Happy New Year to you all and hope 2025 is a wonderful twelve months for everyone.

Penny Hodgson and Caroline Connor would like to introduce ourselves as the new Roving Reporters for the Bradgate Bridge club.

We would like you to tell us about the Bridge holidays you enjoy or recommend at home or abroad. It would also be nice to hear from any of our newer student members who are coming up through the classes and beginning to join the tables. Let us know about  your successes (or otherwise!) at the many Bridge events that some of you take part in, either online or in person.

It is not just bridge news that we would like to hear. Maybe you have made a notable achievement in another field that you would like to share with members or celebrated a newsworthy birthday or anniversary. This is your opportunity to send your news to the club so that we all get to know each other a bit better during the coming year as the club continues to thrive and grow.

You can contact us either in person at the Club or via email.

We'd like give a big thank you to the dedicated team of teachers and buddies who make our teaching classes possible.

Also, congratulations to our member Lucy Pathan and her husband Dick for winning the LCBA’s Hyman Crammer Trophy, (representing County), and congratulations to Anne Wright and Philip Harrison, and Gary Jones and Margaret Butterworth for being in the top half of the competition for Bradgate.

Taking part in any competition is a great way to broaden your Bridge experience for players at all levels either at the table or online.

The National One Day Online Green Point event is being hosted on Real Bridge on January 26th. Good luck to Pauline and John Dignan who are taking part in this, and to everyone else taking part in any competition.

Just a quick reminder that the closing date for the Pairs League is coming up soon on January 19th, this is a friendly event played over 5 nights during the next few months.

We would also like to draw your attention to the Wilde Cup on February 25th in the afternoon at the County club, this is aimed for lower ranked players (NGS8 or below) and the cup has been held by several Bradgate teams in the past so please think about giving it a go.

Please also look at the websites and David Pollard’s email for forthcoming competition events. Remember the saying “you have to be in it, to win it” and even if you don’t win, hopefully you will enjoy taking part.

If this cold weather is making your thoughts turn to holidays, here are a few ideas for you. Anne Wright works as a host for First for Bridge and she will be with them in Malta in February, Majorca in March and Turkey in November. If you are interested in any of these or other holidays abroad or in England, please ask Anne for a brochure. Anne is also hosting (and Steve directing) for the County Bridge club holiday in March (10th-14th) at Mackeney Hall, just north of Derby. There are still a few places left and Bradgate players would be very welcome. See the County Bridge club for details.

Thank you for everyone who has suggested topics for this quick news update and please keep the suggestions coming.

What a busy club we are, it seems that two or more of our members are playing Bridge somewhere, either at the table or online every day of the week. So it is inevitable that if we report on some of these events then some people will get left out of a mention so we apologize if that includes you. We congratulate all of you who take part in these games, including the many team events as well.

Last fortnight seemed to be a particularly busy time. John Dignan and Jim Wilkinson were playing in an online Green point event and there are many similar events organised by the EBU if you are interested.

Some of our members took part in the quarter-final of the LCBA’s Butterworth Langley trophy and a team including Richard Bell, Anne & Steve Wright narrowly beat the team that included Debbie Pullen & Graham Kendal.

Elsewhere in the County match against Staffs/Shrops the Markham Team including Judith Simpson, Mark Wiggins, Pauline Dignan, Val Rees, Paul Anderson and Susie Perrett won 13-7.

The Porter Team including Richard Rees and Phil Harrison, Lucy Pathan and Duncan Jones were less fortunate, losing 7-13. But Richard and Phil can console themselves with being Leicestershire's 3rd best pair overall.

On a social note many congratulations to the family of Duncan Jones. His daughter Louise who is the MP for North East Derbyshire has recently become engaged to Dr Jeevun Sandher, who some of you will know is the MP for Loughborough. They met on the campaign trail and we wish them every happiness for their future together.

What a busy club we are, it seems that two or more of our members are playing Bridge somewhere, either at the table or online every day of the week. So it is inevitable that if we report on some of these events then some people will get left out of a mention so we apologize if that includes you. We congratulate all of you who take part in these games, including the many team events as well.

Hi folks, more success stories to report and many congratulations to all of you who enter any pairs or team competitions and do so well. (Sorry if we don’t get to report them all, we can only include those we hear about.) A particular mention must be made this time of the EBU Online Green Point for 2024 event which attracted over 500 people, including some of our members. Many congratulations to Mark Wiggins and Judy Simpson who were ranked 27th in this huge field and Judy was 2nd overall in the C Stratification strand, a wonderful achievement. We also had success further afield with Mark and Kerry Taylor, who were on a Bridge holiday in Tenerife recently, winning the championship pairs event held over 2 nights. Well done to them.

We all know that there are many weird convention names in Bridge and we wonder where some of them come from. A new one to us was in this month’s English Bridge magazine; the ‘Goldilocks’ bid ? This is a bid that “is not too weak and not too strong” for example a raise from one heart to three hearts, it’s about striking the optimal balance for your hand.

Also in the magazine is a timely reminder to show our appreciation for our club directors; they all do an incredible job and we are very fortunate to have Steve on Monday evenings and the team on Wednesday afternoons. So please remember to call them as soon as anything untoward happens. It is why they are there and most problems can be sorted out at the table.

Finally for those of you who like a drink either before or after a game of Bridge, you might like to know that The Woodman’s Stroke, next to Rothley church (aka “The Woodies”) has been voted the best pub in Leicestershire, so why not check it out sometime.

Also please be aware that the Rothley crossroads where all the roadworks are happening is currently closed and diversions are in place.

We are in the throes of competition season but we wanted to wish Good Luck to everyone taking part in the Wilde Cup on Tuesday. For some of our members this will be their first experience of taking part in a competition and we hope that have fun. If you do that then you can't lose.

Also, as many of our members are keen crafters we thought that you might be interested to know that John and Pauline Dignan's daughter Zoe Gibbons has been nominated in a shortlist of 20, for the prestigious The Broderers' Exhibition 2025 Viewers' Choice Award! If you would like to see her piece, click the link below and please feel free to vote for her. Viewers' Choice Award 2025 - The Broderers' Exhibition 2025: The Art of Embroidery.

Please keep letting us know of any interesting news.

As we move into March and slowly put winter behind us (hopefully), there is lots happening in our Bridge diaries.

Firstly congratulations to the team winning the Wilde Cup a couple of weeks ago. It is nice to see more Bradgate names joining others on the silverware, especially first time competitors Caroline Connor and Sarah Braithwaite; with Jim Wilkinson and John Dignan.

Many members have qualified for the Midland regional final heats of the National Pairs competition to be held either on Real Bridge or BBO.

Heats have also been held for the Gimson Trophy, the Premier pairs’ competition of the LCBA, named after its first Chairman David Gimson which has been held since 1948. The current holders are Bradgate members Richard Rees and Phil Harrison. We wish everyone taking part in these events and others, lots of luck, whether online or at the tables.

Sadly a few members have had less luck recently, with at least three members including Penny suffering falls. These sudden accidental falls are more common as we get older and we don’t bounce back so easily! I would urge any members living on their own to seriously think about getting one of the safety alarm bracelets for peace of mind. Some of these also have an ‘automatic fall alert’ and could be life- saving. One or two other members are unwell and it is sad to see occasional ‘gaps’ at the club. Many thanks to Margaret Butterworth who kindly sends cards to these people. When you are recuperating it is so nice to get calls and messages to remind you that you are missed and your friends at Bradgate Bridge club are thinking of you. Hope everyone gets better soon so they can return to Bridge.

Many thanks to everyone who came to the Charity Pairs event on Monday night. The extra table money, matched by the club, came to £200 for the Heart-wize charity, the organisation that provided our valuable first aid training. Congratulations to the winning couple who won the handicapped Charity Pairs cup, Gilly Walton and Susie Tyler.

Good luck to all those who are taking part in events during April, including the national pairs regional finals and the Gimson trophy. Some of these events are held online, either BBO or Real Bridge and we understand that less of you are now willing to play on these platforms, but please don’t rule them out. This includes the Corwen 9 high Qualifier on April 15th which as yet has no entries from Bradgate Bridge club, so please think about it if you are eligible.

There is also the annual Chicago Knockout coming up which we would encourage you to enter. This is a home-play event during the spring and summer months and is usually a lot of fun and a chance to meet other members on a more informal basis. Members can partner a non-member so please see if you can find someone to play with.

As we head firmly into spring many of us are starting to plan holidays either abroad or in this country and we would love to hear about your ‘Bridge on vacation’; whether you come top in Tenerife or second in Suffolk. Equally if you just meet nice people playing Bridge on a cruise ship or wherever please let us know. Also share any other holiday anecdote, like the time some years ago when Penny bumped into Phil Watts on Crete! They were staying in different resorts but just happened to be in the ferry queue to go across to the fascinating island of Spinalonga, the former leper colony.

Other non-Bridge news as congratulations go to Jill Bentley who has been awarded Honorary Life Membership of Leicester Symphony Orchestra after 45 years of playing the violin with them. She still plays the double bass in a less demanding orchestra, well done Jill.

Greetings fellow Bridge players; sorry there has been a bit of a gap in our reporting over Easter. Penny has just returned from a few weeks in Australia, catching up with family and seeing some of the fascinating flora and fauna that New South Wales has to offer. Take a look at the photo of the creature that she found on the beach and see if you know what it is? No prizes for guessing correctly, and the answer will be given next time. Penny didn’t get a chance to play Bridge down under on this trip but we’re sure that some of you have played in different clubs recently and we would love to hear about your experience. Of course we are all getting a chance this month to play at different venues while the Rothley centre is unavailable and meet new people at the tables, which is always part of the pleasure of playing Bridge.

Please let us know if any of you are thinking of going on the BMB holiday in November to Kinsale near Cork. It is a beautiful part of Southern Ireland as Penny can testify as her brother lives there, across the harbour on the headland of Scilly. As you sit on the terrace of the Trident Hotel there are stunning views across the water.

Nearer to home we would like to report about the success of Bradgate teams in the NICKO competition. The EBU runs a National Inter-club Knockout competiton. The last time Bradgate entered was in 2011 when the team beat Nottingham A in the first round but fell at the second hurdle. Fast forward 14 years and we thought we would give it another go and entered two teams. There were 150 entries from clubs all over the country and both teams got straight through to the Plate completion after the first round ( a polite way of saying we both lost our first round matches!)

The Bradgate A team (Richard Rees, Phil Harrison, Dick Bell and Anne Wright) had a bye through to the 2nd round of the Plate but were beaten in a very friendly match hosted by Worcester – it was close at half-time but they succumbed after an excellent half time meal and lost the second half. The Bradgate B team ( Val Rees, Pauline Dignan, Mark Wiggins and Judy Simpson) have fared better – they beat Kettering A in their on-line match (they were ahead at half-time and were awarded a walk-over when Kettering messed up the movement in the second half) They were then drawn against Altrincham B in the last 32 ( also played online). A very tight contest saw them win by 4 IMPs (they were level with just 3 boards to play) which puts them through to the last 16. We don’t know yet who they will play but congratulate them for getting this far and wish them lots of luck in the next round. WATCH THIS SPACE!

Also starting soon will be the much less stressful Chicago knockout competition. We hope that those who have entered this fun event have found the details of the draw on the website and know who they are playing against. Usually the first pair listed are the host couple and the four players arrange a time and date to suit themselves and play 24 rounds ( unless they have agreed beforehand to only play 20). Good luck to everyone especially those playing in this event for the first time. As our diaries start to fill up with summer trips and holidays we hope you all stay well and continue to enjoy your Bridge.

The Bradgate spring ‘tour’ has come to an end as we are returning to the Rothley centre from the beginning of June, hopefully until the end of November at least. In the meantime we should thank all the people who have worked so hard to make our various temporary arrangements possible to keep our Bridge sessions open. Primarily this has been all our hard working committee who do so much behind the scenes for the club. Particular thanks to Jim Wilkinson, the kit manager, who has been responsible for carting & storing all the equipment around in the boot of his car. Thanks also to the volunteers who have continued to do their host and kitchen duties when required.

We are grateful to the County club for their kind hospitality and we hope members enjoyed using their excellent facilities and playing with some different people. It was interesting to play at Thrussington and Woodhouse Eaves Village Halls, but we are sure that everyone will be glad to return to the familiarity of the Rothley Centre. It has made many of us appreciate how much effort from many people is needed to run our club, so if you can help in any way please do offer.

Bridge Holiday

In May, 48 students, teachers and others associated with Charnwood Bridge Teachers had a highly successful 3-day spring Bridge break at the Double Tree by Hilton in Stratford. There were relaxed duplicate sessions on the first afternoon and on two of the evenings and a team event, which was a new venture for many, on the middle evening. Guidance and encouragement were provided by Brian, as a non-playing director, assisted by Ruth. Brian also gave two amusing bridge seminars with the help of William Shakespeare. Continuing the Stratford theme, several of the attendees took the opportunity to go to the RSC theatre on the spare afternoon to see a modern interpretation of ‘Much ado about nothing’.

The break ended too soon for many and they all came away having had an excellent weekend of Bridge, relaxing and chatting with friends over an evening drink, in a hotel which met all their expectations…. so much so that they have already booked again for next year. This event was over- subscribed so if you are interested in joining them next year please speak to Ruth or Richard for further details and get your name down NOW!

As we head towards summer and holidays, a reminder to let us know if you play Bridge while you are away and tell us about your experience.

Finally if you are interested, the first and only correct answer to the picture quiz in the last report was by Ray who recognised the beach find as a ‘mermaid’s purse’ or the horn shark egg of a Port Jackson shark in Australia.

Good luck to those playing in the Chicago knockout and other competitions.

The game of Bridge is a partnership played by two people against two other people.

I have been reminded of this recently while I have been watching the tennis at Wimbledon. Like many of you I have been thrilled by the exciting play on the courts and been struck by the relationship of the doubles players. They communicate so well with each other, both before and during the play. We should remember this when we sit opposite our partners at the Bridge tables. Do we try hard in the bidding to tell our partner as much as possible about our hand, and more importantly recognise what they are telling or asking us and respond accordingly? Then during the play do we watch each other’s signals whether it be attitude or count or discard information? These important clues are what separate the really good players from the rest of us and contribute so much to success whether in declarer play or defence.

Talking of success, the Bradgate B team continue to proceed in the NICKO Plate competition, they played in a beautiful old farmhouse in deepest Worcestershire and won comfortably and are now drawn against Richmond B in the quarter final, good luck for the next battle.

Some of you may remember in the good old days when we were spoilt by the services of Sylvia and Vince in the kitchen. They provided all the refreshments, even knowing some of the regular ‘orders’ and doing all the clearing up afterwards. Sylvia celebrated her 100th birthday on June 21st and is still mentally very sharp and reminisced on those times with Pauline Dignan and Margaret Butterworth who attended the celebration.

Now we have to fend for ourselves and the club very much appreciates all the help from volunteers who regularly turn up and take turns to be the ‘tea monitors’ on Monday evenings and Wednesday afternoons. Likewise the many others who keep the club running, whether collecting the money, acting as directors or hosts or doing the scoring. We also need help to put out the tables etc and then put everything away again. So if you are reading this and can help in any way please come forward and offer your help. Thank you.

Huge congratulations to the Bradgate B team who are successfully through to the semi-finals of the NICKO plate competition. This event, the National Inter-club Knockout, is a highly prestigious EBU contest with some of the top clubs in the country. Our team, Val Rees, Pauline Dignan, Mark Wiggins and Judy Simpson played Richmond B last Sunday. It was a long match, over 32 boards and fairly close all the way through. However in the end they won by the extremely narrow margin of 90 IMPs to 88, you couldn’t get much closer. Their competitors were from Richmond Bridge club which on its website lists itself as the most popular and successful EBU affiliated club in the country, quite a boast. We wish our team all the very best for the next round.

Nearer to home, the Chicago matches continue and we are now in the quarter final stages; each round is played as one pair against another and it can get a bit disheartening. When you find yourself holding a complete Yarborough opposite your partner’s meagre 10 points you know the other two have 30 points between them and game if not a slam on the table. Hopefully the points are more evenly distributed and the match can be nail-bitingly close right up to the last round. It is certainly a pleasant way to get to know other members of the club and we hope it will continue to be well supported as the club grows.

This brings us to our final point that of helping the club to maintain and increase its membership. Sadly we lose members either through passing or ill health or frailty and it is vital that we continue to attract new people to join us. The excellent team of Charnwood Bridge teachers and their helpers work tirelessly throughout the year with their classes and practice sessions and many of these students are gradually coming to the tables. We are now looking to next year’s intake and need your help to spread the word. Gail and others are organising another OPEN morning on Saturday August 30th in the Old school rooms in Rothley, next to the church from 10.00 am until 12.30. Unfortunately this venue is not in the centre of the village so we must make sure that it is widely publicized, preferably by personal invitation as well as flyers. It will be a coffee and cake event for LOROS and a chance to watch people playing Bridge and to ask about the game. So please if you could all think of someone to ask, whether it be friend, family, neighbour, colleague and ask them to bring someone with them. Last year we had a very successful and enjoyable morning and recruited NINE people to the student ranks, which was excellent. Thank you for your continued support.

The title of this newsletter, ‘Roving report’ seems very apt at the moment as we move round our various venues. Many thanks go to the committee who have worked incredibly hard behind the scenes to find different places for us during this difficult summer. It is also a tribute to the loyalty of the members that so many of you have turned up to play in unfamiliar surroundings and still enjoyed a game of Bridge. Hopefully we are now at Woodhouse Eaves until the end of the year and then will be able to return to the Rothley Centre in January.

Congratulations again to the Bradgate team of Pauline Dignan, Val Rees, Mark Wiggins and Judy Simpson who did so well in the NICKO ( National Inter club knockout Plate competition). They were narrowly beaten in the quarter-final last weekend.

Our own summer Chicago knockout is reaching its final stages, so good luck to those who are still battling it out for the winners podium !

No doubt some of you have played Bridge somewhere on holiday over the summer, but one of our members, Vickie McCloy regularly spends several months a year playing Bridge when she is living in Spain. Vickie has kindly shared some of her thoughts with us.

“In my experience of playing at five clubs in and around Nerja on the Costa del Sol it is actually very rare to come across any Spanish people playing and I only ever met one, a lady called Nina who was married to an Englishman. However there are many other nationalities ie Irish, Danish, Dutch, French German, Swedish and others and the language spoken at the tables is English. Characters and age demographics are similar to UK Bridge clubs with most players being retired. Dealing is often done manually but most clubs now score using the Bridge Mate system and some clubs also display the ‘leaderboard’ on a big screen during the session. Results can be accessed afterwards on the Bridge web sites, like Bradgate. The main club in Nerja is Trumps Bridge club and this was getting around 6- 12 tables per session until it was forced into different premises late last year ( sound familiar ?) and some members decided to play at King of Hearts club instead. Many people like myself come and go throughout the year so the numbers do fluctuate, much more than the clubs in UK and all of the clubs that I have played at are happy for non-members or guests to play. The main difference I find playing in Spain is that most people play 5 card Majors/strong NT rather than ACOL/weak NT. So, if you are considering playing Bridge at a club in Spain any time it would be an advantage to have an understanding of both systems.”

Finally please support the Charnwood Bridge teachers OPEN MORNING, this coming Saturday August 30th , from 10 m to 12.30 at the Old School rooms in Rothley, LE7 7RA on School Street (off Fowke Street) near the church lych-gate. This event is serving coffee and cakes in aid of LOROS and also an opportunity for interested people to find out more about our fascinating game of Bridge and hopefully sign up for the new term starting in September. It is very important for all the clubs that we continue to attract new members to the tables so please tell your friends, family, neighbours etc and encourage as many as possible to attend. Last year’s event was a good success so we hope for the same this weekend.

We are now firmly into Autumn and the League season will be starting shortly. Good luck to all those playing in various matches, especially those playing in teams for the first time. There will be 24 teams in the League (up from 22 last year); Bradgate is fielding six teams, and there are also two new CBT student teams (comprised mainly of Bradgate members), so the Club is very well represented.

Meanwhile here is a round-up of some of the club’s latest success stories.

Firstly a big apology to the Bradgate B team of Val Rees, Pauline Dignan, Mark Wiggins and Judy Simpson who entered the national NICKO competition recently. We wrongly reported that they were beaten in the quarter final, whereas they did incredibly well and reached one stage further to the semi-final. They were beaten by a very strong team from Richmond who had the advantage of entering a team of six players versus our four. Congratulations to Judy too on her recent promotion to Regional Master, an incredible achievement to reach that level in such a short space of time.

Congratulations to Anne Morris and Lucy Pathan for winning the Chicago knockout this week and commiserations to their opponents Rob Wright and Chris Barlow, students who entered the competition for the first time and negotiated their way through 4 rounds, only to fall at the last hurdle. We hope everyone who took part in this event enjoyed the experience and the chance to get to know different members.

The LCBA Wilde Cup (see picture) was won by our team of John Dignan, Jim Wilkinson, Sarah Braithwaite and Caroline Connor. Their names on the trophy will join many others from our club who have won this event over a number of years. We hope Bradgate members will continue to support these events in the future. John and Jim also took the non-expert prize in the County’s premier pairs event - the Gimson Trophy - so must be feeling flush with their cash awards! It’s also nice to see the photographs of the prize giving, which are all on the LCBA Website

If you haven’t had chance to look at the latest English Bridge magazine there is an interesting insert on “100 years of Contract Bridge” which looks back on the history of the game and how it’s evolved.

Finally thank you again to all the loyal members who continue to show up to play every week at the various venues and the hard working team of helpers who make this happen. The committee keeps in close contact with the newly established Trustees of the Rothley Centre, and we hope to be back there early in the New Year.