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| Magnificent Seven Gallop to Victory |
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It was, as ever, a nailbiting finish to the ABC Gala Quiz when the final round was on Local Knowledge - and the team in pole position didn't have a single Norfolk-born member on it!
But The Magnificent Seven hung on in there and managed to get two questions right, which was just enough to stay ahead of runners-up The Hingham Hopefuls, led by Melvyn and Jeannette Pamplin. It was 98 1/2 to the winners and 97 to their rivals. Only seven points separated the first five teams.
"I thought we'd been pipped at the post," said winning team member Eileen Townsend. She gave all the credit for The Magnificent Seven's success to the rest of the team. "They were brilliant, but I didn't answer anything." (We don't necessarily believe that!)
Other teams taking part in the Gala Quiz included One Sandwich Short of a Picnic, The Scrambled Eggheads, Argie Bargie and THE RiNG (Rheumatoid in Norfolk Group).
The questions were set by ABC Competitions Secretary John Bradley, ably assisted on the night by Eileen's granddaugher Cassie Townsend who helped with the scoring. The event was organised with her usual efficiency by Jan Wells.
Pictured are The Magnificent Seven with John and Cassie - L-R Hao and Les Clayton, Cassie Townsend, Bill Jones, Eileen Townsend, Bob Saunders, Amanda Townsend and John and Deirdrie Bradley.
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| Top Tips for Aspiring Bridge Players |
 Watch out for the opponents' Unassuming Cue Bids, low value slams and fourth suit forcing with a twist, if you weren't fortunate enough to attend Jack Stocken's second all-day masterclass held at The Costessey Centre.
It was superbly organised, as before, by the Gang of Four, Stella, Jo, Paddy and Andrea and the ten tables sold out fast to club members and others from across Norfolk.
These included (pictured L-R with Jack) David Adler, Edward and Jennifer Johnson and Sarah Adler, who all described the event as great fun and very instructive.
"It was high level but completely non-threatening - except to one's pride!" said Sarah.
Jack, who is based in Yorkshire, was impressed by the high standard of Norfolk bridge players attending the day - and their enthusiasm.
"I very much enjoyed it," he said. "You've got a lovely friendly club here and everyone is so eager to learn."
And, according to Paddy, Jack's masterclasses are fast turning into an annual event. "Everyone has been asking if we can have him back again next year," she said. "I think you can safely say that, like James Bond, he will return!"
Paddy added that, after expenses, the Gang of Four had had a surplus of £78.41 on the entry tickets which had been donated to Pancreatic Cancer UK in memory of Peter Falgate.
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| Tribute to Peter Falgate |
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Peter's many friends at ABC were eager to pay tribute to one of the club's most popular and best-loved members, who sadly has died from pancreatic cancer.
They recalled how he always had a twinkle in his eye, a kind word for everyone and how warmly he greeted opponents arriving at his table.
The most frequent comment was the one from Hao, that he was a true gentleman - expanded by Lena to: ”He was a gentle man, and a true gentleman“. Eileen Townsend thought there should be more Peters in the world. Masuma said she wished her family could be just like Peter's - a sentiment heartily endorsed by all of us who attended his moving and heart-warming funeral.
And there was no shortage of jokey memories either. Paddy recalled the time Peter revoked with the ten of spades - and how she and her partner Andrea teased him for ever more about it. ”He took it in such good part,“ she said.
Peter himself used to joke about how Robbie, five years older than him, used to beat him up at Langley School when he was a lowly new boy and Robbie a senior. ”I don't think I'd have slippered him,“ said Robbie, in shocked tones. Well he probably wouldn't remember, would he, not having been on the receiving end!
And Peter was a generous fan of this website. Whenever I arrived at the club he used to say: ”Where's the camera? Where do you want me? Make sure you get my good side!”
We were all privileged to be treated to Peter's good side - indeed we never encountered any other - and we miss him greatly. Farewell Peter.
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| Norfolk Congress sees strong turnout of ABC members |
 It was tiring and exhilarating at the same time, according to Jan Wells who scored a huge coup at the Norfolk Congress with her partner Eileen Townsend.
"We were just pipped to the post into second place on 60.42% by less than 1% in the Webster Trophy," said Jan, who was still glowing with the drama of it all.
"We felt we were doing well and thought we'd be in the top third," she said. "But when we got back to the conference hotel after dinner we discovered we'd won a prize - £10-worth each of John Lewis vouchers!"
But ABC's greatest triumph of all was reserved for the King's Lynn Plate, where our very own Robbie Roberson and his ABC partner Iris Green swept the board and won the event with a stunning 66%. See the latest Robbie's Review - Signals, the King's Lynn Decider - for the board which swung their famous victory.
Back with the Webster Trophy Jan Pooley and Val Bobbins also did well making 6th place with 52.68% and Christine Buchanan and Suzanne Gill came 7th with 52.38%.
It was a long haul for the strong showing of ABC members who took part in the three-day marathon at the Duke's Head Hotel in King's Lynn.
"Eileen didn't believe me when I told her how draining it would be but, by Sunday, she knew what I was talking about," said Jan.
Other ABC members doing well were Maureen Kimberley and Bogdan Drobney who came 7th in the Friday Open Pairs, closely followed by Neil and Laura Tracey in 8th place.
Gabriel Ip, playing with his son Giles, came 6th out of 35 EW in the Pairs Qualifier while Maureen Kimberley and Bogdan Drobney were 10th and Janette and Eileen came 13th.
Jeannette and Melvyn Pamplin's star appearance was in the Saturday Markwell Shield where they managed 4th out of 20 pairs with 57.87%. Mary Smith and John Brister came 11th with 48.84% and Jan and Martin Pooley made 12th place with 47.69%.
There were mixed reports on the famed upgrade to the Duke's Head Hotel. The consensus seemed to be that the air-conditioning was a much welcome addition to the playing area. The bedrooms which had received their refurb were great - but those that hadn't were, unsurprisingly, as unsatisfactory as ever.
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| Welcome to Afternoon Bridge Club |
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| Open All Day Swiss Teams |
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Club Competitions Secretary John Bradley is proud to announce that our first-ever Open All Day Swiss Teams competing for the ABC Trophy will be held on Sunday 18th March 2012 at The Costessey Centre. Coffee is at 10.30am with an 11am start.
It will be run over two sessions with a home-made lunch and refreshments. Entry is now open and teams of four can click here to print off the form.
The next ABC All Day Event will be held on Thursday 9th February and these and forthcoming NCBA events are listed on our Calendar page - accessed from the menu on the left.
ABC members can enter NCBA events themselves and the club will also sponsor teams for selected events including The Committee Cup, the Allwood-Wharton in October and the Barclays in December.
For booking information on county events paste the NCBA website address into your browser :
http://www.bridgewebs.com/norfolk/
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| Too Much Information |
 Top players like Robbie have an armoury of techniques and conventions to ensure that their partnership reaches the best possible contract.
But sometimes those conventional bids just give too much information to those who don't need to have it - ie The Opponents.
In this case it was Robbie who thought carefully about the opponents' Michaels Cue Bid - and worked out that it skewed the odds in favour of the critical Q being with West rather than East.
He and his partner got a top out of it. Click here to read all about how he assessed the hands in Robbie's Review..........
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| Washi Workshops deliver great result for Cancer Research UK |
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ABC member Hao Clayton is celebrating the success of her Washi Workshops, on the art of decorating and wrapping objects Japanese style.
The two events raised a superb £221 for Cancer Research UK, which is a cause close to Hao's heart. She lost her father, brother and three friends to the disease and also wants to support ABC members currently living with cancer.
"I would like to thank everybody, including those who did not attend the workshops but made generous donations," said Hao. "The artistry and dexterity of the Washi ladies far surpassed my expectations. Perhaps they will be ambassadors for this beautiful art."
The picture shows L-R ABC members Celia Arnoldi, Marion Fenn, Eileen Townsend and Deborah Rabbidge and three of their friends with Hao displaying the eggs they have decorated at the second Washi Workshop.
Washi - wa meaning Japanese and shi meaning paper - is a Chinese art form first introduced to Japan in the 4th and 5th centuries, which is used for everyday objects such as screens, partitions, table decorations and napkin rings. It is also used for decorative eggs, which is the application Hao teaches.
Most Washi paper is now machine produced and hand decoration of eggs is in decline. Hao - and the Japanese woman who taught her the art in Hong Kong in the early 1990s - want to help preserve this unusual decorative art by teaching it to others.
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| NCBA Forthcoming Events and Winter Programme |
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| ABC Club Competitions 2012 |
 Congratulations to the 2011 Pairs Competition winners Lena Turner and Nigel Block - with an average of 54.2% over 48 sessions. Equally well done to Robbie Roberson, who won the Pairs competition with 55.1% over 47 outings.
But what about the rest of us, you might be asking, who don't stand a chance against such stiff competition? Fear not - ABC Competitions Secretary John Bradley has it all in hand.
He is launching a new Handicap Pairs competition to give players of varied abilities a more equal chance of picking up the prizes. Established pairs, who have played together 10 or more times in 2011, will have their average score shown on the club parnership percentage table between 2nd March 2011 and 5th January 2012 adjusted to 50%.
Those above 50% will have a negative handicap and those below will be positive. Pairs who have not played 10 times will receive a handicap based on their individual averages for the same period.
The competition will run from 1st February to 31st May 2012 and include all ABC events held at the Costessey Centre. You will need to play a minimum of six sessions during the time period to qualify.
The Handicap Pairs will run alongside a new Pairs and Individual Competition for the new ABC club year. The starting date will be 1st March 2012 and the finishing date 28th February 2013. To qualify you will need to complete a minimum of 25 games in the Pairs - and 40 games for the Individual at the ABC club in Costessey.
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| A Second Tullettmobile for Aylsham! |
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Who says Britain doesn't build anything any more? Try telling that to the proud users of the currently unique bespoke Tullettmobile which is a custom constructed wheeled cupboard for storage and transportation of all the ABC bridge tables, Bridgemates, cloths, stationery and other impedimenta connected with the smooth running of a 21st century bridge club.
But the fame of the Tullettmobile has spread - and now Aylsham Bridge Club is on the verge of acquiring its own model - which is currently in production chez James Tullett who conceived, designed and constructed the original.
"The Tullettmobile has made our lives so much easier because now we can wheel all our gear in and out of the storeroom in one go," said ABC Chairman Melvyn Pamplin. "All bridge clubs should have one!"
The picture is of L-R Melvyn Pamplin and John Copson - leaning over the world's first Tullettmobile.
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| All Aboard for the Autumn All Day |
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Expectations were high for the November All Day Bridge as you can see from this picture of Jane Bailey, Helen Gaskin, Brenda Wilson and and Barbara Warren enjoying their coffee on arrival.
And a wonderful day was had by all - especially Christine Buchanan and Suzanne Gill, who came first NS with 63.93% and Derek and Mary Ellis who won EW with 55.36%, all scooping 50 MPs in the process.
What can we say? Jeannette's fish pie was to die for. Indeed the fish involved had been swimming about a mere 48 hours earlier. No wonder it tasted so wonderful. And as for the individual sticky date and toffee puddings, they were poetry on a plate. We presented her with a nice bunch of flowers to say thank you - see the picture page to admire them.
Click here to view all the other photos. If there's a good one of you and you'd like a full-sized copy, email janescarfe@googlemail.com or click on the contact story at the bottom of this page.
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| Bridgemates arrive at ABC |
 The latest model of Bridgemate has just arrived at the club and the members are taking to it like ducks to water.
Even players like Hao Clayton who had never used one before last week soon got the hang of it.
"It's very easy, said Hao, "Especially with a good teacher like John Copson who dropped everything to help me when I got in a muddle. By the end of the afternoon, I felt like an expert!"
ABC members John Copson, Deborah Rabbidge and several others were trained in administration of the Bridgemates by Neil Tracey, who has extensive experience setting up and using them with NCBA.
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| ABC members teach Andrew Robson a lesson |
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 Four club stalwarts have let us in on the secret of their success. Stella Acton, Jo Vincent, Paddy Seligman and Andrea Middleton meet up once a month to pore over bridge hands and improve their game.
Their chosen guide to greatness is Andrew Robson's book "What should have happened" - until they discovered working through hand 191 that they'd got more idea of the answer than he had.
It was like this. The point of the hand - shown above - was to demonstrate signalling to partner how many cards you'd got in a suit so she could cash her ace on Declarer's final club as there were no more entries to dummy, which means 3NT goes down.
Unfortunately our Four Musketeers worked out that, after West cashes her ace of diamonds on the second round, Declarer can win any return, cash  AKQ,  AK and A then lead anything but a spade. East then wins Q10 and 10 but has no spades left and can only play the remaining diamond to Dummy's Q. So Declarer makes nine tricks despite the bad heart split.
Team ABC emailed Andrew Robson with the news that he'd got it wrong and, in his absence, his colleague Martin Jones from the AR Bridge Club at Parsons Green in London put Andrew's hands up to the mistake.
He bestowed two packs of ARBC cards upon them, in a handsome leather wallet, which Stella, Jo, Paddy and Andrea will be using for their future workshops - now re-named funshops.
Most importantly, thanks to their vigilance the error will be corrected in the next issue. Which they will still be using to hone their bridge techniques.
"Despite this error we still feel it's an excellent book," said Andrea.
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| Sue's event helps bereaved children |
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Sue Hutchings' well-attended bridge fundraiser raised £385 in aid of Nelson's Journey, which helps children who have lost someone close to them.
The charity supports bereaved children, enables them to express emotions and talk about the person who has died - and meet other youngsters in the same situation so that they no longer feel alone with their grief.
Sue said: "We raised £385 which was fantastic - and everyone seemed to have good fun."
The bridge afternoon was held at The Costessey Centre on Friday 25th November and those attending enjoyed a glass of wine and hot sausage rolls and mince pies - prepared by Jeannette Pamplin therefore scrumptious. There was also a highly successful raffle.
Sue is a keen member of Weston Park Golf Club and organised the event to support their charity of the year. Ladies' section captain Maureen Lelievre told everyone she was delighted. "A huge thank you to you all for supporting us and to Sue for organising this fantastic fundraiser," she said.
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| ABC Club Competitions 2012 |
Club Competitions Secretary John Bradley has come up with a new handicap competition for Pairs - designed to give our lower flying members a chance to shine.
Established pairs who played together 10 or more times in 2011 will have their average score on the club percentage table between 2nd March 2011 and 5th January 2012 adjusted to 50%.
Those about 50% will have a negative handicap and those below will be positive. Pairs who have not played 10 times will receive a handicap based on their individual averages for the same period.
The competition will run from 1st February to 31st May 2012 and include all ABC events held at the Costessey Centre. Competitors will need to play at a minimum of six sessions to qualify.
There will also be a new Pairs and Individual Competitions for 2012. Members will need to attend a minimum of 25 sessions at the Costessey Centre to qualify for the Pairs and 40 for the Individual competition.
The Pairs winners in 2011 were Lena Turner and Nigel Block with an average of 54.2% over 48 sessions.
The Singles winner was Robbie Roberson, with 55.1% over 47 visits.
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| 9th February 2012 |
| Second Anniversary All Day Bridge |
The Costessey Centre
10.30 for 11am |
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