Page 8 - ABF Newsletter June 2025

2025 Barrier Reef Congress
FRED WHITAKER reunites with an old partner for a journey to Queensland’s Capricorn Coast, with a stopover at the local bridge club
For those that are not aware, it is a five-hour drive from Yeppoon to Hervey Bay. My wife Anna and I were to head home on the Wednesday following the Barrier Reef Congress, having arrived the previous Wednes- day, but we felt it would be a good ending to our holiday to drop in to the Yeppoon Club’s 9:30am session ‘on the way past’.
We were very welcome, as it meant the table number was four, rather than the 31⁄2 without us!
The Yeppoon Bridge Club has only 37 members, but
they had just hosted a great event of 70 tables, and
done so without any apparent hitch and with smiles
all around. So heartiest congratulations to Karin le
Roux and her wonderful and willing team. ]AK107
My recollection of previous articles in this newsletter [85
is that they are written by the winners... sadly, this }9843 correspondent was a narrow loser in the Pairs, and a {A54 convincing loser in the Teams.
Photo: Karin le Roux
Partner helped me out by sending through some di- sasters, and then she rather too enthusiastically en- quired whether I needed more.
Rachael and I played in Auckland back in the 90s, and she received a call-up when last year’s partner Ashley Bach found urgent business a long way away! It was a treat to become reacquainted and play with Rachael again.
We had seemed to have a fortunate passage in the Pairs, with our fate mostly in our own hands, and we led for several rounds including entering the last round when we held a narrow 3 VP lead.
Nothing much seemed to have happened over the first five boards, and my mind may have been pon- dering lunch and wondering whether we had won. Notice that fateful word ‘had’ won!
On that fateful penultimate board the opps declared 4], and partner led the [J which was a good start:
]6
[ J 10 9 3 }Q7652 {KQ8
Board 27. Dealer South. Neither side vulnerable.
]84 [KQ74 }AJ10
{J1076 ]QJ9532 [A62
}K {932
Declarer drew trumps, and on the second round pard pitched an encouraging two of diamonds.
A diamond was led from the table and, having con- cluded the roast of the day at the pub up the road was what was needed, I followed with the ten. That was that, and I shall take it to my grave. There is no layout where that would be right, but I had it fixed in my lame brain that partner had the king.
So, congratulations to the winners, the very deserv- ing Kim Ellaway and Alison Stralow.
I reached the pub and gritted my teeth to look at the final scores, but there was nothing there to ease the pain. Rising with the king would have won the event by a margin, while ducking consigned us to third. That called for a large bracer before the Teams, and into battle we returned.
Page: 8
Australian Bridge Federation Ltd. Newsletter: June 2025