Welcome to Seoul; introducing the Open and Women's teams
Liam Milne
Welcome to this sub-site of the Australian Bridge Federation. This page has been created so that you can follow the six Australian teams competing at the 51st APBF Championships in Seoul, South Korea.
My name is Liam Milne, and I am in Seoul as the official coach of the U25 and U25 Girls teams. I have also volunteered to post daily news bulletins from Korea to keep everyone back home up to date. If you have any comments or feedback on these bulletins, please get in touch with me at liam.m.milne@gmail.com!
On the evening of this coming Sunday (the 28th of May), the 51st Asia Pacific Bridge Federation Championships will be officially opened, and on Monday morning at 9am Korean time, play will commence in the first match.
You may have noticed that clicking the Live Results link above takes you to an empty page. This is because play hasn’t started yet! Australian teams are just beginning to arrive in Seoul. Once play begins, this link will be updated to the match-by-match results.
In the meantime, before the event starts, let’s introduce you to our 2017 Australian teams!
The Australian Open Team
The Open Team won their spot in Seoul by triumphing at the 2017 Open Playoff in November. In the previous two APBFs, Australia finished 6th and 7th in Open field, but had two 2nd place finishes before that. This year’s team will certainly be aiming to finish on the podium.
Ben Thompson (NPC): Ben is a frequent Australian representative from Melbourne. Most recently, Ben competed at the World Bridge Series in Poland last year. He is notable in this team for being the only one that hasn’t made bridge part of his job! Ben will be calling the shots for the Open Team in Seoul.
Peter Gill: well known as one of Australia’s best players over the years, Peter is also famous for having lost three Open Playoffs (the trials) by 1 IMP in recent years! Peter is a bridge professional from Sydney, and with Andrew Peake, plays the Precision system.
Andrew Peake: another bridge professional from Sydney, Andrew worked in IT until recently when he decided to give bridge work a shot. He hasn’t looked back, and probably plays more hands per week than anyone you know.
Justin Mill: known to many as Justin Howard, Justin recently changed his name to Mill. He makes his living as a bridge professional, travelling around the world wherever the work takes him, but Melbourne is home. Notably, Justin was on a team that came 3rd at the European Open Championships a few years ago, and his bridge has gone from strength to strength recently.
Peter Hollands: an expert bridge teacher, Peter runs the popular BridgeVid website where you can watch videos to improve your bridge. His bridge credentials are also strong, having won the National Open Teams in 2014. Peter plays in Melbourne and his regular partner is Justin Mill.
David Beauchamp: hailing from Sydney, when David isn’t winning national tournaments he is running fantastic bridge holidays with his wife Anita Curtis. One of Sydney’s all time most successful players, David plays a natural system with Matthew.
Matthew Thomson: likewise a familiar name to many, Matthew’s stomping ground is Sydney. In the big tournaments of the year – like the National Open Teams and the Open Playoff – Matthew’s team is always a chance to finish at the top. Many of you will have watched him work his magic on BBO before – now’s your chance to see him in action on the international stage.
The Australian Women's Team
Like the Open Team, the Women's Team earned their spot representing Australia by winning the 2017 Women's Playoff in December. Four of the members (Travis-Ginsberg, Bourke-Lusk) were on the teams that came 3rd in 2013 and 2nd in 2015. Although the Chinese women are perenially strong, Australia will be hoping for big things at this event.
Peter Reynolds (NPC): well known in the Australian bridge world, Peter will be the leadership force behind the Women's team. Frequently successful in national tournaments, and a past Australian Open representative, Peter now has the task of applying his wisdom to the non-playing captain role.
Barbara Travis: as well as being known as one of Australia’s top players, Barbara makes her living as a celebrated bridge teacher in Adelaide. Playing with Howard Melbourne, one of her big recent successes was winning the 2016 Bobby Richman Gold Coast Open Pairs by 0.04%!
Candice Ginsberg: playing with Barbara, the Ginsberg-Travis partnership has been strong at the top level for many years. Candice has been successful internationally for over a decade, going back to a very respectable 12th place in the World Mixed Pairs in Verona in 2006.
Margaret Bourke: one of Australia's most prolific female players, Margaret has the most masterpoints of any woman aside from Pauline Gumby. In 2014, Margaret became an Emerald Grand Master (10k+ MP) which is the highest rank anyone has achieved. She is a stalwart of the Australian Women's Team.
Sue Lusk: Sue comes from a very bridge-orientated family: her brother Bruce Neill is the President of the ABF, and her husband David Lusk was recently awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for services to bridge. But Sue has had many successes of her own, including 11 (!) representations for Australia at the Venice Cup. It would be quicker to list the Women's Teams that Sue hasn't played on than the ones she has!
Jodi Tutty: playing with Marianne Bookallil, this is Jodi’s first time representing Australia overseas. Jodi and Marianne have recently been putting their mark on the Australian women's bridge scene, and they have become even more firmly established after winning the Women's Playoff in December. Jodi works for ANU in Canberra.
Marianne Bookallil: likewise an international debutant, Marianne is also a hard-working member of the ABF International Performance Task Force who are aiming to improve our teams’ performances overseas. A doctor based in Canberra, Marianne and her team will have their sights firmly set on the podium starting from Monday.
Tomorrow, we will have a look at previous Australian performances in the APBF. Until then, so long!
Posted by Liam Milne on Thursday, 25 May 2017 at 12:35