RI bridge team trumps five in a row

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's men's team was lying fourth in Group A after beating Germany 19-11 in the 11th session of the 10th Bridge Open Team Olympics Tuesday.

Spearheaded by veteran pair Henky Lasut and Eddy Manoppo, the team performed impressively by carving five wins in a row.

It had previously defeated Rumania 23-7 in the 10th session, New Zealand 17-13 in the ninth session, Palestine 25-0 in the eight session, Ukraine 25-4 in the seventh session and Liechtenstein 25-4 in the sixth session.

Seventy one countries are taking in the event, being held on the Greek island of Rodos.

The five successive wins earned the Indonesians 214.5 victory points and upped their standing from fifth to fourth. These lofty heights are not new for the men's team. It reached a similar position in the 1984 Olympics.

Indonesia's women's team, on the other hand, gained more confidence as it won in the sixth and seventh sessions to lie 17th after Tuesday's matches.

The team, made up by Lusie Boyoh, Joice Tueje, Linda and Tracy Polii, collected 75 victory points after beating Venezuela 20-10 in the sixth session and Spain 17-13 in the seventh session.

As of Tuesday, defending champion France led Group A with 240 victory points. Spain was second with 224 and Poland third with 216. In Group B, Italy was first with 244, Israel second with 225, Australia third with 216 and Iceland fourth with 214.

Indonesia was due to take on Luxembourg, France, Chile and China yesterday. (arf)