This page shows old "News Items" published in, or relating to, the calendar year 2012. It includes hyperlinks to the detailed Results, where available.

Items are in reverse-date sequence: the most recent first. 

Your Web Master may in the near future initiate a project to sort these annual pages into a more meaningful Archive, but so far all that has been done is to tidy them up and make the context apparent. In the interim, suggestions from the membership are welcome!

Congratulations to:- 

1. Laurie & Stephanie Burtt
2. Pat Watson & Sandy Riach and
3. Pat Johnson & Peter Scotting.

Well done to Flitch Winners Chris and Sue Taylor who retained the Challenge Trophy.

Loughton Win the Fletcher Trophy

• Congratulations to Michael Watson (C), Nigel Bardsley, Wendy Coldham, Patrick O'Gara, Sue French, Rod Hudson, Marion Cook and John Birch.

Collier Row Bridge Club win the Essex Cup for Clubs (Teams of 4)

• Congratulations to Ann Savory, John Rowden, Kit Charlton and Robert Elliott who won by a comfortable margin in a field of 12 teams.

Congratulations to Peter Scotting & Pat Johnson with Tony Verran & partner who WON the Swiss Teams.

Also well done to Jacek Lapszys and Sandy Riach who were 7th in the Swiss Pairs.

The winners were Winnie Godber, John Stimson, Sue Taylor & Chris Taylor

Well Done Margret Curtis and David Sherman, 4th overall and highest placed veterens.

Well done Graham Foster & Richard Register!

In the League Cup Final Loughton Cookies beat Taylor's Dummies. The Loughton Cookies team was: Marion Cook, John Birch, Sue French & Rod Hudson.

Well done to Sandy and Martin Smith, who made the A final at the Stratford Autumn Congress with team mates Roger and Jill Tattersfied.

Once again Essex shines: Winners of the following events were:-

• Swiss Teams: Mary Homer & Albert Kitchen, Simon Moorman & Peter Oake
• Swiss Pairs: Simon Moorman & Peter Oake
• Mixed Pairs: Mary Homer & Albert Kitchen
• Open Pairs: Simon Moorman & Peter Oake

Well Done to Chris and Sue Taylor who came 2nd on the Wednesday night.

There was a clean sweep for Essex at the Felixstowe Congress!

• On the Saturday -

1. The Championship Pairs was won by Martin & Sandy Smith,
2. The Consolation Pairs was won by George & Maureen Vede and
3. The Open Pairs was won by Robert Elliott & Sandy Riach.

• On the Sunday: Swiss Teams

1. Winners were Val Mollison & Brian Davies with Paul Mollison & Bernie Hunt,
2. Second where Chris & Sue Taylor with Partners and
3. Third were Peter Oake & Simon Moorman with Sandy Riach & Robert Elliott.

At the Herts GP Swiss Teams, Pat Johnson's team came second. Well done Pat, Remi Tatur, Tony Verran and Peter Scotting

At the Surrey GP Swiss Pairs, John Williams and David Cooper won all their matches to come a very close second (by one point).

Well Done to Essex pair Chris and Sue Taylor (with teammates) who, after a bad start, came third.

Well done to Alan Coral & David Sherman who have once again come top in the country - this time on the Monday, in a field of 1149 pairs, the third occasion they have came first in the SIMS. 

Well done to these Essex players:-

1. In the Swiss Pairs we had
   • 3rd John Stimson & Partner;
   • 5th Margaret Curtis & David Sherman and
   • 14th= Stephanie Burtt & Laurie Burtt and Brian Davies & Partner.
2. In the Swiss Teams we had
   • 7th= Sue & Chris Taylor with Jill & Roger Tattersfield.

Well done to the Essex B, team who won their division of the Metropolitan Cup held at Ardingley Sports Centre on Sunday 9th September 2012: Albert & Audrey, Sandy & Martin, Cecil & Monty, Peter & Mike Watson, Dennis & John and Mike Wren & Chris.

Originally-selected teams:-

There were some strong performances from Essex players at this year's “Brighton”:- 

1. In the Harold Poster Cup (entry 289 Pairs)
   • 28th=, John Sutcliffe & Chris Megahey
   • 34th=, Robert Elliott & Peter Oake
2. In the Four Stars (entry 132 Teams) - Congratulations to Robert Elliott & Peter Oake who with partners reached the A final finishing 7th=.
3. In the Swiss Teams (entry 116 Yeams) - Alaric Cundy & Chris Megahey with partners finished 12th=.

Well done Martin and Sandy Smith who had a good result in the recent British Summer SIM pairs, finishing 7th out of 1781 pairs with 67.48%.

Well done to Chris & Sue Taylor who, with Team-mates, were third in the Swiss Teams event.

Well Done to Sandy Smith and her team, John Sutcliffe, Linda Fleet and Mary Homer, who won the Teams of four Plate.

Well done to Bob Hair's Team who won this Trophy again. The event was a great success and raised (just) over £500 for St. Francis Hospice. A big "thank you" to all who participated.

Well done Martin and Sandy Smith with Paul and Val Mollison who won the final against Michael Watson, Sandy Riach, Phil Collier and Peter Scotting.

Peter Oake's team beat Graham Foster's team in the final. Well done to Peter and his team mates: Robert Elliott, Dave Duffy & Bernie Harrison.

The Switch Cup was won for the second year in a row by Peter Scotting's team who defeated Sue Taylor's team in the final. 

Peter's team mates were Michael Watson, Phil Collier & Sandy Riach.

Catriona Lovett and Mike Harbour came 13th in the London Easter Festival Swiss Pairs against a very impressive field.

Wel done to Chris & Sue Taylor who won the Open pairs event and came 4th in the Championship Pairs "A" final.

The Essex Contract Bridge Association has it's own website www.essexbridge.co.uk and it includes details of all the affiliated clubs to the EBU.

The Essex Committee has agreed that we should include details of all the unaffiliated clubs.

If you would like your club on the website please send the following details to the ECBA Webmaster(using the 'contact webmaster' button):

Details needed:

• Club name
• Address of club (include post code if possible)
• Contact name,
• telephone number and Email address
• Day and time of bridge sessions
• Details of bridge sessions e.g. normal duplicate, supervised bridge sessions
• Web address (if you have one)

• 

  2012 Spring Seniors 1st Graham Foster & Richard Register
• 

  2012 Spring Seniors 2nd George & Joan McGuffin
• 

  2012 Spring Seniors 3rd David Tennet & Theo Todman
• 

  2012 Spring Seniors a
• 

  2012 Spring Seniors b
• 

  2012 Spring Seniors c
• 

  2012 Spring Seniors d

Thanks to Ian Moss for the Photos.

Some good results! Four Essex pairs qualified for the Final:- 

• Richard Perryman & Paddy Murray,
• Margaret Curtis & David Sherman,
• Graham Foster & Richard Register and
• Robert Elliott & Peter Oake.

It is usually considered an advantage when bidding major game contracts to have a second suit fit as well. It can also be helpful when considering whether to compete at the five level  or double an opponent’s sacrifice. But do the same criteria apply at the slam level? Two similar hands from the Hellier competition on Sunday February 19^th have left me wondering.  

Board 2; Dealer E; N/S vulnerable.

                            1093

                            KJ82

                            9842                

AQ652                  63                   KJ87 

    A5                                             Q64 

     6                                                75                                                           

J9874                     4                   AKQ2

                          10973

                        AKQJ103

                            105        

I opened 1NT, South showed diamonds, partner indicated both a good spade suit and a second club suit and we reached 6S. South cashed the AD, lead a heart and there is no play for twelve tricks.

Board 45; Dealer North; Both vulnerable.

                            1064

                            1086

                        A107643        

K5                           4                          A

J753                                              AKQ92

KQ2                                                    J8

AK85                  QJ98732             J9632

                                 4

                                95

                              Q107

I opened 1H, partner indicated a good heart fit and a club suit and we arrived in 6H. I could see no good reason to play South for Q10x in clubs and again went one off.

The winning team of four representing Waltham Forest ’A’ were Winnie Godber, John Stimson, Colin Elliott, Martin Baker.  The overall best performance for the two nominated teams of four went to the Thorpe Bay Bridge Club team of Richard Perryman, Richard Register, Graham Foster, Roger Bright, Jill Hair, Bob Hair, Yvonne Dias, Allan Greenstein,  (left to right in photo) who qualify to represent Essex in the Garden Cities Trophy later this year.

John C Williams February 24^th 2012

Well done to:-

• Men: Albert Kitchin & Chris Taylor
• Ladies: Carol McCue & Linda Barker

Well done to Graham Foster & Richard Register.

Nicole Cook came third with her partner in the Lady Milne trials. She will now represent England in Wales on 13th-15th April. Well done!!

Well done to John Stimson & Winnie Godber who won the ​Essex Swiss Pairs.