Is anyone interested in entering a team into the Worcestershire league this coming season? There are different divisions for all abilities including a no fear section for the less experienced players. it would be great to have some teams representing Bewdley. See information below.

Worcestershire County League Competition

We are inviting entries for this competition. Again, we would like two divisions and a No-Fears League. We would be delighted if we could get even more teams to enter so if you know of anyone who may be interested, please let me know. The County League has always been a sociable as well as a competitive competition and I know that players have enjoyed it greatly in the past. Please therefore consider entering a team.

• Teams can be constituted of four to six players. Please come up with a suitable name. Also, I will need the name of the team Captain who will arrange matches with their opposite number. The Captain’s contact details – phone number and e-mail address is needed.
• I would hope to have sufficient teams for at least 2 Divisions plus a No Fear League. If teams played last year, then their results will determine which Division they are placed in this year with an expectation that 2 teams will be relegated from Division 1 and 2 teams promoted to Division 1. New teams in the Open League will be placed in Division 2 (or possible Division 3 if we have enough teams for 3 Divisions). If we get sufficient new entries for the No Fear League, we may be able to expand that to 2 Divisions.
• The matches can be played Online or Face to Face – this decision should be made by both teams. If you want to play on Realbridge we can provide assistance on setting the match up. In the past the matches have been Face to Face and hosts have tended to supply a supper. Please note that this is not necessary. A drink and a biscuit or piece of cake should suffice. That is not to say that if you wish to display your cordon bleu skills you should not – that is a matter for you – but don’t feel obligated (as a matter of courtesy it might be a good idea to tell the opposition captain of your intentions in regard to refreshments).
• The charge is £10 per team to enter.
• As last year, your team does not have to have players where Worcestershire is the first county of allegiance (Unlike the Green Pointed County KO Teams). We would be happy to include players from outside the County – which is actually more feasible now if playing Online. For instance, I know that Droitwich club regularly has players from all over the Country and very welcome they are too. So, if you have made friends from outside Worcestershire or want to bring in a ‘ringer’ this is your chance. Remember though that some teams may wish to prefer to play Face to Face so you may need to be able to accommodate that.
• So that we can organise the Administration; please enter your team by Wednesday 4^th September 2024 now extended to 11th September.

Once I know how many teams have entered, I will send out a further communication with fixtures etc. So why not enter a team on the attached entry form and send it back to me by Post or e-mail. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me (my contact details are on the Entry form).

Nick Forward

Worcestershire County League Competition - Entry Form

Team Name :………………………………………………………………………………………….

Captains Name:……………………………………………………………………………………...

Team Members……………………………………………………………………………………….

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Starting Preference (Open/No-Fear)…………………………………………………………..

Captain’s phone number and e-mail………………………………………………………….

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Please send your Entry Form to Nick Forward e-mail nforward1@outlook.com

421 Birchfield Road, Webheath, Redditch, Worcs B97 4NF

Tel 07706 115514

Payment of £10 is preferred by direct transfer to HSBC bank, sort code: 401507, account no: 21315781 with the reference LEAGUE. If this is not possible then a cheque made payable to WCBA will need to be posted to the Treasurer.

WCBA Treasurer

Chris Taylor, 19 Victoria Road, Malvern, Worcestershire WR14 2TE

Please note that matches can be arranged Face to Face or On line depending on the preferences of the two teams involved. Over the season (October to April) it would probably entail around 6 matches so the requirement is not especially onerous.

Is anyone interested in entering a team into the Worcestershire league this coming season? There are different divisions for all abilities including a no fear section for the less experienced players. it would be great to have some teams representing Bewdley. See information below. ..........

Here is an update on activities provided by Bewdley Bridge Club and an invitation to you to renew your subscription for the six month period from October 2024 to March 2025.

The club will continue to provide a diverse programme of online bridge using the excellent RealBridge platform.  All three of our weekly duplicate sessions - Monday afternoon, Wednesday evening and Thursday evening - remain popular and provide the opportunity to play friendly but competitive bridge.  We have developed our programme so that it includes Simultaneous Pairs in partnership with E-Cats Bridge, Swiss Pairs and Swiss Teams.  The Club Handicap competition is a far more significant part of the club calendar, played over four quarterly heats throughout the year.  We continue to look for innovative opportunities to develop the club calendar for the enjoyment of members.

We will have periodic sessions of Face To Face Bridge at the lovely setting of Wharton Park Golf Club.  The next such session will be on Wednesday 25 September 2024.  The annual club Christmas Party will be held on Wednesday 11 December 2024.  RealBridge sessions will be provided on these Wednesday evenings for those members unable to attend Face To Face.

In addition, the club provides morning social and teams sessions which remain very popular and which have helped to develop new players to join our ranks.  Table numbers for the Friday Fun sessions continue to grow and these sessions have helped newer players become familiar with duplicate bridge.  Many thanks to Eileen, Sue and others who have helped to develop these sessions.

Club membership is at a record high - 119 members - with every prospect of further membership growth over the coming year.

Many thanks to Eileen for providing the most progressive teaching programme in Worcestershire.  New initiatives will continue to be developed with the aim of widening bridge participation.

This all points to a thriving club.  Our table numbers have remained stable for Wednesday evenings and continue to grow for Thursday evenings.  Friday Fun Bridge continues to grow and Monday afternoon duplicate provides a good setting for improvers to participate in a longer bridge session.  I wish to extend my thanks to all club members for their loyalty and support.  In particular, I wish to thank everyone who continues to assist with club management, not the least those members who have directed online bridge - a thankless task but always delivered professionally.

I am immensely grateful for the support of a superb committee and would wish to thank Eileen, Belinda, Sue, Alan, Jonathan and Candy for their hard work and encouragement.

Club finances are in excellent health and have been expertly stewarded by our Treasurer, Belinda Morgan.  In the context of the strong financial position, I am delighted to report that subscription rates can remain unchanged for the period from October 2024 to March 2025.  Club reserves are strong and remain available to support either unexpected capital expenditure or to support development of new initiatives or opportunities should they emerge.

As with previous six month periods I am inviting you to make a single subscription payment which will cover all bridge to which you have subscribed.  You can choose to purchase a single or multiple weekly subscription for club duplicate sessions.  Also you can purchase single or multiple subscriptions for morning sessions.

The subscription rates for online bridge for the next six months are as follows:-

Duplicate Single Weekly Play £20

Duplicate Multiple Weekly Play £40

Morning Single Weekly Play £5

Morning Multiple Weekly Play £10

So the maximum subscription which would cover every online activity provided by the club would be £50 (which equates to approximately £2 per week).  Your Committee considers that this represents excellent value for money and a statement of our appreciation for the loyalty and support from club members.  I really hope that you will renew your subscription.

Please will you pay your subscription to Bewdley Bridge Club.  The account is a business account and its number is 10301671 with sort code 20-82-70.  Please when making a payment put your name as the transaction reference.

In summary, I wish to repeat my thanks to all club members for their support and I look forward to you renewing your subscription and continuing to participate in the progression of our club.

Kindest Regards,

David Halford

Here is an update on activities provided by Bewdley Bridge Club and an invitation to you to renew your subscription for the six month period from October 2024 to March 2025.

The club will continue to provide a diverse programme of online bridge using the excellent RealBridge platform.  All three of our weekly duplicate sessions - Monday afternoon, Wednesday evening and Thursday evening - remain popular and provide the opportunity to play friendly but competitive bridge. ..........

Latest News - Festival of Bridge Finale - Sunday 15 September 2024

I have been contacted by the EBU giving me details of a special event they will be staging on the above date.

This will be a national competition, staged on RealBridge with a start time of 7pm, played over 20 boards.  The entry fee is £4 with all proceeds going to Cancer Research UK.  Entries can be submitted using the My EBU section of the EBU website.

If any members are interested I can forward the email that I have received from the EBU.  It certainly sounds like an excellent and very worthwhile event

The Festival of Bridge (FoB) is a major initiative promoted by the English Bridge Union and co-ordinated locally by the Worcestershire CBA.  It will be taking place in early September and has two principal objectives.  The first of these is to encourage greater participation in bridge and the second is to raise funding to support Cancer Research UK.  Please see below a Just Giving page which has been set up for Worcestershire bridge players by means of which you can make a donation if you wish.  This is on a strictly voluntary basis.

PLEASE DO NOT USE THE ORIGINAL LINK.

A NEW LINK HAS NOW BEEN CREATED FOR CLUB MEMBERS TO USE FOR DONATIONS

Here is the link https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/worcester-bridge-everywhere-cafe-wbc-bg-cafe-and-worcs-clubs

Our evening duplicate sessions on Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 September will form part of the FoB and notional table money from these sessions will be donated to the charity via WCBA.  These sessions are open to all club members as well as non-members and I really hope that as many members as possible will participate in either or both sessions.  All Bewdley members, regardless of your subscription and your normal preferred playing sessions, are welcome to play in these sessions.  The sessions will be suitable for all levels of experience and it would be great if some of our newer members gave at least one session a try.  At least one of the sessions will be Swiss Pairs.

WCBA have organised a series of initiatives aimed at promoting the game and encouraging wider participation.  All of these initiatives are very praiseworthy and have required significant hard work for the organisers.  

Three cafe bridge events - where bridge is literally played at various coffee shops, etc in a town - have been organised.  The aim is to attract the curiosity of customers at the various events and possibly stimulate an interest in bridge.  The dates of these are Pershore (5 September), Worcester (11 September) and Barnt Green (12 September).

 In addition, WCBA is organising a day of bridge activities to promote the game and encourage people to play.  This is a major event and is planned for Worcester City Centre on Saturday 7 September.  Bridge will be played at a number of high profile locations across the city and this creates a tremendous opportunity to promote the game in general and, I hope, Bewdley Bridge Club.  Any pairs - or even more helpfully foursomes - who would be willing to participate in this event would be really welcome.  I am sure it would be most enjoyable.

 If any member wishes to get involved with any of these initiatives I can help put you in contact with the organisers if necessary.  

Details of all these events are below.

PershoreCafeBridge.pdf

WorcesterCafeFlyer.pdf

BarntGreenCafeBridge.pdf

Worcestershire Contract Bridge Association Worcestershire.pdf

I hope that the FoB is a great success and I am pleased that Bewdley Bridge Club will be making a worthwhile contribution to a very imaginative initiative.

Kindest Regards,

David Halford

Latest News - Festival of Bridge Finale - Sunday 15 September 2024

I have been contacted by the EBU giving me details of a special event they will be staging on the above date.

This will be a national competition, staged on RealBridge with a start time of 7pm, played over 20 boards.  The entry fee is £4 with all proceeds going to Cancer Research UK. ..........

Our session on Wednesday 28 August 2024 will be Swiss Teams.  I have not had time (nor will I have time) to pre-form teams so I would request that members form teams on entering RealBridge.  Please form your team by joining your partner at the lowest available table and you will form a team at that table.  Please try to avoid forming "super teams" as I want everyone to have a good chance of winning the event.

Vicky and Nicola have volunteered to act as host pair to ensure we have a complete number of teams.  Many thanks to them for doing this.

We will play a Swiss movement with 6 x 4 Board Rounds.

Please do not attempt to play in this event if you have any concerns about your IT equipment or internet connection as any problems during the event are infinitely worse to handle for the session director.  Also, please play to a good tempo as movement for the next round is only possible after all players have finished the current round.

The event is open to all club members, regardless of the subscription paid and regardless of the sessions in the week in which an individual member normally plays.

Teams is a superb form of bridge and I look forward to you playing in the event.  For the avoidance of all doubt, players of all experience levels are welcome to play.

Kindest Regards,

David Halford

Our session on Wednesday 28 August 2024 will be Swiss Teams.  I have not had time (nor will I have time) to pre-form teams so I would request that members form teams on entering RealBridge.  Please form your team by joining your partner at the lowest available table and you will form a team at that table. ..........

It is that time of year again when I am planning to run beginners bridge lesson starting in September. The lessons will take place on a Monday morning at 9.30am using a ppt presentation on Zoom. This is followed by bidding and playing on Realbridge with me there to coach and support.

If you have any family or friends you think would like to join in the fun can you please put them in contact with me directly either by email, phone, text or WhatsApp.

eileen@oakleydevelopment.co.uk

Eileen Oakley 07974 743575

It is that time of year again when I am planning to run beginners bridge lesson starting in September. The lessons will take place on a Monday morning at 9.30am using a ppt presentation on Zoom. ..........

A reminder to club members that our duplicate sessions on Monday 1 July, Wednesday 3 July and Thursday 4 July will comprise Simultaneous Pairs (SIMS) events.  The sessions will be held on RealBridge and just follow the usual links to play.  SIMS are sessions where identical boards are played in all the various bridge clubs that have entered the event - usually at least 20 clubs nationally and internationally.  They therefore represent a great opportunity to play competitive bridge in the relaxed setting for which Bewdley is renowned.  The SIMS are managed by E-Cats Bridge, with whom the club has an established long term relationship.

The SIMS sessions are charitable and look to raise funds for very worthwhile causes.  Funds raised from the SIMS will be donated equally to Kidney Research UK and British Heart Foundation.

Please will you make a payment of £4 for each of the above sessions in which you play to Bewdley Bridge Club.  The account is a business account and its number is 10301671 with sort code 20-82-70.  When you make your payment to Bewdley Bridge Club please put your name as the transaction reference.  Bewdley Bridge Club will accumulate these funds and make a single payment to each of the charities that are benefitting from this event.

I would encourage every member to participate in these sessions which represent one of the highlights of the club year.  These are not elite competitions - far rather they are aimed at maximising participation by club bridge players and raising funds for good causes.  You are welcome to play in as many of the SIMS sessions as you would like, regardless of the club subscription which you hold and regardless of the sessions in which you usually play.

I wish everyone playing in the SIMS the very best of luck and look forward to seeing some excellent scores by Bewdley players.

A reminder to club members that our duplicate sessions on Monday 1 July, Wednesday 3 July and Thursday 4 July will comprise Simultaneous Pairs (SIMS) events.  The sessions will be held on RealBridge and just follow the usual links to play.  SIMS are sessions where identical boards are played in all the various bridge clubs that have entered the event - usually at least 20 clubs nationally and internationally. ..........

Firstly, an announcement that the Midland Mixed Teams, CANCELLED which was a success last year, will be running again this year on Saturday 6th July. 

Click here for details of the event

(Please let Eileen know if you are interested and note that all fees will be paid by Bewdley Bridge Club)

Secondly, it has been suggested that the Inter-County League, which currently has three divisions (Dawes, Porter and Markham) should better reflect the membership of the Midlands Counties by including a Nine-High division in addition, ie it should be restricted to pairs with a combined NGS of 106 or less. We would very much welcome your members' views on this proposal.

Firstly, an announcement that the Midland Mixed Teams, CANCELLED which was a success last year, will be running again this year on Saturday 6th July. ..........

Bewdley Bridge Club is holding two Swiss events in June 2024 and details appear below,

On Wednesday 5 June we will be playing Swiss Teams.  In order to play this event we cannot accommodate a half table.  I should therefore be very grateful if a pair who are planning to play next Wednesday could volunteer to act as a host pair, dropping out in the unfortunate event of a half table.  No pair will ever be asked to host more than once.

Teams will not be pre-formed so I would ask members to form teams on entering RealBridge.  Please form your team by joining your partner at the lowest available table and you will form your team at that table.  Please try to avoid forming "super teams" as I want everyone to have a good chance of winning the event.

We will play a Swiss movement with 5 x 4 Board Rounds.

On Thursday 26 June we will be playing Swiss Pairs.  Again a half table is problematic so again I should be grateful if a pair could volunteer to act as hosts for this event.  Similarly the event will be staged over 5 x 4 Board rounds.

Both events are open to all club members, regardless of the subscription paid and regardless of the sessions in the week in which a member normally plays.

Swiss Teams and Swiss Pairs are both superb forms of bridge and I look forward to you playing in these events.  For the avoidance of all doubt, players of all experience levels are welcome to play.

Bewdley Bridge Club is holding two Swiss events in June 2024 and details appear below,

On Wednesday 5 June we will be playing Swiss Teams. ..........

WORCESTERSHIRE CONTRACT BRIDGE ASSOCIATION would like to invite you to play in the Worcestershire Newcomer’s Event THE CHAIRMAN’S CUP. This is a fun event aimed at people taking lessons or who have just started playing duplicate bridge – to be eligible you need less than five year’s playing experience (excluding beginner’s lessons). Players with an NGS greater than 7 and/or previous winners are not eligible to enter. No need to be an EBU member. The event is played at a gentle pace over 18 boards. It will take place on Sunday 7th July 2024 - 2.00 pm start finishing approximately 5.30 pm. At Ombersley Memorial Hall, Sandys Lane, Ombersley, WR9 0DY

Please contact Eileen if you are interested. 

Bewdley Bridge Club will pay all entrance fees.

WORCESTERSHIRE CONTRACT BRIDGE ASSOCIATION would like to invite you to play in the Worcestershire Newcomer’s Event THE CHAIRMAN’S CUP. ..........

Club reserves are strong and remain available to support either unexpected capital expenditure or to support development of new initiatives or opportunities should they emerge.  We are delighted to be in a position to offer reduced subscription rates for the next six months.

As with previous six month periods you are invited to make a single subscription payment which will cover all bridge to which you have subscribed.   You can choose to purchase a single or multiple weekly subscription for club duplicate sessions.  Also you can purchase single or multiple subscriptions for morning sessions.

The subscription rates for online bridge for the next six months are as follows:-

Duplicate Single Weekly Play £20

Duplicate Multiple Weekly Play £40

Morning Single Weekly Play £5

Morning Multiple Weekly Play £10

So the maximum subscription which would cover every online activity provided by the club would be £50 (which equates to approximately £2 per week).  This compares with £70 for the current half year.  Your Committee considers that this represents excellent value for money and a statement of our appreciation for the loyalty and support from club members.  We really hope that you will renew your subscription.

Please will you pay your subscription to Bewdley Bridge Club.  The account is a business account and its number is 10301671 with sort code 20-82-70.  Please when making a payment put your name as the transaction reference.

By payment of this fee members agree to:

• Abide by the club constitution, rules and policies and procedures
• In respect of Data Protection Legislation agree for personal data to be shared as described in the club constitution on the website
• Ensure they have suitable equipment to play online Bridge

Club reserves are strong and remain available to support either unexpected capital expenditure or to support development of new initiatives or opportunities should they emerge.  We are delighted to be in a position to offer reduced subscription rates for the next six months.

As with previous six month periods you are invited to make a single subscription payment which will cover all bridge to which you have subscribed. ..........