Although Adam was tired from a long day travelling, he and Abbey had virtually no bad boards. Stuart and I suffered because the hands didn't suit aggressive bidding, and we made the odd slip as declarer - we managed to bid five games which didn't make! Brian and John bid a grand slam, missed by everybody else, on their very first board - and on two other boards Rob and Mike bid and made small slams which were generally missed elsewhere. Full scores with Butler and cross-imping are available.

2. Another game (4S) goes down everywhere. Wisely, Mike and Rob defended 4H (-2) to bring home 4 imps.
3. 4H with 2 or 3 overtricks at 3 tables, with the slam bid and made by Mike and Rob. +13 imps.
4. This time only Stuart and I bid the slam:

N (Richard)	S (Stuart)
1©	1ª
2§	2¨(4th suit)
2ª	4NT
5¨(1 key card)	6ª

So what would you lead from: ª10 6 3 © Q 8 5 4 ¨A 10 6 4 § 7 3 on this auction? Isobel Townley-Freeman showed why she is Oxfordshire's Ladies' Pairs champion, by selecting ª3 with little hesitation. Any other lead, and Stuart would have an easy ride:

	ª Q 7 © J 9 7 6 3 ¨ 3 § A K J 8 6	Game All Dealer W
ª 10 6 3 © Q 8 5 4 ¨ A 10 6 4 § 7 3		ª J © K 10 2 ¨ Q 9 7 5 2 § Q 5 4 2
	ª A K 9 8 5 4 2 © A ¨ K J 8 § 10 9

On the trump lead, there is no chance of getting a diamond ruff. Stuart ran lots of trumps, tried the (losing) club finesse and the defenders took their Ace of Diamonds - 12 imps away.

5. Another hand for the cautious bidders - Brian & John, and our opponents, bid 4S (-2). Both other pairs stopped in 2S making. A flat board.
6. This hand brought some variety.

	ª J 6 © K 9 7 ¨ Q 8 5 § J 10 9 7 4	EW VUL Dealer E
ª 5 © Q J 5 3 ¨ 7 6 2 § A K Q 8 6		ª 10 9 3 2 © A 4 2 ¨ A K J 10 9 § 5
	ª A K Q 8 7 4 © 10 8 6 ¨ 4 3 § 3 2

At our table East opened one diamond, Stuart overcalled three spades ("I can't help it if I'm dealt 6 spades to the AKQ"), West doubled and there it rested. This cost 500. Rob and Mike defended three spades doubled, to recover 300. Abbey and Adam competed in spades up to the 3 level, with their opponents resting in 4 diamonds making. Brian brought the board back our way by making 5 diamonds, South switching to a trump after the spade lead.

7. A small slam in clubs or NT at 3 tables, but Brian and John bid and made 7 clubs to gain 12 imps.
8. 3 hearts bid and made by NS at two tables. Mike and Rob (NS) made 10 tricks in spades, while Stuart and I defeated 3 hearts. 6 imps to us.
9. Four different part scores by NS (spades, clubs, hearts and NT!), with 3 imps away when the dust had settled.
10. NS go down in clubs, spades and NT. Menagerie pairs gained 200, Wallingford pairs 100, so we gained 5 imps.
11. Yet another hand favouring the timid. 4 hearts (NS) and 5 clubs (EW) both go down, but since Menagerie defenders found doubles we gained on the board (+ 6 imps).
12. At 3 tables NS were in 4 spades going down, but against Stuart and me the opponents rested in 3 spades to win 8 imps for Wallingford.
13. The making small slam in spades was bid by our opponents, and by Rob and Mike. 2 imps to Menagerie, because Adam and Abbey's opponents made just 9 tricks in 3NT.
14. Spade game at all tables - just 1 imp out from a missed overtrick at our table.
15. 3H-2 at 3 tables, but the opponents did not compete that high against Rob and Mike (who made 3D). 3 imps out.
16. 3S by West (making) at 2 tables. Adam and Abbey (NS) played in 3H+1, while Stuart and I bid 4H - one light! 9 imps to Menagerie.
17. Diamond part score (NS) going down at 3 tables, but Adam and Abbey took EW 2 down in 3C to bring Menagerie 3 imps.
18. Rob and Mike bid 4 slams during the evening, and this was the only one to fail: 6H-3 (EW) doubled. Stuart and I also got too high with the NS cards: 5C-2 doubled. John and Brian took 200 from 5C doubled, and Adam and Abbey defended 4H-1. 13 imps to Wallingford.
19. Generally NS go 2 down in 2 of a major (Rob and Mike managing 1 down), but John and Brian's opponents bid to 3D making. 1 imp to Menagerie.
20. 3NT goes 1 down if you're a Wallingford declarer, and 2 down if you're a Menagerie declarer. 5 imps to Wallingford.
21. A hand on which some people got excited. Stuart and I (EW) made a quiet 3S, and John and Brian (NS) made 3D+1. However, EW against Mike and Rob bid to 5S (presumably pushed by 5D), were doubled and lost 500. Adam and Abbey tried 3NT with the EW cards, which was only 5 light. 11 imps back to Menagerie.
22. 11 or 12 tricks in 3NT - 1 imp to Wallingford.
23. At the end of a long tiring day, Adam produced this masterpiece:

	ª K 9 8 6 © Q 8 2 ¨ 8 6 3 § K 8 4	Game All Dealer S
ª A J 7 © K 7 4 ¨ Q 10 9 5 § J 5 2		ª 10 5 4 3 © A J 10 3 ¨ A 7 4 2 § 9
	ª Q 2 © 9 6 5 ¨ K J § A Q 10 7 6 3

South opened 1 club, and Adam overcalled 1D!! ("I wouldn't have done it without the 9 of diamonds".) North doubled, and Abbey bid 2C to show a good diamond raise. South naturally bid 3C, and this was passed around to Abbey who (equally naturally) bid 3D. North pushed on to 4C, and Adam found a double to score +500! Stuart was very upset by Adam's overcall - he had passed with that hand: "Listen, there's a rule in this club that if I can't find an overcall, then nobody can". Every other table had South resting in 2 clubs, which made 2 out of 3 times. At our table, Stuart led a heart. When H10 won, I switched to a diamond (concerned by dummy's spades). Declarer guessed wrong, so we cashed 5 red tricks, and the Ace of Spades defeated the contract. A much needed 13 imps to Menagerie.

24. Ten tricks in a club part score at 3 tables, but John and Brian's opponents bid and made 3NT. 7 imps to Wallingford.