26/03/2026: When I wrote this article I obviously hadn't even considered that it might have caused some offence to some of our more sensitve souls North of the border, but no-one has ever complained. I have some very good Scottish friends and it was written as a gentle leg-pull. Goodness knows that us Sassenachs are always getting flack from North of the border! I remember welll back in 1978 when Scotland had qualified for the World Cup . . . . and England hadn't. Prior to the tournament I had travelled up with a Scottish friend to watch the annual Scotland-England match at Hampden Park in the Home Internationals. Although England won that match 1-0, the Scots did not care, and when we went out for a drink or three at a tavern in the evening, it was a pre-Argentine party. I was the only Englishman among the hundreds in the tavern and they made me stand on a table while they sang songs about how they were "Going to Argentine". It was all great banter. I'll leave the article as original, but apologies to all you Scots if it crosses the border of acceptability.
. Today's hand comes from back in 1951 and was published in one of the foremost magazines (on the front cover indeed) amid much back-slapping of the "This hand was defended by one of the best defenders in the history of the universe north of Berwick defenders" variety.
