The Taunton Bridge Club is affiliated to the Somerset Contract Bridge Association and to the English Bridge Union.

Our club nights are held on Wednesday and Friday evenings in the Catholic Centre, The Mount, Taunton, TA1 3NR. There is ample free parking in the School car park which is adjacent to the Catholic Centre. We have a spare partner rota operating on all club evenings so players without a partner are guaranteed a game. There isn't normally a spare partner on competition evenings/Sims events. We use Bridgemates to score at the table, so results are available at the end of play. We welcome players of all standards - our aim is to help and encourage.

We like to start play at 7pm prompt and therefore arrival before 6.50pm would be appreciated to enable the Director to organise the movement and Bridgemate can be set up.

Do join us! Visitors are very welcome.

Our Club Annual General Meeting will take pace on Friday 11th. November starting please at 6.30pm. Remind yourself of the minutes from last year's AGM by using your password to link in to our Minutes Archive 2015. 

Click here to see the agenda. 

The new revised County Five Tiered Interclub Championship (sounds very grand!) starts with the restricted three tired pairs section on Sunday November 6th. ONLY PLAYERS BELOW THE RANK OF NATIONAL MASTER ON JULY 1st. ARE ELIGIBLE! So, if that's you, please consider entering as we would like as many pairs as possible to support our club in this event. Many of our usual entrants for this revised event are no longer eligible, so WE NEED YOU PLEASE! Pairs will be divided into three sections depending on their current NGS ranking, so you will be competing against players with similar standard to you. Caroline worries about that bit. All you do is enter! Those in the lower tier will also be eligible for the Lundie Rees Trophy. This was presented to the County in memory of Lundie Rees hoping to encourage less experienced payers.   

Points will be allocated to each club depending on the results in each tier. This will be rolled on and added to the similar two tiered team event in the New Year.  

So...please write Sunday, November 6th. Woolavington, 1.45pm for 2pm start, in your diary, find a partner, tell Lesley who will enter you. The club pays your entry fee, and you pay for tea + admin.  

Thursday was Party night for our Improver's last night with Colin, Lesley and Yours Truly. After two years, we feel that in order to  improve further they now need to move into our club and play with and against different people! A nervous time for them all. Do you remember all those years ago when you first walked into a new club? Daunting! We welcome them into our family and hope they can enjoy their bridge as much as we all do. 

For our last session, Colin planned an individual competition. We three were there, Chairperson David came, but we ended up needing an extra player, so phone call to James who came to the rescue. None of we five were anywhere near top! Well done Improvers. Marion did her usual magic organising lovely nibbles and drinks, and Colin, Lesley and myself were presented with lovely goodies and cards to show our Improver's appreciation for the last two years. Thankyou. And Welcome! 

The Walter Scott Memorial Trophy is now part of our annual calendar and this year it didn't disappoint. THANKYOU for supporting it. For many years, Walter was a well known and loved teacher in Taunton. With ten teams and no more than one pair with their rank above Regional Master allowed, it was a very close run thing. At half time the range of points was very low, with +15 at the top, down to - 21 at the bottom.....so all to play for after the biscuit sugar boost at half time! Change it did - dramatically. Well played the winners........Anne and Jennie McD, and Sue and Mike. The top three places could have gone either way! And.........Walter taught Mike to play!

Our Team of Eight travelled North to compete in the Garden City Trophy Final. Playing against some of the top teams in the country, they came fourth out of eight teams, winning four matches and only just losing a fifth. Well done to Colin and Rob, Richard and Norman, Sheila and Roger, and JackieW and Heinz - who stepped in to the breach to complete the team!

And.....a note from Colin.......There were lots of slams. On this hand:  ♠  Q 8 7 5,  ♥  A K J 8 7 5 4,  ♦  A,  ♣  7,  the hearts never got mentioned!
Partner overcalled the 3♦ opener with 3♠. The most practical bid now is 4NT, Key Card Blackwood and partner shows three 'Aces'.
That must be the A♣ and A, K♠ and, with a 9-card fit in spades, 7♠ must be odds on. It duly rolled home for a good swing to Taunton.

Colin

♠♥♦♣