Play Committee Chair Report President’s Report Hello members and Hello Winter.

Arising out of recent lessons, we have already approved 13 new

home members to the Club. Welcome to you all. I look forward

to meeting you at the table one day. Thanks again to our

teaching team for a sterling effort. As well, about seven new

associate and social members have joined. So we continue to

grow.

CONCRETING THE DRIVEWAY INTO THE CLUB

We now have quotes from a number of potential contractors

for concreting the drive way. Some concerns have been

expressed about how water will run off and drain away, so a

few more enquiries to make from experts.

NEWSLETTER EDITOR/COMPILER NEEDED

I am sure you all appreciate what a great job Michael Kuter

does in preparing these newsletters. Michael says he will not be

able to continue doing this after the next Annual General

Meeting in a few months, so we are very keen to find someone

who has skills in managing words and pictures in a computer

software package, and who would like to make a contribution

to the Club. Michael is happy to give some tips and assistance

to anyone who would like to take on this role.

BE A DIRECTOR IF YOU HAVE <100 MASTERPOINTS

In another potential role to help out in the Club, we are very

keen to find another person or two who would like to learn

how to direct play sessions. I am especially keen to find

someone who is interested and has somewhat less than 100

Masterpoints and is a Monday and Thursday player.

There will come a time soon when those of us who direct

on Thursdays will have too many points in our partnerships to

continue on Thursdays. Learning directing is not hard, and

there is a lot of support available for whoever wants to try.

Please give this some thought and do it.

CONGRATULATIONS

Congratulations to Bill Powell and Marjorie Askew for winning

the Country section of the NSW State Mixed Pairs.

Congratulations to Les Spake who is 90 years young and going

strong!

In our round of Australia-wide novice pairs, two pairs

achieved excellent percentages; we wait with interest to see

how Ina Buhse and Sue Perry (N/S), and Geoff Davis and Phil

Robbins (E/W) compare nationally.

— Chris McDowell, President Play Committee Chair Report is continued on pages 2 & 3

Rank Promotions:

Only one Masterpoint rank promotion at the end of April.

Congratulations to Colin Macdonald, now a State Master.

News/Updates:

1. Open Championships ‘Lucky Score’ Winners

Kallum Fidoe from Jetts Fitness Centre at Ballina Central

joined us before play on Saturday May 5 to:

i) advise us that exercise is indeed for all ages (!!) and

ii) undertake the Lucky Score draw for the February,

March and April Championship rounds.

The lucky score winners were: February: Winston Guymer and

Paul Smith; March: Derwyn Hewett and Val Audran; April: Phil

and Felicity Ross. Jetts is providing short-term membership

prizes every month for the pair with a score closest to the

‘Lucky Score’. We are waiting to hear how our winners have

fared at the ‘Gym’. In particular Phil and Felicity assured me

they’re ‘off’ to see what will be good (exercise-wise) for them.

We await their ‘feedback’ and hopefully some photos...

2. Inter-Club Event with Gold Coast Bridge Club

Please put this date in your programme now: Sunday 28

October. We are taking on the Gold Coast Bridge Club. My goal

is to have ‘lots’ of teams and at all levels. + If anyone can drive a

bus maybe we can take one.

The Gold Coast BC is similar to us in size (307 home club

members v our 263), and many of us enjoy going to their

weekend congresses. Announcing the event in their recent

newsletter, their President added: As some will be aware,

Ballina plays a high standard of bridge, so we shall have to bring

our A game on the day. The plan is that they will play host this

year and we will host next year.

Winston Guymer, Paul Smith, Kallum Fidoe and Derwyn Hewett

Page 2

Newsletter of the Ballina Bridge Club

Play Committee Chair Report (continued from page 1) Results of May Events 1. Bridge for Brain Research Challenge,

May 1–7

Members’ donations raised $320 during

the week, and the Club topped this up so

that we forwarded a $500 cheque to

NeuRA for Alzheimer’s research. On

Monday May 7, our afternoon session,

with 24½ tables, played the Challenge

hands; indeed, many boards were

‘challenging’!

Scores were input and compared

Australia-wide, with 110 clubs registered

and over 2000 pairs competing. Our

winners and their Australia-wide rank

were: N/S: Judith Crafti and Charlotte

Harrison (199th overall); E/W: Jean Lowe

and Jenny McDowell (137th overall).

For the full listing of scores (and to

see if you may have won some overall

red Masterpoints) go to:

http:/www.nationwidepairs.com.au/

bridge_for_brains.html

Our fun raffle prizes were all on the

theme: ‘Good for your Brain’ (see the

box on page 3).

2. McDermott Cup

hosted by Lismore, May 20

Well Done and Congratulations to our

teams who were the overall winners:

Open: Judy Forsyth and John Paynter, Liz

and Howard Jeffery; Restricted: Lorraine

Bryant and John Rogers, Stephen Doherty

and Damian Kennedy. Judy Forsyth’s

report on the day is on page 5.

3. State and Country Mixed Pairs,

Sydney, May 26 & 27

Four pairs from Ballina headed to Sydney

for this event. It was a record field – 71

pairs – and we were thanked for joining

in as well as being the farthest travellers.

Saturday is a 2-session qualifier with

the top 7 pairs N/S and E/W going into

the State Final, and then the top 7

country pairs N/S and E/W going into the

Country Final. Three of our Pairs

qualified for the Country Final, playing all

other pairs in two sessions on the

Sunday. Our final placings were: Anne

Riley and Gary Lynn: 7th; Carol Hocking

and Paul Smith: 6th; Marjorie Askew and

Bill Powell: 1st. Well done all.

4. Australia-wide Novice Pairs

Thursday May 31

Fourteen pairs competed at our club as

part of the Australia-wide Novice Pairs.

Well Done all for taking part. As

President Chris has pointed out, two

Ballina pairs scored very well at our Club.

All scores are then input and scored

Australia-wide; with over 100 clubs

taking part, and over 1000 pairs. 10/11

club scores are still outstanding, but as of

1pm on Sunday 3 June:

Geoffrey Davis and Phil Robbins: Ballina

Score: 66.7%; Ballina position: 1st; Aus-

wide score 63.7%; Aus-wide position

32nd.

Ina Buhse and Sue Perry: Ballina 63.8%;

2nd; Aus-wide 58.7%/130th.

’Tis interesting (and a bit disappointing)

that both their scores were marked down

when scored Australia-wide, but

nevertheless a great effort. Well done!

You can check the scores by going to:

www.australiawidepairs.com For all those

taking part you can view your results and

overall results by club and per pair, and

read more information about the event.

You will also find a personalised booklet

on your results.

Overall results may not be finalised till

June 10th. There are overall prizes and

spot prizes. Green Masterpoints are

awarded for the club event, and red

Masterpoints for all those achieving over

60% in the Australia-wide scores.

Events coming up:

1. Queen’s Birthday Teams,

Monday June 11

Looks like a good field for this popular

day. If you haven’t yet nominated (as a

team, pair or individual) please do so

ASAP, by Wednesday June 6 at the

latest. Liz Jeffery is Event Organiser;

please contact Liz if you have any

questions/queries, or to put in a last-

minute entry.

As you may have noticed we now

have an ‘Entries’ button on our website

(bottom RHS) so that you can check your

entry has been received and see who else

is playing. Thanks to Treasurer Nick

Humphry and to Webmaster Howard

Jeffery for getting this up-and-running.

Ballina Bridge Club members who played in the State (and then the Country) Mixed Pairs,

Sydney, May 26 & 27. They are (from left): Marjorie Askew, Paul Smith, Carole Hart,

Carol Hocking, Bill Powell, Bob Hart, Anne Riley and Garry Lynn.

Bill Powell and Marjorie Askew with their

medals awarded for winning the Country

section of the NSW State Mixed Pairs.

Page 3

Newsletter of the Ballina Bridge Club

2. ‘Fall into Winter’ Pairs,

May 16, June 20 & July 18

Still two rounds to go in this graded event,

with your best two scores counting for

overall placings.

Section A: All players to have > 300

Masterpoints as at 30 April 2018.

Section B: Open — Players with < 300

Masterpoints may choose the section

they wish to play in.

3. Country Teams Zonal Final,

June 30 & July1, Coffs Harbour

Five teams from Ballina will be competing.

The top two teams from Zonal Final then

go on to the State Teams Final to be held

in Sydney in December. Good Luck to all.

4. GNOT Team Club Qualifying,

Sundays July 8 & 15

Your chance to win gold points playing at

your Club. See event poster on page 5.

5. Gala Teams Night, Thursday July 12

TOP food, good bridge — what else for a

good night out! Nominate in pairs on the

noticeboard, or contact Eric Hurley if you

are looking for a partner.

The next Meeting of the Play

Committee is on Saturday June 16.

— Marjorie Askew, Chair,

Play Committee

Fun Prizes in our Bridge for Brain Research Raffle were all on the

Good for your Brain theme:

Hocus Pocus Bridge Book: a combination of bridge problems

and brain teasers

Coffee can help boost alertness and mood.

It may also offer some protection against Alzheimer's,

thanks to its caffeine and antioxidants.

Turmeric, and its active compound curcumin, have strong

anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits, which help the brain.

In research, it has reduced symptoms of depression and Alzheimer's disease.

Dark chocolate and cocoa powder are packed with

a few brain-boosting compounds, including flavonoids,

caffeine and antioxidants. The flavonoids in chocolate

may help protect the brain. Studies have suggested that

eating chocolate could boost both memory and mood.

Blueberries are packed with antioxidants

that may delay brain ageing and improve memory.

Green tea is an excellent beverage to support your brain.

Its caffeine content boosts alertness, while its antioxidants

protect the brain, and L-threonine helps you relax.

The Bridge for Brain Research raffle prize-winners were...

Bill Thorne — Byron Bay coffee

Judy Weir — dark chocolate

Jenny Maley — green tea

Robert

Helen Pearce — Hocus Pocus book

Val Audran — green tea

Page 4

Newsletter of the Ballina Bridge Club

— By Paul Smith

The recent Country Mixed Pairs was

won by our own Bill Powell and

Marjorie Askew (see page 2). They

had a good lead early on, but it was

slowly whittled down by a pack of

chasers. One of the chasers had

difficulty with this hand in the last

round. Would you have succeeded?

North leads the ♠6; the ♠J from

dummy is beaten by South’s ♠A.

South returns the ♠10. Now what?

Once you get rid of the ♣A, there

are five tricks in Clubs, two in

Diamonds, and one each in the

Majors — nine tricks; so far so good.

What about the loser side of the

equation? The opening bid promised

five Spades, so it looks like you will

lose four Spade tricks and also the

♣A. Five losers is one too many.

At my table, Declarer took the ♠K

and attacked the Club suit. South won

the ♣A and led a third Spade for

North to take another three Spade

tricks. One down.

You cannot be certain of making

the contract, but your best chance is

to not win the second Spade. Hang on

to the K until the suit is lead a third

time. That is, lose the second trick on

purpose. It is called a ducking or hold-

up play.

If you hold up, what difference

does it make? Win the third round of

Sometimes you need to lose to be a winner

It’s the LAW

Spades and then play Clubs. South

wins the ♣ A, and now does not have

a Spade to lead to their partner. They

return a Heart, which you take

immediately (do not finesse). It is now

easy to collect your nine tricks.

Sometimes you need to lose a

trick to be a winner.

The full hand:

♠ ♥ ♦ ♣

Dlr: W Vuln: Nil

N

♠ Q 8 7 6 4

♥ K  7  4  3  2 

♦ 7 5

W ♣ 9 E

♠ K 9 3 2 ♠ J

♥ A J T ♥ Q 9

♦ J T 8 ♦ A K 6 3

♣ J 8 6 ♣ K Q 7 5 4 2

S

♠ A T 5

♥ 8 6 5 

♦ Q 9 4 2

♣ A T 3

Dlr: W Vuln: Nil

W E

♠ K 9 3 2 ♠ J

♥ A J T ♥ Q 9

J T 8 A K 6 3

♣ J 8 6 ♣ K Q 7 5 4 2

Bidding

N E S W

P

2♠1 3♣ 3♠ 3NT

P P P 1 Showing 5/5 in ♠s, and another suit.

— By Paul Smith

The World Bridge Federation sets

down the Laws under which bridge is

played. Australia’s chief tournament

director, Laurie Kelso, is one of only

two people who are explicitly

thanked for their contribution in the

preface to the Laws .

Laurie was Chief Director at this

year’s Summer Festival of Bridge in

Canberra. The first of the daily

bulletins highlighted Law 74, which

covers your enjoyment of the game.

Law 74 says (among other things),

specifically that ‘a player should

maintain a courteous attitude at all

times’, and that ‘a player should

carefully avoid any remark or action

that might cause annoyance or

embarrassment to another player or

might interfere with the enjoyment of

the game’. This can include not only

rudeness to opponents but also

criticising one’s partner, and simple

lack of consideration for others…

It is never wrong to call the

Director if you encounter problem-

atic behaviours. It is a good idea to do

it straight away if anything is

immediately disadvantaging you,

because it is difficult to fix any

damage after the event.

Notice that the bar is set quite

low: criticising a partner, or a simple

lack of consideration, are illegal under

the Laws of Bridge.

The Etiquette of Bridge is covered

in the same law. ‘As a matter of

courtesy a player should refrain from

… detaching a card before it is his turn

to play’.

An example of a ‘violation of

procedure’ is ‘indicating an

expectation or intention of winning or

losing a trick that has not been

completed’.

Another violation is ‘using a

different designation for the same

call’. Do you sometimes Pass with a

careful diagonal line, and at other

times give a nonchalant flick of the

pen? That’s illegal.

My personal mea culpa is

‘showing an obvious lack of further

interest in a deal (as by folding one’s

cards).’

Which Laws do you break? How

can you make the game more

enjoyable for all players?

♠ ♥ ♦ ♣

The Management Committee asks

that any doctor, nurse or paramedic

who is able to render first-response

assistance to a player in need, to

please give their name to the Club

Secretary, Beverley Peart-Kuter.

♠ ♥ ♦ ♣

It’s the LAW (contd)

Medicos, nurses...

Page 5

Newsletter of the Ballina Bridge Club

Ballina Bridge Club is at 13

North Creek Road, Ballina.

Contributions welcome; please

email them before CoB on the last

Wednesday of each month to

the Editor, Michael Kuter:

kuteredit@gmail.com

Ballina Blitzes McDermott Cup

GOLD POINT EVENT

DATE: Sunday 8 July 2018

Sunday 15 July 2018

TIME: 9am for 9.30am start

COST: $120 per team

$30 pp for 2 full days of bridge

LUNCH: Please bring your own lunch

This is your only chance to earn GOLD POINTS

at your club. The event is open to all

Northern Rivers Regional members.*

Please fill out an entry form and make payment by 5pm on

Wednesday 4th July 2018

* For full regulations go to: http://www.nswba.com.au/tourn/2018/gnot/regions.asp

GNOT TEAMS

Les Spake and a very happy Col Lane

at Les’s 90th birthday celebrations

— By Judy Forsyth

On Sunday, 20th May, two teams from

Ballina competed in the annual

McDermott Cup teams event at Lismore.

Competing clubs were: Ballina, Byron

Bay, Lennox Head, Lismore, Tweed

Heads and Twin Towns.

Twelve teams competed in two

sections. Ballina teams were: Open – John

Paynter, Judy Forsyth, Liz & Howard

Jeffery; Restricted – John Rogers, Lorraine

Bryant, Stephen Doherty, Damien

Kennedy.

Both teams won four of their five

matches, with much lamenting about

how we should have won the other! As a

result, Ballina were victorious and

returned with the trophy that will be

retained at Ballina for twelve months.

♠ ♥ ♦ ♣

MYTH — ‘Dummy must put the suits

down in order of rank.’ Some players

have been told that Dummy must put

their cards down in order of Spades,

Hearts, Diamonds and Clubs.

NOT SO — the Law book is quite clear

on this: Dummy spreads his hand in front

of him with the cards face up, sorted into

suits, the cards in order of rank with the

lowest card towards Declarer, in columns

pointing lengthwise towards Declarer.

Trumps are placed on Dummy’s right.

Rank, therefore, refers only to the

rank of the cards not the rank of the

suits, and you may place the suits on

the table in any order you like. Some

players prefer a red/black red/black

arrangement and this is allowed.

[Note: the myth referred to here bears no

relation to an unmarried female moth — Ed.]

Myth for Dummies

More winners

David Cowles with dark chocolate

[Some Bridge for Brain Research Challenge

raffle prize-winners were from our

Mahjong group (and so not present on

Monday afternoon to be photographed)

and we thank them for contributing to this

fundraising activity. — Marjorie Askew]