Wednesday 23 August 2017

Going For Gold - England in the Final. Venice Cup, Lyon, Day 12

It went right down to the wire but in the end, we prevailed in our semi-final against Sweden by the margin of 205 VPs to 188. 

For many watching, this match was an emotional roller-coaster ride with England establishing an early 67 IMP lead only to have this cut to 30 overnight.   Then, in an extraordinary four deals, we lost a further 47 IMPS.   In a flash, a healthy advantage had been reversed and, at that stage, we trailed by 23.

The players showed incredible resolve and came back strongly, re-establishing the lead by the end of the fourth stanza.  From this point onwards, the match remained tight with England managing to keep the Swedes at arm's length.

Sweden have had a fantastic Venice Cup, winning the round-robin stage very convincingly and playing some very fine bridge against us.   Although they must be disappointed, they should be congratulated on a very fine performance.

Now, our thoughts move forwards to the final, in which we will face China who defeated Poland by 236 IMPs to 157.  This will be another tough proposition but the players are in buoyant mood and are eyeing the challenge with some confidence!


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