Inter Club Fixtures 2025/26
Division A
12th October 2025 Durham A - Away
Despite having topped Division B by a commanding 19 Victory Points last season, Bishop Auckland are very much the minnows of the top Division with all four of the other clubs having multiple teams in the League. Indeed Brunton have two sides in the top Division and they were pitted against each other in this the first week of the new campaign whilst Bishop made the relatively short trip to Framwellgate Moor to face a strong Durham A side. With a small squad from which to choose and players unavailable, the team was comprised of two regular partnerships in Audrey Bainbridge, captaining the side for the first time with John Dobson and Brian Myers partnering Malcolm Dawson, while the other two partnerships of Roger Carpenter and John Portwood and Allan and David Blackett were relatively untested pairings. However with six of the Bishop team regulars at Durham Bridge Club, this was no trip into the unknown.
And as it turned out this was to be a tight encounter with the slimmest of margins - Durham A finishing only 2 IMPs ahead. However, when converted to Victory Points this translates as a 10 all draw.
The first set of eight boards produced a few minor swings. On Board 3 only Malcolm and Brian got a positive score for Bishop by defeating the opponent's 4 Club contract by one trick. The visiting E/W Pairs both tried the minor suit game and two off vulnerable was sufficient to give Durham 6 IMPs. The next board was no better with the home team chalking up another 7 IMPs with one E/W making a 3NT contract when 5Ds elsewhere went off. However Bishop managed a few plus scores of their own and were only losing by three IMPs at the change.
The next stanza went Bishop's way however, with Boards 13 and 15 showing different ways to earn 14 IMPs - one each way. On Board 13 one Durham Pair bid a small slam in Diamonds. A long time ago someone once said "When God deals you an Ace King it's so you don't have to think about the opening lead!" Unfortunately the hand with Ace and King of Hearts was not on lead and with partner not leading the suit, the slam made. With two 3NT contracts cancelling each other the slam gave Durham the big swing. But two Boards later, the visiting N/S pairings made up for this, when Brian made a 6H slam contract and John and Audrey defeated a doubled 5D contract by six tricks for a combined total of 2,830 points and though the other Durham pairings both made Major suit games with overtricks, this time it was 14 IMPs the other way and with Bishop picking up IMPs on five of the other six boards this set of eight went the way of the visitors by 23 IMPs.
The match swung again with the third set of eight, Durham taking that stanza by 27 IMPs. Modesty (or embarrassment) prevents me from naming the Bishop North who miscounted his hand and opened the bidding with seven points, then ended up in game, doubled and vulnerable and going five off for -1400! Although that hand went for 15 IMPs, a little redemption was gained two boards later with both Bishop N/S pairs doubling the opponents' 5 Club contract and scoring +500 on both tables and thirteen Imps back. However 10 IMPs were lost on both 18 and 19 and going into tea the score stood at 30-23 to Durham.
A steady last round with no Major swings saw Bishop pull back to within 2 IMPs and the 10-10 final result.
Thanks to all who played: Audrey Bainbridge (capt) & John Dobson; Malcolm Dawson & Brian Myers; John Portwood & Roger Carpenter; Allan Blackett and David Blackett.
16th November 2025 Brunton B - Home
Bishop Auckland moved to second place in the top division of the NEBA Inter Club League with a 17-3 victory at Kirk Merrington over a Brunton B side that had travelled down from Gosforth.
While some luck is involved in all forms of Bridge, good judgement and accurate decision making is needed alongside good fortune to be successful and Bishop had a bit of both here.
The Inter Club League is a Teams of Eight competition, played over thirty two boards split into four sets of eight. The visiting team remain stationary, with two pairs N/S and two E/W while the home team pairs alternate, moving tables and switching orientation after every set of eight. At the end of each stanza all four results are combined and converted to IMPs (International Match Points) and while a difference of only ten points can radically affect a pair’s percentage playing Duplicate Pairs, at Imps scoring it is the size of the margin between the two teams that determines the number of IMPs. Bidding and making games and slams, defending correctly to defeat the opposition’s contracts are all important factors.
The first set of eight boards produced little in the way of point swings, with Bishop inching into a 4 IMP lead. While Brunton made 7 IMPs on board 4 the home side were able to pick up 7 IMPs on two of the next three Boards, all four partnerships returning plus scores on Board 5. Two N/S Pairs made 1NT+2 on Board 7, but after Brian opened a 12-14 1NT in the South seat, East decided to double after two Passes and with a poor hand of four points, Brunton West chose to try and rescue partner by bidding his only four card suit leaving East to play in 2♦ with a four - one fit and no card higher than an 8 in the trump suit. This was held to five tricks and +300 to Bishop, whilst on Audrey and John’s table, North miscounted their points, bid Stayman looking for a Heart fit. This allowed Audrey to double for the lead and when North was forced to retreat to 2NT with a combined 21 points the defence took their tricks and defeated the contract for another 100 to Bishop.
Brunton took a slight lead by winning the second set of Boards 9 to 16 by 13-6 for a net 7 IMPs with the only major swing coming on Board 14, where three of the E/W Pairs were able to play in 3NT making 9 tricks. However on Malcolm and Brian’s table, an interference bid of 3♥ headed by the ten after Brian opened 1♠ prevented the home pair from finding the 3NT contract and they tried 5♦ which went one off. So at the half way stage Brunton had a slender lead of 3 IMPs but all that was to change in the third stanza.
Although Brunton picked up a total of 7 IMPs on two boards, Bishop managed 36 on the other six with significant scores of 12, 7 and 15 on Boards 19, 20 and 24.
Points were fairly evenly distributed on Board 19 and after two Passes being non vulnerable versus vulnerable opponents, Malcolm risked a 1NT opening with all his eleven points in the red suits. This was left in and he was able to make for +90. Meanwhile in the same direction the Blackett brothers found a 2♥ contract which also made for +110. In the E/W seats the Bishop pairings also delivered. Alison and Roger played and made 3♠ whilst Audrey doubled North’s opening 1♥ bid, John jumped to 2♠ and although Audrey passed this when South bid 3♥ John was able to bid again to show extra strength. His partner raised to game and they made the contract for +620 making a total of +960 and 12 IMPs.
A further gain of 7 IMPs on Board 20 strengthened Bishop Auckland’s position but the real gain came on Board 24 with another 15 IMPs recorded. The hands were with no-one vulnerable:
West (D) North East South
♠ 10 7 ♠ A Q J 6 3 ♠ 8 4 ♠ K 9 5 2
♥ 8 ♥ K Q 4 ♥ A 2 ♥ J 10 9 7 6 5 3
♦ Q J 8 7 5 4 ♦ K 10 6 3 ♦ A ♦ 9 2
♣ K Q 5 4 ♣ 10 ♣ A J 9 8 7 6 3 2 ♣ VOID
Needless to say the auctions were competitive. After 5♣ had been bid against them Malcolm and Brian played in 5♥ which made for 450, only losing the two red Aces. Brothers Blackett found 5♠ which was doubled but it made when East attempted to cash all three Aces before the defence found their ruffs and another 650 went on the Bishop score. This was matched when Roger and Alison also recorded 650 when their 5♣x also made. Although John and Audrey went one off doubled, this only cost 100 for a total score of 1650.
Bishop went to the tea interval with a healthy lead of 26 IMPs. Thanks to all for another marvellous buffet tea, enjoyed by all before the last stanza.
Brunton got positive scores on half of the last set of eight boards, but this only resulted in a total of 8 IMPs to the visitors. Meanwhile on Board 29 Malcolm and Brian, David and Allan both bid and made game contracts with an over trick whilst Roger and Alison were defending a making 3NT, but on the 4th table Audrey and John were faced with a slam against them. This was makable but Declarer failed to find the correct line, endplayed himself and when he went one off this represented a big swing giving Bishop 10 IMPs when they may have lost 13.
Boards 31 and 32 saw Bishop score another 8 IMPs on each, with two of the home pairs making 300 on 31, when both of the visiting N/S pairs ended up playing in 4♦ after N’s 19 point opening and going three off and the final swing came on Board 32, when Malcolm found himself playing in 3NT. With only ♥ 10 9 4 in his hand and ♥ 7 5 3 in Dummy and with his left hand opponent having shown a five or six card Heart suit in the auction, things were looking bleak when the ♥A was led but as it turned out this ended up guaranteeing the contract when her partner had ♥ Q J doubleton, establishing Malcolm’s ♥ 10 to make with an over trick. The resulting 500 points difference on the combined scores gave the team the 8 IMPs and a final score of 84-40.
Thanks to all who played and for their buffet contributions: Audrey Bainbridge (capt) & John Portwood; Allan & David Blackett; Alison Young and Roger Carpenter; Brian Myers & Malcolm Dawson.
14th December 2025 Darlington A - Away
18th January 2026 Brunton A - Home
1st March 2026 Stannington A - Away
|