Elizabeth and Jane deserve the bridge equivalent of a Lonsdale belt after winning the Suffolk Sims for the third successive year. The unique achievement came courtesy of a table topping 66% score last Monday. When the results were merged with the scores from players at eight other clubs in Suffolk who took part their 65.55% tally was more than 1% clear of their nearest rivals. To see all the results please click on SUFFOLK SIMS

£400 raised on charity night goes to 'Louby's Lifeline'

The bridge club's annual charity evening on Thursday raised £400 which will go to a special cause chosen by the winners on the night - Nick and Sarah.

'Louby's Lifeline' will benefit from all the table money from fourteen and a half tables, together with the takings from a well supported raffle.

Sarah explained:  "It is a charity raising funds for research into brain tumours, and we have an interest because Louby was a pupil at Edward’s school, and the school will also be sponsoring the charity for the next year."

Clare golfers maintain 100% record

CLARE'S golfers maintained their 100% record against other bridge clubs when they beat Bury St Edmunds for the second year running on Wednesday.

   The usual format of 18 holes golf followed by 18 boards of bridge - with a scoring system which gives equal weighting to both disciplines - saw Clare win by just five points.

   The heroes of the morning golf were George and Peter who finished three up. Nick and Dave were one up; John and Malcom finished all square while Richard and David were one down.

  The bridge consisted, as usual, of two nine-board teams of four matches. Nick, Dave, George and Peter finished six down, while John, Malcolm, Richard and David were eight up.

MANY congratulations to David, Jenny, Sarah and Nick who won the  Suffolk Club Teams of Four championship on Sunday.

STANSFIELD NOBBLE...THEMSELVES!

A particularly enjoyable renewal of the twice a year local derby match against Stansfield last Wednesday saw Clare run out easy winners - despite being behind at half time.

The 12-a-side format in Stansfield village hall, with David directing, worked well and will be repeated when the two clubs play against each other next May.

With a six IMPs lead at the interval Stansfield must have fancied their chances, particularly as the visitors succumbed to the home team's dastardly plan during the interval and got stuck into 'refreshments' and some excellent nibbles prepared by Gerry.

However, it would appear the home side were the victims of their own hospitality and over indulged in the 'refreshments' stakes...because after the break it was one-way traffic as Clare build up an 80 IMPs lead.

The Clare side was: Angie and Will, Nick and Jan, Roy and Marion, Dave and Den, Paul and Chris, Ian and Nany.

Clare bridge club members won both the Suffolk Mens and Suffolk Ladies Pairs on Wednesday evening. David and Andrew joined forces to land the mens event while Jane and Elizabeth took the ladies title.

And for good measure, Rui and Steve produced an excellent performance when partnering each other for only the third time to finish third in the men's pairs - the same position achieved by Margaret and Elizabeth in the ladies competition.

* Tony and Allyn finished third in the Ipswich Swiss Pairs at the weekend.

A stunning 70% score by David and John catapaulted them to third spot in the nationwide leaderboard of the EBU Autumn Pairs.   The event attracted 1544 pairs from 81 clubs and the Clare pair were leading for much of the way. To see the full result at Clare click on the 'Latest Result' tab in the right hand column. To see the nationwide results go to http://www.ecatsbridge.com/ and click on 'Sims' then '2011 EBU Autumn Pairs results.'

WINNERS of club competitions during the year were presented with their prizes at Clare's annual general meeting on Monday. The prizewinners were:

Bunny celebrates special birthday

WHEN Bunny Bowers walked into Clare bridge club recently and saw bottles of champagne and glasses on a table he thought someone was in for a pleasant surprise....not realising it was going to be him!

    However, members were not going to let a very special day in the life of the club's oldest member pass without celebration  - and that was ensured by a rendition of Happy Birthday together with a glass of bubbly and a wonderful 90th birthday cake.

   "It was all a big surprise to me," Bunny said. "I walked in and we normally sit quite close to the door. I saw these bottles standing on the table and thought 'someone is in for a surprise' - and it was me."

   Bunny started playing social bridge in the early 1960s. In the 1990s he began playing regularly and started coming to Clare. "I always enjoy coming to Clare; it is a very friendly club."

Ever tried blowing out 70 candles? Here's how you do it...

Adele enjoyed a very special birthday recently - which just happened to coincide with club night at Clare.

   And the event was marked with a special celebration for a player who was not only a founder member of the club but continues to epitomise all that is best about Clare.

   A glass of fizz and a slice of delicious birthday cake, baked by Sarah, came after Adele showed plenty of puff to extinguish the vast number of candles on the cake.

Can you help solve the mystery of the President's missing trophy?

IN 2009 the President's Trophy was won by a team headed by...the club President.

   Unfortunately, the prized trophy, pictured right in the hands of Basil Ambrose at last year's annual meeting and prizegiving, has been temporarily mislaid.

   Nick Farr, the club chairman, explained: "I am trying to track down the President’s trophy as currently its whereabouts are unknown. The last recorded winner appears to be Basil Ambrose & Team but Basil hasn’t got the trophy. If anyone knows where the trophy is can they please let me know asap."