Blewbury lost by 20-0 VPs, or 294-22 IMPs.

Here's the RealBridge link if you want to look over the hands, while here's the Wessex League table.

Thanks to everyone!  Congratulations for a friendly, entertaining match!  I'm not worried at all about the scoreline.  Menagerie A and Oxford A are the two strongest teams in the competition and I think tonight was a valuable chance to play against a team like that and get a look at the kind of things they do.  Next time we see Precision or transfers opposite a 1♣ opening, we'll be more familiar with them.

This will have been an educational game!  One learns more from one's mistakes.  Also, to repeat what I said earlier by email:

STRONG CLUB (i.e. 1♣ is any 16+ hand) = immediate overcalls of this 1♣ opening should be as aggressive as possible! The weakness of such systems is how open they are to meddling opponents (i.e. us).

TRANSFER RESPONSES TO A SHORT CLUB = this means "1♦ shows hearts, 1♥ shows spades". Dunno what they'd mean by other bids. A useful agreement against such opponents is that a double of the artificial bid is lead-directing (like any other lead-directing double of a transfer). You can do a takeout double by overcalling the suit that the opponent actually means by his bid.

Menagerie A: Matthew Covill & Chris Wilson = +3.31 IMPs
Menagerie A: Steven Noble & Alan Wilson = +1.90 IMPs
Menagerie A: Nick Doe & Simon Husband = +1.88 IMPs
Menagerie A: Tim Stanley-Clamp & John Wilmott = +0.47 IMPs
Blewbury: Malcolm Cochrane & Shirley Moore = -1.46 IMPs
Blewbury: Finn Clark & Stuart Forsyth = -1.58 IMPs
Blewbury: Diane Bell & Michael Allen = -2.19 IMPs
Blewbury: Matt Wright & Ian Van Maanen = -2.32 IMPs

Board 1 = -6 IMPs

N-S can make 9 or 10 tricks in either diamonds (6-2 fit) or a riskier spade contract (4-3 fit).  No one bid a game.  Menagerie played twice in spades, while Blewbury played twice in diamonds.  Menagerie thus (slightly) outscore us as the cards lie (170 vs. 110 or 150), but I'd be happy to be in the same contracts if the hand came up again.

Board 2 = -15 IMPs

Three club contracts and one adventurous but successful 3NT by a Menagerie E-W against Michael and Diane.  Best is for the defence to attack hearts on seeing dummy (massive club suit and only one entry in the heart ace).

Board 3 = +6 IMPs

The computer says 3NT can't make against best defence, but Michael and Diane brought it home anyway.  Incidentally, both Blewbury pairs were in 3NT and both Menagerie pairs were in a safe part-score.  Objectively, it's a pretty dodgy game and you'd want to stay out of it at duplicate, but this is how you win teams matches!  This was actually Blewbury's best board of the evening.

Board 4 = -32 IMPs

Stuart and I had an aberration here, playing in our our 4-2 club fit (vulnerable) rather than our 6-2 heart fit.  The outcome (2♣-2) is still a trick more than we should have made, whereas 2♥ makes on the nose.  It looks to me as if the opponents' short 1♣ opening muddied things and caused uncertainty, even though in principle it shouldn't.  (Especially since Stuart and I play exactly the same short club system!  1♣ could be a doubleton for us as well.)  West at our table opened 1♣ (at least a doubleton), I overcalled 1♥ as North, East doubled (four spades) and West bid 1♠ (which in their system denied spades).  I now continued with 2♣ on my 6-4 hand and Stuart passed with small doubletons in both suits.

On the other tables, Diane and Michael played in 3♥-1, Ian and Matt defended a more modest 2♥ (which made unimportant overtricks) and Malcolm and Shirley were doubled in a touch-and-go 1NT.  It makes double-dummy according to the computer, but the computer knows where all the cards are!

Board 5 = -50 IMPs

Another hand where a muddle over the opponents' short club led to disaster for Stuart and me!  East opened 1♣ (again showing only a doubleton), Stuart overcalled 2♣ (natural according to our system card) but unfortunately I took it as Michaels.  Final result: 4♠x-5 for -1400.

Stuart was right and I was wrong.  His bid matched our system and mine didn't.  However, the corollary of playing a 2♣ overcall as natural in that position is that the standard way to keep a Michaels bid there is to give that meaning to a jump to 2♦.  Stuart and I had actually discussed all this before and Stuart hadn't wanted to play the 2♦ Michaels jump, which is why I'd got confused and assumed we weren't playing 1♣ 2♣ as natural.  Personally, my preference is to avoid ambiguity as much as possible and have the same system here against all opponents, regardless of whether their 1♣ bid shows zero, one, two, three, four or even five.  2♣ would thus be natural no matter what and 2♦ would be Michaels.  That's safer, because you only have to remember one thing and your auction doesn't depend on the results of questions about the opponents' systems...  but only if you're confident that you'll remember it!  (All you need is to have a disaster or two and that'll bake it into your brain from then on.)

The other results were a bit irrelevant after that, but Diane and Michael defended a risky but successful 3NT, Malcolm and Shirley stopped in a safe 2♥ and Ian and Matt played 4♥-2.

Board 6 = +2 IMPs

Spade part-scores for N-S everywhere, except when Malcolm and Shirley stole the contract in 3♣-1 as East-West.  Two IMPs to Blewbury!

Board 7 = -3 IMPs

Only one East-West (for Menagerie) bid the unbreakable 4♥, against an unlucky Diane and Michael.  Personally, I think West should be looking to bid some kind of Michaels or Unusual 2NT with that 2650 hand, which is how you reach game.  Only five points, yes, but look at that shape!  However, not all Souths will open something that makes that easy in your system.

Two tables played in spade part-scores by North-South and the fourth result was 2♣x-2 vulnerable for +500 to Blewbury.  Stuart and I had indeed diagnosed our eight-card spade fit, but I also held ♣ KJ432 and decided to pass Stuart's support double (showing exactly three-card support for partner) after East's 2♣ overcall.

Board 8 = +4 IMPs

Matt and Ian made 1NT+1 as East-West, which compared excellently with 1NT-1 by two other declarers.  The fourth table was me and Stuart in 2♠-1 as North-South.  (I was expecting to make it when dummy went down, but the trumps broke 4-1.)

Board 9 = -20 IMPs

Both Menagerie North-Souths made their contract (2NT and 1♥), whereas both Blewbury declarers went off (2NT-1 and 2NT-2).  Stuart correctly pointed out that my club mis-guess at the end was ignoring both the bidding and the defence's carding.

Twenty IMPs might sound like a lot for a relatively quiet part-score board, but that's the scoring system they use in Wessex League division one (and in Oxfordshire county matches).  I've never got to grips with it, to be honest.

Board 10 = -19 IMPs

This one's pretty wild.  Blewbury bought the contract at all four tables (which is good), but the cards punished us.  3♥ and 2♣+2 were successful, but we also had a 3♠-3 and 4♥x-2.

Board 11 = +2 IMPs

...and this hand's even wilder.  North-South can make 5♥ and 5♣, but other results were 4♠-1 and 6♥-1.  Overall, it's a small plus to Blewbury.

At our table, Stuart opened 1♣ as South, West overcalled 1♠ (correct, to get in the opposition's way as much as possible) and I said a 3♥ fit-jump (showing 5+ hearts and a club fit).  The opponents went up to 4♠, but Stuart had heard enough to be confident about 5♣.

I strongly recommend fit-jumps.  Stuart and I only switched to them recently-ish, but they can give you results that look like magic.

The key on this hand for East-West is to get in the way as aggressively as possible.  With a ten-card spade fit, the Law of Total Tricks would suggest going for the ten-trick contract (4♠).  Even if it doesn't make, it'll be a good sacrifice.  A good way to think about it is, "If the opponents bid 4♥, would I compete to 4♠ over that?"  If your answer to that question is "yes", jump to 4♠ immediately to steal the opponents' bidding room and make them guess with less information at the five level.

Board 12 = -1 IMP

A quiet part-score hand.  East-West all the way, with two 3♦-1 contracts (only failing due to distributional storms) and two declarers who stopped safely at the two level.

Board 13 = -22 IMPs

Almost everyone's in an ugly-looking 3NT that unsurprisingly goes off (6313 opposite 0472).  One Menagerie pair stopped in 3♦+2 and got a great score against Matt and Ian (who'd passed throughout and did nothing wrong).

Board 14 = +4 IMPs

Almost everyone's in 4♠-2 by East-West, but Ian and Matt saved an undertrick and 4 IMPs by choosing 3NT-1 instead.  (It makes if you drop the singleton spade king offside, but no human's going to do that.)

4♠ is on a 4-3 trump fit (and they break horribly), but West's void and North-South's ten-card hearts are what pushed everyone away from no-trumps.  I'd actually been going to double 3NT to tell Stuart "lead the suit you overcalled!" (which is the standard first meaning of a double of 3NT) but I carefully avoided doubling 4♠.  I'd have looked like a right charlie if I'd done that and pushed them into the unbreakable 5♦.

Board 15 = -23 IMPs

3NT was the universal contract, but one declarer went down.  When the defence lead hearts, the key to the hand is to make sure you use your top honours to kill the defence's queens and jacks.

Board 16 = -11 IMPs

A modest part-score hand.  East-West went plus at all tables, except for a Blewbury pair in 3♣-1.  (You're on a two-way guess for the heart jack, but you can improve your chances by leading towards the ♦ KJ7.  As it happens, the ace is onside and you'll get a heart discard.)

Board 17 = -14 IMPs

Again, East-West went plus at all tables...  except for the Menagerie North-South who stole the hand in 1NT (and made it).  East passed with a 4441 twelve-count, which could have worked but didn't.  I have sympathy for the decision, although personally I open on all twelve-counts.  (The only exception to that is when I'm in fourth seat with short spades.)

Board 18 = -12 IMPs

Stuart and I pushed our opponents up to 5♠, then I doubled unsuccessfully for -650.  Whoops.  The contract fails on a heart lead, but hindsight is a wonderful thing.  (All other tables were in 4♠ or 4♠+1.)

Board 19 = +4 IMPs

Diane and Michael made 3NT+4 on a heart lead, which looks amazing compared with 3NT-1 from two other declarers with the same cards.  (The defenders must play carefully not to block the clubs, which would have been an easy mistake to make.  Congratulations there, Malcolm and Shirley.)

The last table was 5♦+1 from a Menagerie pair.  Their auction is interesting...  1NT 2♣ (five card Stayman!) 2♦ (shows a four-card major) 2♠ (I have hearts) 2NT (sorry, I don't) 3♦ (natural) 4♦ (rightly nervous of clubs) 5♦ (fantastic).  The defence could have beaten it by cashing two club tricks, but again it's always easier in hindsight.

I don't think any Blewbury pair in today's match was playing that particular system (although five-card Stayman is common over a 2NT opening).  A while ago, Stuart and I briefly discussed playing five-card Stayman over a 1NT opening and opted not to touch it with a bargepole.  However, when Stuart opened a 15-17 1NT I had the option of transferring to diamonds and then bidding hearts (natural and game-forcing).  I didn't like that option much because my Qx doubletons in the black suits looked no-trumpy and one shouldn't invite partner to bid 5D without a hand that's reasonably confident of making it!  (The computer says the only unbeatable game is an odd-looking 4♥ contract on a 4-3 fit.)

Board 20 = -33 IMPs

Stuart and I gave away 760 in 1NTxx.  (Declarer could have made two overtricks if he'd guessed to play on spades.  I'd thought my double was unambiguous on a passed hand, but another factor is that we were losing heavily in the last round and Stuart was looking for swings.)  The rest of the room had sane auctions to either 2♠ or 3♠-2.

Board 21 = -9 IMPs

Three failing contracts for North-South and one successful one: 3♣ after a couple of defensive aces were ducked.

Board 22 = -2 IMPs

Stuart and I played in a bonkers 4♥-3, again looking for swings.  No double, no trouble.  At least we weren't vulnerable.  Conversely, Ian and Matt did well to steal the hand and make 3♦ as East-West.

Against Malcolm and Shirley, South opened a conventional 1♦, preventing Shirley from overcalling diamonds!  That was a Precision pair, so their 1♦ opening is a dustbin bid that doesn't promise diamonds at all.  1♣ is any 16+ hand and one of a major shows a five-card suit.  1♦ was alerted as "10-16, natural or 11-13 balanced or 4441".  An immediate 2♦ overcall might look tempting (unless it's Michaels) but it looks a bit much to me on what's basically a weak no-trump with no aces.  However, you're probably worth a reopening double in the pass-out seat when 2♥ comes back to you.

Board 23 = flat

The only flat board of the match!  3NT-1 three times, with the other table playing in 4♦-1.  It's a difficult hand, actually.

Board 24 = -22 IMPs

Blewbury bid 4♠-1 twice, while Menagerie stopped in 3♠ and made it both times.  It's not a bad contract, actually, and I like the fact that we went for it.  It makes if the defence don't cash the first three club tricks.

And there we have it!  All done.  We're still lying fourth out of seven teams in Division One.  Thanks to everyone and good luck for our next match on Friday 6 December.