This is the website for inter-club duplicate tournaments, held with a 6.35pm prompt start on the 3rd Tuesday of most months at the Athenaeum Club in London's Pall Mall.  Dinner is held at around 8.30pm, shortly after the mid-point for the evening's hands.

Members of a St James's or other kindred club wishing to play in these sessions should contact Christina Hemmett at Christina@hellenist.org.uk. Players are requested not to invite professionals as partners.

Sir Basil Hall Trophy

The Sir Basil Hall Challenge Trophy is awarded to the player with the highest average percentage score over their best five Interclub appearances during the season, not more than three of which are with the same partner and subject to a minimum of five appearances. The winner must be a current member of a St James's or kindred club. A list of previous winners is available on this website. 

The picture above shows Gregory Stone, the winner for the 2024-2025 season, being presented with the Trophy by chairman John Neilson at the annual dinner held on 2 December 2025.

Visiting pairs swept the board at the November Interclub event, occupying the first four places on the leaderboard. Top spot went to Andrea Geser (RAC) and Malcolm McIvor (O&C). Congratulations to them. Special thanks go to Tim Smith (Savile) who came in as a late entrant to partner our multi-tasking TD, Gitte Hecht-Johansen, thereby avoiding the inconvenience of a sit-out table. 

Pivot Teams

Eleven teams from four different St James's clubs competed in this annual event on 16 December 2025. There was little to separate the top teams when dinner was taken but in the second half the Oxford and Cambridge quartet romped home to win by a clear margin. Athenaeum teams finished in second and third places. Congratulations to Malcolm McIvor, Andrea Geser, Gary Stevens and Philip Meats who went away with the champagne prizes. Our thanks, as aways, go to  Gitte  who coped admirably with a complicated movement and to the Club catering staff who provided a splendid festive dinner.

The spirit in which this event is always played belies the view which a Sunday Times editorial expressed about our game a few years ago: 'What seems at first sight to be a genteel diversion for the leisured bourgeoisie hides a ruthless battle for supremacy. It is cage fighting for sherry drinkers'.  (Old game, new tricks. Sunday Times 30 May 2021).

Centenary Cup

A relatively inexperienced Athenaeum team participated in the RAC's Centenary Cup competition on 19 May 2025. This was a day when established partnerships prevailed and The Athenaeum sadly finished the event propping up the rest of the table. The Cup was won by Phyllis Court Club from Henley, newcomers to the St James's bridge scene. 

St James's Bridge Drive

It was the Carlton Club's turn to host the 2025 Bridge Drive, organised with aplomb, as usual, by Victor Lesk. From a full complement of forty pairs the winners were  Paul Weston and Lester Pereira of the RAC.  Four Athenaeum members finished in the top ten places. The evening concluded with a fine dinner in the Churchill Room.