Dominica Recapture OECS Bridge Championship

Dominica's bridge team of Foued Issa, Dr Richard Green-captain, Dr Dorian Shillingford and Dr Philip Griffin combined to lead Dominica to the 2013 OECS Bridge Championships in St Kitts for the first time since 2007. Dominica, who were denied a fourth successive championship by Antigua & Barbuda in St Lucia in 2008, scored 61 international match points to 42 by St Kitts in the final.

Dominica won their round robin matches against St Kitts, St Lucia and Antigua & Barbuda on their way to setting up the crucial match between the top two teams to decide the OECS championship.

Dominica also copped third place in the open teams' event with Albert Astaphan, Alan Guye and Henry Volney. Barbados beat Guadeloupe in the final to take that competition. The pair of Henry Volney and Alan Guye also featured highly in the OECS open pairs' competition to emerge second from 22 pairs which included players from Barbados, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Trinidad & Tobago.

Foued Issa and Dr R Green placed 8th, Drs D Shillingford and P Griffin were 10th, Albert Astaphan and Hilary Harry were 14th and Neville Williams and Donald Langford were 15th.

Six teams – Anguilla, Grenada, St Kits, hosts St Lucia, champions Antigua & Barbuda and Dominica – participated in the 21st OECS championships. The countries played a round robin of 12 boards each with the top two teams meeting in a play-off to decide the champions. Dominica went into the tournament with six titles, three shy of St Kitts' nine. Antigua like Montserrat had two championships to their names and St Lucia one.

Dominica team of Foued Issa, Dr Richard Green, Allan Guye and Dr Philip Griffin in for Henry Volney who was out ill, went through the round robin with four wins from five matches, but critically that loss was to Antigua. Dominica came up against St Kitts, their perennial nemesis, in that last regular match with both teams on 79 victory points. Antigua on 72 met St Lucia 59 in their last round robin match.