The Portland Bowl Finals rounds took place this weekend, 13th - 14th April 2019 at the world famous Portland Club in London.
In the final, Durham A beat Cambridge B by 29 IMPs, 120-91, having trailed by 22 IMPs with eight boards to go, until a spectacular comeback saw them gain 51 IMPs in the final stanza. This is Durham’s third victory in the competition, their last one coming in 2008. Prior to this, Cambridge had won this event six times in a row, with Cambridge B winning the last five of these.
In the semi-finals Cambridge B beat Cambridge A, while Durham A beat UCL B. UCL B conceded to Cambridge A in the third-place playoff.
The Durham A team, from left to right in the attached photo, was Edmund Lea, Charles Bucknell (capt), [Christopher Kemp, Chairman of the Portland Club], Dominic Price and Euan Sarson.
April 15, 2019