HARTLEPOOL BRIDGE CLUB
THE ATHENEUM 1952-1989
Hartlepool Bridge Club was founded in November 1952 by Mr Henry Pachul, a local engraver of Polish origin. Some people thought that American GIs introduced contract bridge to Hartlepool during WW2. However others disputed that this was the origin of the club. In the beginning duplicate bridge was played in the Grand Hotel in Victoria Road and rubber bridge in the Atheneum Club in Church Street. The season ran from September to May with a break in the summer months. Some other early members were Colin and Jean Calow, Hugh McKinnon, Fred & Brenda Gibbins, Arthur Puckrin and Bill Peacock. In the late 1950s Hartlepool Bridge Club was affiliated to the English Bridge Union (EBU) and also to the North East Bridge Association (NEBA) and it is still affiliated now well into the 21st century.
In the 1960s the Atheneum Club became the regular weekly duplicate bridge on Thursdays. The main room used was the Library but an overflow room was needed leading to the use of the Reading Room and occasionally the corridor. Scoring was done manually and the results only known when players returned a week later. Scoring was points-related with two scored for each pair beaten with one point for a tie. The usual movement was a Mitchell movement with north/south stationary and east/west moving anti-clockwise and boards clockwise (Pairs up, boards down was the call after each round). Pairs drew tables numbers on entry on an evening to assist random parity. The winners were the pairs with the highest number of points in each orientation. Trophies were therefore decided on positions in the top half of each orientation, usually 10 for a top, 8 for second, 6 for 3rd etc depending on the number of tables. Curtain cards were used to record each hand at the start of the evening avoiding problems of miscarding. Travellers were used to score each hand and the Secretary would spend an hour or so at home doing the arithmetic to provide winners.
HARTLEPOOL POWER STATION SOCIAL CLUB 1989-2008
In 1989 Hartlepool Bridge Club changed location. The Atheneum was a gentleman’s club with snooker tables and as the playing numbers increased two rooms were needed and consequent movement problems. Bridge members experienced increasing problems with parking and safety with the steps into the upstairs club difficult for some members. A deal was negotiated a deal with the Nuclear Power Station Sports and Social Section to use their facilities. The new venue provided good access and parking, a larger and better proportioned room with better catering and bar facilities. This more than overcame the disadvantage of the location some 4 miles south of Hartlepool centre. By now the bridge season covered the whole year and the club was playing twice weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Attempts were made to vary competitions with Individual (1980-2001) and Team-of-Four competitions (1985-2006). However these competitions became less popular and ceased.
The Bridge Club went online in the new milenium and from about 2009 we started to use Bridgewebs, a professionally run website. Scoring became based on percentage scores and consequently percentages decided the winners of all trophies. The advent of digital scorepads in 2015 speeded everything up. One box per table with north entering the contract, the lead and result, producing an instant update on a central computer with the current result immediately available. Uploads could also be read by personal ipads, computers, phones etc Dealing machines, print-outs and downloads to the website were initiated in 2022.
HARTFIELDS RETIREMENT VILLAGE 2008-2020
The Power Station Club had poor external light and about 2007 the Bridge Club re-located to a brighter and more accessible town site. For the next 13 years bridge was played at the Hartfields Retirement Home with good heating, a modern building, good parking and a licensed bar on Thursdays. By now Tuesdays had become the more popular night with up to 10 tables. Thursday was still the night for the more serious player but the numbers dwindled and on rare occasions there were not enough players on Thursdays to form a quorum of 3 tables. Bridge Classes run by Edward and Pat Thompson were held on Tuesday afternoons.
HORNBY PARK 2021-
The Covid Pandemic led to another relocation in 2021. Hartfields was closed for longer than other places due to the health situation of the residents. No bridge was played from the beginning of March 2020 to late July 2021 as face-to-face bridge was not allowed anywhere in the country. For a variety of reasons we lost about 40% of our members. Pre-Covid we had over 50 regular players and when we re-started we had between 30-35 regular players. We found a new home at Hornby Park in Seaton Carew with a good upstairs room, a lift, good parking and a bar. Some of our members played bridge online during the first year of Covid. Many other clubs did not re-start face to face bridge for many months. From the end of July 2021 were soon playing an average 6 tables on Tuesday evenings at Hornby Park although Thursday sessions were no longer viable. League matches resumed in October 2021 using the Seaton Church Hall.
Club Officials 1952-2022
Chairpersons
Henry Pachul 1952-55; Hugh McKinnon 1955-69; Bill Peacock 1969-99; Fred Gibbins 1999-2012.
A number of members took the chair for a few years after 2012, Ron Clarke Mike Lister and most notably Ken Spragg who also served three years 2010-2012 as Chairperson of NEBA.
Secretaries and Treasurers
Colin Calow was Secretary from 1955 to 1990. His wife Jean Calow was Treasurer for the same period. Colin was an excellent card player and they formed a strong partnership in club, team and county events. Ken Spragg was also secretary for many years from 1993- 2013 and his playing partner Tony Couchman was Treasurer from 1995 until 2010. Ed Thompson became Secretary in 2013 and his playing partner Roger Impett Treasurer from 2010.
CLUB COMPETITIONS
There is a separate entry on our website entitled Trophies which lists all winners since the early 1970s. The list is also interesting as it shows who was playing bridge over the years. We have 8 trophies awarded annually although two have fallen out of use over the last 20 years. Most of the trophies were donated by stalwarts of the club in the 1970s. Some trophies have changed uses over the years:-
Probably the most coveted trophy is the McKinnon Cup presented by Don McKinnon in1968 in honour of his father Hugh McKinnon one of the earliest members in the 1950s. It has always been contested over the long winter months as a scratch competition. About the same time the Handicap Trophy appeared.
The Summer Pairs Cup was presented in 1980 by a keen club member Harry Robinson, who also ran a good Monday bridge evening for many years at Hartlepool Golf Club.
Colin and Jean Calow largely ran the Bridge Club as Secretary and Treasurer from the 1950s to the 1990s.They were an outstanding bridge pair in a club team that did well in the NEBA leagues and open events. On their retirement from bridge they donated the Calow Cup to encourage new players.
Two cups were added in 1977 to mark the Queen’s Silver Jubilee and also the Silver Jubilee of Hartlepool Bridge Club. Keen member Dr Prabakhar Apte donated the Queens Cup and an individual cup the Jubilee Trophy was also donated at the same time.
In 1980 a local businessman John Rae sponsored the Club Cup – a one-off trophy in late autumn. About the same time Swiss Teams competed for the Team of Four Cup.
N.B The Jubilee Trophy and the Team of Four have not been held for their original purpose since the early 2000s.
NEBA LEAGUES & COMPETITIONS
Hartlepool have entered one or two teams in the NEBA leagues for over 50 years. Key players in the 1970s and 1980s were Colin & Jean Calow, Fred & Brenda Gibbins. Arthur Puckrin was also a very good player who played in national events.
In recent times our best finish was in 2005-06 when we finished runners-up in the top A Division, having led the league going into the last round. In the first we round we beat a very strong Hurworth Team which included the nationally rated pair of Clive Owen and son Chris Owen. We also beat a strong Brunton team but lost in the last round to Darlington and finished runners-up. That team included Colin & Jean Calow, Fred & Brenda Gibbins. Ed Thompson & Roger Impett and Henry Wood & Eddie Dodds. Ken Spragg and Tony Couchman also played.
In more recent times we have lost a number of our better players and we are usually in Division C.
Few of our present pairs are interested in playing in county or national pairs events. In the past members have won NEBA events but none this millennium.
Any help in adding, amending or deleting any of the above will be appreciated
Roger Impett September 7th 2022
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