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Intermediate Leagues come down to the wire

Intermediate League StandingsIntermediate League StandingsThe penultimate round of the Intermediate Leagues took place at Matamata last Sunday. With the final in Cambridge to come on the 1st of November it looks like being a very tight race.

Grades, Ratings, Rankings

With the quarterly masterpoints updates about to be released, here's a way of looking at what many find confusing about Grades, Ratings and Rankings. Let's start with Grades because they're easiest to define:

The Boon of Sponsorship

Gilda Rowland and Deborah GreenwayGilda Rowland and Deborah GreenwayTHAT's the way to do it ... put your hand up for some Waikato-Bays sponsorship to Congress and WIN the Intermediate Swiss Pairs!!

Yay!! for Mount Maunganui's Gilda Rowland and her partner Deborah Greenway from Perth who scored an impressive 8 out of 9 wins to come top in their field. Two very happy ladies celebrate with their prizes.

Gilda and her husband came to live at Welcome Bay at the end of 2014. They have been showing Deborah around Rotorua and associated attractions. Gilda was awarded entry of the Intermediate package by the Waikato-Bays Regional Committee after meeting some not-too-steep requirements. She learned to play bridge in Singapore about 30 years ago but has only been playing socially until three years ago. Gilda and Deborah are both hoping to play at Congress again next year and they are also checking out dates and events for the Gold Coast Congress.

Bridge-It Jane's Diary

Breaking ground which none have yet trod, Cambridge's own Jane Stearns has sprung to national prominence with the release on YouTube of her NZ Bridge-commissioned video. The video provides an insight into Jane's methods for reviving bridge clubs. This is a subject of prime importance to NZ Bridge which is very concerned about declining numbers. Jane gives the background to the origins of this piece:

Regional Conference at Matamata

Whoops!! If your club wasn't represented at Matamata you missed a goodie ... and a magnificent lunch, all thanks to the Matamata members who looked after us so well.

The day started off with a moment's respectful silence for Greg Saxon, president of the Te Aroha club, who died last week.

Legend: Ron Klinger comes to the Waikato-Bays

Ron KlingerRon KlingerYes - it's really going to happen. Ron Klinger in our backyard. Players are invited to attend any or all of the four 3-hour workshops that Ron will be running. The style will be hands-on with attendees seated at bridge tables. Ron is a skilled teacher and will be offering something for everyone.

Tuesday 3rd of November

  • Cambridge Bridge Club 1pm. Topic: Active and Passive Leads. Entry $20. Limited to 60 attendees.

Waikato-Bays Main Centre Swiss Pairs

This event took place in Hamilton on Saturday 12th of September. It is rare to see a room so jam-packed full of Grand Masters - 58 at a rough count. Fifty pairs had entered and the format was six 12-board matches under director Tony Morcom's guidance.

Junior League Wraps Up in Hamilton

Saturday 12th September saw the last round of the Waikato-Bays Junior League in Hamilton. Before the start of the event, there was in a seven-way tie for first place on the ladder. At the end, Rotorua's Leonie Pritchard and Mark Bendall won the day with sessions of 63% and 59%. This was enough to put them ahead of the field in the Junior League. They were also one of only two pairs who made it to all six events - that being the nature of Real Life - it interferes with one's BTP (Bridge Tournament Programme)! Full results can be seen on the Hamilton site at www.hamilton.bridge-club.org Monthly view - look for September the 12th.

And Bragging Rights for the next year go to:

Junior Grade Teams TrophyJunior Grade Teams TrophyInts Teams TrophyInts Teams TrophyOpen Teams TrophyOpen Teams Trophy

Read on ..

Waikato-Bays Grade Trophy Finals

With the Club Teams events from both sides of The Hill behind us we approach the Teams Grade Trophies showdown this Sunday starting 10am at the Cambridge clubrooms. This is a play-off between the top two teams in each of Open, Intermediate, and Junior with two teams from each grade put forward as the best-performed in their respective Club Teams events. Two clubs did extremely well to have representatives in all three grades - long timers Rotorua and the new kids from the South Waikato.

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