Ballina Bridge Club Newsletter — April 2015 Current Office Holders __________________ President Ngaire Wills Vice President Rebecca Rogers Secretary Sue Burns Assistant Secretary Judy Woodward Treasurer Julie Harwood Assistant Treasurer Jan Blay Masterpoint Secretary Bill Powell Chair of Play Judy Forsyth Committee Members Chery McCallum Maureen Baker Chris McDowell Maintenance Alan Sims Matchpoint Swiss Pairs From our President Congratulations to the following pairs who took out the top slots in the recent Ballina Matchpoint Swiss Pairs event held in late March. OPEN section winners: from left, Marjorie Askew, Ngaire Wills (President), Bill Powell PLATE winners: from left, Carol Hocking, Jill Theakstone Congratulations to the winners of the 2015 Ballina Swiss Pairs competition; Marjorie Askew and Bill Powell (Open) and Carol Hock- ing and Jill Theakstone (B section). We had many visitors from our region playing in the event which was very capably directed by Chris Snook. Thank you very much to Lyn Ebert and the team for the mammoth effort they put in to provide such wonderful lunches (for 80 players) on both days and for ensuring that there were plenty of snacks and refresh- ments available at all times. At our last Management Meeting the Commit- tee decided that we would no longer cater for lunches at Congresses. It is a huge job for those involved to shop, prepare, serve and clean up afterwards. As well as ensuring food hygiene and safety, the caterers must also pre- pare additional lunches for those with special dietary requirements. Morning and afternoon teas will continue to be supplied as well as snacks after the event. An additional benefit will be a significantly reduced entry fee. Two reminders from our Directors: (i) each pair should have at least one system card on the table, and (ii) please ensure that your mobile phone is switched off prior to play. If you have an im- portant/urgent need to receive a call during play please, as a courtesy, inform the Director of the day before play commences. During February and March, seventeen new play- ers attended lessons presented by our teaching team. This enthusiastic group were presented with their certificates at a special morning tea at the end of the course. Most of the group are now Club members. We welcome them to our Club and look forward to seeing them playing in our regular sessions. Ngaire
Transcript
Bal l ina Bridge Club
Newsletter — Apri l 2015
Current Office
Holders
__________________
President
Ngaire Wills
Vice President
Rebecca Rogers
Secretary
Sue Burns
Assistant Secretary
Judy Woodward
Treasurer
Julie Harwood
Assistant Treasurer
Jan Blay
Masterpoint Secretary
Bill Powell
Chair of Play
Judy Forsyth
Committee Members
Chery McCallum
Maureen Baker
Chris McDowell
Maintenance
Alan Sims
Matchpoint Swiss Pairs
From our President
Congratulations to the following pairs who took out the top slots in the recent
Ballina Matchpoint Swiss Pairs event held in late March.
OPEN section winners: from left,
Marjorie Askew, Ngaire Wills
(President), Bill Powell
PLATE winners: from left,
Carol Hocking, Jill Theakstone
Congratulations to the winners of the 2015
Ballina Swiss Pairs competition; Marjorie
Askew and Bill Powell (Open) and Carol Hock-
ing and Jill Theakstone (B section). We had
many visitors from our region playing in the
event which was very capably directed by
Chris Snook. Thank you very much to Lyn
Ebert and the team for the mammoth effort
they put in to provide such wonderful lunches
(for 80 players) on both days and for ensuring
that there were plenty of snacks and refresh-
ments available at all times.
At our last Management Meeting the Commit-
tee decided that we would no longer cater for
lunches at Congresses. It is a huge job for
those involved to shop, prepare, serve and
clean up afterwards. As well as ensuring food
hygiene and safety, the caterers must also pre-
pare additional lunches for those with special
dietary requirements. Morning and afternoon
teas will continue to be supplied as well as snacks
after the event. An additional benefit will be a
significantly reduced entry fee.
Two reminders from our Directors:
(i) each pair should have at least one system card
on the table, and
(ii) please ensure that your mobile phone is
switched off prior to play. If you have an im-
portant/urgent need to receive a call during play
please, as a courtesy, inform the Director of the
day before play commences.
During February and March, seventeen new play-
ers attended lessons presented by our teaching
team. This enthusiastic group were presented
with their certificates at a special morning tea at
the end of the course. Most of the group are
now Club members. We welcome them to our
Club and look forward to seeing them playing in
our regular sessions.
Ngaire
Swiss Matchpoint Pairs Congress Results - Congratulations to the place getters, super to see
so many Ballina players mentioned.
Open B Grade
1. Marjorie Askew, Bill Powell 1. Jill Theakstone, Carol Hocking
2. Janet Brown, Eric Hurley 2. Ros Stevens, Jill Causley
3. Liz & Howard Jeffery 3. Lesley Kenyon, John Pellan
4. Judy Woodward, Judy Forsyth 4. Lorraine and Mark Miller
Regulations
Ballina Regulations of Play matters are now on our website for your perusal. A copy is also on the Noticeboard.
Novice and Restricted Eligibility
Eligibility to play on Thursday or Wednesday afternoon occurs after the end of each month
when the Masterpoints have been submitted.
Handicaps
Handicaps are calculated each quarter on the performance of each individual over the previ-
ous six months. Separate handicap files are derived from Monday, Thursday afternoon and
combined Wednesday and Saturday results. You must have played at least six times on the
respective day in the previous six months to obtain a handicap for either a Monday, a Thurs-
day etc. Winning a handicap voucher is an award that reflects you have played very well for
your level of skill. Handicaps vouchers are only awarded when there are at least ten tables of
players competing in the session.
Lead the un-bid suit!
Please support
our sponsors
_________________
Page 2
Auction
P-2C-2S-P P-3C-3H-4N P-6C-P-7N(*)
all pass
(*) Later described
as an underbid.
Bill Powell kindly provided this hand from Open Teams from the Gold Coast Congress in late February. Round 3, Board 12, Dealer West, N-S Vul.
I was West, Marjorie East, Tony Burke North, Peter Gill South. Tony is a Sydney rubber bridge player, Peter Gill is.…well….Peter Gill. - 6 KQ65 AKJ98743 T52 Q98763 9854 QJ732 JT3 A8 T62 - AKJ4 AKT 9742 Q5
Peter presumably meant 4NT as an Ace ask and apparently Tony was not pre-
pared to admit to only one. I failed to find the ♦ lead. Maybe East should dou-
ble 7NT – a Lightner double asking for an unusual lead, in this case NOT a ♠or a
♥. Maybe I should lead a ♦ anyway – South must surely hold both major
aces. My actual lead of a ♠ gave away the thirteenth trick (dummy laid out the
eight ♣s first whereupon Peter claimed 13 saying “we don’t need to see any
more”).
The (ultra) passive ♣ lead is no good either as East is squeezed on the run of
the ♣s, however a ♥ lead destroys the squeeze as there’s no re-entry to South’s
hand. Of the 208 times the board was played 7NT was reached 6 times (doubled
on one occasion). Every time the lead was a ♠!
Play committee report
Photo Competition for April Page 3
A Passage to India
Are you able to guess the name of this very popular mem-
ber? If you can, place your name on an envelope with your
answer on the back for your chance to win either a brome-
liad/orchid from Winston or a free game of bridge—your
choice. (Entries can be placed in the box near the systems
cards).
First correct answer drawn from the list of entries wins
with the winner announced in the May newsletter.
Best of Luck!
Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu (Tiru, as it is known) is one of India’s holiest cities and contains three attractions;
namely, Arunachala mountain, Sri Ramana Ashram and the Main Temple. I stayed in the Ramana ashram for 3 nights where meals are taken in silence, sitting on the floor. You are served from stainless steel buckets onto your banana leaf and you eat with the fingers of your right hand. All this was fine until the dessert came (rice pud-
ding with the consistency of soup), not easy! The Main Temple is the second largest in India with one of its nine towers being the tallest in the land. The tem-ple elephant is there for you to put donations in its trunk, which he gives to his minder and then hits you on the
head (with his trunk). I had no idea that they were so hard or heavy. The walk around Arunachala is 14 kms and people are walking it all the time. Full moon is especially propitious, so after dinner, at the full moon, I walked
round with another girl, taking four hours and we were 2 of 50,000 people.
Yesterday I had a very humbling experience; I saw an old lady with a stick and a sack over her shoulder and decid-ed to give her Rs10 (20 cents) even though she wasn't begging. The look of gratitude on her face was amazing and
she gave me a blessing, putting her hand on my head and kissing my hand. I smiled at her and walked on in tears, as the day before I’d spent Rs1800 ($38)on a two hour massage which cost 180 times what I gave her. It took me a while to sort that out in my mind.
Outside my lodgings is a lady who literally lives on the street. The road is tarmac with a metre wide dirt strip. She lives on this strip and the people living nearby bring her food, I saw one young man just put a banana down next to her. I give her all my coins and even when I am not giving her anything I smile at her and now she has just
started smiling back. When she is asleep her head and usually an arm are on the tarmac and there is a lot of traf-fic.
Tiru is neither pretty nor clean but the ashram is kept immaculate. Leaves are swept up three times a day and they close the halls over lunch so that they can be cleaned. The people are just lovely and there is calmness about; no one shouts, people wait in queues and
you don't see impatience or arguing. This is what I see but I don't think everyone will see it that way.
Now I need to get ready for Rishikesh, which is greener, prettier and cleaner and I know it well, but I’m definitely coming back to Tiru next year.
Eileen Pierce
Cryptic Crossword
Welcome to the first of our cryptic crosswords which will be a regular feature of upcoming editions. Our anonymous
compiler, “SP”, has split the clues equally between bridge and non-bridge questions and answers will be published next
month. First correct answer drawn from the list of entries will receive a free game of bridge. Please submit completed
answers in the box located next to the systems cards and good luck!.
Contributions and feedback for the newsletter are always welcome. For enquiries or to submit
material for upcoming editions, please contact Winston on 0416 065 910 or email to: win-
