Page 7 - ABF Newsletter August 2024

The 84th Australian National Championships were held in July in Orange NSW. This was only the second time the event has been held outside of a capital city and what a great success it was. Congratulations to the Gang of Four, Rob Ward, Anne Tonna, Murray Paterson and Matt McManus, and the team of help- ers for the many hours, over several years, they put into the planning and running of this event. The Central West Festival, sponsored by Stepbridge, was well supported not only by interstate visitors but also many local players from Mudgee, Dubbo, Bathurst, Cowra, Parkes and of course Orange. This gold point Festival will be held again from 9-13 April 2025.
It may have been cold outside in Orange, but the competition at the table was electric. A special men- tion must go to the New South teams who dominat- ed the teams’ events, winning the Open, Women’s and Seniors. Also, to Paul Lavings Bridge Supplies, who celebrated 50 years of sponsorship to the ANC, Steve Weil and TBIB who sponsored the Butler events and look after our travel Insurance, Fixed Income Solutions and the many local businesses who sup- ported the event.
The ANC is an important event on the ABF Calendar as it draws players of all ages together to enjoy not only the competitive nature of the game but also the social aspect. This year the ages spanned 90 years. Oliver Brayshaw who played in the WA youth team
YOUR ACTION WHEN YOUR PARTNER OVERCALLS
is 11 years old, and Gwenda Garde, a stalwart of the Orange Bridge Club who played in the Central West Festival, is 101 years old! Testament that bridge is a fun and challenging game enjoyed by players of all ages. I look forward to the 2025 ANC in Brisbane from 6-17 July.
Two Australian U26 teams competed at the 8th World Youth Championships in Wroclaw, Poland. The Under 26 Women’s Team (Anne Davey, Lauren Morgan, Diya Shah, Zara Chowdhury, Jasmine Skeate and Kate Macdonald) finished 4th and the Under 26 Open Team (Tomer Libman, Bertie Morgan, Lara Topper, Alex Goss, Jack Luke-Paredi and George Bartley) fin- ished 9th. Jack Luke-Paredi and George Bartley were 4th in the Open Pairs and Jasmine Skeate and Kate Macdonald finished 12th in the U26 Women’s Pairs final. A bright future awaits them all. A huge thank you to the non-playing captains Lauren Travis and Mike Doecke.
Included in this newsletter is a lengthy article re- garding increases in the ABF’s fees being introduced next year and our investment in the MYABF platform. I urge everyone to read this article and encourage all clubs to embrace the opportunities that MYABF will provide to simplify club administration and improve player experience.
The best of bridge to you all.
BRIDGE INTO THE 21st CENTURY
Paul Lavings, plavings@gmail.com
Solutions on page 15
What would you call on the following hands, neither side vulnerable? East’s 1] bid shows 5+ spades.
WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH (1{) 1[ (1]) ?
1. ]7653 [K5 }K862 {843 2. ]65 [K105 }Q864 {K753 3. ]Q103 [1093 }8743 {KJ2 4. ]109 [K2 }QJ9865 {752
5. ]43 [KJ7 }AQJ6 {6532 6. ]82 [KJ32 }AQ10 {J832 7. ]54 [KJ86 }8752 {764 8. ]7 [K10764 }742 {10863 9. ]92 [Q1087 }K75 {K753 10. ] 8 6 [ K J 5 4 } A Q J 8 7 { 6 2
Australian Bridge Federation Ltd. Newsletter: August 2024
Page: 7