14th SUN,
SEA, & SLAMS
BARBADOS
BRIDGE LEAGUE
October 21st-25th,
2003
The 14th edition of Sun, Sea, & Slams was scheduled to
be held in the brand new Barbados
Pavilion (just officially opened by Prince Philip the preceding Saturday - missed
him!) Unfortunately, the construction of the interior was not finished in time for
the tournament, and the Barbados Bridge League had to scramble the week for a
site. They did a great job in obtaining the Barbados Yacht Club for the
playing area AND putting together a shuttle service for the players.
I arrived Tuesday morning with a couple of friends (Scott
& Maria), after a red-eye from Costa Rica. After checking into the
penthouse at Coconut Court, it was off to the Yacht Club to see what we had for
the Tuesday Morning Pairs. There was a good
turnout, and the faithful little elves of the BBL had things all set up with
ten tables in play. All I had to do was unpack my boards, distribute them, and
play began. Winning the first event were the Bahamians (Matthew William &
Harold Longley) with 65.51%, just edging out the Brits (Karen and Malcom Pryor)
at 64.58%. Third and fourth went to a couple of veteran morning pairs, A &
R (Adelle Springer from Barbados & Richard Burns from U.S.A.) at 59.26% and
D & N (Bajans Dickie Parkinson & Nan Collins) with 58.10%. Rounding out
the top five with a fine performance were Marsha Jordan & Ronald Bates from
Barbados at 53.70%.
After a break for a buffet lunch in the Yacht Club, the
players were back at it in the First Session of
the Pelau Pairs. After a two-year break from the game, the Boston Tea Party
(Richard Burns for the USA & Simon Reade for England) showed their stuff
early, leading the field with 60.19%. ML & VIP (Marie-Luce Rimbaud &
Jean Yves Dabreteau from Martinique) were lying a solid 2nd at 58.56%, just
ahead of locals A & C (Alan Moss & Charles Hollingsworth) with 57.87%. One
of the Bajan Rookies, Marcelle Smith, combined with Eleanor Dottin for 55.79%
in 4th place while the Canucks (Fran Chivers & David Baker) were 5th with 54.63%.
Then the excitement! Michael Gill tells me that we are going
to the Police Station to get a temporary license so that I can drive his wife's
car during the tournament. Yikes - it has been about three years since I was
driving on that side of the road in Guyana. Anyway, we joked with the officers
and then stopped off at Chevettes for a quick meal before returning to the
Yacht Club. The players returned from dinner, and were soon playing the Second Session of the Pelau Pairs. The Canucks
had a monstrous 68.52% to win the session, while the Drivers (Leslie Atherley
& Michael Gill from Barbados) had to settle for second with 61.52%. The
Other Pair (Luis Suivant & Jean Rimbaud from Martinique) scored 59.67% for
3rd and Pat & Dad (Bajans Pat Cummins & Leroy Millar) were 4th at 58.02%.
Filling out the leader board at 55.97% were Colin & Rog (Colin Depradine
& Roglyn Hinds from Barbados).
The CANUCKS win the Pelau
Pairs - Final Overall. Fran Chivers & David Baker's monster second
session combined with their 5th in the first, made them untouchable in the
overall at 61.57% and 1st place. The Other Pair from Martinique slipped into
2nd at 56.92%, dropping the Boston Tea Party into 3rd with 56.12%. The Bajan Pat
& Dad ended up 4th at 55.52%, one place better than their compatriots, the
Drivers, at 54.95%.
A little after midnight, I got my first driving test as I
headed back to the Coconut Court to catch some Z's. Next day, we started out
with the Wednesday Morning Pairs. Victory went
to Bajan Acol (Daphne & Tony Earlam) with 58.93%, while local veterans
Jeffrey Newton & Sam Corbin settled for 2nd at 57.74%. The Bajan ladies
took 3rd and 4th, with Roglyn Hinds & Ann Evelyn at 56.55% and Eleanor
Dottin & Brenda Gonsalves at 53.27%.
Following lunch at the Yacht Club, the Round Robin Teams began with ten entries. The
teams played 6 board matches versus every other team, half of each match in the
1st session and half in the 2nd session. The BURNS quartet (the Boston Tea
Party & the Brits) were in good shape at the dinner break, leading in 7
matches and tied in another. However, the WATKINS foursome (the Bajan Boys plus
Pat & Dad) came on strong in the second half to win the event handily with
190 VP's (winning 8 matches). 2nd place went to the Canadians (the Canucks with
Judi Carter & Ed Allan) at a distant 155 VP's while locals DEPRADINE (Colin
& Rog with Yvonne Seale & Tony Newton) at 150 VP's edged out BURNS at
148 VP's. The local System Mongers (the Drivers plus A & C) ended up 5th
with 144 VP's. Interesting to note in the Round
Robin Teams Cross Table that BURNS ended up winning 7 matches, better than
both the 2nd and 3rd place teams.
After finally catching up on my sleep that night, I was
ready to go for the Thursday Morning Pairs.
Apparently, so were Pat & Rog (Pat Cummins & Roglyn Hinds) as they
flattened the field with a 71.76% game. The Male Canucks (Ed & David)
thought that their 65.51% was a sure win but had to settle for a distant 2nd. Local
vets Brenda Gonsalves & Jeffrey Newton were rock solid in 3rd at 60.19%, while
Bajans Bertie Callender & Harley Moseley at 56.94% just nipped out Eve Harp
from Canada & Matthew William at 56.25%.
The afternoon was the popular Cockspur
Rum Bajan Pairs, which meant lots of rum punch and plenty of director calls
as players suffered the effects. The Drivers road their system to victory with a
fine 65.28% effort. Taking 2nd were those pesky Canucks at 63.89%, while the
Bajan Boys ended up 3rd with 60.65%. Fourth place went to the Brits while A
& C finished 5th. The evening was free so everyone headed back to the
Coconut Court for some entertainment and a poolside buffet, courtesy of our
hosts. A good time was had by all, and they were still going strong when I
snuck off to bed.
Friday started early for me as the main event was that
afternoon. I arrived well before the morning game in order to prepare for the
afternoon session. In the Friday Morning Pairs,
1st place went to another Bajan Rookie, Mark Evelyn, playing with teacher
Roglyn Hinds. They scored 61.11% while the Bahamians had another solid effort
with 60.88% for 2nd. Veterans A & R were 3rd at 55.56% while rookie
Marcelle & partner Eleanor ended up 4th with 54.40%.
The Championship Pairs - 1st
Session began with few surprises. The Canucks were leading the field with another
big game of 66.20%, while Pat & Nicky (Pat Cummins & Trini Nicky
Inniss) were trying to defend their title and were lying 2nd at 64.09%. The
Brits were in 3rd at 61.51% while the Drivers sat 4th with 60.65%. The
Bahamians rounded out the top five at a distant 53.70%.
After a hearty meal, the Championship
Pairs - 2nd Session was underway. After a disappointing first session, the
Bajan Boys (Dave Blackman & Tony Watkins) finally seemed to have hit their
stride, winning the 2nd session with 60.71%. Close on their heels in 2nd place
were the Other Pair from Martinique at 60.42%, while the consistent Brits were
once again in 3rd at 59.92%. A & C were climbing up their backs with 59.49%
in 4th, and those Bahamians were hanging in there at 56.55%.
When the tabulation had been done, the Championship Pairs - After Two showed the Brits
with a narrow lead over the Canucks, 60.71% to 60.58%. Lying 3rd but with some
ground to make up were the Other Pair at 56.80%. Pat & Nicky were in good
shape to defend at 56.00%, but would need a monster in the last session to pull
it off. Meanwhile, the Drivers headed up a group of challengers in 5th spot at
55.92%.
On Saturday, everyone got to sleep in as the Championship Pairs - 3rd Session started in the
afternoon. The Other Pair from Martinique grabbed top honors in this session
with a fine 64.09%, while those Brits were at it again, finishing 2nd at
63.89%. The Drivers continued their good play with 3rd at 62.70%, and the
Bajan/Tico connection (Adelle Springer & Scott Laing) got together for 4th
with 61.71%. The Bajan Boys managed a 54.40% to close out the leader board.
After a few late round rulings were disposed of, the Championship Pairs - Final Overall had the Brits
(Karen & Malcolm Pryor) on top of the heap with 61.77%. They combined two
3rd's and a 2nd to claim the trophy. Finishing a solid second were the Other
Pair from Martinique (Louis Suivant & Jean Rimbaud) at 59.23%, while the
Drivers (Michael Gill & Leslie Atherley) took 3rd with 58.18%. After a
disappointing final session, the Canucks (Fran Chivers & David Baker) had
to settle for 4th with 55.73%. The Bajan Boys never managed to threaten the
leaders but ended up 5th at 55.10%.
Once the scores were checked and congratulations exchanged,
everyone prepared for the banquet and prize ceremony. It was held in the
ballroom of the Yacht Club where we were treated to a fine meal of roast ham,
scalloped potatoes, and all the fixings. The wine flowed as the winners celebrated
and the losers consoled, but in the grand scheme of things, everyone was a
winner. Just another great job by the Bajans that left everyone looking forward
to next year!