Battle of the Bridge – Sunday 3 March 2023 – by Lindsay Knight

While there were many praiseworthy efforts across all divisions and disciplines North Harbour was edged by Auckland in the weather-disrupted Battle of Bridge representative clash on Sunday.

With a number of disciplines abandoned because of the rain in the premier and development classes played at Howick, Auckland finished the overall winner, 80-64.

Bolstered by their many Black Jacks, Gary Lawson, the Christchurch resident who is also a member of Mt Albert, Tony Grantham and Jamie Hill, Auckland won the premier men’s division.  Harbour’s only wins were in the pairs when Bart Robertson and Daymon Pierson were successful in their match, though in the fours Gordon Smith, Carlson Barnett, John Hindmarch and Mark Rumble had a 16-all draw.

In the premier women’s there was an early setback when both fours were lost. However, the four pairs games were shared, with Harbour’s winners Elaine McClintock and Millie Nathan and Wendy Jensen and Lauren Mills.

Both the men’s and women’s development teams, also playing at Howick, came closer to their Auckland counterparts, with each result in Auckland’s favour 12 and a half to 11 and a half. 

Harbour’s best results came in the one-to-five-year classes played on the North Shore at the Sunnybrae club and where all three disciplines were completed.  The Harbour men squared the singles at four apiece, with Paul Daniels, Craig Lane, Andy Dorrance and Wayne Harris all winners, while there was a win and a draw in the fours and the pairs were won 3-1, giving Harbour a 15-10 advantage.

The Harbour women shared the two fours games, and won the singles five games to three, with Jen Hart, Carol Voshaar, Glenda Rountree, Jo Wyatt and Rosemary Nichol the successful players, but only Hart and Voshaar won in the pairs, giving Auckland a 13-11 win.

Overall a win to Harbour 1-5’s with the combined score being 26 to 23.