David Ezekiel

Sad news again to start the column with the passing of Billy Boyle who was a Wednesday morning regular at the club. Most will know him as the former Mayor of Hamilton or as the successful and pioneering owner of Boyle’s Shoes, but most of us will know him as one of the nicest people we’ve ever met, with a smile and a kind word for everyone.

The article in the Gazette which discussed his life highlighted a remark by one of his family that he “was a man who got his priorities right” in terms of family and leisure and good works, and when you add in there the time he dedicated to his weekly bridge game, it is clear that he did.

He will be greatly missed by family and friends and all those who played with and against him at the club.

Again, not much happening at the club and the next event is the Junior Senior game at the club on October 5 at 7.30pm.

A good time then to bring you up to date on the Player of the Year contests and here are the standings at September 6:

Senior Player of the Year

Margaret Way 25.38

Jane Smith 23.7

Gertrude Barker 17.34

Elizabeth McKee 15.23

Diana Diel 14.73

Miodrag Novakovic 12.8

David Sykes 11.03

Charles Hall 11.01

Sheena Rayner 10.9

Judith Bussell 10.88

Day Player of the Year

Molly Taussig 54.2

Diana Diel 43.81

Gertrude Barker 38.97

Elizabeth McKee 38.92

Patricia Siddle 33.87

Julia Beach 27.65

Louise Rodger 27.25

Magda Farag 26.33

Sheena Rayner 24.44

Richard Gray 21.08

Junior Player of the Year

Sharon Shanahan 7.27

Claude Guay 7.27

Gina Graham 3.76

David Pickering 3.41

Felicity Lunn 3.38

John Luebkemann 2.28

Heather Farrugia 2.18

Carol Eastham 1.83

Patricia Rodrigues 1.82

John Kessaram 1.82

I don’t like calling declarer play hands “simple” as it appears a bit dismissive and may make a few players, who don’t see the simplicity, feel a bit inadequate.

This week’s hand should be a sleepwalk for an expert, simple for an advanced player, tough for an intermediate and impossible for a beginner as beginners simply don’t like giving up tricks to the defence.

N/S Vul, Dealer South

? KQJ65

? 32

? KJ10

? A65

? 87 ? 3

? QJ109 ? 87654

? 542 ? Q976

? Q984 ? J102

? A10942

? AK

? A83

? K73

North South reached the obvious 6 Spades and West led the Heart Queen — what are the chances of making the contract? With the hands being a mirror distribution there is a definite Club loser and a guess in Diamonds for the Queen, so the beginner/intermediate may say it was 50 per cent. The better players will say 100 per cent, which it is!

The play is straightforward: win the Heart, draw trumps, cash the other Heart and now play Ace, King and another Club to put the defence on lead in this position.

N/S Vul, Dealer South

? KQJ

?

? KJ10

?

? ?

? J10 ? 87

? 542 ? Q976

? Q ?

? 942

?

? A83

?

No matter which opponent wins the third Club they have to either lead a Diamond which provides no losers in that or lead a Heart or Club, which provides a ruff and discard for declarer and the same result — slam made. So, how difficult did you find the hand?

Results for September 11

Monday afternoon

North/South

1. Peter Donnellan/Sheena Rayner

2. Julia Beach/Patricia Colmet

3. George Correia/Greta Marshall

East/West

1. Miodrag Novakovic/Margaret Way

2. Sancia Garrison/Harry Kast

3. Patricia Siddle/Marilynn Simmons

Monday evening

1. John Burville/Edward Betteto

2. Sheena Rayner/Jane Smith

3. Miodrag Novakovic/Margaret Way

Tuesday evening

North/South

1. Gina Graham/Wendy Salvia

2. David Pickering/Katerina Rance

East/West

1. Judith Law/Elma Anfossi

2. Nikki Boyce/Carol Eastham

Wednesday morning

North/South

1. Charles Hall/Molly Taussig

2. Greta Marshall/Heather Woolf

3. Louise Rodger/Elizabeth McKee

East/West

1. Sheena Rayner/Jane Smith

2. Stephanie Kyme/Diana Diel

3. Kathleen Keane/Donna Leitch

Thursday evening

1. Jane Smith/John Burville

2. Rachael Gosling/Simon Giffen

3. Elizabeth McKee/Diana Diel

Friday afternoon

North/South

1. Russell Craft/Edward Betteto

2. Marilynn Simmons/Annabelle Mann

3. George Correia/Michael Bickley

East/West

1. Diana Diel/Elizabeth McKee

2. Janice Trott/Patricia Hayward

3. Barbara Cerra/Pat Cerra