Congratulations to Sean Callery and Scott Orchard for winning the Frank Scouse Cup with a score of 2,440 with Ann Mahoney and Richard Middleton as runners-up on 2,110. We were pleased to have Jean Scouse as our guest playing with Joan Thomas who came third with 1,570 points.

This compares with last year with a closer result when Joan Broady and Rosemary Shirt won with 1,510 followed by Richard Goulden & Laval Edouard on 1,430.

There seem (based on the score cards) to have been less games around this year, one in each board set as compared with seven in 2023. Based on a double dummy analysis (similarly to 2023), board 10 offered a small slam (bid by none) and) board 19 a grand slam both to E-W – bid for 12 tricks but making 13 by only one pair.

Richard Goulden and Laval Edouard were especially unlucky this year by having almost no opportunities for a game themselves whilst five were made against them, though fortunately the slam on board 19 was not bid as such!

Congratulations to the Bloxham team, (Wendy Dickins, Richard Goulden, Laval Edouard and Roger Dadd) who were runners up in a local teams competion at King's Sutton on Tuesday 24th October with the other Bloxham team (Joan Thomas, Jane Cox (guest), Richard Middleton and Jürgen Fricke) eighth out of twelve. Other teams competing were from King's Sutton (three teams), Buckingham (three), Quainton (two). Bicester and Summertown who were the winners.by a comfortable margin.

This is an annual event titled the "Challenge Cup" run by King's Sutton which Bloxham entered for the first time last year when the winner were Buckingham. This was a first time for Suumertown. Pevious winners have included Bicester, King's Sutton and Banbury who only play online now. 

Congratulations to Wendy for wining the Ron Peace Cup on Thursday 19 October, named after the principal founder of the club, in the 30^th year since the first competition for it. This event has always been for individual Chicago, a format it now seems strange to recall was used regularly once or twice a month before the club played duplicate and when members played without prearranged partners. The last time there was a competition for it was 2019 when Jean Scouse won.

The result was quite tight for the format of play with hand-by-hand dealing (60 such over the event 15 of them resulting in made games). There were 12 players and five rounds of four hands. Wendy had 3,850 points, Jürgen 3,710, Sean 3,260 and Chris 2,230.

Chris had produced table cards showing players and moves for the three tables and a scheme for coping with sit-outs for one or two extras. The latter was not required following two last minute cancellations. All players had five different partners determined by the table cards showing moves starting from positions drawn by lot. Nevertheless, several regular partnerships played one of the five rounds together – the luck of the draw.

Roger presented the rather nice silver cup to Wendy.