| 21st European Youth Team Championships | Page 7 | Bulletin 2 - Friday 13 July 2007 |
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Handle With Care Beach volleyball, tennis, soccer, strange looking, sometimes even stupid, cardgames, videogames in the local pub in Jesolo. The Dutch girls and juniors had almost two days of fun after arriving in Jesolo. For npc and coaches it was a relief that on Wednesday evening the championships started. As a habit I always look through the lists with the participants in the ´adult´ European and World Championships to find out how many of the juniors I met in the last 16 years have become regular players at the top level. In Antalya I counted at least hundred of them. Good to see that they are still playing at the highest levels. Going through the juniors and girls in this European Youth Championship I was happy to see that some of them already scored wins in the Open series. Thomas Bessi won the Open Teams in Antalya, playing with Michel (his father) and Ginossar, an Israeli junior. Unfortunately, we are missing Israel in this junior event. Rumours tell that their federation punished them for something we don’t know about. Pity, because they are always in contention. In the Dutch junior team for the first time in the history of the EC, two girls are playing. In Riccione, Meike Wortel and Marion Michielsen were part of the golden Dutch team in the Girls series. They made a quick entry in the Dutch Ladies team, winning the silver in Warsaw (2006) and winning the Ladies EC in Antalya. So everybody is warned! Sorry if I forget to mention juniors or girls who also have won medals in the open teams of their country. Please tell it to the bulletin editor. In the first match against Russia, Meike and Marion took out the gun on the second board:
Two Clubs could be strong or a weak two in diamonds. West, Marion, acted slowly but knew what to do after the vulnerble game was reached by North/South. North chose to lead a trump to West’s ace. She played a spade to the king and a club from dummy. South put up the queen and decarer ducked for the bare ace in North who, somewhat carelessly, played another trump to the king. Declarer drew the last trump with diamond jack, finessed in clubs and claimed twelve tricks. A useful +650 added to the +650 that Bob Drijver/Merijn Groenenboom took in Four Hearts for a 16 IMP pick-up. Also, Meike Wortel showed good technique in declarer play. She also found the elimination and throw in to make Six Diamonds on Board 16. That was not all:
South played a small diamond for the queen and ace. Declarer cashed two rounds of hearts with king and queen, on which North dropped the ten. Now a club from dummy and Meike put in the nine, thereby making the contract. Who has heard the proverb about girls that are dangerous to handle without gloves? |
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