Bridge | 16 May 2019

The Spring Fours in Stratford-upon-Avon — perhaps the most prestigious event in the English calendar — was as enjoyable as ever this year: a combination of top-class bridge and late-night socialising. My own fun began the moment I boarded the packed train from London, when I managed to bag the last available seat, and then saw Phil King wander into my carriage. Phil is one of the cleverest bidding theorists around and I often badger him for advice. As luck would have it, he got stuck standing right next to me, wedged between passengers, and I managed to quiz him all the way to Banbury, when he spotted a free seat and made a dash for it.
 
I obviously didn’t drain him too much, though, because he and his partner Kevin Castner went on to play superbly over five days, knocking out team after team to reach the final, and losing only by the narrowest of margins when their teammates had an unfortunate bidding misunderstanding.