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| Bogdan makes the EBU Leader Board |
 ABC member Bogdan Drobny is on a winning streak with 9570 EBU masterpoints - which puts him at second place in Norfolk for 2011. Hard on his heels in 3rd place is Norfolk County President Maureen Kimbley, who regularly partners Bogdan and is also an ABC member, with 8178 masterpoints.
They have just returned from Harrogate where they played together in the Congress, winning the Mixed Pairs. Other congresses where they have competed together include Scarborough, Norfolk, Le Touquet and Blackpool year end where they also won the Mixed Pairs the year before last. The photo was taken at Scarborough.
Bogdan hails (I've often wondered and took the opportunity to ask) from Gdansk in Poland and learned to play bridge at university in 1976. He has the title of International Champion in Poland, which is a bit like our own rankings, and played matches in the Polish Second Division.
Bogdan and Maureen play for the County, usually in team B, when available and chosen by the selection committee. They now play a system called Polish Club rather than Acol or anything more familiar to most of us.
The EBU also ranked Bogdan 10th in the UK for 2011 in the Leader Board Level 3: National (Regional Masters, Premier Regional Masters). That makes him 197th in the country.
He came to Cromer to work in 2007 and swiftly joined Sheringham Bridge Club, which was how he came to partner Maureen after her husband Andy died. He is now firmly established in Norfolk and the UK - and even has a brand new baby granddaughter called Natasha, who lives in Warrington with his daughter and her husband.
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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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| Stop Press - Robert Cooper Scoffs Seafood! |
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Paddy and Deborah organised a get-together of as many of Robert's ABC friends as could be packed into seafood eatery Cookies in Salthouse on the North Norfolk coast.
As we know, Robert hasn't been well enough to play bridge with us recently but he was on fine form for wining and lunching.
"It was lovely for me because I hadn't seen most of the people there for many a long week. It was absolutely delightful and I thoroughly enjoyed it," said Robert.
"For lots of people Cookies was a new experience - especially having to go over to the pub for a wee - but it was just great to see so many people from ABC and I loved every minute of it."
We were the sardines packed into the shed which passes for a restaurant- eating every other kind of seafood imaginable and extremely yummy and jolly it was too. They don't have a licence so everyone took their own wine - and it wouldn't have been worth taking any home, would it?
There's talk of a repeat fixture later in the summer.
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| Successful Open All Day Swiss Teams |
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It was outright victory for Mal Loveridge's team with 75 victory points in the first ever ABC Open Swiss Teams event. And it felt like more than a bridge triumph for Mal, who has battled back from a devastating car crash last year and is now decidedly back on form - look, no crutches!
"I was really elated - and pleased too for Kev, who hasn't been playing that long," said Mal. "I've probably only played bridge 10 or 15 times since the accident ten months ago and we only lost one match all day. That was 10/9 to Roger Amey's team and running him so close is almost as good as winning."
Mal is pictured L-R with team-mates Mary Smith, Masuma Ali and Kevan Mann, with Jeannette who presented the prizes in the middle.
There was a tie for the runners' up amongst the 14 teams competing with Robbie Roberson, Sue Hutchings, Iris Green and Neville Hill coming in with exactly the same 68 victory points as Martin Pooley, Peter Smith, Neil and Laura Tracey.
ABC's first Open Swiss Teams after just two years from its foundation was warmly welcomed by leading county players like Roger, who said he had enjoyed the day and hoped it would become an annual event.
"Just two points for future reference," he said. "Speed up with a bit less time for lunch, and let's have a great big sign on the wall saying which end is North."
Mike Walsh also hoped the ABC Swiss Teams would be the first of many.
"It's very good for the game and important going forward that there are successful new events coming along," he said.
And Mike had his priorities right, despite the ABC event having inadvertently clashed with Mothers' Day - which won't happen next year. "My Mum's been left to fend for herself," he said. Mike's all heart!
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| Robbie Celebrates with his Best Girl |
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We all know Robbie but it is not often that his wife Freda - the power behind the throne - gets her share of the limelight so here she is with him enjoying the Cookies trip (see story above).
Robbie's favourite topic of conversation during the Salthouse lunch was this hand when he was partnering Christine Buchanan - whose brilliance he cannot praise highly enough. Nor his own, for resisting the overwhelming temptation to bid an iffy slam whilst she, playing the hand, guessed all the finesses correctly and made 12 tricks when others bid it and went off.
Click here to read how Robbie pondered all the options and came up (No) Trumps in this week's Robbie's Review..........
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| Barbara Dick-Cleland and Buxton Trophy |
 Christine Buchanan - pictured on the right with Suzanne Gill and Robert Cooper - was delighted with the success of the decision to run the Barbara Dick-Cleland and Buxton Trophy as a joint pairs event.
It was held at The Costessey Centre, home of The Afternoon Bridge Club and there were seven tables for the BDC and six for the Buxton Trophy. Norfolk Contract Bridge Association decided not to charge an entrance fee, which increased attendance.
"This was a popular and happy afternoon and it is hoped that a similar format will be used in future," said Christine.
Winners of the BDC, for players with little or no experience of duplicate bridge, were Barbara Fox Hay and Ray Thompson. Runners-up were Gavin Mann and Pat Nunn with Mary Hendry and Merri Ryan coming third.
Top spot in the Buxton Trophy went to Melvyn and Jeannette Pamplin, with Chris Cunnington and James Tullett coming second. Third place went to Sheila Bullard and Diane Walker.
Christine thanked County Competitions Secretary Peter Smith for acting as TD, Gary Seaman and Melvyn Pamplin for organising the Bridgemates and ABC for hosting the events and supplying the equipment.
Coming up is a repeat of last year's How Hill Bridge Day with lunch on Tuesday 8th May 2012 - which those of us who booked early to avoid disappointment are greatly looking forward to. Those who didn't are, sadly, out of luck because the tickets are sold out with a waiting list!
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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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| 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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| 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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