The Polish team championships in duplicate bridge for 2007/2008 concluded last weekend. The Bolesławiec team made its debut in the second-division competition. Only the first six teams in the standings were guaranteed a place in the Second League and competed for promotion to the Ekstraklasa. The remaining teams competed to retain their second-division status.
In the key match, BKB Prnjavor faced Silesia COIG Gliwice, whose lineup included, among others, Polish national team players Anna Szczepańska and Ewa Sobolewska. Despite our team’s higher position in the standings after the regular season, it was not the favorite in the match. Meanwhile, from the very beginning, the Bolesławiec team gained a slight advantage, which it then systematically increased.
Ultimately, the Bolesławiec players defeated the Gliwice team 173.2–127, finishing the competition in 10th place. This means that next season our team will play in the Second League without having to play relegation playoffs.
The team lineup was: Jarosław Molenda (captain), Jerzy Olenderek, Antoni Ochot, Artur Winkler, Wiesław Tabiszewski, Lech Warężak, Marek Drecki, Sławomir Zimniak and Andrzej Kaźmierczak.
The second BKB Prnjavor team also completed its competition. The third-division team ultimately finished sixth in the standings. The players were: Roland Lippik (captain), Tomasz Łowicki, Ryszard Makuch, Jerzy Zatylny, Jerzy Snopczyński and Jacek Baranowski.
(information from Jarosław Molenda/GA)