PETER GILL (AUSTRALIA)

G’day.

G’day.

It’s a pleasure to welcome a team from abroad to the Lederer this year, especially one from as far away as Australia.

It’s a pleasure to be here.

Where have you travelled from to be here today?

Tottenham.

That’s a bit disappointing. I was hoping for Alice Springs, or something.

I’ve been living over here since the Spring, so I’ve enjoyed the Summer over here.

Ah, yes. Throwing a few shrimps on the barbie.

Not particularly. It hasn’t stayed dry long enough for that.

What have you been doing since you’ve been over here?

Playing a lot of bridge: I got off the plane and went straight to TGR. I’ve been playing at the Young Chelsea a lot, and reckon to have made a few new friends. Some people I'd already met at various international events, and some I knew via the internet, but in the case of the latter it was nice to put some names to some faces.

I was talking to a member of the London team and he said that the Australian Team was bound to be playing Mosquito, or some other weird system. Any truth in this?

Folks are just going to have to come along and find out. What I will say is that it’s a good, keen team, and we may not be favourites, but we’re just here to play bridge and do the best we can.

Where do the rest of your team-mates live?

London.

I wish I’d never started this line of questioning…Are any of you ever going back to Australia?

Yes, later this month. I’ll be sorry to go, but it’ll be good to be home again after so long away.

Fair dinkum. Peter, good luck over the weekend, and have a safe journey home.