Hinden team wins Schapiro Spring Fours

The Schapiro Spring Fours has been won by Frances Hinden, Jeffrey Allerton, Graham Osborne (all Surrey) and Jon Cooke (Cambs & Hunts).

The second seeds went undefeated throughout the competition, defeating in the final the 8th seeded Vitas team: Lotan Fisher, Ron Schwartz (both Israel), Vitas Vainikonis, Wojtek Olanski (both Lithuania), Waseem Naqvi (Middlesex) and Dror Padon (London). They won the 32 board final by 4 IMPs, though by virtue of their unbeaten record could have extended the match if they were trailing at the scheduled conclusion.

The semi-finals were also close contests, with the Hinden team defeating the Mossop team by just 6 IMPs, and the Vitas team defeating the top seeded Allfrey team by 8 IMPs.

The Spring Fours is generously sponsored by Mrs Helen Schapiro, and she is pictured presenting to the winning team the trophy, which she has donated in the name of her husband, the late, and truly great, Boris Schapiro.

During the event Brian Senior - part of the Penfold team which reached the quarter finals - wrote reports on some of the boards from the competition. His report on the final is available here - other rounds are available through the results page, along side a report from the 2000 Spring Foursomes.

A feature on the 'bridge is a sport' debate, with the Spring Foursomes as a backdrop, was in the Independent on Sunday, and available here.

May 5, 2015