slot, so with only two matches they are certain to qualify. Their aim now is to finish as high as they can since if they finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd in the group, this will allow them to have some choice of opposition in the first knockout round. USA who lead, and Japan who are second have built up quite a large lead over the rest, and may be too far ahead to catch, so the realistic target for the England team to aim for is 3rd in the group. France (joint 3rd) and Chinese Taipei (5th) also look safe.
A similar situation exists in Group L where Indonesia who lead and Australia who are second have built up a big lead over the rest. Poland (3rd) Canada (4th) and Egypt (5th) look fairly safe too.
The top seeds, as things stand, would be 1. USA 2. Indonesia 3. Australia 4. Japan 5. Poland 6. France 7. Canada 8. England, but both groups are so close that this order is likely to change quite a bit by the finish.
Under 28’s
The Under 28’s continued their fine form, and although they are not yet guaranteed to qualify, they are certainly in a very good position. They are currently lying 3rd with an 18 VP lead over the last qualifying slot. All the teams at the top have already played each other, so the teams that are making a late surge will find it difficult, as they will probably have to play the teams at the top in each of their last three matches, so it won't be easy for them to dislodge any of the leading teams. Ideally the England team would like to finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd in the group, as this will allow them to have some choice of opposition in the first knockout round. They are only 12vps behind leaders Poland, so it’s still possible that they could finish in first place. The leading 5 teams, who have been at the top most of the time, are Poland, Israel, England, Belgium & China, and I’ll be surprised if any of these five don’t qualify.
Under 21’s
The Under 21’s are 2nd in their group, they have qualified in comfort and are now setting their sights on finishing as high as they can in the group. France lead the group and Bulgaria are in 3rd place. Ideally the team would like to finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd in the round robin, as this will allow them to have some choice of opposition in the first knockout round, and as things stand it looks very likely they will achieve this.
Under 26’s
We’re not represented in this event, as our team did not qualify from the Europeans. Poland are leading this event, and are followed by Netherlands and Australia.
Other Home Nations
A very brief round up of the other home nations:-
Open
Ireland are 9th in Group A, 10.5vps behind the last qualifying position and still have a chance of qualifying, Scotland are 14th in Group B, Wales did not enter a team.
Women
Scotland are 7th in Group F, 7vps behind the last qualifying position and still have a chance of qualifying Ireland are 13th in Group G, Wales did not enter a team.
Seniors
Ireland are 11th in Group L, Wales are 15th in Group K, Scotland did not enter a team.
Under 28's
Ireland are 42nd, Scotland are 48th, Wales are 51st.
Tuesday, 7 October 2008
Beijing U21s. Part Three
Having completed 12 of the 17 matches we are virtually assured of qualification and have set our sights on winning the group.
The team is doing so well (having won the last 9 matches — most of them heavily) that it has got to the stage where they're disappointed simply by failing to get a maximum win!
Yesterday we scored a great 70 out of 75 VPs. Glowing with pride I rushed up to the first person I saw to have a gloat — it was Pony Nehmart of Germany. After spending a quick ten minutes assuring her that we did actually know each other and yes, we had indeed met (about 20 times) I brought the topic of conversation round to the scores. She didn't bat an eyelid at my grand announcement of 70 VPs, instead she was explaining that her team were desperate to find out who it was that had cost them the 1 VP they had dropped all day — they had chalked up 25, 25, 24! Ah well.
Tomorrow we have our friends the Dutch, who normally do crazy things like drop singleton Kings offside and finesse missing the Queen of trumps in nine card fits, and then Poland who are having a rough time of it so far.
The team is doing so well (having won the last 9 matches — most of them heavily) that it has got to the stage where they're disappointed simply by failing to get a maximum win!
Yesterday we scored a great 70 out of 75 VPs. Glowing with pride I rushed up to the first person I saw to have a gloat — it was Pony Nehmart of Germany. After spending a quick ten minutes assuring her that we did actually know each other and yes, we had indeed met (about 20 times) I brought the topic of conversation round to the scores. She didn't bat an eyelid at my grand announcement of 70 VPs, instead she was explaining that her team were desperate to find out who it was that had cost them the 1 VP they had dropped all day — they had chalked up 25, 25, 24! Ah well.
Tomorrow we have our friends the Dutch, who normally do crazy things like drop singleton Kings offside and finesse missing the Queen of trumps in nine card fits, and then Poland who are having a rough time of it so far.
Monday, 6 October 2008
Thoughts of a Selector
We’ve passed the half-way point of all the qualifying stages so this is a good time to reflect of the progress of all our teams.
We couldn’t really hope for a much better start, all of our teams are occupying their respective qualifying positions, and two of them, the Women and the Under 28’s are currently leading their events. Lets look at the teams one by one.
Open team
The Open team have had a great start, and are currently lying 3rd in their group. They had a reasonably good draw, not too many strong teams in their group, but with only four teams qualifying nothing can be taken for granted, the team will have to keep performing well to get through to the knockout stages. Who are the main threats? Well USA, many times world champions are one, they must be favourites to win the group. The other obvious strong teams must be Germany, who are currently leading the group, Indonesia & Turkey. These four teams, plus England, are currently occupying the top five spots, and I’d say it’s likely that the qualifiers will come from these five teams. Of the other four teams mentioned, England have lost 8 - 22 to USA but have beaten Turkey 24 – 6, witnessed on BBO by many of you this morning. They still have to play Germany and Indonesia. If the team can get good results against these two, and a few big wins against some of the weaker teams, they will be well placed to qualify. Ideally they would like to finish 1st or 2nd in the group, as this will allow them to have some choice of opposition in the first knockout round.
Women’s team
The Women’s team have had a fantastic start, they lead their group by 21vps. They’ve had a good draw and have capitalised on it with eight wins out of nine, most of them by large margins. The main threats in their group would appear to be USA and Italy, currently lying 2nd & 3rd in the group. They still have to play these two teams, so these two matches will clearly be key. The team is very well placed to qualify, but would ideally like to hold onto the top spot, as this as this would allow them to have some choice of opposition in the first knockout round.
Senior’s team
The Senior’s team are currently lying 4th in their group, with eight qualifying for the knockout stages, so they too are well place to make it through. The’ve been handicapped by the loss of one of their players, through illness, but have shown much resilience to remain in contention despite this setback. They’ve already played the team who most would reckon are the group favourites, USA, and has already been stated were particularly unlucky to lose that match when a 2% grand slam bid by the opposition very fortunately made. Ideally the team would like to finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd in the group, as this will allow them to have some choice of opposition in the first knockout round.
Under 28’s
The Under 28’s couldn’t really hope for much more at this stage, after 9 of their 17 rounds they lead their field of 74 teams in the Swiss. Poland have been leading for most of the way, and the England team beat them in round 7, they then beat hosts China (currently lying 3rd) in round 8 and took over top spot from Poland in round 9 by getting a maximum win against India. There are still some good teams working their way up through the field, as is likely to happen in a Swiss event, but with wins against all the top teams they have played so far, the team will be able to take on these other teams with confidence. Also, since this is a Swiss and there are no rematches, it is comforting for the team to know they won’t have to play Poland or China in any of the later rounds. Ideally the team would like to finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd in the group, as this will allow them to have some choice of opposition in the first knockout round.
Under 21’s
The Under 21’s are currently lying 2nd in their group, and with eight team qualifying look very well placed to make it through to the knockout stage. It’s not at all clear who the major threats are, but clearly one if them is France, the current leaders, and England have already played them. Ideally the team would like to finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd in the round robin, as this will allow them to have some choice of opposition in the first knockout round.
Other Home Nations
A very brief round up of the other home nations:-
Open
Ireland are 7th in Group A, Scotland are 13th in Group B, Wales did not enter a team.
Women
Scotland are 10th in Group F, Ireland are 14th in Group G, Wales did not enter a team.
Seniors
Wales are 10th in Group K, Ireland are 13th in Group L, Scotland did not enter a team.
Under 28's
Wales are 46th, Scotland are 49th, Ireland are 61st.
We couldn’t really hope for a much better start, all of our teams are occupying their respective qualifying positions, and two of them, the Women and the Under 28’s are currently leading their events. Lets look at the teams one by one.
Open team
The Open team have had a great start, and are currently lying 3rd in their group. They had a reasonably good draw, not too many strong teams in their group, but with only four teams qualifying nothing can be taken for granted, the team will have to keep performing well to get through to the knockout stages. Who are the main threats? Well USA, many times world champions are one, they must be favourites to win the group. The other obvious strong teams must be Germany, who are currently leading the group, Indonesia & Turkey. These four teams, plus England, are currently occupying the top five spots, and I’d say it’s likely that the qualifiers will come from these five teams. Of the other four teams mentioned, England have lost 8 - 22 to USA but have beaten Turkey 24 – 6, witnessed on BBO by many of you this morning. They still have to play Germany and Indonesia. If the team can get good results against these two, and a few big wins against some of the weaker teams, they will be well placed to qualify. Ideally they would like to finish 1st or 2nd in the group, as this will allow them to have some choice of opposition in the first knockout round.
Women’s team
The Women’s team have had a fantastic start, they lead their group by 21vps. They’ve had a good draw and have capitalised on it with eight wins out of nine, most of them by large margins. The main threats in their group would appear to be USA and Italy, currently lying 2nd & 3rd in the group. They still have to play these two teams, so these two matches will clearly be key. The team is very well placed to qualify, but would ideally like to hold onto the top spot, as this as this would allow them to have some choice of opposition in the first knockout round.
Senior’s team
The Senior’s team are currently lying 4th in their group, with eight qualifying for the knockout stages, so they too are well place to make it through. The’ve been handicapped by the loss of one of their players, through illness, but have shown much resilience to remain in contention despite this setback. They’ve already played the team who most would reckon are the group favourites, USA, and has already been stated were particularly unlucky to lose that match when a 2% grand slam bid by the opposition very fortunately made. Ideally the team would like to finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd in the group, as this will allow them to have some choice of opposition in the first knockout round.
Under 28’s
The Under 28’s couldn’t really hope for much more at this stage, after 9 of their 17 rounds they lead their field of 74 teams in the Swiss. Poland have been leading for most of the way, and the England team beat them in round 7, they then beat hosts China (currently lying 3rd) in round 8 and took over top spot from Poland in round 9 by getting a maximum win against India. There are still some good teams working their way up through the field, as is likely to happen in a Swiss event, but with wins against all the top teams they have played so far, the team will be able to take on these other teams with confidence. Also, since this is a Swiss and there are no rematches, it is comforting for the team to know they won’t have to play Poland or China in any of the later rounds. Ideally the team would like to finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd in the group, as this will allow them to have some choice of opposition in the first knockout round.
Under 21’s
The Under 21’s are currently lying 2nd in their group, and with eight team qualifying look very well placed to make it through to the knockout stage. It’s not at all clear who the major threats are, but clearly one if them is France, the current leaders, and England have already played them. Ideally the team would like to finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd in the round robin, as this will allow them to have some choice of opposition in the first knockout round.
Other Home Nations
A very brief round up of the other home nations:-
Open
Ireland are 7th in Group A, Scotland are 13th in Group B, Wales did not enter a team.
Women
Scotland are 10th in Group F, Ireland are 14th in Group G, Wales did not enter a team.
Seniors
Wales are 10th in Group K, Ireland are 13th in Group L, Scotland did not enter a team.
Under 28's
Wales are 46th, Scotland are 49th, Ireland are 61st.
Sunday, 5 October 2008
Beijing U21s. Part Two
After surviving the 90-minute opening ceremony, which as far as I could tell dedicated the whole of the middle section to giving praise for the many uses of string (I kid you not), our team started with a modest 11-19 loss to France, before crushing Ecuador 24-6. A slightly tired match aginst the USA saw us go the whole match without conceding a single game swing — our worst board was 7 IMPs out — so it was somewhat disappointing when this resulted in a 12-18 loss.
Today, however, has seen us return to form. A rather embarassing 100 IMP win over Botswana gave us 25-0. Then we faced Norway. Despite bidding a reasonable slam that went off we won 25-4, just as we did in the Europeans. The European silver medallists, Bulgaria, awaited us and we emerged victorious 16-14 in a tight match. This leaves us in 3rd place, approximately one third of the way through the round robin.
Today, however, has seen us return to form. A rather embarassing 100 IMP win over Botswana gave us 25-0. Then we faced Norway. Despite bidding a reasonable slam that went off we won 25-4, just as we did in the Europeans. The European silver medallists, Bulgaria, awaited us and we emerged victorious 16-14 in a tight match. This leaves us in 3rd place, approximately one third of the way through the round robin.
Wednesday, 1 October 2008
Beijing U21s. Part One
The team survived the 12-hour flight ok, though were overcome with disappointment that there was no film on the plane. (Tom Paske in particular was hoping to catch the recent "Sex and the City" movie.)
We were picked up at the airport by our Chinese hosts and transported with a minimum of fuss to our accommodation, which is very comfortable.
Now — just the jet lag to overcome!
We were picked up at the airport by our Chinese hosts and transported with a minimum of fuss to our accommodation, which is very comfortable.
Now — just the jet lag to overcome!
Tuesday, 30 September 2008
Thoughts from a Beijing NPC: Michael Byrne (U21s)
There are 18 teams in the U21's and England will start amongst the favourites.
The teams play a complete round robin, and the key is to score consistently well — plenty of 19's and 20's, rather than 25-4 wins interspersed with 7-23 losses. Of course you have to get maximums against the weak teams as well, but a healthy winning record does a lot for confidence and team morale, especially if you have to play a team in the knock outs you have already beaten in the round robin.
Once we reach the knock out stages it is only a short sprint to the final, and the team must aim to keep their nerve, especially if lucks goes against them or they have a few unlucky boards.
England have a talented and able team, and they have put tremendous amounts of work in over the two years I have been in charge. Let's hope it finally pays off.
The teams play a complete round robin, and the key is to score consistently well — plenty of 19's and 20's, rather than 25-4 wins interspersed with 7-23 losses. Of course you have to get maximums against the weak teams as well, but a healthy winning record does a lot for confidence and team morale, especially if you have to play a team in the knock outs you have already beaten in the round robin.
Once we reach the knock out stages it is only a short sprint to the final, and the team must aim to keep their nerve, especially if lucks goes against them or they have a few unlucky boards.
England have a talented and able team, and they have put tremendous amounts of work in over the two years I have been in charge. Let's hope it finally pays off.
Saturday, 27 September 2008
Beijing - Under 21's World Championship Draw
There are 18 teams qualified for the Under 21's World Championships in Beijing, China. The teams will play a complete round robin. At the conclusion of the round robin, the top eight teams will advance to the knockout stage, on which the leading teams will have a choice of opponents in the Quarter-Final. The draw is out. The order of play (UK time, 7 hours behind Beijing) is as follows:
| Round 1 | Sat | 04 | Oct | 04:00 | France |
| Round 2 | Sat | 04 | Oct | 07:20 | Ecuador |
| Round 3 | Sat | 04 | Oct | 10:10 | USA |
| Round 4 | Sun | 05 | Oct | 04:00 | Botswana |
| Round 5 | Sun | 05 | Oct | 07:20 | Norway |
| Round 6 | Sun | 05 | Oct | 10:10 | Bulgaria |
| Round 7 | Mon | 06 | Oct | 04:00 | Pakistan |
| Round 8 | Mon | 06 | Oct | 07:20 | Indonesia |
| Round 9 | Mon | 06 | Oct | 10:20 | China |
| Round 10 | Tue | 07 | Oct | 04:00 | Uruguay |
| Round 11 | Tue | 07 | Oct | 07:20 | Chinese Taipei |
| Round 12 | Tue | 07 | Oct | 10:10 | Canada |
| Round 13 | Wed | 08 | Oct | 04:00 | Netherlands |
| Round 14 | Wed | 08 | Oct | 07:20 | Poland |
| Round 15 | Fri | 10 | Oct | 04:00 | Argentina |
| Round 16 | Fri | 10 | Oct | 07:20 | Australia |
| Round 17 | Fri | 10 | Oct | 10:10 | Singapore |
Friday, 18 July 2008
Top six finishes for two english pairs in European Youth Pairs Finals
Sadly no medals, by two of the english pairs competing in the European Youth Championships managed to finish in the top 6 of their series.
Susan Stockdale & Fiona Brown were competing in the Under 26 Girls series. They were never out if the top 10, eventually they finished 5th in their series.
Likewise James Paul & Graeme Robertson. who were in the Under 21 series. They too were never out of the top 10, and eventually they finished 6th in their series.
James Thrower & Shivam Shah were also in the final of the Under 21 series., they finished 14th.
<Ed Jones & Tom Paske finished 27th in the final of the Under 26's.
Five other pairs took part.
There is a considerable increase in English participation in this tournament and we are extremely grateful to the Educational Trust for British Bridge (donations always welcome) who have helped seven of these pairs, two from Wales and one from Scotland with considerable financial support. Well done everyone.
Susan Stockdale & Fiona Brown were competing in the Under 26 Girls series. They were never out if the top 10, eventually they finished 5th in their series.
Likewise James Paul & Graeme Robertson. who were in the Under 21 series. They too were never out of the top 10, and eventually they finished 6th in their series.
James Thrower & Shivam Shah were also in the final of the Under 21 series., they finished 14th.
<Ed Jones & Tom Paske finished 27th in the final of the Under 26's.
Five other pairs took part.
There is a considerable increase in English participation in this tournament and we are extremely grateful to the Educational Trust for British Bridge (donations always welcome) who have helped seven of these pairs, two from Wales and one from Scotland with considerable financial support. Well done everyone.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)