2014 Teltscher Trophy - the aftermath

Another eventful day at the Teltscher Trophy: a heavy loss against Great Britain (less than 1 VP), followed by good wins against Northern Ireland (15.66 VPs) and Scotland (16.38 VPs).

Our final match was against Wales and a 1 IMP loss (9.67 VPs) meant that we held them off and finished in third place, with a just-above-average overall score. We signed off with one of our trademark double game swings, the third of the weekend; 17 IMPs from 5H made in one room and 5C doubled plus one in the other. If only the whole weekend could have been based on such a strategy.

Great Britain won their last match against Ireland, but not by enough to close the gap between the two teams.   It was great to see two 91 year olds, Bernard Teltscher and Tony Priday, battling it out to the last – and they were second in the Cross-IMPs table!   Ireland finished on 122.47 VPs, ahead of Great Britain on 120.44 and England on 100.51.

The event was superbly run by the NIBU, and the England team's thanks go to them, and to Ian Lindsay for his sponsorship of the event.  It is tremendously popular with the players, many of whom have been competing with each other for decades.  It is fiercely competitive but played in a great spirit; a wonderful advertisement for bridge.

And last, but not least, I would like to thank Roger O’Shea of Pharon Independent Financial Advisers for his sponsorship.   The EBU doesn't pay full travel and accommodation costs for the Senior team and NPC, so Pharon’s support is most welcome.

2014 Teltscher Trophy - Sunday

A day of lows and highs.   We started off losing to Scotland by 23 IMPs (4.14 VPs) and to Ireland by 22 IMPs (4.34 VPs) and at that stage we were lying sixth.

The only way was up and we recovered with a good win over Bernard Teltscher's Great Britain team (17.63 VPs) and a small revenge win against Ireland by 15 IMPs to 8 (12.16 VPs) on a particularly dull set of boards. We have been becoming used to at least two slam deals every match … and the realisation that slam bidding doesn't become easier just because you are older and wiser.

With four matches to play today, Ireland have a fairly comfortable lead with 80 VPs, followed by the pack of Wales (63), Great Britain (61) and England (58).

Chris Owen, Clive's son, is here supporting England. Chris was part of England’s winning team in the Junior Camrose in 2006 and 2011. Like Son like Father, we hope.

Now I must go and work on my motivational speech. “We can still do this, lads” I will tell them. (Seniors like to be called 'lads' and 'boys'.) “Look how Arsenal came back from two-nil down at Wembley yesterday.”

2014 Teltscher Trophy - Saturday

This event is using the new WBF VP scale for 14 boards, where scores are given to two decimal places.  The mantra behind the concept is that 'every IMP should count', but the change has found little favour with players and (particularly) journalists.

Play got under way yesterday evening with matches (14 boards each) against hosts Northern Ireland and Wales.

England were leading the whole event after two boards, thanks to board 2, where South doubled Clive Owen's 3NT contract, asking for the lead of Brian Senior's first bid suit. Holding AKQ10xx in the suit, this seemed like a good idea to South – and indeed it was; the defence can take the first ten tricks.  Unfortunately for Northern Ireland, North took out the double to Four Spades.  This in turn was doubled and went three down for 800 to England. Some missed opportunities saw Northern Ireland fight back and win the match by 42 IMPs to 21 … a mere 4.54 VPs for England.

The team bounced back against Wales in another set of distributional boards.  The highlight was making game in both rooms for a 15 IMP gain. There was a Grand Slam, reached in both rooms of the England match.  I saw a pair on VuGraph get to it in 3 bids (or should that be calls?) over diamond pre-empts by the opposition … Double, 4S and 7S.  A  slam swing to Wales got them back into the match, but England ran out winners by 46-27, 15.60 in VPs.

Played finished at about 23:15 and there was just enough time for a quick cup of cocoa before bed.  After two matches, every team has won one and lost one. Next up for England are Scotland (lying sixth at the moment) and the Republic of Ireland (lying first).

In response to my previous blog, Richard Fleet told me that the 'Junior Camrose' did indeed have a sponsor in the early days; the event is played for the Cutty Sark trophy.  So where the event is named after a person (Lord Camrose or Lady Milne) the event keeps its name.  But where the event is named after a commercial sponsor, then the event drops the name when the sponsor drops the funding.  Seems fair to me.

2014 Teltscher Trophy - Introduction

There are five competitions between the Home nations and the Republic of Ireland: for Open teams (the Camrose), for Women’s teams (the Lady Milne), for Juniors under 25 (known as the Junior Camrose), for Juniors under 20 (the Peggy Bayer) and for Seniors.

The Seniors’ event was known colloquially as ‘the Senior Camrose’ until last year, when Bernard Teltscher, Patron and Sponsor of the event since its inception in 2008, donated the trophy that bears his name.

What you can deduce from the first paragraph is that, if you want to donate a trophy for a bridge event, the Junior Camrose is the one in need.

The Teltscher Trophy is played over a single weekend with a double round robin of 14-board matches. A Great Britain team, led by Bernard Teltscher, brings the number of teams up to six. Great Britain can win the event (and did so in 2009 and 2012) but cannot win the title/trophy. Bernard may be bringing the numbers up to six, but he is certainly not there just to ‘make up the numbers’; last Sunday he and GB team-mate Victor Silverstone won the London Senior pairs.

So far England have won twice (in 2008 in Oxford and in 2010 in Ayr), Wales have won once (in 2011) and Scotland three times (once outright in 2013 and twice by finishing second behind Great Britain).

England is represented by Clive Owen & Brian Senior, and David Kendrick & Roger Gibbons. Brian has fulfilled his destiny by becoming a Senior (thus saving much confusion at Selection Committee meetings). He has already played Open bridge for Great Britain, England, Ireland and Northern Ireland. David is completing his troika, having represented England in Junior and Open Camrose events. Clive and Roger are winning their first caps.

Please support us by watching from the comfort of your home as events unfold on BBO.

Lady Milne Trials

The Lady Milne trials are being held at Richmond Bridge Club on January 24-26. 

21 pairs have entered and they will play a complete round-robin of five-board matches (with one sit-out). The top three pairs will be invited to represent England in the Lady Milne in Ireland on April 11-13. As with the Camrose, the home nation will have two teams. England are the defending champions.

The Lady Milne started in in 1934 as the Ladies Championship of the National Bridge Association. (Lady Milne was assistant secretary to the NBA.)  It became the trophy for the Ladies Home Internationals in 1950. So far England have won 48 times (including one tie with Scotland in 2011), Scotland 12 times (including one tie), Wales three times and Northern Ireland twice. The Republic of Ireland rejoined the event in 1998. 

Two of our multiple world champions, Sally Brock and Heather Dhondy, are taking part. Sally is partnering Susanna Gross, with whom she has qualified three times, winning the Lady Milne on each occasion. Heather is playing in a new partnership with Sarah Dunn. Last year’s three winning pairs are all playing again: Gillian Fawcett & Jane Moore, Lizzie Godfrey & Pauline Cohen, as well as Brock & Gross. Former German international Barbara Hackett, wife of Justin Hackett, is playing in the trials for the first time, partnering 2011 Lady Milne winner Dinah Caplan.

Heather Dhondy holds the record for Lady Milne wins - 13, ahead of Nicola Smith (not playing this year) with 12. Of those who are playing in the trials, Sally Brock has seven wins and Sarah Teshome and Gillian Fawcett have six each.

At the other end of the scale there are some Trial debutantes, who will be playing with screens for the first time. We wish them, and all the competitors, good luck.

2014 Camrose - First weekend

January is a busy month for International Bridge, starting with the trials for the Senior team for the European Championships, which took place last weekend, and ending with the Women’s Lady Milne trials at the end of the month.

In between the focus switches to the Open team and the 2014 Camrose.  The first weekend is being played in deepest mid-Wales, in Llandrindod Wells, the scene of Wales’ only Camrose victory, in 2011.  England will be hosting the second weekend in easily-accessible Manchester in March.

The two English teams each includes a married couple playing together as a partnership, a comparative rarity.  England has Nevena and Brian Senior, the EBU team has Catherine Curtis and Paul Fegarty.  John Holland played two Camrose matches with Michelle Brunner after they were married (and two before).  Before that you have to go back (I think) to Jane and Tony Priday in the ‘70s.  Frances Hinden and Jeffrey Allerton have played together for England in the recent past, but not as a pair.  They are both playing for the EBU team this year, but not on the same weekend.

The two English teams play each other on Friday night (and I do mean night - the match is scheduled to finish at 23:35).  You can follow that match impartially on BBO, and after that you can support both teams independently and vociferously for the rest of the weekend.

Bali 16: It's the end of the world as we know it

We had an excellent first set on the final day but a poor second one where the lead disappeared so we started the final set 7 behind and although there were several chances up as far as Board 94 we couldn't quite do it. Silver is nothing to be other than proud of and its the first medal for 28 years in this event for our team.

At the medal ceremony Fiona & Susan were congratulated on joining the rest of the team as World Grand Masters.

England's final position also means they qualify for the Sport Accord games in Beijing just before Xmas.

Later today we start the trek home from the most hospitable of islands. Next time in 2015 the venue is likely to be Goa.

Bali 15: Day of destiny

We've reached the last day. 48 boards between us and a third successive Gold medal. At the half way stage we are 4.7imps behind. Yesterday featured some big swings and some big hands. In the last set a lightner double beat 7H when the opening leader for the USA had a choice of two five card minors. She got it right. In the other room Fiona has bid so there was no guess and the opposition viewed to retreat to 7NT to gain 2! The last board of set 2 earned us 16 when a take out double was interpreted as penalties and in set 3 it was worth 14 when the opponents bid 6C against Heather & Nevena which went 3 down whilst a penalty of 800 was extracted at the other table.

In case you were wondering Miss World is over and it was won by Miss Philippines. Although I missed the ceremony the end was marked by a first class traffic jam which would be the envy of many a large city. The preparation now turns to the visit of Mr Obama and curiously female statues, all of which are very respectable, have been covered with sarongs.

Bali 14: At last a medal

England completed a demolition job against China yesterday. As in the quarter final we built a good lead on the first day and were very solid on day 2. So this win guarantees at least a silver medal and our first Venice Cup medal of any colour since 1985. Nicola and and Sally were on that team also. We play USA2 in the final. They have good players but not very experienced partnerships so I am hopeful the next two days will bring the right result.

The conference centre here is big and our event is not the only one going on. Yesterday the candidates for Miss World 2013 arrived. The majority of them were wearing World Rhino Day tee shirts presumably to show their environmental credentials. To save you checking Google it was on Sep 22. The final is tomorrow and their area has now been roped of which stops the players going to ogle and the audience for Miss World seeking to filch our free coffee.

Bali 13: The final beckons

England had a good day yesterday and built up a useful but not decisive lead to take into the second half of the semi final. The winners play off for the gold medal over 96 boards and the losers have an 80 board play off for a bronze medal. England played in this in Veldhoven in 2011 and are very keen not to have to do it again.

At all world championships people can and do watch on BBO although Our Game also is broadcasting to China. Today's bulletin tells of an offer made by Our Game, a Chinese Internet Company to pay for exclusive rights to broadcast in future. No decision has yet been made by the WBF but the many keen BBO viewers will be looking on with some concern with the knowledge that BBO have provided an excellent free service for more than a decade.