SpadeHeart 
Bridge at The Athenaeum
 DiamondClub
Release 2.19r
Recent Updates
Home Page
18th Jun 2025 10:04 BST
Bulletin
15th Jun 2025 18:02 BST
News Archive
20th May 2025 15:34 BST
0 0 0 0 0 0
Pages viewed in 2025
Bulletin
Athenaeum members who wish to discuss playing bridge at the Club should contact John Neilson at johnneilson@blueyonder.co.uk. 
Duplicate bridge on is played on Tuesday evenings to which members are able to invite guests. Dinner (optional) is at 6.30pm and play starts promptly at 7.15pm.   
On 5 March 2024 Catherine Rice-Evans and Rex Goad won with a superb score of 78.41 per cent. This is believed to be a record score for our regular Tuesday event. It will be a difficult target to beat.
 
 
Club Matches
 
Royal Automobile Club  v Athenaeum 26 February 2025
This is another traditionally tough fixture for us, given the RAC's enviably deep pool of talented bridge players. However on this occasion the RAC team was slow off the grid and The Athenaeum had built up a substantial lead before dinner. The home team rallied in the second half but not enough to prevent us winning by a comfortable margin of 23 IMPs. The match was played in the usual convivial spirit.
Our team was:
John Neilson and Nita Wheeler
Charles King-Farlow and Howard Salter
Catherine Rice-Evans and Rex Goad
James Cooper and Geoffrey Lloyd
 
Athenaeum v Hurlingham 27 March 2025
This was the Hurlingham's first visit to The Athenaeum and they must have been pleased with the result, a win by 1 IMP, secured over the last 2 boards. The Athenaeum team looked well set when dinner was taken but had another post-prandial relapse which on this occasion cost us the match. Congratulations to the visitors who clearly had more stamina than we did. We look forward to visiting the Hurlingham's elegant riverside home next year when we hope to get a better result.
Our team was:
John Neilson and Nita Wheeler
Andrew Harris and Howard Salter
Catherine Rice-Evans and Rex Goad
James Cooper and Geoffrey Lloyd
 
Athenaeum v House of Lords 14 May 2025
This match traditionally starts with a sumptuous tea, the standard having been set by Their Lordships in the early days of the fixture. We soon found that the House of Lords team, boosted by a reinforcement or two, were also setting the standard at the bridge table. Gaining a lead of 3 IMPs in the first half they extended this to run out winners by 20 IMPs. Our team again showed a lack of stamina and will clearly have to undergo fitness training if we are to win matches with a better second half performance. We were represented by John Neilson and Nita Wheeler, Andrew Harris and Charles King-Farlow, Catherine Rice-Evans and Rex Goad and Howard Salter and Geoffrey Lloyd
 

Welcome to Bridge at The Athenaeum
Inter-Club Duplicate at the Athenaeum
Inter-Club Duplicate at the Athenaeum

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 John Neilson, winner for the 2023-2024 season, being presented with the trophy by Geoffrey Lloyd, the previous year's winner, at the Bridge Circle's annual dinner held on 3 December 2024.

Dark horses Terence Stephenson and Fauzia Crockford won the June Interclub event, with Greg Stone and Randa Snow in second place. Bill Shanahan remains top of the leaderboard but Greg has reduced the deficit. The result of the July event is going to be decisive. 

St James's Bridge Drive

Congratulations to Catherine Rice-Evans who, with her partner, and husband, Rex Goad (O&C) won this year's St James's Bridge Drive with an impressive score of 70.35 per cent. This is a fitting reward for Catherine and Rex who pioneered the bridge drive which has proved such a popular event and which has now completed 14 cycles. It was a good day for The Athenaeum with five of the top ten pairs containing at least one club member. 

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. 

 

 

 

 

Results
Interclub Bridge
Director: Gitte
Scorer: Gitte
Athen
Athen
Calendar
15th Jul 2025
Interclub Bridge
18.35