| Paignton 2019 – Never mind the weather ... |
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In spite of the gale-force winds and torrential rain forecast for the Saturday, around nine tables of members (plus several non-playing other halves) converged on the Redcliffe Hotel, Paignton, on what was to have been Brexit Day, for another very enjoyable weekend of bridge and social activity in very pleasant surroundings. As we've come to expect, Christine and Stuart organised things perfectly, even adapting Saturday's programme to include the Rugby World Cup Final. From the Friday early evening welcome drinks through to Sunday lunch, a great time was had by all. Our thanks to Christine and Stuart - and to everyone who came along to support this very enjoyable event.
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| A taste of Paignton 2019 |
 Friday afternoon ...
We arrived at the Redcliffe on Friday afternoon, in time for a windswept stroll along the sands.
6.00. Time for our welcome drink in the bar, followed by dinner in the restaurant.
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 ... and evening
Our first game of bridge, in the form of the Welcome Pairs.
The winners were Liz and Terry, seen here with Chief Tournament Director Trevor and their prizes.
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 Saturday morning and early afternoon
Free until 4.30 ... apart from the small matter of England vs South Africa. After which disappointment, we congratulated Graeme Dalrymple on a well-earned victory and the keener amongst us moved back to the bridge room for an optional Eastbourne-style Discuss last night's hands session, with James Dunlop again as our resident expert. As last year, James provided some excellent and amusing insights, pitching things just right for a very diverse audience. Many thanks, James.
It was left to the more adventurous and hardy among us to brave the stormy weather during the afternoon, though few ventured further than Brixham ...
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 Saturday afternoon & evening
At 4.30 we took our places for the first two 5-board rounds of the Swiss Pairs.
Then a(nother!) free drink in the bar, followed by dinner and ...
... the competition continued for a further four rounds, finishing just in time for MOTD and (for those with stamina) a post-mortem back in the bar. The winners were Audrey and Stephen.
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 Sunday
A slightly earlier start, to allow us to play our Teams match before lunch.
The winners were Anne, David, Jane and Trevor. Trevor presented prizes to his team-mates before awarding one to himself!
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It remained only to squeeze ourselves into a group photo, thank our hosts for a job very well done and enjoy a traditional Sunday lunch, before making our way back to Bath.
Chris J
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