The Catherine Howell Memorial Cup is presented to the top wholly HIWCBA team at the HIWCBA Green Point Swiss Teams event. This year that is the 7th place team of Cathy Medhurst, Brian Medhurst, David Barratt & Eileen Barratt. Hearty congratulations to them for this achievement. At one point it was suggested that the webmaster could gain that cup with his team who were 8th= (that would have been undeserved given my second half abberations - maybe caused by too many lovely cakes from the caterers) but fortunately not.

Then, more conventionially, congratulations to Surrey raiders Jeffrey Allerton & Philip Wood, Frances Hinden & Graham Osborne  who won the HIWCBA Green Point Swiss Teams last Sunday, with the largely,but not entirely, HIWCBA team of Gareth Birdsall & Sonia Zakrzewski, Martin W Jones & Adam Dunn 2nd and Geoff Nicholas & Debbie Roberts, Kathy & Denis Talbot 3rd. Well organised by Marion Rudd (again) and efficiently run by the EBU directors (despite a couple of problems with the booklets)

HIWCBA attention this weekend (14th May) was on the 20 table Petersfield Blue Point Swiss Pairs where at least one lady goes every year just for the meringues at tea time.
(Self) congratulations to Tim Smith & Dave Willis 1st with Steve Tearle & Tracey Adams 2nd and Mike Nunn & Gary Stevens 3rd. Full results here.
Petersfield seem to be the only HIWCBA club with open blue point events advertised enough for the webmaster to notice. Other HIWCBA clubs holding such events should contact the webmaster to get their events advertised.

Congratulations to Rob Paton & Angela Clark winners of the championship pairs on the championship pairs and agm day (3rd April). A notable triumph for an IOW pair at a HIWCBA event.
2015 accounts now available here and Draft AGM minutes now available here.

It is now mid May and county competitions have completed. Congratulations to all winners.
League 1 : Team Zakrzewski victorious after Team Lawrenson beat Team Preston (2nd) in their last match to finish 3rd (4th if team smith didnt have late play penalties).
League 2:  Team Fearon victorious with Team Lamont 2nd after Team Jones (3rd) lose their final match against Team Weekes .
Cahalan Cup - Knockout Teams of 4 - Won by Team Baker.
HICKO (Handicap Club Teams of 4)- Dominated by Petersfield teams and won by Petersfield B.
Solent trophy (Club Teams of 8) - see entry below.
Basingstoke Cup (Club Teams of 8 below a certain rank): Won by Titchfield.
So thats the Solent Trophy, Hicko, Basingstoke Cup & Derek Gibbins (Won by Steve Preston) all retained by the previous years winning clubs/individuals. Especially well done to them.
For full details see the county competitions tab to the left.

Congratulations to the Petersfield team of eight who won the Solent Trophy - going forward to represent HIWCBA in the Garden Cities regional finals on 7th May. The Petersfield team (Owen Leigh,David Hinkin,Mike Kinsey,Tony Truluck, Lilias Lamont,Mike Fithyan,Steve Preston,James Clark) did slighlty better for HIWCBA  than last year but unfortunately didnt qualify for the national final (see here).

In January we had the Mid Winter Teams and the Candlestick Swiss Pairs. Congratulations to Richard Ray & Karen Dewar, Steve Preston & Christine Ray for winning the Mid Winter Teams. The candlestick pairs was a tight event with winners Miles Cowling & Steve Preston and 2nd  Mark Hooper & Ron Heath split only by the result of their head to head match. Congratulations to both pairs and also Steve Tearle & Tracey Adams who were 3rd (All pictured above). That leaves Steve Preston with a clear lead in the Derek Gibbins Trophy.
In February we have the Valentine Swiss Teams on Valentines Day. Surely thats irresistable, so hurry up and enter now.

The HIWCBA No Fear Pairs charity event, with proceeds to Hampshire Air Ambulance, was played at clubs during w/e Friday 22nd April. Congratulations to Anne Saunders & Louise Mellor playing at  Petersfield who came out on top with Sandra Ruffell & Mary Lucas from Basingstoke second.

Merry Christmas - and well done to Jeremy Baker & Jeremy Dhondy, James Guiton & John Sherringham for winning the festive Yule Tide mini-swiss teams (sorry - no picture)
That puts Jeremy Baker back ahead in the Derek Gibbins Trophy

Happy New Year - entries are now being taken for the first  three Romsey events in the new year - the mid-winter teams, the candlestick swiss pairs and the valentine swiss teams.
Note: Jeremy is obviously keen to extend his Derek Gibbins Trophy lead because he entered the mid winter teams within 5 minutes of the form going up. Please enter too and look to defeat him.  

Congratulations to Jeremy Dhondy & Andy Hughes crowned Pottage Cup winners (HIWCBA pairs champions). Always ahead and previously winners of their club heat and semi-final.
Well done also to Gloria Benton & Susan Poole, Phil Downham &  Mahmood Nurmohamed, Tim Smith & Dave Willis 2nd to 4th who also gain paid entry into the Corwen in June (The top four HIWCBA pairs qualify for that event) - all 3 of those pairs starting their journey in the Gosport Pottage Heat.
Owen Leigh & Mike Kinsey, Lilias Lamont & Lesley Lewis were 5th & 6th so can pay their way to the Corwen should others above them withdraw. 
Full results available on the right.

Congratulations to Jeremy Dhondy & Andy Hughes,  Steve Preston & Jeremy Baker for winning the well attended Philip Graham Blue Pointed Swiss teams at Yarmouth IOW last weekend - the first three retaining the trophy from the previous year. Second were Guy Lawrenson & Hugh Kevill-Davies, Stevie Parker & Michael Yeo with the IOW team of Bud & Margaret Abbott, John Fryer & Susan Kyle third.
Steve Preston needed the win to retain his hold on the Derek Gibbins Trophy, with Guy Lawrenson second in the Derek Gibbins as well as second on sunday. Full Derek Gibbins results available under county competitions.

Congratulations to Steve Tearle & Tracey Adams, John Fairhurst & Keith Bennett winners of the Bloxham Teams on Sunday 29th November. No picture again.
Although he was only in the team that was 3rd, this puts Tony Page ahead in the Derek Gibbins Trophy. Enter HIWCBA events regularly and you may be able to overtake him.
Congratulations to John Jones & Mahmood Nurmohamed, Tony Olech & Mike Fithyan, Dennis Adams & Jenny Ashby, Mike Kinsey & David Hinkin winners of the Jubilee Cup teams of 8 at Romsey on Sunday 15th November. Sorry no picture maybe 8 people didnt fit in view.
In the week December 7 – December 11, why not encourage your club to enter the chidwick cup which will also raise money for Hampshire Air Ambulance. More info.

The HIWCBA Tollemache team was chosen following the published selection process. The selected team for the 21/22nd November qualification weekend was:
Dave Huggett & Steve Preston, James  Clark & Owen Leigh, Tim Smith & Dave Willis, Jeremy Baker & Richard Hyde, Andy Hughes & Jeremy Dhondy (Reserve Pair – Bob McRobert and Chris Kinloch)
The result was middling - 5th out of 9 in Group A.  Steve & Dave had a large cross imp 51.86. well done. Owen&James and Jeremy& Richard  had small positive cross-imps. The others did less well. At least we gave Dorset a good hiding.

On 11th October the team Karen Dewar & Julian Sykes, Mike Fithyan & Tony Truluck, Clare & Ian Fearon, Marian Rudd & Tricia Brooks, Jeremy Crouch & Julia Rowlands, Stuart Strachan & Eleanor Rice represented HIWCBA in Division B of the Metropolitan Cup - a one day invitational intercounty teams of 12 competition run by Surrey CBA. The HIWCBA team finished 7th out of 9, with Karen & Julian achieving a positive cross imp. Well done. Lets be enthusiastic and look to do better next year.

Congratulations to Jeremy Baker & John Dakin, Mike Fithyan & lilias Lamont, Tricia Brooks & Marion Rudd, winners of the HIWCBA Mens,Mixed & Ladies Pairs at Winchester.

Next get your club to enter the simple system pairs event and also hold a heat of the premier HIWCBA pairs event - the pottage cup. A list of pottage cup heats and people who have qualified for the semi final is now available.

Many congratulations  to Gosport (Phil Downham (Captain), Adrian Fontes, John Jones, Mahmood Nurmohamed) for winning the NICKO Plate (90-65 against Leeds). Two lead problems from the match

Before that it was the end of august and the end/start of the HIWCBA bridge year. Some of our players have ventured not only into other countys' green point events (surely our friendly cheap county events - as shown on the right - are more attractive?) sometimes even playing with out of county partners - but also entering national events. Congratulations to all whom have been successful in these adventures - eg, using the ebu player of the year board as the yardstick for explicitly notable successes,:

Andy Hughes (playing with Jeremy Dhondy - more local than he used to be) - 3rd in the main pairs event at the Brighton Summer Meeting.

Miles Cowling  - 4th in the national pairs earlier in the year.

Tim Smith, James Clark, Owen Leigh, Dave Willis (plus Bill Taylor & Lesley Lewis supersubs) - 6th in the Crockfords Final (last 8 of england teams of 4) (3 wins; 1 draw; 3 losses) taking a couple of notable scalps in the preceding knockout rounds (see:2015 crockfords round 5.docx.)  Also note : Jeremy Baker's team were 2nd in Crockfords plate with Andy Hughes's team 8th. 

And, since that doesnt cover clubs. congratulations also to Petersfield (Owen Leigh (Captain), James Clark, Mike Kinsey, Heather Maidment, Steve Preston) for reaching the semi-finals of the NICKO (Winning the last two rounds by 1 and 2 imps respectively - good luck to them in the semis against Cambridge) Also Gosport's NICKO plate achievement -  now promoted to the headline achievement above.

Finally, other notable HIWCBA successes at Brighton included Mike Fithyan second in the senior pairs & Owen Leigh winning one of the weekend one day pairs events that have helped(?) change the main weekend events from fun for all player events to events only for the serious.

Congratulations to Jeremy Baker & Fred Hotchen, Philip Norman & Guy Lawrenson winners of the Candover teams on 20th September.

Next HIWCBA event is the pairs competition at Winchester this weekend. Roll up. Roll Up. Enter via more info to the right.

The HIWCBA 2015-2016 Calendar Programme is now available, and events up to Christmas can now be entered from the calendar column of the home page or from the calendar page. The calendar includes a special charity seminar "All about overcalling" by Dave Huggett at Winchester Bridge Club on 15th November. Roll Up! Roll Up!