Durham Bridge Club
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Membership Successes

2023 NEBA
Summer Pairs
Frank Bouweraerts
Irina Hendrickx

2022 NEBA
Swiss Pairs
John Dobson
Audrey Bainbridge

2021 NEBA
Gazette Cup
Joan Crompton
Irene Burns

2021 Runners-Up
NEBA CORWEN TROPHY
For Champion Pairs
Dorothy Pearson
Susan Penswick

2021 EBU
Easter Congress
9 High Tournament
Irina Hendrickx
James Foster

Club Tournament Winners

Club Champion
Evening 2022
Audrey Bainbridge

Club Champion
Afternoon 2022
Adrian Darnell

Durham City
Trophy 2022
Bill Dixon & Peter Sykes

Sykes Cup
2021
Nigel Martin
& Adrian Darnell

Cansino Cup
Pairs 2021
Margaret McCabe &
Iain Gordon

 

NEWS PAGE - Archived
Chairman's Christmas Message

Very best seasonal good wishes to all our players

2021 a better year than 2020!!

Isn’t it just great that we’ve been playing f2f for the last three months? The Durham Club thrives. We have maintained the Club as a community and it’s been wonderful. The return to f2f presented its own challenges, of course, but how welcome were those challenges! We have all been wearing masks and enjoying a healthy breeze through the clubroom; as Director I’ve had a refresher lesson on bids out of turn, insufficient bids, revokes etc. Online bridge certainly helped many of us through lockdown but not all our members have ready access to the internet, so it’s been a real pleasure to be able to re-open f2f (or at least mask-to-mask).

In September we not only reopened but we had our AGM. This gave me an opportunity to say thank you to Committee members who had formally left at our last virtual AGM and thank you to Committee members who left in September. The AGM elected the four Club Officers: Christine Farnsworth as Secretary; Irene Hancock as Treasurer; Ann Squires as both Team Captain and Class teacher and myself as Chair. We are now co-opting others to join us and have co-opted John Portwood as Chief Tournament Director, John Dobson as webmaster, Jill Hancock to oversee a rota of duties, Irina Hendrickx (to take over as Webmistress in due course) and Maggie Thompson (to oversee the online Leagues). A big thank you to the outgoing Committee members: Susan Penswick, Dave Thompson and Nigel Martin.

Sadly, but wisely, the Committee decided we couldn’t hold a Christmas party this year so we look forward to a real party as and when we can in 2022. Next year is an important date for the Club – it was in 1972 that the Club was formed so in 2022 we’ll celebrate 50 years of continuous bridge as DBC. Plans are in train so watch this space.

Finally, sincere thanks go to you all for supporting the Club and for reading this; we are a strong and healthy Club because the Club reflects our members. Thank you all.

I do hope this finds you all fit and healthy; stay safe and stay well and I am really, really, looking forward to seeing you all again, boosted in every sense of that word, in the New Year.

My best seasonal greetings to you and all your families and friends.

                     Adrian

Last updated : 30th Jul 2022 19:02 BST
AGM 2021 - Chair's Report

 

I               Introduction

My last report to an AGM was made in the spring of 2019. A lot has happened since then. This is my first report to a real meeting for 2½ years.

Bridge has lived in the shadow of COVID for a long time now; we closed the club as a face-to-face activity in March 2020, and when we realised that the epidemic was here for the long term we instigated the online pairs competitions in May 2020. The BBO Leagues were also introduced and we finally returned to f2f bridge (with COVID restrictions in place) in September 2021.

II             Thanks

My thanks to everyone for having maintained the Club as a viable entity since Lockdown v1.0.

I would especially like to thank all the Committee members, without whom the Club would simply not run. Clubs like ours rely on a small number of willing and able volunteers who put in a lot of hours to ensure the vitality and health of the Club. Much work is unseen, but it should nonetheless be wholly appreciated.

I am personally grateful to each and every Committee member.

Ann Squires has been the Club Secretary for many years, and is now standing down. The Club owes her a huge debt of gratitude for her sterling and uncomplaining efforts. We will welcome Christine Farnsworth as the new Secretary (subject, or course, to a vote at this AGM). Susan Penswick, as Treasurer, is most efficient in looking after the money and keeping the accounts in good order, and she stood down at the last (virtual) AGM to be succeed by Irene Hancock. Our healthy balances are testimony to Susan’s efforts and to Irene who has seamlessly taken over the fiscal reins. Following the first Lockdown we sought to become a virtual Club and thanks must be recorded to John Portwood who, as a BBO Director, established the Tuesday afternoon online pairs competition. Both before Lockdown, but more importantly during Lockdown, the website has been a critical source of news and information and we are all most grateful to John Dobson as Webmaster. We are also most grateful to Dave and Maggie Thompson for having initiated the online Leagues (which we are currently maintaining). Jill is always willing to fill the gaps the rest of us leave. We have maintained 3 sides in the NEBA InterClub tournament, and this will fall to 2 teams in this season; thanks go to Nigel Martin as the outgoing team captain.

The Centre’s Trustees have done a great job during Lockdown, having successfully sought various grants to improve the ventilation, the décor and the toilets most notably. Jim, The Centre Manager, has helped us throughout the year as has Ray in setting up our room.

II             Membership

Given the scale of the Club’s activities we had decided, in January 2020, to move all three session to the so-called ‘Adult Hall’, a move which has reduced the setting-up and taking-down costs. This move was predicated on our regular sessions attracting between 100 and 120 players per week. Of course, post Lockdown our membership has suffered. Pre Lockdown we regularly welcomed 6 tables for supervised play on a Monday, and on Tuesdays we usually saw 14 tables in the afternoon and 8 tables in the evening. In the first month of f2f bridge, for comparison, we are running at 4, 8 and 5 tables. Key to our membership is, on the one hand, encouraging and supporting our ‘old’ members to return to the Club and, on the other, running classes for new starters. We are identifying ways to increase the numbers of our playing members and I am delighted to be able to report that we are to re-establish classes under the supervision of Ann Squires. As an innovation from previous years we are going to restart f2f classes on Tuesday afternoons (rather than on Monday nights).

III            Major Investments and Grants

Having invested in new tables in the 2018, along with the Bridgemates and associated scoring system, we had no reserves from which to fund any other investments. During the 2019 year we enjoyed great success in seeking grants to support our activities. An application to the EBU small grant scheme successfully realised £1,000. But much more significant was an application to the Durham Area Action Partnership (AAP). We were granted the fantastic sum of £5,000 and the fresh capital of £6,000 has been well spent: we now own a duplimator and have a new set of smart, strong and stable, tables. We also have new office furniture which resides in our new ‘headquarters’ - a small room in Framwellgate Centre (originally, the old ‘headmaster’s [sic] study’).

At the onset of Lockdown in March 2020 the Club, inevitably, saw its revenues shrink to zero, while we still had the costs of renting our office. The Club applied for a COVID grant to sustain its activities and we were successful in securing the immense sum of £10,000. This has been spent in two ways: first, we initiated the Durham Virtual Bridge Club on the BBO platform and we also established the BBO Leagues. Since players in both competitions pay the EBU the pay-to-play UMS (Universal Membership Subscription) the grant was used to deliver online bridge ‘free to the players’ for the first 6 months. We also maintained our full Office rent payments and we were able to help sustain the Community Centre by paying half-rent for room hire we were not using. This grant has, therefore, helped ensure the viability of the Centre in a period when its revenues largely fell back to zero.

IV            Other Financial Matters

Our bank in Durham have recently removed all counter activities; handling cash is becoming increasingly difficult, and the work involved in transporting a week’s cash (even at our current activity levels this is over £200 per week). To make the Treasurer’s role manageable the Committee have resolved to put the following to the AGM for comment and decision:

PROPOSAL

The Committee, following consultation by email to all members proposes that, with effect from December 1st 2021, we adopt one of the following propositions:

EITHER

table money and Annual Club Subscriptions shall normally be paid by monthly Standing Order.

A Standing Order of £12 per calendar month will entitle each member to play once a week for the year and includes the annual subscription.

A Standing Order of £24 per calendar month will entitle each member to play twice a week for the year and includes the annual subscription.

OR

A one-off payment of £144 (£288) will entitle each member to play once (twice) a week for the year and includes the annual subscription.

Any changes to the amounts will be made at the normal time of the AGM in the spring of each year.

Guests will be asked to pay by cash or by Bank transfer on the occasions they play at the Club.

V             Constitutional Matters

The Constitution allows for a Committee of a maximum of ten, comprising the Officers (Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and Club Captain) and up to six others.

PROPOSAL

At this AGM the elections shall be confined to the four Officers who will then seek to co-opt willing members to various specific roles in order that the Committee has the capacity to function in the Club’s best interests.

(The roles include, most notably, Chief Tournament Director, Webmaster, preparing the weekly report and puzzle, managing the hosting process, social secretary, managing the rota for opening & setting up the room and locking the building, running each session).

Finally, the Constitution states that “The Chair shall not serve for a consecutive period of more than 5 years”. Were I to be re-elected at this AGM this will therefore become my final year as Chair. The Club needs some succession planning.

Finally, my thanks to all our members who make this Club what it is and thank you all for the support you grant me as the Chair.

Adrian,

October 14 2021

Last updated : 30th Jul 2022 19:02 BST
Death of Jan Banajee

Sadly we have to advise of the death of Jan Banajee on Saturday 14th August 2021.  His funeral took place at Sunderland Crematorium on Friday 3rd September 2021 at 2.00 pm.  We extend sincere condolences to his family.

Last updated : 30th Jul 2022 19:02 BST
Further Club Re-Opening Note from Chairman

We are really looking forward to seeing everyone next week. There are a couple of things I need to draw to everyone’s attention.
1. The Framwellgate Centre have modified the entry and exit arrangements. Can everyone please enter the building from the car park by the fire doors - this means entering the Hall via the kitchen area. No other door will be open and we have no access to any other hall. Exit will be via the fire doors.
2. Everyone’s safety is our priority, which is why we have our risk assessment in place.
May I please reiterate that, while the Centre have a normal limit of 30 people at any one time in any one hall, I have negotiated a maximum of 16 tables - 64 people - given our risk assessment which requires all players to have been twice vaccinated.
Many thanks and best wishes

Adrian

Last updated : 30th Jul 2022 19:03 BST
CLUB RE-OPENING

Dear All
I bring news of the Durham Bridge Club re-opening. I do hope this finds everyone fit and well, raring to play at the club and looking forward, as I am, to meeting old friends. After 18 months of no face-to-face bridge the time now looks right to restart, and are re-opening in week beginning September 6th. I sincerely hope to see you all in the next few weeks.
On the Monday evening (September 6th) we will play a hosted, supervised,session.
On the Tuesday afternoon (September 7th) we will play a hosted, level 2 Convention, duplicate session. On the Tuesday evening (September 7th) we will play a level 4 Convention
duplicate session. As you might have anticipated, our return will not, I am afraid, be a return to bridge as usual.
For example, in order that we can stay within safe capacity limits there will be no more than 16 tables at any session and players are asked to register their intention to play, within 24 hours of the session, by emailing Susan Penswick on scpenswick@hotmail.co.uk or texting her on 0771-384-0693. This pre-registration will allow us to plan our response if demand exceeds our capacity.
The pandemic means that we have had to construct a risk assessment, which is attached. I do not anticipate that this will detract in any way from the enjoyment of our bridge.
Do please read the risk assessment; I am confident that everyone will recognise its contents as necessary.
The aspects I would like to draw to your attention are:if you are feeling at all unwell, please stay at home! all players are expected to have been twice vaccinated against Covid19; the windows will remain open to allow good ventilation;
players shall wear face masks or face shields (the Club has a small stock of face shields which may be purchased for £5.00); Bridgemates shall be handled only by North; the scoring will be turned OFF, so the Bridgemate will only display the
result at that table; the scores will only be available on the website at the end of the session – there should be no crowding around a computer screen at the end of the session.
Critically, the movement will be a two-board movement and the boards must be completed within 14 minutes – this guarantees that no pairs are in close contact for more than 15 minutes. 
I would ask everyone to respect all the new arrangements, and please do bid and play the boards within 14 minutes!!!
As I said at the beginning - 'Welcome Back'.

My very best wishes,
Adrian

-------------------

RISK ASSESSMENT

For Durham Bridge Club (DBC)
Assessment carried out by: Adrian Darnell, Chair, DBC
Date: August 12th 2021

The risk being addressed is that of Covid19 transmission within the Bridge Club at Framwellgate Moor Community Centre, affecting all bridge players and their subsequent contacts.

Given present evidence, the risk assessment below deliberately focusses on airborne transmission; current evidence indicates that transmission via contaminated surfaces is relatively much less important. As such, we will use one set of boards for the session. But some residual risk of transmission via surfaces will be addressed via:

  1. requiring appropriate use of hand sanitiser (which will be provided); and
  2. Bridgemates will be handled by North only; E/W will agree the score (as inputted by North) and North will input ‘yes’ in their sight. Scores from other tables will be turned off.

To address the risk of airborne transmission the following procedures will be in place: 

  1. the session will be limited to not more than 16 tables;
  2. players will be required to pre-register their attendance (within 24 hrs of the session in question) and self-declare they have read this risk assessment and are twice-vaccinated;
  3. anyone feeling AT ALL unwell shall NOT attend the Club;
  4. members are asked NOT to embrace, or otherwise venture within 1m of any other member, except when seated at the playing table when the distance between opponents will be the order of 90cm;
  5. on arrival players will be directed to sit at a specific table;
  6. the initial movement will move all E/W pairs to the adjacent table (thereby reducing the time spend in the company of opponents);
  7. the bridge movement will require all players to move simultaneously and not mingle;
  8. each round will be strictly limited to less than 15 minutes; 2 boards per round will be played with a target of 13 minutes; after 10 minutes the Director will encourage claims and/or concessions and again at 12 minutes; pairs (and boards) will be moved after 15 minutes (and any scores adjusted as necessary by the Director);
  9. players are required to wear masks on arrival and on leaving, and during the session when going to and from, for example, toilet; 
  10. players are asked to wear masks, or face shields, at the table;
  11. windows will remain open throughout the session to ensure good ventilation;
  12. the results will only be available on the website after the session; no players will therefore crowd around the screen at the end of the session;
  13. the kitchen will not be available, so if you wish to enjoy any drinks please bring your own flask or water and your own cup;
  14. at the end of the session players will be asked to leave the building whilst respecting physical distancing and wearing masks.
Last updated : 30th Jul 2022 20:50 BST
DOROTHY & SUSAN EARN SECOND PLACE

Many congratulations go to Dorothy Pearson and Susan Penswick for their outstanding performance in finishing Runners-Up in the Final of the NEBA Corwen Trophy.  The event featuring champion pairs who had qualified fron clubs throughout the north-east took place on Sunday 9th May 2021.  The pair started well and held their place near the top throughout the very closely fought competition over 42 boards.  Congratulations also go to the winners Nigel and Pauline Durie whose main club is St George's but who have joined us in recent months to participate in the Durham BBO leagues. Leading positions were :-

               1          56.94          Nigel & Pauline Durie
               2          55.95          Dorothy Pearson & Susan Penswick
               3          55.95          Marion Curran & David Brickland
               4          55,56          Liz Muir & Don Reid
               5          54.96          Martin Hewitson & Hristo Serafimov Toshev
               6          54.56          John Dobson & Audrey Bainbridge

A full tabulation of the final results is set out on the NEBA website.

Last updated : 30th Jul 2022 19:01 BST
Chairman's Update Letter

Dear All

I do hope this finds you all safe and well. I thought I’d write a note to update you about a few things, about the Durham Club and also about the EBU.  
First, we have a Club Committee meeting scheduled as a face-to-face event in my garden in ten days’ time!! Our Agenda will include planning for f2f bridge, our finances, and the Committee structure.
Depending on the data, and the relaxing of restrictions, it may well become possible for us to resume some f2f bridge in the near future. Having said that, online bridge is here to stay and it is quite likely that we will maintain an online presence whilst playing bridge f2f. We are looking at ways to run some online competitions in a complementary fashion to f2f duplicate. The most excellent improvements made by the Centre’s Trustees, most notably ventilation improvements, will facilitate our return. and within a few weeks I imagine most of us will have been offered a second vaccine (there are, I know, some exceptional youngsters in our community, but most of us are 65+).
Our financial situation is not unhealthy, helped greatly by the £10,000 Covid grant we secured. Much of that has been spent, first, by initially delivering online bridge as free to members (the Club covered all members Universal Memberships Subscriptions to the EBU) and, second, by maintaining rental payments to the Centre. This latter was really important as it has ensured the Centre is there, ready and better enabled to welcome us back.
On the question of the Committee I remain eternally grateful to all the Committee for their unstinting commitment to the Club. Everyone is a most accomplished volunteer. Even a bridge club doesn’t run itself!! May I please bring to everyone’s attention that if I stand and am elected as Chair for 2021/2 this must, according to our constitution, be my last year. Is there anyone out there who has thought to stand as the next chair of the Club?? 
Reporting on a more personal note, as many of you will know, I have been a member of the EBU Board for the last 4 months. It’s really interesting to be involved at this level of managing the game. The big issues confronting the Board are, in no priority order, the financial state of the EBU since lockdown v1.0, developing the EBU overarching strategy, preparing for a return to face-to-face bridge and, most sadly, cheating. 
After a very difficult start to the financial year, the EBU finances have begun to look much better with the rise of online games and players’ payments of UMS. A cursory look at the figures suggests that while fewer members are playing online than were playing pre March 2020, those who are  seem to be playing more bridge.
The EBU Strategy is an ongoing project, which I have joined mid-stream. My own area of responsibility is taking forward the EBU/EBED relationship and ensuring that the two organisations work together, effectively and without duplication.
The return to f2f bridge looks increasingly likely as something to look forward to for this Autumn, and especially if the physical-distancing regulations are relaxed to less than 1 metre.
And then there is cheating. There has always been some cheating, but never on the scale we now see. Online presents so many opportunities for the cheat: the three common routes seem to be self-kibitzing, using software to identify best lines of play and communicating with partner (made easier when partners are playing in the same house). Penalties are severe, as they should be, and detection is becoming more and more sophisticated (ranging from reports by opponents of highly unusual bids and/or plays, to suspicious Directors to unusual leaps in a player’s NGS).
I am really looking forward to seeing you all in person, and am increasingly hopeful that this might well be by the summer months.
My very best wishes,

Adrian

Last updated : 30th Jul 2022 19:00 BST
SUCCESS FOR IRINA AND JAMES

Congratulations go to Irina and James upon their tremendous success in winning the EBU Easter Congress Nine High Tournament on Saturday 3rd April 2021.  In a large field of 106 pairs they achieved a tremendous score of 64.75% winning by a clear margin of 2.69%.
Leading scores:-
     1          64.75 %         Irina Hendrickx & James Foster 
     2          62.06 %          David Small & Steve Johnson
     3          60.73 %          Dorothy Green & Lynda Thorne

Last updated : 30th Jul 2022 18:57 BST
Chairman's Christmas Message

What a year!!
I, like many I suppose, never thought in March as we entered Lockdown Version 1.0 that, as we approach Christmas, we’d still be playing on BBO and not have played face-to-face for 9 whole months. Still, the Club not only manages but, I hope you’ll agree, thrives online. Many clubs in the North East and across the country have simply not played any bridge as a community since March, but we have and it’s been wonderful. So we’ve all learnt about how to start a table, and self-alerting, and how to avoid robots taking over; and we’ve learnt a whole new library of acronyms; as Directors we need not bother ourselves with bids out of turn, insufficient bids, revokes etc. It’s simply not the same as f2f but the very best we can do. And bridge is clearly one of those activities which helps us all through lockdown (of whatever version) and addresses our isolation from friends, even if it’s only through the cards and the chat line. So it is important to us all, and it’s been a pleasure to be able to provide online opportunities without charge to members (up to now).

In April I discovered that, because we pay rent on our office at the Framwellgate Centre but I had succeeded in securing a 100% Rate Rebate, we were entitled to a Covid Grant – of £10,000! This, I admit, was much to my delight and surprise. So when we went online some you may have wondered – and some of you may not have wondered – quite how we have done it as free to members to now. The answer is that we used the Grant! We also used the Grant to maintain rental payments to the Centre for our office and voluntary payments for the playing room (because it is vitally important to us that the Centre is there to welcome us back as and when it can). I would like to thank everyone for their help and support over this challenging time. Special thanks go to: Dave and Maggie Thompson who initiated, and oversee, the League system for the Club. Who’d have thought we’d be nearing the end of Season 10?? John Portwood for being our Director for the Tuesday Pairs Competition. Ann Squires for maintaining email contact with everyone as our Secretary and for taking on the Team Captaincy role, managing the online Inter Club Competition where we have two teams in the Sunday games. Susan Penswick as our outgoing Treasurer and to Irene Hancock as the new Treasurer; we remain financially healthy. John Dobson for running the website with enthusiasm and great skill.

And my sincere thanks go to you all for supporting the Club and for reading this; we are a strong and healthy Club because we reflect our members. Thank you all. And finally, I was trying hard to see the silver linings to the dark clouds. I won’t go on about the darkness of the clouds but I found some silver linings. One is obviously our vigour as a Club. Some other Clubs have just folded (hopefully temporarily) but we in Durham have made the best of the circumstances and I am very proud of our achievements. Another silver lining is that as we plan for f2f bridge from mid 2021 there are some things we’ve learnt from playing online which I am sure we’ll maintain. And then there’s the fact that our hardware – tables, chairs, duplimator – has seen its depreciation fall to about zero through non-use! So, as we all look forward to being vaccinated – and there’s another silver lining because given our demographic we’ll all be vaccinated and ready to play sooner than many other sorts of club! – I will finish now with my best seasonal greetings to you and all your families and friends. I do hope this find you all fit and healthy; stay safe and stay well and I am really, really, looking forward to seeing you all again in the New Year
.
Adrian

Last updated : 18th Dec 2020 19:30 GMT
Death of Cynthia Bolton

It is with sadness that we record the recent death of Cynthia Bolton at the age of 95 years.  Cynthia and husband Gavin were regular members of our Club for more than 30 years although poor health had prevented their attendance in recent times.  Cynthia was an accomplished player who won a number of Club and Regional events, these including the DBC Sykes Cup (2003) and the NEBA Swiss Pairs (1993).  The funeral took place at 1.00 pm at St Helen's Church, Low Fell, on Friday 4th December 2020.  We extend sincere condolences to Gavin and all the family.

Last updated : 17th Dec 2020 08:55 GMT

Dear all,

Whilst HM Government has announced a lifting of Covid restrictions, and is relying on individuals to exercise ‘personal responsibility’, I thought it would be helpful to write to all members with an update insofar as it relates to Durham Bridge Club.

First, the really good news:
Having reopened as a face-to-face club we have seen great success. Not only are we operating our regular three sessions with about 65% of the players we had pre-Lockdown, but we also have half-a-dozen new students in the f2f classes which Ann has been running since the Autumn. This is a great result – and our numbers are steadily growing. It is noticeable that our members clearly have a preference for f2f as compared with online.
Let me now turn to the issue of restrictions.

Mask-wearing

If there is a change in our conditions of use (to be decided by Executive of the Framwellgate Centre), the Club Executive will then meet to decide on Club Policy. For the immediate future it is a requirement that we remain a mask-wearing community (and we should acknowledge we are what would be described as a ‘vulnerable demographic’).

Self-Isolation

Whilst the legal requirement to self-isolate is about to be lifted, I would please respectfully ask any member with symptoms of any transmissable illness to stay way away from the Club!!! It is surely the only responsible thing to do.

The safety of our bridge community is of paramount importance.
May I please thank you all for your loyal support of Durham Bridge Club.
I do hope this finds you all fit and well.

Adrian (25th Feb 2022)

Last updated : 10th May 2022 15:02 BST
Retirement of Treasurer & Club Fees

Dear all,

Just a quick update on the Club.

First, I would like to thank Susan Penswick as our outgoing Treasurer. She has been the Club Treasurer for some 8 years and the Club’s financial position is robust and healthy, notwithstanding the current crisis. The work of Treasurer is largely unseen, but is onerous. Susan has borne the responsibilities with great good humour and we all owe her a debt of gratitude. Many thanks Susan.

That leads me on to welcome Irene Hancock as our new Treasurer. We are all most grateful that she has put herself forward as Susan’s successor; many thanks Irene.

And so, as Susan seeks to draw a line under her period as Treasurer, it would be most helpful if all non-members who have been playing on Tuesday afternoons could, if they have not already done so, please pay their table money into the Club account. This will enable up-to-date accounts to be handed over. As you know we are running this on an honesty basis (£2.50 per non-member per session) and for payment, at the end of each calendar month retrospectively, by BACS.

Our details are:
    
Durham Bridge Club
    
Sort code: 40-45-39, 
    
Account number: 61092510
    
The Tuesday pairs competition remains free to members.

Finally, we are asking players to renew (or even begin!) Club membership (preferably by BACS). The annual subscription is £5.00 per player and we ask that you please arrange to pay before the end of September. If you do not use e-banking do please send us a cheque to:

     Durham Bridge Club
     Framwellgate Moor Youth & Community Centre
     Front Street
     Framwellgate Moor
     Durham, DH1 5BL.

I fear I cannot begin to predict when we might next play f2f, but my best guess is that it will be sometime next year. So for now I look forward to ‘seeing’ you all virtually for some months to come.
Many thanks and my very best wishes,
Stay safe,

Adrian Darnell
Chair

Last updated : 29th Jul 2020 07:19 BST
Death of Vanu Datta
Death of Vanu Datta

We sadly advise of the death of Vanu (Sudisan) Datta at the age of 94 years.  Vanu was a member of our Club for very many years from the late 1970's until ill health caused him to move south to live near his daughter.  He represented the Club in the InterClub leagues over many seasons.  His funeral will took place in Cleveden late in July 2020.

Last updated : 22nd Jul 2020 22:09 BST
CLUB COMMITTEE - KEY DECISIONS

Dear all

I do hope you are fit and well and enjoying playing in the Durham virtual Club.
The Club Committee met last Monday, June 1st, and I would like to bring all the pertinent decisions to your attention. It was agreed that:

1.       we will continue with level 2 conventions;
2.       we will continue with 16 minute rounds, but aim to move this in a couple of weeks to 14 minutes;
3.       the results will be submitted for Master Points;
4.       the results will be submitted to contribute to players’ NGS;
5.       the results from each first Tuesday of the month will contribute to the Cansino Trophy standings;
6.       all players should be reminded to maintain an appropriate tempo of bidding and playing (as not doing so can create either or both unauthorised and mis-information);7.       all online players will be asked to complete a Convention Card and have an available profile giving their full name (as ‘BBO names’ do not always bear resemblance to the real person).

 If anyone has any other issues which they feel the Committee should consider please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Thanks and very best wishes,

Adrian
Chair, DBC

Last updated : 4th Jun 2020 15:12 BST
DEATH OF SHIRLEY TINDALE

Sadly we report the death of Shirley Tindale on 19th May aged 85 Years.  Shirley was a long standing member of the Club who has not been with us for the past two years because of ill health.  A private funeral for close family only was held at Durham Crematorium on 1st June 2020.

Last updated : 1st Jun 2020 22:51 BST
DEATH OF GODFREY YOUNG
DEATH OF GODFREY YOUNG

Sadly we report the death on 14th May 2020 of Godfrey Young at the age of 82 years.  Godfrey a member of our Club for many years played regularly with wife Alison although illness had limited his attendances in recent months. Godfey was current President of Bishop Auckland Bridge Club.  We extend sincere condolences to Alison and Barbara.

A restricted private funeral was held at Durham Crematorium on Thursday 28th May at 2.30 pm. 

Arrangements were made for a webcast of the proceedings which may be viewed for up to 7 days afterwards.
Go to -      http://www.wesleymedia.co.uk/webcast-view
      login ID = 32696      password = wkdtxdtk

Last updated : 29th May 2020 07:55 BST
AGM POSTPONED

Dear all,

I hope this message finds you and your family and friends all fit and well.

As you know, we had scheduled our AGM for Tuesday 28th April 2020. It won’t come as a surprise, but it’s not going to happen! We have postponed the AGM until some time (in the not too distant future we hope) when we can all meet once againFor the moment we plan to distribute, and publicise on the web pages, papers which would normally have been presented at the AGM. This is planned over the coming week. 
Again, if any member wishes to be nominated to join the Committee, do please let us know. 
My thanks to everyone for establishing online bridge games. It isn’t the real thing but it’s certainly better than not playing.

Stay safe and healthy.
Very best wishes

Adrian

Last updated : 15th Jun 2020 07:36 BST
Champioship Trophy for Monday Evening Group

A Championship Trophy is to be awarded for the Monday Evening Group.  This will be an individual competition (January to December) and comprise the best average percentage score from scores attained on the first Monday of each month.  On these Mondays advice and guidance will not be available during the play.

Last updated : 7th Mar 2020 08:56 GMT
Total Annual Master Point Awards

DURHAM BC Members feature in a number of the top positions within NEBA for the award of Total Master Points during 2019.   The Overall and Category Listings include the following entries within top ten placings :-

            2019                 Position             Player                       Master Points
NEBA OVERALL
     (ALL RANKS)
                                        2nd               John Dobson                  10,141
                                        6th                Audrey Bainbridge           6,766

NEBA Category 1
    (Life Masters & above)
                                              No DBC Players in Top 10 Positions
NEBA Category 2
    (National & Premier National Masters)
                                       1st                Audrey Bainbridge            6,766
NEBA Category 3
    (Regional & Premier Regional Masters)
 
                                     1st                 John Dobson                   10,141
                                 
     2nd                Margaret Thompson          5,605
                                       4th                 David Thompson              5,262
                                       7th                 Louise Badcock                4,889
                                       8th                 Denise Barham-Hall          4,564
                                       9th                 Brian Myers                      4,091

NEBA Category 4
     (Star, Tournament, Premier & Premier Tournament Masters)
                                       5th                 John Portwood                  3,920

NEBA Category 5
 
   (County Masters, Masters, & Advanced Masters)
                                              No DBC Players in Top 10 Positions
NEBA Category 6
    (District Masters & below)
                                      10th                 Peter Higgins                   1,052
             
        (Full details of awards to all players can be accessed via the EBU Website)

Last updated : 7th Mar 2020 08:57 GMT
Durham Members meet with DAAP
Durham Members meet with DAAP

Last Autumn the Club gratefully received the very generous support of the Durham Area Action Partnership (AAP). We were granted £5,000 which, together with a grant of £1,000 secured from the EBU, enabled us to purchase our own duplimator (and associated equipment) and, importantly, allowed us to replace all our old tables.  Members of the AAP had planned to visit the Club last November, but the General Election resulted in this being postponed.

However, Members of the AAP did visit the Club on Tuesday, January 28th when they were warmly received by Members who expressed grateful thanks to them for their support.
Pictured left to right are  Rev Joanne Thorns, Club Chair Adrian Darnell, Councillor Amanda Hopgood and Mr Craig Morgan.

Last updated : 30th Jan 2020 07:51 GMT
InterClub League Report

After four matches and with only one to go, both the Durham A and Durham B teams are well positioned to gain promotionDurham C are having a tougher time this season but promise much for next time round.

     InterClub League B
          53     Wearside A
          47     Durham A
          45     South Shields
          45     Stockton A
          31     Bishop Auckland
          19     Darlington B

     InterClub League C
          54     Durham B
          51     Cramlington A
          41     Cramlington B
          35     Whitley Bay & Tynemouth B
          31     Hartlepool
          28     Ryton

     InterClub League F
          59     Darlington C
          57     Castle Morpeth B
          26     Wearside C
          18     Durham C

Last updated : 20th Jan 2020 21:15 GMT
Club Pairs Score Well

Several Club Pairs scored well in January rounds of the EBU 2020 Winter Simultaneous Pairs.  In the Durham heat held on Tuesday 14th January an outstanding performance by Jill Hancock and Renee McMaahon earned them second place in the national rankings in a field of 731 pairs.  The leading Durham pairs were:-
     National
     Position            %
          2               67.59          Jill Hancock & Renee McMahon
          9               65 42          Wojtec Zakrzewski & John Portwood
         35              61.88          Adrian Darnell & Niall Keaney

Additionally in the heat played at Bishop Auckland on Thursday 16th January, Iain Gordon & John McCourt finished 5th in the national rankings (field 355 pairs) with a score of 65.32%.

Last updated : 20th Jan 2020 21:14 GMT
Death of Barbara Taylor

We record the sad news of the death after a short illness of Barbara Taylor on 8th December 2019.  Barbara was an accomplished player and was a member of our Club for almost 40 years.  She won a number of trophies including the DBC Sykes Cup and the NEBA Gazette Shield.  The funeral, attended by many family and friends, took place at 10.00 am on Friday 3rd January 2020 at the North Durham Crematorium.

 
Last updated : 4th Jan 2020 11:44 GMT
Chair's Christmas Report 2019

As we approach Christmas and the old year draws to a close I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on a most successful 2019.

The Durham Bridge Club regularly welcomes over 100 players every week. We sometimes have in excess of 120 players. We meet on Monday evenings for Classes and Beginners’ Hosted Supervised Sessions, on Tuesday afternoons for hosted pairs and on Tuesday evenings for regular duplimate.

The Club is most grateful to Ann Squires and Jill Hancock who have taken over the classes (so ably run by Charlie Bucknell last year); numbers are now regularly between 8 – 12 at the classes and some of last year’s new starters have been swelling the numbers at supervised play where 7 full tables is not uncommon. Charlie left the area in the late summer to take up the permanent position of Tournament Secretary at the EBU and we record our very grateful thanks to him for all he did for the Club. I am grateful to John Portwood who continues to write weekly commentaries for the boards played on Monday nights. We also inaugurated some ‘intermediate’ classes for the supervised session and to date we have run monthly classes during the Autumn. These will continue in 2020.

Tuesday afternoons regularly attract in excess of 12 tables and we have, at times, welcomed as many as 16! Tuesday evenings have settled at around 8 or 9 tables. The ‘Adult Hall’ is very full when we welcome in excess of 14 tables and the so-called Youth Hall (which we have always used on a Monday night) is somewhat larger. As such we will use that Hall for all our sessions as from January 2020. This will ease the setting-up issues as the tables will be set up for Monday night and simply stay there throughout Tuesday. Those responsible for running the Centre, notably Terry and Ray, and more recently Jim, have helped us throughout the year and also in making this beneficial operational change.

During the past year we have enjoyed significant success is seeking grants to support our activities. An application to the EBU small grant scheme was successful and realised £1,000. But much more significant was an application to the Durham Area Action Partnership (AAP). We were granted the fantastic sum of £5,000 and the fresh capital of £6,000 has been well spent: we are now the proud owner of a duplimator and have a new set of smart, strong and stable tables. We also have new office furniture which resides in our new ‘headquarters’ - a small room in Framwellgate Centre (originally, the old ‘headmaster’s study’). We had anticipated a visit from the AAP to see the fruits of spending our grant, but the General Election got in the way. We now hope to host a visit in January 2020.

The year has seen many great results. Members have been successful in EBED Sim pairs and NEBA competitions, notably the InterClub. The innovation of 2017 (driven by Ann Squires) to host the September NEBA Swiss Pairs Competition has now become a fixture of our calendar.

In 2018 we introduced a new pairs competition: The Cansino Cup which celebrates the best placed pair over the two Tuesday sessions. In 2020 we plan to introduce a similar competition involving the Monday sessions.

Our chosen charity this year was the Waddington Street, an independent mental health resource centre which has been operating in Durham for nearly 40 years. It offers a wide range of activities and services aimed at supporting individuals and reducing social isolation and exclusion. On Tuesday November 26th Ali Lee, the Centre Manager, came to the Club to be presented with a cheque for the sum of £550. She spoke enthusiastically and passionately to the Club about the Centre’s work, thanked all members for their generosity, and explained how the donation would be spent.

The weekly reports in the local Durham Advertiser continue and are well read – not only by our members but also by a significant contingent of non-bridge players who are simply interested!

Finally, I would like to thank the whole of the Committee: the Secretary (Ann Squires), Treasurer (Susan Penswick, Vice-Chairs (Jill Hancock & Dave Thompson), Team Captain (Nigel Martin), Chief Director and Scorer (John Portwood), Webmaster (John Dobson), Social Secretary (Christine Farnsworth) and Refreshment Organiser (Irene Hancock). All contribute consistently to the smooth running of the club. I would also like to thank the large number of non-Committee members who do other wonderful and unseen work for the Club. This year two members of the Committee resigned as they left the area. Charlie has been mentioned above but it would be wrong not to mention the Kerrys. Den was a Committee member and he and Lynne not only played on Tuesday afternoons, but helped organise all the afternoon arrangements. They moved mid-year and are now resident in Lincolnshire. Our thanks and best wishes go with them.

The Club is its membership and I am privileged to be its Chair; we are in very rude health, whether that’s measured by membership, participation, performance at the Bridge tables or financial.

On behalf of Durham Bridge Club, I would like to wish all members and players at the Club a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May 2020 bring you all good health and success at the bridge table (except, of course, when I am your opponent!!).

Adrian Darnell
Chair
Dec 22 2019

Last updated : 4th Jan 2020 11:42 GMT
Cansino Cup 2019

The second running of the Jonathan Cansino Cup was taken with a late run through in the final round by John McCourt and Peter Lisle.  An excellent score of 62.01 % in the December round attracted a winning award of 10 points to give a final total of 46.5 points.   Leading scores were :-

                             CANSINO CUP 2019
                    Pts
          1       46.5       John McCourt & Peter Lisle
          2       43.0       Adrian Darnell & John Dobson
          3       40.5       Bill Dixon & Peter Sykes
     (A full listing of scores can be viewed under the 'Competitions' section of the main menu).

Last updated : 4th Dec 2019 06:06 GMT
Chairman Presents Charity Cheque
Chairman Presents Charity Cheque

Club Chairman Adrian Darnell expressed great pleasure in presenting a cheque in the sum of £550 to the Waddington Street Centre before the afternoon bridge session on Tuesday 26th  Novemeber 2019.  Upon receipt of the cheque, Centre Manager Ali Lee expressed grateful thanks to the Club and outlined to members the extensive work of the Centre in supporting those with mental health problems.  The sum was raised by Club Members during the recent annual charity fund raising week.

Last updated : 26th Nov 2019 22:29 GMT
NEBA 2019 Congress Report

Congratulations to the following members of the Durham Novices group who attended and played so well in the NEBA Congress 'Newcomers' event held at the Gateshead Marriot Hotel on Sunday 3rd November 2019.  
     Irina Hendricks, Rossana Williams, Christine Revill, David Parsons, Irene Hancock, Ailsa Scott, Hilda Million, Anne Johnson and Marian Taylor  -  well done to all.
In the events for the experienced players there were no Durham members winning top honours.  However the best performance was that of Adrian Darnell who achieved a creditable 6th place in the Open Pairs.  In the Sunday Swiss Teams event the incidental prize of Fastest Risers went to the team of Brian Myers, Denise Barham-Hall, Audrey Bainbridge and John Dobson.

Last updated : 6th Nov 2019 08:28 GMT
Wojtek & John do well in Gazette Cup

Congratulations go to Wojtek Zakrzewski and John Portwood for an excellent second place finish in the Final of the NEBA Gazette Cup played at Darlington on Sunday 20th October 2019.  Adrian Darnell and Niall Keaney finished in a creditable sixth place.   In the subsidiary final playing for the Gazette Shield, Audrey Bainbridge and Brian Myers also finished in the runners-up position.  Details of the leading positions :-

       GAZETTE CUP
       1       69.10       Frank Springett & Brenda Osborne
       2       65.14       Wojtek Zakrzewski & John Portwood
       3       60.07       Charles Waine & David Rossiter
       4       53.34       Liz Reese & Robert Watts
       5       52.01       Mark Stanners & David Gold
       6       51.39       Adrian Darnell & Niall Keaney

       GAZETTE SHIELD
       1       62.78       George Jackson & Catherine Farrell
       2       57.55       Audrey Bainbridge & Brian Myers
       3       54.95       Pamela Niven & Jocelyn Gordon
       4       54.43       Monica Vaughan & Diane Rutherford
       5       52.84       Eric Bell & Anne Bell
       6       52.60       George Farman & Christopher Patrick

Last updated : 22nd Oct 2019 14:12 GMT
Bridge Lessons
Bridge Lessons
Last updated : 1st Oct 2019 08:43 GMT
New Website for NEBA

Following the retirement of Neil Aiston as Association Webmaster, a new website is in course of development by Pauline Durie and this may be accessed at :-

https://www.bridgewebs.com/neba/home.html

It will be some time before this work can be completed but all items of news and competition results will now appear on this site.

Last updated : 11th Sep 2019 21:04 GMT
Durham Pair Successful
Durham Pair Successful

 

Congratulations go to Joan Crompton and Irene Burns for their success in winning the NEBA Swiss Pairs Triophy held on Wednesday 4th September 2019.   The pair won all of their six matches and finished well clear of the field, winning by the emphatic margin of 19 VPs.  The leading scores from the event were :-

                                                                        Victory
                                                                         Points

          1       Joan Crompton & Irene Burns       100
          2       Stella Findlay & Desmond Dunleavy     81
          3       Tony Watson & John Armstrong           78
          4       Steve Ray & Georgia Ray                    71
          5=     Michael P & Mike Bowden                   69
          5=     David Armstrong & Jill Armstrong        69
          7       Stephen Lovely & Christopher Patrick   66
          8       Margaret McCabe & Marion Curran       65
                          (Total Field = 22 Pairs)

Last updated : 11th Sep 2019 21:08 GMT
NEBA Swiss Pairs at Durham

Many members played in this popular friendly event last year and it is likely that it will again be fully subscribed.  Early entry (to Ann Squires) is advised to avoid disappointment.

NEBA Swiss Pairs at Durham
Last updated : 16th Jul 2019 14:30 GMT
Chairman's Update 30 May 2019
  1.      As many of you will know, Den and Lynne have been looking to move and have just taken up residence in Eaglescliffe. As such Den has let me know that he will no longer be able to serve as a member of the Committee. Those who were at the Club on Tuesday of last week will have heard me offer my personal thanks to Den and Lynne for all the dedication and hard work they have put into the Club. Den has been the consistent organiser of Tuesday afternoon bridge, and Lynne has overseen all the tea/biscuits/tea towel logistics. They have both been such stalwarts of the club and we will miss them immeasurably. I have benefitted personally from their support, as has the Club. The good news is that once they have settled in in the south they plan to come along to play bridge and are looking forward to being picked for the InterClub matches next season;
  2.      I presented our grant bid to the Area Action Partnership (AAP) last Wednesday afternoon. We have now progressed to the formal submission stage, so I spent last weekend completing the ‘interactive 13 page pdf application form’ under the AAP priority of “Older People's Projects (Healthier)”. I visited the AAP administrator today and the form is now in and will go before the AAP Meeting for decision next week;
  3.      I am delighted to report that following the break-in the insurance is now settled and we have received £485. I must say the EBU Insurance Policy has proved exceptional and its administration exceptional;
  4.      Due to popular demand we opened the Club on Monday of this week – a Bank Holiday. Thanks to John and Charlie who came along and helped me. Charlie taught a group of half-a-dozen while we had 4½ tables in the hosted supervised session. At our next Committee I’d like to discuss whether opening on a regular basis on Bank Holidays is something we want to do;
  5.      Irene Hancock very kindly volunteered her husband Keith to fix the cupboard in the storeroom. My thanks to Irene and Keith – he has now replaced the clasp and we have a new padlock on the cupboard. I had 6 keys for new padlock and have just one left having given keys to John P, Charlie, Ann and Irene;
  6.      I have asked Peter Sykes, as a Trustee, if the Trust would consider putting locks on the two Storeroom doors – it looks like a stabledoor policy, but I think it’s the least that might be done;
  7.      Amongst the members of the AAP Meeting I attended were representatives from Durham AgeUK and the NHS (Wellbeing). Both are interested in talking to us about the bridge club. I also think we should make contact with the local U3A as bridge does not appear on their list of activities. Whichever way we want to look at it, new members are our lifeblood, as are the classes;
  8.      Finally, we have all benefitted greatly from Charlie’s membership of our club. Not only as a player-member but also as an energetic and effective Committee member and also as our Monday night teacher. It is likely that Charlie will be leaving Durham at the end of the summer so we must bend our minds to how we are going to deliver classes next year. We can’t expect to welcome new members who are already experienced and capable bridge players – we can only maintain our numbers through welcoming new members to our classes. We owe Charlie a sincere thankyou for having run such a successful year of classes; some of those who joined last Autumn are already playing regularly on Monday nights in the supervised sessions.

         Thanks to everyone for all their help and support.

         Adrian

Last updated : 30th May 2019 06:57 GMT
New Novices’ Section to Website

A new Novices’ Section has been installed in the website with access via the main left hand menu.  Currently this section incorporates the hand commentaries for the boards played on Monday evenings (kindly written and presented by John Portwood) together with details of the guidelines and tuition presentations given to the Novices group.  The most recent addition to this latter part is the '2C Landy Overcall' presentation given by Ann Squires on Monday 20th May 2019.

Last updated : 23rd May 2019 05:44 GMT
John & Louise win Durham City Trophy

Congratulations go to John Gray and Louise Badcock who were the winners of the Durham City Trophy 2019 with a fine score of 65.91 %.  This event is played annually on the evening of the Annual General Meeting.  A full listing of the scores appears in the 'Results' section for 23rd April 2019.   Leading positions were :-

          1          65.91 %          John Gray & Louise Badcock
          2          62.50 %          Peter Sykes & Bill Dixon
          3          56.25 %          Nigel Martin & Adrian Darnell
  

Last updated : 24th Apr 2019 06:18 GMT
AGM 2019 - Key Notes

The Annual General Meeting was held at 12.45 pm on Tuesday 23rd April 2019 immediately prior to the afternoon session of duplicate bridge.  The Chairman gave a summary report of the meeting to the evening session players at 6.45 pm.   Full details are contained in the AGM Draft Minutes but key points that arose were :-

Election of Officers and Committee

          The following Officers and Committee Members were elected to serve for the next twelve months :-

          Chair                                Adrian Darnell
          Secretary                          Ann Squires
          Treasurer                          Susan Penswick
          Team Captain                    Nigel Martin
          Chief Tourn. Dir.                John Portwood
          Webmaster                       John Dobson
          FMCCC Rep                       Jill Hancock
          Social Events Organiser     Christine Farnsworth
          Monday Evening Rep         Irene Hancock
          Committee Members  :-     David Thompson
                                                 Den Kerry
                                                 Charles Bucknell

Subscription and Table Money

          It was agreed that the Annual Membership Subscription should remain at £5.00 but that table money would increase to £3.00 (£3.50 for non-members).  Table money for students would remain at £1.00.

Duplicate Sessions on Sundays

          It was agreed to introduce occasional duplicate bridge sessions on Sundays (details to follow).

Future Plans

          The Chairman outlined future plans for the development of the Club and advised that the Committee was investigating the viability of renting an additional room in the building.  This room would provide more secure storage, administration facilities and would provide adequate accommodation for some teaching sessions.

Presentation of Trophies

          The Chairman congratulated the competition winners and presented the following awards :-

          Club Champion Salver                       -       Iain Gordon
          Afternoon Club Champion                  -       Adrian Darnell
          Club Summer Champions Evening      -       Iain Gordon & Margaret McCabe
          Club Summer Champions Afternoon    -       Barbara Taylor & Renee McMahon
          Sykes Cup                                        -       Iain Gordon & Margaret McCabe
          Durham City Trophy                          -       John Gray & Louise Badcock
          Chair's Progress Award                      -       Irene Hancock    

 

Pictured below :-    Irene Hancock - Winner of the Chair's Progress Award
 

AGM 2019  -  Key Notes
Last updated : 8th May 2019 15:37 GMT
InterClub League Season Ends

Unfortunately Sunday 7th April 2019 saw a weak finish to the end of the 2018-19 InterClub season by the three Durham Teams who all suffered away defeats.

Division A
               Whitley Bay 'A'       16       Durham 'A'       4
Division C
               South Shields         20       Durham 'B'       0
Division E
               Newcastle 'B'          11       Durham 'C'       9

Determination is high for stronger results next season.

Last updated : 10th Apr 2019 19:48 GMT
Winter Season Competitions Concluded

The Winter season of competitions (1st October to 31st March) concluded with the close of play on Tuesday 26th March 2019.   Congratulations go to Evening Club Champion Iain Gordon and Afternoon Champion Adrian Darnell.  Details of the leading scorers in each category are as follows:-

Evening Club Championship
     Position        Points           Player
          1               47         Iain Gordon
          2=             42.5       Bill Dixon
          2=             42.5       Peter Sykes

          4               42          Margaret McCabe
          5               30          John McCourt

Evening Championship Pairs
     Position        Points           Players
          1               42.5      Bill Dixon & Peter Sykes
          2               42          Iain Gordon & Margaret McCabe
          3               25          John McCourt & Peter Lisle
          4=             20          John Dobson & Audrey Bainbridge
          4=             20          Nigel Martin & Adrian Darnell

Afternoon Championship
     Position        Points           Player
          1               63         Adrian Darnell
          2               55.5       John Dobson
          3               33          Jill Hancock
          4=             32          Paul Beard
          5=             32          Roger Carpenter

Afternoon Championship Pairs
     Position        Points           Players
          1               58         Adrian Darnell & John Dobson
          2               37          Paul Beard & Roge Carpenter
          3               29          Barbara Taylor & Renee McMahon
          4               26          Clive Nichols & Ian Mordue
          5               22          Den Kerry & Lynne Kerry

Leading Novices
     Position          %               Player
          1            56.55       Brian Watts
          2            55.99        Rosemary Zakrzewski
          3            55.58        Ronald Rutherford
          4            55.53        Neville Cain
          5            55.30        Mary Morley

(Full details with all players can be accessed via the Competitions Section of the Main Menu)

 

Last updated : 26th Mar 2019 22:36 GMT
Congratulations to Dom & Charlie

Many congratulations go to Dominic Price and Charlie Bucknell, members of the winning England Junior Camrose Trophy team (under 26).   The series of matches was played at La Mon Hotel and Country Club at Castlereagh, Belfast from 15-17 February 2019.   The team representing England were Charles Bucknell, Dominic Price, Ben Norton, Shahzead Natt, Ian Robson and Eshan Singhal.
     Final Scores :-
          England          152.04
          Scotland         145.58
          Ireland           127.49
          N Ireland          88.34
          Wales               56.07
          CBAI                29.48

Last updated : 20th Feb 2019 13:21 GMT
Players Selected For International Duty

Many Congratulations go to Charlie Bucknell and Dominic Price upon their selection to the England Under-26 Team to compete in the Camrose Cup (in Ireland 14th February 2019) and in the Whitehouse Cup (in Amsterdam 24th March 2019).  Additionally they will compete in the Online World Championships (February 9th to July 26th 2019).  Great news for our Club.

Last updated : 16th Jan 2019 19:27 GMT
Chairman's Christmas Message
Chairman's Christmas Message

As we approach Christmas and the old year draws to a close I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on a most successful 2018.

 

The Durham Bridge Club regularly welcomes over 100 members, sometimes in excess of 120, to our three weekly bridge sessions. We continue to meet on Monday evenings for Classes and Novices’ Supervised Sessions, on Tuesday afternoons for hosted pairs and on Tuesday evenings for duplimate. During the past year we have extended the use of duplimated boards from every Tuesday evenings to every Tuesday afternoons and, most recently, to the increasingly popular Monday evening supervised play. This has been welcomed by everyone, and the Monday players, especially, have been enthusiastic in using the hand records to improve their bidding and play. I am grateful to John Portwood and Charlie Bucknell who have begun to write commentaries for the boards played on Monday nights.

 

The Club is also most grateful to Charlie for having taken over the classes, begun some years ago by Jill & Roger Hancock; numbers are now regularly between 8 – 12 at classes; some of those players have recently been swelling the numbers at supervised play where 6 full tables is not uncommon. The Club has also established a rota for Monday evenings so there is always at least one member of the Committee to offer advice to the players.

 

Tuesday afternoon play regularly attracts 12 tables and we have, at times, welcomed as many as 16! Tuesday evenings has settled at around 8 or 9 tables.

 

It may sound trivial at one level but an innovation this year has been to extend our ‘setting up’ contract with the Framwellgate Centre: we now pay for the rooms to be set up and set down for all three sessions. This has removed the unnecessary burden of setting up the tables and chairs and is excellent news for the ‘usual suspects’ who were often not leaving the club for at least half an hour after play had finished! Those responsible for running the Centre, most notably Terry and Ray, have really helped us in making these beneficial operational changes.

 

The year has seen many great results. Members have been successful in EBED Sim pairs and NEBA competitions, notably the InterClub (which in 17/8 saw the A team maintaining its position in Division A (just) while the B team were promoted to Division B as the Champions of Division C and the C team were promoted to Division E from Division E (South)). A notable innovation of 2017 was driven by Ann Squires who arranged for the Club to host the September NEBA Swiss Pairs Competition. It was so successful that the Club was, not surprisingly, asked to repeat this event in 2018 which we did. Once again it was so successful that pairs had to be turned away as we didn’t have capacity for all who wanted to play. Above all, in all competitions, everyone has enjoyed playing at Durham, whatever the results!

 

In 2018 we introduced a new competition: The Cansino Cup. George and Libby Cansino, regular Tuesday afternoon players, very kindly donated a trophy won by George’s brother, Jonathan, at an international competition in the 1960s. The inaugural Trophy, scored over results from the first Tuesday of each month, was awarded last week to Margaret McCabe and Iain Gordon.

 

Our chosen charity this year was the Durham Food Bank. Through table money, raffles and other donations, members contributed £647.87; the Club’s generosity this year was almost 25% up on last year’s figure, reflecting both individuals’ giving and the increasing active membership.

 

Finally, I would like to thank the whole of the Committee: the Secretary, Treasurer, Vice-Chairs, Team Captain, Directors, Webmaster, Class Teacher and Scorers who all contribute to the smooth running of the club. I would also like to thank the large number of members who do such wonderful unseen work. The Club is its membership and I am privileged to be its Chair; we are in rude health, whether that’s measured by membership, participation, performance at the Bridge tables or financial.

 

On behalf of Durham Bridge Club, I would like to wish all members and players at the Club a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May 2019 bring you all success at the bridge table (except, of course, when I am your opponent!!).

 

Adrian Darnell

Chair

Last updated : 21st Dec 2018 18:01 GMT
Charity Cheque Presentation
Charity Cheque Presentation


At the beginning of the afternoon group Christmas Party on Tuesday 18th December 2018, Chairman Adrian Darnell presented Peter MacLellan of the Durham Food Bank with a cheque in the sum of £647.87.  This was the final sum raised on a most successful charity day held at the Club on Tuesday 13th November 2018.  Many thanks to all members for their tremendous support.

 

 

Subsequently our Chairman received the following email :-

 

Adrian,

Good to see you earlier and again thanks to everyone for the generous donation. (£647.87). We will get a proper thank you letter out to you asap. In the meantime by way of a quote:

“We are very grateful for the generous support from the Durham Bridge Club. Sadly this is the foodbank’s busiest time of the year, but thanks to the wonderful support we receive in food, volunteer time and financial donations from the people of County Durham we are able to provide support to local people in crisis at Christmas and throughout the year.”

Every blessing,

Peter

Peter MacLellan

CEO Durham Christian Partnership

MILE House, Chester-le-Street, County Durham DH3 3RA

0191 303 8623 / 07758 400128

Last updated : 19th Dec 2018 17:12 GMT
Last updated : 19th Dec 2018 11:06 GMT
Cansino Cup 2018

In its inaugural year, the Cansino Trophy 2018 was won by Iain Gordon and Margaret McCabe.  This event, aggregating the points scored from monthly events (first Tuesday), produced an interesting finish with Iain and Margaret coming through in the very last round to gain victory.  Of the top five pairs, three were evening session players and two were from the afternoon session.  The leading pairs were as follows :-

                     Place
                     Points

          1          42.5          Iain Gordon & Margaret McCabe         (Evening)
          2          38.0          Audrey Bainbridge & John Dobson             (Evening)
          3          35.5          Carol Tritton & Guy Tritton                      (Afternoon)
          4          34.0          Paul Beard & Roger Carpenter                 (Afternoon)
          5          33.5          Jill Hancock & Renee McMahon                  (Evening)

Full results can be viewwed via 'Competitions' in the main menu.

Last updated : 17th Dec 2018 08:44 GMT
Club Charity Day

Members again came up trumps with excellent support to the Club Charity Day on 13th November 2018.  The total proceeds raised this year in aid of The Durham Food Bank were approximately £650 (final figure not yet in).
The first prize in the raffle (whisky) was won by David Thompson with ticket number 699.  The list of winning numbers in drawn order was :-
          699  Pink    -    David Thompson
          942  Blue    -    Norman McConnel
          745  Pink    -    Ronald Rutherford
          979  Grey    -    Keith McKenzie
          924  Grey    -    Peter Lisle
            18  Green  -    Louise Badcock
          795  Pink    -     ** To be claimed
          691  Pink    -    Brian Wayne
            49  Green  -    Richard Cottrell
          221  Pink    -    ** To be claimed
          949  Blue    -    Hazel Harrison

Grateful thanks go to all members who donated prizes and to everyone for their support.

Last updated : 21st Nov 2018 13:33 GMT
Durham Newcomer Pairs do well at Congress

Three Durham pairs competed and all did well in the North East Bridge Association 'Newcomer Pairs' event held at the NEBA Congress in the Gateshead Marriot Hotel on Sunday 4th November 2018.  Ann Johnson & Marian Taylor finished in a very creditable 3rd place, Jean Bowron & Hilda Million were placed 12th and Irene Hancock & Alisa Scott finished 17th.  Well done all.

Last updated : 7th Nov 2018 19:57 GMT
DEATH OF BARBARA TAYLOR

It is with great sadness that we record the death on Sunday 8th December 2019 after a short illness of Barbara Taylor.  Barbara was an accomplished player who had been a member of Durham BC for more than 40 years, originally partnering her husband.  Funeral details to follow when known.

Last updated : 1st Jan 2020 13:48 GMT
Charlie the Halloween Wizard
Charlie the Halloween Wizard

 

Bridge at the end of October was lightened by Charlie Bucknell turning up as the Halloween Wizard
Well done Charlie. 
Sadly his magical powers did not run to producing a winning score.

Last updated : 7th Nov 2018 19:17 GMT
Members do well in NEBA Gazette Finals

The NEBA Finals of the Gazette Cup and Gazette Plate took place at Darlington on Sunday 14th October 2018.  Whilst our Club did not manage to produce the winners, several members performed well to finish in the leading places.  Leading scores for each event :-

     Gazette Cup

                        %
          1=       61.67        Jacqui taylor & Geoff Parker
          1=       61.67        Phil Gibson & Dave Pentland
          3         61.25        John Gladdes & Liz Muir

          4         56.60        Phyllis Hands & Lesley Milner
          5         55.76        Neil Aiston & Inga Aiston
          6         54.65        Iain Gordon & John McCourt
                                                ( Total 14 Pairs )

     Gazette Plate

                        %
          1         58.59        Pat Barton & Alleyn Erskine

          2         55.47        David Thompson & Margaret Thompson
          3         54.43        Ann Squires & Richard Cottrell
          4         54.17        Brenda Osborne & Frank Springett
          5         53.65       
Brian Myers & Denise Barham-Hall
          6         53.39        Adrian Darnell & Niall Keaney
                                               ( Total 18 Pairs )
 

Last updated : 15th Oct 2018 18:51 GMT
Club Teams have mixed start to new season

Sunday 7th October saw a mixed start to the 2018-19 season for our three teams competing in the NEBA InterClub leagues.  Two victories and one defeat were the order of the day.

     Results

          Division A
          Durham 'A'     13     Wearside 'A'          7

          Division B
          Durham 'B'     17     Cramlington 'A'     3

          Division E
          Durham 'C'      0      Alnwick                20

Last updated : 8th Oct 2018 21:43 GMT
Annual and Summer Competitions Finalised

The 25th September 2018 saw the completion of a number of the Club's Annual and Summer Competitions.  Full details are set out in the Competitions Section of the main menu (NB. now listed in the Competitions Archive Division and replaced in the Current Division by the Winter Programme).  In summary the leading places in each event are set out below :-

          SUMMER EVENING PAIRS 
          April-September 2018

          1          54.41 %          Iain Gordon & Margaret McCabe
          2          54.38 %          John Portwood & Wojtek Zakrzewski
          3          53.29 %          Bill Dixon & Peter Sykes

          SUMMER AFTERNOON PAIRS
          April-September 2018

          1          66.91 %          Barbara Taylor & Renee McMahon
          2          66.10 %          Adrian Darnell & John Dobson
          3          63.64 %          Irene Burns & Joan Crompton

          INDIVIDUAL 2017-2018
         
October 2017-September 2018

          1          57.77 %          George Kellett
          2          57.20 %          Paul Beard
          3          57.07 %          Roger Carpenter

          MASTERPOINTS 2017-2018
          October 2017-September 2018

          1          1788               Renee McMahon
          2          1623               John Dobson
          3          1557               Joan Crompton

Last updated : 27th Sep 2018 12:26 GMT
Bridge Classes

Bridge Classes for new and novice players are to commence on Monday 1st October 2018 (new players are encouraged to come along as no experience is necessary).  The venue is the Framwellgate Moor Community Centre on Monday evenings at 7.00 pm.  The Course Tutor is Charlie Bucknell who will be assisted as necessary by senior club members.   Answers to any queries may be obtained by ringing Jill Hancock on 0191 386 0766.

Last updated : 4th Sep 2018 22:50 GMT
Club Honours Boards

As a further development to the website, Club Honours Boards are in course of preparation.  Initially the first two, "Membership Achievements" and "Club Champions" have been installed under the "Honours Boards" section in the main menu.  Members are invited to pass any information on inaccuracies and omissions to the Webmaster.

Last updated : 30th Jul 2018 22:04 GMT
NEBA Swiss Pairs at Durham
NEBA Swiss Pairs at Durham
Last updated : 30th Jul 2018 21:13 GMT
Club Players Successful

Five Club Members gained placings among the top positions at the North Eastern Bridge Association Northern Open Pairs held at Castle Morpeth BC on Sunday 8th July 2018.   Simon Hedley and Stephen Reay were clear of the field in winning the event but the top placings from a total of 23 pairs were as follows  (Durham members marked in bold font) :-

        Pos                                        Pairs
          1          64.41          Simon Hedley & Stephen Reay
          2          60.00          Mary Page & Sue Green
          3          57.35          Audrey Bainbridge & Denise Barham-Hall
          4          56.94          Marion Curran & Margaret McCabe
          5          55.14          Joan Crompton & David Thompson
          6          53.33          Anne Bell & Norman Gray
                                                    >>
                                          ( Total 23 Pairs )

Last updated : 16th Jul 2018 20:30 GMT
Charity Open Garden Weekend
Charity Open Garden Weekend

 

Under the National Open Garden Scheme, club members Alison & Godfrey Young held an Open Garden Weekend at their home in Crook (6th & 7th July 2018).   They wish to thank all those who supported the event which was successful in raising £854 for a number of worthy charities.


                                           

Last updated : 12th Jul 2018 21:45 GMT
Chairman Elected to Secretary of NEBA
Chairman Elected to Secretary of NEBA

 

 

Congratulations go to Club Chairman Adrian Darnell upon his election to Secretary of the North East Bridge Association at the Annual General meeting held in Sunderland on Tuesday 29th May 2018.  Adrian takes over from Mary Page who retired following a number of very successful years in post.

Last updated : 22nd Jun 2018 06:54 GMT
Bridgewebs App available for Mobiles

A Bridgewebs App is available for mobile phones which will enable on the move access to results, news and many other features of this website.  Up to ten clubs which use Bridgewebs software may be saved as favourites.  To access the appropriate App for your phone go to :-

               iTunes Store            -     for iPhone
               Google Play Store    -     for Android

 

Last updated : 17th May 2018 08:18 GMT
AGM 2018 REPORT

The Club AGM 2018 was held at 1.50 pm on Tuesday 24th April 2018 immediately preceding the afternoon session of duplicate.   Chairman Adrian Darnell reported that the Club is a growing, vibrant, welcoming community of bridge players and, almost as important, the accounts demonstrated financial health.  The Chairman went on to thank the Committee, with particular mention made to Secretary Ann Squires and Treasurer Susan Penswick, for all their hard work and support through the year.   Thanks were also extended to Roger Hancock who had decided to stand down from the Committee after many years of helping to manage the Club.  All other members of the Committee were re-elected.  Additionally the Chairman welcomed two newly elected members, John Dobson and Charlie Bucknell.

Some constitutional changes were approved, as were arrangements for compliance with new data protection legislation. 
This was followed by the presentation of annual awards which were :-
                    Club Champions Evening      -    Bill Dixon
                                            Afternoon   -    Joan Crompton
       Summer Club Champions Evening     -    Peter Sykes & Bill Dixon   
                                             Afternoon  -   John Dobson & Malcolm Dawson
                                         Sykes Cup     -    Nigel Martin & Adrian Darnell
                  Chairman's Progress Award    -    Ronnie Rutherford

Club Team Captain Nigel Martin reported on a successful year for all three teams, the A Team consolidating a position in Division A, the B team gaining promotin fron Division C to Division B and the C Team gaining promotion fron from Division E South to Division E.
      

Last updated : 31st May 2018 14:57 GMT



Chairman Adrian Darnell presents Joan Crompton with
her award upon winning the Afternoon Championship

Last updated : 31st May 2018 14:59 GMT
Death of Bob Willis

It is with great sadness that we advise of the death of Bob Willis on 13th April 2018 at the age of 94 years.   Bob was a member of our club for very many years although in recent months his health had prevented him from being with us.  His funeral, attended by many family and friends, took place at Chester-le-Street Methodist Church at 10.30 a.m. on Monday 21st May 2018.

Last updated : 21st May 2018 18:07 GMT
2018 Donation to 'Tin Arts'
2018 Donation to 'Tin Arts'

Our Club gave its charity support 2018 to another group residing at the Framwellgate Moor Centre.  On Wednesday 14th February 2018, Chairman Adrian Darnell presented a cheque in the sum of £513 to 'Tin Arts' Director Tess and a group of their students in the dance studio at FMYCS.

Last updated : 31st May 2018 14:58 GMT
2017-18 InterClub Season Closes

The 2017-18 InterClub League Season closed with Round Five matches played on Sunday 15th April 2018 (albeit Durham A still had an outstanding postponed fixture with Brunton A to fulfil which was played subsequently). 

                     Round 5 Results

                     Div A            Hurworth             18    -  Durham A      2
                     Div C            Bishop Auckland    7     -  Durham B     13
                     Div E (S)      Wearside B            5     -  Durham C     15

All three Durham teams had pleasing seasons, the A Team retaining its position in Division A, the B Team winning Division C and gaining promotion to Division B and the C Team finishing third in Division E South.  Next season Division E South and Division E North will be re-structured into Divisions E and F, this season's good performance by the C Team gaining a place in the higher Division.    Final placings were :-

                      Division A

          1          Hurworth                      88
          2          Brunton A                     67
          3          Darlington A                 54
          4          Durham A                   34
          5          Morpeth A                    30
          6          South Shields               27

                      Division C

          1          Durham B                   70

          2          Darlington B                 58
          3          Bishop Auckland           54
          4          St George's                  52
          5          Newcastle A                 41
          6          Morpeth B                    25

                      Division E (South)

          1          Chester-le-Street B       57
          2          Stockton B                   43
          3          Durham C                   39
          4          Wearside B                  34
          5          Darlington D                27

Last updated : 11th May 2018 19:40 GMT
The Jonathan Cansino Cup

The Club is delighted to announce a new competition open to all Durham Bridge Club members.  George Cansino (club member) has kindly donated a cup won by his brother Joanathan, one of the most brilliant bridgeplayers of his age.  (For full details refer to  https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.obituaries/IhGxp09UgsQ  The intention is that this will be competed for by both afternoon and evening players.  In order to make this possible the following rules will apply:-

- This will be a pairs competition : If A plays with B in the afternoon and then
     A plays with C in the evening, both results will count.
- The results from the first Tuesday of each month (afternoon and evening)
     will count towards the Jonathan Cansino Cup.
- Only one result from any pair will count each month.
- Points for ranking will be awarded at each session (ie. 1st=10,  2nd=7,3rd=5,
      4th=4, 5th=3, 6th=2, 7th=1) 
- The best six scores (ie.ranking points) for each pair will be aggregated to produce
      a winner.  (This will normally be 6 from 12 but for 2018 it will be 6 from 11
      as January was missed).
- The Cup will be presented at the appropriate Christmas Party.

Last updated : 31st May 2018 15:00 GMT
Death of Mike Pitt
Death of Mike Pitt

We sadly record the death of Mike Pitt on 1st September 2017.   Mike was a member of our Club for many years and we remember him as a most competent bridge player with a wonderful fungoing personality.  This picture seems a delightfully characteristic picture by which we can remember him.   Many members were present with family and friends at a Service of Remembrance held in Bede Chapel on 21st September 2017.

Last updated : 5th May 2018 21:58 GMT
2017 Donation to 'Daft as a Brush' Charity
2017 Donation to 'Daft as a Brush' Charity

This year our Club gave support to the regional 'Daft As A Brush' charity.  Funds for the charity totalling £530 were raised from personal donations, sales of cakes (thanks to Sylvia Banks), a raffle (with excellent prizes donated by club members) and the donation of table monies from sessions held on 22nd November 2016. Committee Members  Ann Squires and Peter Sykes went to the 'Daft as a brush' premises to present the cheque.  Brian Burnie, founder of the charity, kndly visited the Club to address members. He gave details of the work of his group and expressed sincere thanks to the members foe their support.

Last updated : 31st May 2018 15:01 GMT