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“Numero Uno” this time for Jeremy and Jack.

Jeremy and Jack Dominate North Island Pairs.

Jeremy Fraser -Hoskin and Jack James came good at just the right time to win last weekend’s on-line North Island Pairs in relative comfort. Day 1 was qualifying which they achieved with scores of 57 and 53%, finishing 10^th North-South, with the top 14 pairs each direction in the 66 pair field making the cut.

It was the first of the two Sunday sessions when they really came good with 66.12%, 8% clear of 2^nd placed Glenn Coutts and Graeme Stout. 55.91% in the afternoon saw them through to victory 37 matchpoints clear of overall second placed Ian Berrington and Graeme Tuffnell. These were the top 10 finishers in the final:

						MPs
1	Jeremy	Fraser -Hoskin		Jack	James	854
2	Ian	Berrington		Graeme	Tuffnell	817
3	Tim	Pan		Lysandra	Zheng	780
4	Glenn	Coutts		Graeme	Stout	771
5	Wayne	Burrows		Clair	Miao	769
6	Alan	Parkes		Marcus	Dudley	751
7	Carol	Richardson		Steve	Boughey	745
8	David	O'Shaughnessy		Mariusz	Tumilowicz	739
9	Jimmi	Wallis		Steve	Baron	732
10	Graham	Wakefield		Leah	Andrews	723

 

The Plate was won by Sam Coutts and Brad Johnston on 1255.83 ahead of Anne Somerville and Murat Genc 1161.28 and Grant Jarvis and Kevin Hu 1146.94.

What do you think here?

 

Obviously no action over the pre-empt but what now? 4 is Michael’s style with both majors.

This board produced an unusual situation in Jack and Jeremy’s auction in that it was the hand which was just a weak no-trump opener (the hand above) which forced to slam in an auction where East did not open and Jeremy started with 1.

 

1 was 2+ clubs with the double of 1 showing 4+ hearts. Jack showed his extreme shape (presumably 5-6) with the leap to 3 though after that it was the weak no-trump hand which made all the running. Indeed, Jack was so unsure about slam prospects that he did not cue his A after Jeremy's 4 cue and called 5 (2 key cards, no Q) to try to slow his partner down. However, Jeremy, whose dream side-suit cards along with 4 trumps would not be silenced.

Any doubts as to whether the slam would be made were soon quietened after a minor suit lead by the appearance of J or A on the first round of trumps.

What though after the 3 pre-empt? Only 4 other pairs (14 in total) other than Jack and Jeremy bid to 6 and many started with the 3 pre-empt. A couple took a slightly slower route but Graham Wakefield and Michael Ware had no doubts where they were going, bidding 6 directly over 4. The North hand could have been stronger (A, for example) though for most, there would be no way to set trumps and then ask for key cards. So, 6 was a very practical bid  with apologies if the grand was missed.

No apologies needed this time.

Thanks to NZ Bridge and the directors, Matthew McManus and Babs- Merel de Visser, for a very well run event.

More of Jack and Jeremy tomorrow.

Richard Solomon

 

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