Rod Bell, an appreciation

Many years ago Rod played in a Sim Pairs at Tregenna Castle with an officer from Culdrose ( I believe Rod said it was his boss, whatever that may mean in the Navy!)

Then Rod started to attend St Ives club with Harry Moore and became a very good player

Harry stopped playing bridge for personal reasons and Rod played with various others including Paul Goldenbaum. They played many matches for Cornwall together until Paul died in a thunderstorm one Sunday morning as he walked into his greenhouse. Paul’s partner in the Mixed pairs had rung Paul to confirm the arrangements for that event a couple of weeks later. Mrs Goldenbaum explained the situation and I was contacted by the partner and then told Rod

“Good Gracious!” was the response, I can almost hear the words now! 

Marian Holden had run Helston bridge club with her late husband and on her own for some years but wanted to step back so installed Rod!

Rod and I were part of a queue playing in a County competition at Wadebridge when John King (Chair of CCBA) asked us if we would consider directing the Cornwall congress at Newquay

We both looked at each other and said “What us?” John said that the EBU had suggested a

Devon club TD as a possible and talking to other Cornish bridge players about the suggestion Rod’s name had come up as a better choice! 

The Congress went well and we continued to act for some years as we moved to Falmouth, both hotels and then Rod decided to stand down from being County TD and hand over to Chris Nichols. Chris then joined me at the Congress

Rod & I had also been asked to run the Devon Congress in Torquay one year so we did that before Robin Barker moved to Exeter, a much more experienced TD! 

Rod was asked about joining the EBU panel of top TD’s and just didn’t want the travelling since all the top events occur a long way from Cornwall

A few years after that Rod decided to hand over the reins at Helston Club and continued to play regularly under the new committee

Requests had been made by clubs in Cornwall for a TD course, John Pain (an EBU panel TD) had run a couple of courses for us helped by his wife Gill; Rod & I being pupils in the first one. John had moved to the EBU teaching staff from his School in Devon so Gill Pain said “Why don’t you and Rod do it?”

 We did, at least three courses together (and then Chris Nichols joined me in running a few more!)