Bridge

Tuesday's bridge...

IN the Senior Camrose the fancied English team started too slowly to win; and Scotland had a torrid time for the first two days, seemingly unable to make a winning decision.

On this board Scotland were simply unlucky. If you look at the North-South hands in isolation you would expect to make 18 tricks in no-trump. Even if one black suit were to break 4-0 the wrong way (a 5 per cent chance) you would expect the other to run for six or seven tricks. 7NT makes 99.5 per cent of the time, but is quite difficult to reach.

For Scotland Alan Goodman opened 1S. Brian Short bid a "catch-all" 2C and East overcalled 2H. Goodman rebid 3S to show a good hand and West bid 4H. Short now took charge with Roman Keycard, and drove to 7S. This contract is only 95 per cent, perhaps slightly less since there might be a club ruff on the opening lead. If East shows out on the first spade declarer can enter dummy by overtaking a diamond honour to finesse in trump, at the slight risk of losing a diamond ruff. Declarer won the heart lead, played a top trump, and conceded a rather disgusted one down.

The Northern Irish pair, playing Precision Club, never got to grips with the deal, and doubled Scotland in 6H for +500 and a not-too-well-deserved 11 imps. There were no swings in the other matches: England v Great Britain was flat in 7S-1; Wales v Ireland equally flat in 6S making.