Two east Auckland bridge players dominated in a recent prestigious tournament, taking gold in all their entered competitions.
Howick Bridge Club members Jeffery Ren and Prem Soundra had a clean sweep at the New Zealand Bridge National Congress in early October, placing first in all four competitions.
Held in Mt Maunganui, Ren and Soundra grabbed first place in the Open Restricted Pairs Final on October 3, beating Kevin Whyte and Clare Coles.
A day later the two, called Team Soundra, took another gold in the New Zealand Restricted Teams with teammates Hafizur Khan and Anthony Wilson.
On the last days of the competition, Soundra and Ren came out victorious in the Restricted Open Swiss Pairs and Restricted Open Teams, the latter another shared win with Khan and Wilson.
NZ Bridge noted in their bulletins that Soundra and Ren completed a rare double: winning both the Restricted Pairs and Teams competitions.
Furthering the pair’s incredible results, Soundra was playing on a damaged hip from badminton, on crutches, and in constant pain.
“Playing bridge to win is demanding and tiring,” NZ Bridge wrote. “For Prem to achieve the success he has had at this Congress shows exceptional determination and courage.”
