We play bridge in a friendly convivial environment. The Club is not for beginners, it is for those who can play bridge at a reasonable level but we can accommodate members who have not previously played duplicate. We consider it to be a failure if members leave because they feel intimidated. Our aim is to have respect for all members and abide by the English Bridge Union code of etiquette.  However all members should be aware that slow play also affects everyone. The Director may ask for a table to not play a board if the members at the other tables have all finished and the remaining table is still in the bidding process. In this eventuality then that table will have not played recorded as the score. This will not affect their final percentage score.

Rolling Handicap  For each month, a handicap is calculated which is the average of all uploaded percentage results for the previous 12 months - This is taken away from 50 to give the handicap for that month. Handicaps are calculated for each player, not a pair. Good players would get a negative handicap, players with a lower average get a positive handicap.

Calculating handicap for a pair  For each result in the competition, the result is taken and the handicap for that month for each player is calculated. The handicap for the pair in an event is calculated by adding their handicaps together and dividing by 2. Note, a different handicap is used for each event, this is as if the handicap is applied at the time that the event took place.

e.g.. (But see below)

• Player with handicap of 2 and partner with handicap of -5, use -1.5
• Player with handicap of 2 and partner with handicap of 3, use 2.5
• Player with handicap of 2 and partner with handicap of -3, use -0.5

Note

• Non Members handicap set at  -5 (uses player database)
• New Members start on -5 until they have played 5 games.

In the winter it may be necessary to cancel a bridge session at short notice. This would be because of adverse weather conditions. If there is significant snow the village hall car park could be dangerous. If we have to cancel, we will send everyone an e mail and put a clear entry onto bridgewebs in either the Monday box or the Thursday box. It will not be possible to contact everyone by phone but please feel free to phone Colin or Tony if you are concerned. We do not see this being a regular occurance but your safety is our number one priority. We only had to cancel once in 2018 and not at all in 2019,

The Bridge beginners course has now finished. Eighteen members started the course and thirteen completed it. This is more than I expected. Bridge is not an easy game to learn especially if you have not played many card games before. However if you persevere it will give you many hours of cognitive stimulation, enjoyment and the opportunity to meet new people. Hopefully the thirteen survivors will now join the Friday morning social rubber bridge group to put into practice what they have learnt. Bridge is a game in which you never stop learning new things.

I plan to run a three week improvers course in October. This will be for those who understand and play a basic bidding system. The beginners course was based on the Acol bidding system. The improvers course will revisit that and move onto Benjamin Acol (Acol with bells and whistles).

More information will be sent out nearer the date.

Colin S

The 2024 Top Player competition was very close. Tony and Colin B were continually changing places, vying  for the top spot. Colin eventually managed 1st place. Of course bridge is a partner game so Joan, Colin's regular partner, quite rightly joined Colin to collect the trophy presented by last years winner Chris. The top six places are listed below.

Please arrive at least fifteen minutes before the official start time (usually 1.00 p.m.on a Thursday and 7.00 on a Monday). You must have a partner. If you need a partner use the bridgewebs.com facility to ask for one. If you have a problem the convenor will be able to do this for you. Alternatively ask the Director on the day to announce that you need a partner for the following week. If you find that you need a partner at the last minute and there is not a request on Bridgewebs you can phone Colin up to 10.30 on the day of the meeting and he may be able to help you find one.

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Recruitment - We ran a seven week beginners course starting in January. Over thirty people expressed an interest in learning the game. Unfortunately we could not accommodate everyone. Eighteen people started the course and thirteen completed it. Most of them are now putting what they learnt into practice at our Friday morning social bridge group. The intention is to run an improvers course in October. Hopefully, after that, some of them may be able to join one of our duplicate groups. Without introducing new players to the game it will eventually die so we all need to help and encourage new players. Remember what it was like when you first started playing!

Finances - When we started our club in 2018 we set the table money at £2. Seven years later it is still £2. Our finances continue to be in good shape and we are once more able to pay from our funds, the annual u3a subs of £12 for our regular players. We should also be able to continue with having a free Monday and Thursday on the first week of each month. In August 2024 we had a completely free month, we hope to do this again later this year. We will also continue with free tea/coffee and biscuits when we have a half table.

Competitions –  We hold two competitions running from January 1st to mid December. To qualify for these competitions you need to play a minimum of twenty times either on a Monday or Thursday or a combination of both. The annual trophies will be presented at our February Anniversary party. They are for the player with the best average percentage score unhandicapped, and the player with the best average percentage score handicapped. Everyone is in with a chance of winning the handicap competition. The winners in 2024 were Colin Bond and David Green. You can see how the competition is progressing by clicking on the competitions tab in the left hand menu on our Bridgewebs site.                    

Help – We would like to thank everyone who arrives early to help us set up. We are sure that you  appreciate that running a session is not easy so we do ask for your understanding and cooperation. The system of letting us know if you plan to play the following week helps us to set up the correct number of tables. We do not then have to reset if there is an unexpected late arrival. If you need to drop out at the last minute it is not a problem as long as you tell us, even if it is by phone at the last minute. If anyone needs a partner you can see who is available on Bridgewebs. Your name will be shown on either the Monday or Thursday entry along with the names of those down to play at the next event. Please check to make sure that we have not missed you off or you have been included when you are not available.

The vast majority of us want to play a competitive game but please remember friendship is more important than anything else. This is our main pre-requisite for both current and new members.

Thank you all for your continued support. 

ColinS, Tony and ColinB