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Lots of exciting news for the Club next year firstly though,

Evening Sessions

We understand the evenings are now drawing in but the committee would love to see more of you particularly to strengthen the attendance on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday Evenings.

Remember there is always a warm welcome for all members

Rose Bowl Competition

Due to a problem on Thursday 4th December this competition will now take place on Thursday 11th December at 2pm. All those members who attended on 4th December will be credited with their payment.

This is a competition open to all abilities but you must be over 60 years of age. So all you young things will just have to wait until you are eligible!!

Pat's Perfectly Peculiar Christmas Party

Friday, 12^th December 6.45pm

Bags of fun and Christmas Cheer and a cheeky glass of wine!

This is a fun night of bridge and every level of ability is very welcome.

Each player will need to bring a bag with three unwrapped presents (think stocking fillers - a bottle of wine will be provided) and a sense of humour!

£6.00 entry fee to be paid to Russell/Ashley or Petra. Be sure to add your name to the list

Saturday Night Bridge

13th December at 7.15pm

Please note this is the 2nd Saturday in the month due to the Christmas lunch.

We will be reverting back to the 1st Saturday in 2026

Cup for Clubs

14^th December 2025 at Barleylands

In previous years we have entered teams to represent our Club with some great success and we would like to enter another team (or 2 or even 3!)

Each member of the team must be a Jack or below and be prepared to play 30 boards. As you are representing the club the entrance fee will be covered by the club.

Please reply to this email if you and your partner would like to take part.

   Teams League Update 

The third instalment of the club's teams league took place on Sunday Nov 9th and it seemed to be enjoyed by the participants. The team of Lesley Buckley, Elaine Tucker and Ann and John Davison was victorious. This lifted their squad to second place in the table, close behind the leaders being the squad led by Mark Hopkins. In third place Nigel and Sally Riley's crew are a few points behind.

The committee is pleased with the trial and is hoping that it can be carried on in 2026, so, that is the intention and shortly an entry sheet will appear on the noticeboard inviting members to sign up. The competition is open to everyone. One of the pleasing aspects of the trial is that there have been more experienced and newer members mixing well and we hope this will carry on.

We want lots of teams so, look out for the entry sheet and add your name. If you wish to be with one or more other people, make it clear that you are wanting to be together. We can't absolutely guarantee that your wishes will be fulfilled (we want the squads to be fairly even) but we anticipate that generally we can oblige.

It has been decided that results will stay within the club so, no master points and no effect on NGS. Also we intend to retain the  Sunday/Wednesday timings and to have squads of at least six players to provide flexibility.  

Closing Times

24th December - Closed

25th December - Closed

26th December - Closed

27th December - Closed

28th December - Closed

29th December - Normal Session

30th December - Normal Session

31st December - Closed

1st January - Closed

Sessions will resume as normal from 2nd January with Saturday Night Bridge on 3rd January

New for 2026

Relaxed Sunday Afternoon Bridge

From 25^th January 2026 we will be holding Sunday afternoon bridge starting at 2.00pm

All members of all abilities will be very welcome. There will be no NGS ranking nor Master Points.

This will be something to look forward to in the New Year.

Joan Parr Competition

Sunday, 18^th January 2026 at 10.30am

This is an all day event with a light lunch provided

A list will go up nearer the time, please be sure to add your name.

As a Christmas treat, we are giving you not one but two top tips this month (I know, I know, we are spoiling you!)

Top Tip #1 If a dummy does not place cards correctly, it can lead to irregularities in the game. The dummy's role is to play the cards as directed by the declarer, and if dummy is displayed incorrectly so that all the cards are not visible or a card is in the wrong suit, this is an irregularity and if, as a result, the defenders are damaged, redress should be applied by the director.

Simply, any tricks that were won that would not have been won in normal play will be transferred because there is no responsibility in law for the defending side to count the cards in dummy. Redress is appropriate because if an irregularity damages the defenders, equity should be restored. For those interested in the detail Laws 12A1, 41D, and 64B and C apply.

Top tip #2 A player can take as long as they like when deciding whether to bid. However, if your partner hesitates for a long time and then passes, you know that he has values and is close to bidding. You must not use this information.

Any bid you make must be based solely on the cards you hold. If you bid, resulting in your opponents receiving a bad score, they can call the director.

If the director decides that the hesitation occurred and that there was a reasonable alternative (usually a pass) to the bid you made, the director will give an adjusted score. The directors decision to give an adjusted score does not imply that you were cheating, nor that your partner was at fault for hesitating.

We now have a club Facebook page. If you are a member of Facebook, please 'like', 'follow' and 'share'. This will help to promote our club and attract new members.