16th SUN,
SEA, & SLAMS
BARBADOS
BRIDGE LEAGUE
October
11th-15th, 2005
Island Inn Hotel, Aquatic Gap, St.
Michael
A
fun time was had by one and all at the 16th edition of this popular event in
the Caribbean, and I almost did not make it!
When
I left San Jose early Monday morning, I went into my airplane mode of reading
and dozing to pass the time. Upon arrival in Miami to change planes, I figured
that my luck was in when all of the lines at US Immigration were short. How
little did I know!
Of
course, I selected the shortest line and wouldn't you know there would be a
couple ahead of me that were hung up for the longest time with the officer.
Finally, my turn came and I almost said something about the couple when the
officer looks up at me and says the dreaded words "Sir, your passport has
expired!" ARRGH, I thought, disaster strikes!
Traveling
on a Canadian passport helps sometimes, and this was one of them. The US
Immigration decided to pass me on to Barbados and let me deal with the problem
there. Little did they know they I had secret weapons there in the guise of the
Barbados Bridge League and Hyacinth Burton! To make a long story short, their
efforts got me into Barbados when the flight arrived and then it was with their
help that I got a new passport in TWO DAYS!! I really think that it was Hya's
hug of the employee at the Canadian High Commission that sealed the deal.
So
after making up some sets of boards late Monday night, the action started with
the Tuesday Morning Pairs sponsored by Caribbean
Design Architects and Engineers. Hot out of the starting gate were Sue
& Graham Dickens from England with a whopping 66.90% to win North/South while
locals Vernon Smith & Mickey Walrond scored 55.09% to lead E/W. The first
of many slams bid during the week was perpetrated by Bajans Jeffrey Newton
& Hya on the following hands: S s AK84
h K5 d AT6 c KJ54
N s 3 h J9 d KQJ974
c AT93. Hya opened 1NT as South and after West's 2S overcall, Jeffrey
leaped to 5D and Hya gave him one more for luck. The old pro got the expected
spade lead, and lost no time in drawing trumps and disposing of a heart loser
before finding the club Queen and scoring up +920.
Starting
Tuesday afternoon was the always interesting 1st
Session of the Pelau IMP Pairs sponsored by United Insurance and Central
Customs. What makes this two-session event exciting is the number of ways
that you can win. Leading the field were last year's winners of the
Championship Pairs, Alan Douglas & Ian Harvey from Bermuda, with a +59.93.
Their lead was tenuous as Danes Ib Bank & Pedro Villinger were holding at
+53.25 while Sue & Graham Dickens were still hot with +52.50. Holding down
4th spot were some more Brits, Karen & Malcolm Pryor at +52.20, and
rounding out the top 5 were Ian Slack from St. Kitts who had teamed up with
Bajan Kip Rotchell.
After
a leisurely dinner break for the players, the 2nd
Session of the Pelau IMP Pairs got under way. I was watching the scores
come in and could see that Sandra Fenton & Andrew Thompson from England
were devastating the field. They won the second session with a +82.1,
distancing Slack/Rotchell who settled for second with +59.5. Taking third spot
in this session were Canucks Fran Chivers & David Baker at +39 while the
Bajan Boys (Tony Watkins & Dave Blackman) showed some life with a +37.1.
The session fifth went to Bajan veterans Michael Gill & Leslie Atherley.
When
the scores were verified and the results tabulated, the Final Overall of the Pelau IMP Pairs had the
winners as Sandra Fenton & Andrew Thompson from England with +117.03.
Finishing in a solid second place were Slack/Rotchell at +98.76, while
Bank/Villinger snuck into 3rd with a +71.85. With the top three out of the way,
the interesting prizes began with the Dickens taking the Best Mixed Pair,
Douglas/Harvey the Best Men's Pair, Julie Noyes & Joyce Holland from
Conneticut taking the Best Ladies Pair, Bajans Pat Cummins & Leroy Millar
the Best CACBF Pair, the Pryors the Best Non-CACBF Pair, and the Best Bajan
Pair going to Roglyn Hinds & Colin Depradine. As you can see, there are a
lot of chances to win!
With
everyone now fully into the swing of things, the Wednesday
Morning Pairs sponsored by Brydens, was well attended. The Canucks, Fran
Chivers & David Baker, topped the E/W field with a big 65.77% effort while Bajan
Sylvan Hunte & Trini Joy Mustapha lead the N/S field with 55.29%.
On
Wednesday afternoon, the first of the two major events got under way with the Open Teams sponsored by Ernst & Young and the
Insurance Corporation of Barbados. Judging by the results in the Pelau
Pairs, there looked to be many of the fifteen teams that had a shot at the
title. In the end it was the Danish foursome of Ib Christian Bank, Pedro
Villinger, Lisbeth Grove, & Anne Jarling who won 11 of their 14 matches and
tied 1 while accumulating 280 VPs to walk away with the prize. Being an equal
opportunity team, they said that the boys carried the load in the first session
while the girls brought them home in the second. Taking second place for the
second year in a row were Bermudans Alan Douglas, Ian Harvey, David Pereira,
& Barry Rahman with 10 wins, 1 tie, and 266 VPs. A couple more Bermudans,
Vera Petty & Roman Smolski, combined with the Pelau winners, Fenton/Thompson,
for third with 8 wins, 2 ties, and 252 VPs. The French Connection of Jean-Yves
Dabreteau, Roger Leclerc, & Sylvia Faguet from Martinique and Jean-Phillipe
Humbert from French Guiana had 10 wins but only 242 VP's and 4th place. Filling
out the leaderboard in 5th place were the Bajan Veterans - Michael Gill, Leslie
Atherley, Alan Moss, & Charles Hollingsworth. It was a very late night and
tired eyes from checking the scores and computing the VPs in the Open Teams - Cross Table, but in the end it was
worthwhile to note that the winners dropped only two matches and neither of
those were to teams in the top five.
Next
morning, the hardy souls were back at it in the Thursday
Morning Pairs sponsored by Hotel Food Supplies. The top score in each
direction was exactly the same at 62.73%, with Canucks Fran Chivers & David
Baker taking the N/S side while Bajans Livingston Chase & Campbell Blenman
took E/W. It was unlucky for locals Michael Gill & Harley Moseley who had a
fine 62.04% but had to settle for 2nd place E/W.
After
lunch, the heavy hitters went back at in the one-session Bajan Pairs sponsored by Hanschell Inniss. Once
again, the Canucks Chivers & Baker were victorious with 60.98% while Bajans
Gill & Atherley settled for 2nd at 58.88%. Lying 3rd were Fenton/Thompson
at 58.51%, Bajans Leroy Lynch & Morris Blenman in 4th at 57.79%, and
rounding out the top 5 at 57.44% were Bermudans Petty & Smolski.
With
the evening set aside for entertainment, the Barbados Bridge League organized
transportation for all the players immediately following the afternoon session.
We were taken down to the harbour and boarded a converted ferryboat for an
early evening cruise. The bar was open, the dinner buffet was delicious, and the
show was pure Caribbean - what more can you ask for?
The
last of the early games was the Friday Morning
Pairs sponsored by Barbados Light and Power. This was an important day for
me as I obtained my new passport and became legal again. In any case, my
half-hour absence did not disrupt the game in any way, and certainly did not
disturb Ian Slack from St. Kitts and Bajan Leslie Atherley from compiling one
of the best sessions of the week with 72.50% to top E/W. Leading the N/S field
were locals Edward Walcott & David Bynoe at 56.79%, which was quite a
comeback for them from their result in the Tuesday Morning Pairs.
On
Friday afternoon, the final major event got started with the 1st Session of the Championship Pairs sponsored by
the Barbados Olympic Association. Bermudans David Pereira & Barry
Rahman were leading the field with a fine 70.03%, while Danes Bank/Villinger
were in a solid 2nd spot with 65.96%. Lying 3rd and in striking distance were
more Bermudans, Petty/Smolski, at 60.94% while part of the French Connection,
Dabreteau/Humbert, were hot on their heels with 60.57%. In 5th place were
Bajans Leroy Lynch & Morris Blenman.
After
a decent dinner & beer break, the 2nd Session
of the Championship Pairs was played and our friends from Denmark, Ib
Christian Bank & Pedro Villinger, showed how they could handle the field by
posting the best session of the week with 72.66%. Petty/Smolski were trying to stay
with them by scoring 65.26% in 2nd, while Fenton/Thompson were 3rd at 60.97%, and Chivers/Baker 4th with 59.84%.
Rounding out the leaderboard were the Bajan Boys at 59.54% which was quite a
turnaround from their first session where they did not get their first plus
score until the 9th round!
With
the scores verified, the results After Two
Sessions of the Championship Pairs showed the Danes Bank/Villinger with an
almost insurmountable lead of three full boards over 2nd place Petty/Smolski. They
in turn had about a two board lead over 3rd spot Fenton/Thompson, while lying
4th were the Canucks Chivers/Baker. In 5th place and needing a miracle were
Dabreteau/Humbert.
With
Saturday morning free, there were lots of late night parties happening. But except
for a few late-arriving locals, the 3rd Session
of the Championship Pairs got started on time Saturday afternoon. For the
first time in a long time, there were no Bajans among the leaders. Topping the
field were the Canadians Fran Chivers & David Baker with a solid 67.39%,
while 2nd in the session went to Bermudans Pereira/Rahman at 65.34%. In 3rd
were previous winners Karen & Malcolm Pryor from England at 58.49%, while
4th went to last year's winners Douglas/Harvey from Bermuda. 5th place and
their third top five went to Bermudans Petty/Smolski.
When
the final late boards were finished and the scores printed, the Final Overall of the Championship Pairs showed
that the Danes, Ib Christian Bank & Pedro Villinger, did not give up in the
final session and finished well ahead of the field with 65.30% for the three
sessions. In a solid second place were the Canadians, Fran Chivers & David
Baker, at 62.11%. They edged out the Bermudans, Vera Petty & Roman Smolski,
who settled for 3rd with 61.30%. Finishing fourth in this tough field were more
Bermudans, David Pereira & Barry Rahman, at 58.72% while 5th spot went to Brits
Sandra Fenton & Andrew Thompson. Honourable mention to the VIP &
partner who finished 6th and to the last minute pairing of Lisbeth Grove from
Denmark & Livingston Chase from Barbados who ended up 8th, the best showing
from any of the Bajans.
At
the banquet and awards ceremony, there was a lot of wine and a lot of dancing
until the wee hours of the morning and once again a resounding success by the
BBL. We all look forward to next year's edition of Sun, Sea, & Slams!
HAND
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