Kingston Seymour and Clevedon & Portishead Bridge clubs are proud to present a Swiss pairs Event on March 24th

Please Click here to go to the page for more information and entry form

Our 2022 AGM was held on Tuesday, 31st January 2023 - at the village hall

Notes from the meeting, together with the Chairman's report, and the Treasurer's report,  for 2022 can be found by clicking Here

The Treasurer's financial statement can be found by clicking Here

The 2022/23 winter season has now ended. KSBC entered one team this year and at the end of the season they finished a credible 3rd in Division 3. Click Here to see the Third Division table. We are hopeful of entering a second team for the 2023/24 season.

Children in Need 2023

We are again taking part in the Children In Need Charity event this year on November 7th starting at 7pm. It would be great to see as many of you as possible on the night.

You can bring your donations with you as there will be a cash bucket on the night or else you can pay into the clubs bank account marking them for Children In Need. The village hall have kindly agreed to waive their fee for the evening and the club will be making an equivalent donation.

Children in Need 2022

We had another fantastic night on November 8th raising £185 including a £30 donation from the club for hall fees. Thanks to everyone for their generosity and hope to see you all next year. If you want to see the results you can log on to the EBU website, choose MY EBU and enter your EBU Number.

Our 2021 AGM was held on Tuesday, 25 January 2022 - on Zoom 

Notes from the meeting, together with the Chairman's report, the Treasurer's report, financial statement for 2021 can be found by clicking here

Exciting new Training opportunities for Autumn 2022.

A new 16 week beginners course is now up and running with 6 new local people hosted by Daphne Patrick and will continue up until Christmas. We look forward to welcoming these new players in the future.

For further details please contact Liz Hale Here

The 2021/22 winter season has now finished and has not been a success for either of the clubs 2 teams  The A team finished in 5th place out of 6 in division 3 and will be relegated to division 4 next season  The  B team finished bottom of division 4 but fortunately cannot be relegated any further. This means of course  A and B teams will be in the same league next season so there will be a couple of grudge matches.

Click Here to see the Third Division table and and see details of matched played by our A team  and Here to see the Fourth Division table and details of matches played by our B team.

Children in Need 2022

We are again taking part in this years Children In Need event on 8th November starting at 7pm, so it would be good to see as many members as possible on that evening. Please bring your donations in cash on the evening. The village hall has kindly agreed to waive its fee for the evening and the club will make a matching contribution.

Children in Need 2021 

We had another fantastic turnout on Tuesday 9th November and despite the enforced change of time to an afternoon session we still managed to raise £180 including a £30 donation from the village hall. Thanks to everyone for their generosity and hope to see you all again next year.

If you want to see the hands you can click here

Exciting new Training opportunities for Autumn 2022.

A new 16 week beginners course will we starting in September. The sessions will be run by Daphne Patrick 

for a group of up to 6 people on a Monday evening each week starting at 7pm and finishing at 9pm. The cost will be £25 per person for the course.

This is sponsored by Kingston Seymour Bridge Club

For further details please contact Liz Hale Here

The SCBA (Somerset Contract Bridge Association) are very active, we work closely with them and get a great deal of support from them.

Thank You Somerset

KSBC have been in receiprt of an extremely generous grant from SCBA to help us return to face to face bridge and also offer IT support for our training programme.

As a result we have purchased a new laptop and screen which you will soon see in use at the club.

They also paid for our Covid notices and cleaning equipment for the next 6months. In addition they have offered support to the club throughout lockdown by encouraging new initiatives such 

as on-line play.

Their efforts are really appreciated.

KSBC Committee

Click here to go to their website and see what they're up to.

The Best of Both Worlds!

Since February 2022, we've been able to put Covid restrictions behind us and return to playing face-to-face bridge on Tuesday evenings in the village hall.

We're also playing RealBridge online on Friday evenings. This is a collaboration with the Clevedon & Portishead club, which is called 'Woodspring Online'.

You can click here to see more information on our RealBridge programme
or here to go to the Calendar page, where you'll find a link to the next
RealBridge session (shown as RealBridge Login) once it's been set up.

Woodspring Online is a collaboration between the Kingston Seymour and Clevedon & Portishead bridge clubs, initially
created to offer online bridge sessions using the RealBridge platform on Friday evenings - in addition to the
two clubs' traditional face-to-face sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings respectively.

Now, until we feel safe to return to face-to-face play, we're moving those separate club sessions to RealBridge as well.

Consequently there will now be RealBridge sessions hosted by the Kingston Seymour club on Tuesday evenings and by the
Clevedon & Portishead club on Wednesday evenings as well as the established Woodspring Online sessions on Fridays.

Members of either club and their invited guests are welcome to play in all or any of these sessions - but we're a
friendly bunch, always open to contact from other like-minded players who play the game for enjoyment.
Please click here to send us a message if you'd like to talk about joining us.

Members wishing to invite a guest should complete the form at the bottom of this page.

We usually aim to play 21 boards in 3-board rounds (or 20 boards in 2-board rounds if there's a half-table),
 starting play at 7:00pm prompt and aiming to finish by 9:00pm or very soon thereafter.

All sessions are charged at £1.50 per player.
Our treasurer will contact new players to explain how these fees are collected.

You can click here to see the RealBridge player guide and here for advice on logging in, changing settings & table etiquette.

Please click here for advice on the equipment you need, on testing your camera and microphone
 and on what you can do to minimise the risk of connection issues whilst you're playing.

The next Kingston Seymour session will be on Tuesday, 25th January starting promptly at 7:00pm
and you'll be able to click here to join it when the session has been set up.

The Clevedon & Portishead club host their sessions on Wednesday evenings, starting promptly at 7:00pm
and you can click here to go to their website for details and to join the next one.

The next Woodspring Online session will be on Friday, 28th January starting promptly at 7:00pm
and you'll be able to click here to join it when the session has been set up.

When you login, please enter your full name (forename & surname) and (in the ID number field) your EBU number.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE make sure you've done all the recommended things, such as rebooting your device
and your router on a regular basis, to minimise the risk of connection issues.

We've found it impractical to play on evenings when there's a County League match as so many
of our regular players and our directors are involved in that competition.

On those evenings we can't all play together, we'll set up sessions in which members can practice their bridge
or just play socially with other members or their friends in casual foursomes.

You can click here to see more information on how that works and, when it's set up, you
can click here to join the next session on Friday, 10th December.

You can start at any time you like if you have a group of four already arranged BUT we
recommend logging in at 7:00pm if you're hoping to find other like-minded people to play with.

You can click here to see the calendar of when we are playing and when we aren't over the next few months.

The next Woodspring Online duplicate pairs session will be on Friday, 7th January starting promptly at 7:00pm
and you'll be able to click anywhere in this box to join it when the session has been set up.

When you login, please enter your full name (forename & surname) and (in the ID number field) your EBU number.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE make sure you've done all the recommended things, such as rebooting your device
and your router on a regular basis, to minimise the risk of connection issues.

Woodspring Online is a collaboration between the Kingston Seymour and Clevedon & Portishead bridge clubs.

Our RealBridge sessions are restricted to club members and invited guests - but we're a friendly bunch, always open
to contact from like-minded players.  Please click here to send us a message if you'd like to talk about joining us.

We usually play 21 boards (in 3-board rounds) or 20 boards (in 2-board rounds) on Friday evenings,
starting play at 7:00pm prompt and aiming to finish by 9:00pm or very soon thereafter.

Sessions are charged at £1.50 per player.
Our treasurer will contact new players to explain how these fees are collected.

Please click here to see the RealBridge player guide and here for advice on logging in, changing settings & table etiquette.

You can click here for advice on the equipment you need, on testing your camera and microphone
 and on what you can do to minimise the risk of connection issues whilst you're playing.

With the welcome return to face-to-face play on Tuesday evenings, our RealBridge sessions will, in collaboration with the Clevedon & Portishead club, move to Friday evenings.

We'll play a duplicate pairs session every week (except when there's an SCBA County
League match) and also offer facilities for casual games at other times.

That collaboration will be known as 'Woodspring Online' and you can Click Here
to see details of our RealBridge programme.

It's also possible to play casual games using the KSBC RealBridge account.  if you have 4 players wanting to play then Patricia Ewing will be happy to set a session up for you  Please click Here   for further details including charging  

Exciting news!  After over a year of closure we have, after doing a risk assessment
and consulting Government and EBU guidelines, decided to reopen the bridge club
for face-to-face play, on Tuesday evenings starting on 7th September.

The sessions will start promptly at 7:00pm, there will be no tea break.  We ask you to read the Club Plan for returning:- Return to Face-to-Face Bridge Guide

Both of our teams have now played their final matches of the SCBA's 2021 Spring League (on line of course), both played the teams which were top of their respective divisions and they came away with rather mixed success!

Our 'A' team, represented by Tricia Ewing, Liz Hale and Daphne and Joe Patrick, played a team from Frome and suffered an 18-2 defeat.

The 'B' team, represented this time by Graham Daniel, Tony Bowler, Tim Mather and David Sands played the best of several teams from Weston-super-Mare and inflicted their only defeat of the season on them, winning by an excellent 15-5 margin.

Both teams finished the season in a comfortable mid-table position and our congratulations go to them.

Click here to see the third division table and details of the matches played by our 'A' team and here to see the fourth division table and details of the matches played by our 'B' team.

After an enforced (but successful) online event last year, fingers have been tightly crossed that this year's Congress could return to the usual face-to-face format and players could meet old friends again.

That's now been confirmed and you can click here for much more information on the SCBA website.

New Bridge Training Sessions live at the village Hall!

Kingston Seymour are pleased to announce that we have a series of bridge seminars planned over the next 6 months or so run by Martin Holcombe.

The first is on Monday 6th September at Kingston Seymour village hall at 2pm for a prompt  2.15pm start. Further dates shown below and Cost £3 per session.

" Martin Holcombe Presents"

The vast majority of Kingston Seymour players will know Martin, he is a very experienced player who enjoys all aspects of the game. He is passionate about bridge and is a qualified EBUTA teacher.  The series of seminars will not make you an expert player but are designed to give you food for thought and if followed will undoubtedly enhance your enjoyment, increase your confidence, and give you better percentages per session.

The standard is aimed at all levels of player except beginers and even the most experienced players should have something to take away from the sessions. Martin has made it clear that they will be conducted with humour, understanding, and most importantly enjoyment.

The first in the series will be titled "Partnership Understanding" which will embrace discussions of systems, understandings, coping with interference, and convention cards.

Dates arranged so far.

Monday 6th September

Monday 11th October

Monday 8th November

Monday 6th December

For further information please contact Tricia Ewing  Here

We're developing plans for a 'RealBridge Lounge' in which our members can easily and inexpensively play with one another
or with other friends - initially on those Fridays we're not playing a full session but potentially whenever they want.

Our objective is to have our pilot system available by mid-October.  Watch this space!

We've found it impractical to play on evenings when there's a County League match as
so many of our regular players and our directors are involved in that competition.

You can click here to see the calendar of when we are playing and when we aren't over the next few months.

Exciting news!  After over a year of closure we have, after doing a risk assessment
and consulting Government and EBU guidelines, decided to reopen the bridge club
for face-to-face play, on Tuesday evenings starting on 7th September.

The sessions will start promptly at 7:00pm, there will be no tea break.  We ask you to read the Club Plan for returning:- Return to Face-to-Face Bridge Guide

If you want to attend a face-to-face session please email Liz Hale by clicking here to
register for that session.

Woodspring Online is a collaboration between the Kingston Seymour and Clevedon & Portishead bridge clubs.

Our RealBridge sessions are restricted to club members and invited guests - but we're a friendly bunch, always open
to contact from like-minded players.  Please click here to send us a message if you'd like to talk about joining us.

We aim to play 21 boards in 3-board rounds on Friday evenings,
starting play at 7:00pm prompt and aiming to finish by 9:00pm or very soon thereafter.

Sessions are charged at £1.50 per player.
Our treasurer will contact new players to explain how these fees are collected.

Please click here to see the RealBridge player guide and here for advice on logging in, changing settings & table etiquette.

You can click here for advice on the equipment you need, on testing your camera and microphone
 and on what you can do to minimise the risk of connection issues whilst you're playing.

The SCBA (Somerset Contract Bridge Association) are very active, we work closely with them and get a great deal of support from them.

Click here to go to their website and see what they're up to.

Our next club session will be on Friday, 3rd September  starting at 7:00pm
and you'll be able to click anywhere in this box to join it when the session has been set up.

When you login, please enter your full name (forename & surname) and (in the ID number field) your EBU number.

We're Back Playing Together Again!

You can still click here in this box to see details of our current RealBridge programme.

Exciting news! after over a year of closure we have, after doing a risk assessment and consulting Government and EBU guidelines, decided to reopen the bridge club to face to face bridge, on Tuesday evenings starting on September 7th. The sessions will start promptly at 7pm, there will be no tea break. We ask you to read the Club Plan for returning:- Return to Face to Face Bridge Guide

If you want to attend a face to face session please email Liz Hale here to register for that session.

From September our RealBridge sessions will now move to Friday evenings. These will be held in collaboration with Clevedon and Portishead B.C. This new venture will be known as ‘Woodspring Online’ and will start on Friday 3^rd September.

Improve your Bridge in 2021 - as the restrictions relax!

After such a long period of inactivity due to coronavirus, we're delighted to be able to offer some great training opportunities, courtesy of RealBridge in association with some
of the UK's finest bridge experts.

Andrew Robson was the expert in the first four events, which many of our members took advantage of in April.  Next in line is David Bird, one of the world's most prolific bridge writers (with more than 150 books to his credit) and a past bridge correspondent of
the Mail on Sunday and the London Evening Standard.

David's session (played on RealBridge) addresses one of those things we've all experienced as declarer; winners in your own hand or in dummy - but you can't get to them!

The session comprises four hands demonstrating different aspects of planning your entries, followed by a 10-minute video on two of the hands and a text commentary on all of them.
It should take no more than 45 minutes in total - and it's free-of-charge!

Tricia Ewing is planning the event and will confirm the date and time - but you should definitely plan to attend!  Do ask Tricia to put your name on her list.

Please watch this page for details of future events and let Tricia know if there are any topics you'd particularly like us to cover in them.

Both of our teams have played five matches in the SCBA’s Spring League (online of course) and both have won two and lost three of them.  With just one match to play, it’s unlikely that either team will be battling for promotion, but both are in comfortable mid-table positions with little risk of relegation!

Both teams have a large squad this season, giving more of our members the chance to dip their toes in the water of competition beyond our own four walls.

The 'A' team, captained by Tricia Ewing, has been represented in one or more matches by Liz Hale, Terry and Ann Yearsley, Joe and Daphne Patrick and Sylvia and Mike Fearon.

The ‘B’ team, captained by Graham Daniel, has been represented in one or more matches by Tony Bowler, Tim Mather, David Sands, Pauline Wilding, Sandra Sharp, Derek Sutton and Brian Cherry.

Click here to see the third division table and details of the matches played by our 'A' team and here to see the fourth division table and details of the matches played by our 'B' team.

Both of our teams have played four matches in the SCBA’s Spring League (online of course) and both have won one and lost three of them.  With just two matches to play, it’s unlikely that either team will be battling for promotion, but both are in comfortable mid-table positions with little risk of relegation!

Both teams have a large squad this season, giving more of our members the chance to dip their toes in the water of competition beyond our own four walls.

The 'A' team, captained by Tricia Ewing, has been represented in one or more matches by Liz Hale, Terry and Ann Yearsley, Joe and Daphne Patrick and Sylvia and Mike Fearon.

The ‘B’ team, captained by Graham Daniel, has been represented in one or more matches by Tony Bowler, Tim Mather, David Sands, Pauline Wilding, Sandra Sharp, Derek Sutton and Brian Cherry.

Click here to see the third division table and details of the matches played by our 'A' team and here to see the fourth division table and details of the matches played by our 'B' team.

Improve your Bridge in 2020 - or when Covid-19 allows!!

The notes below were written before the club and the country went into lockdown; they're clearly no longer relevant, other than to give an indication of what the club and the SCBA try to offer in normal times - and intend to offer again when the good times return!

Following on from his very useful 'back to basics' refresher session on 22 January, John Cockram will now be taking us to the next step on Wednesday, 11 March.  This session will help develop your bids and responses in both no-trumps and suits, all based on a simple Benji Acol system.

As usual, the session will start at 2:00pm in the Kingston Seymour Village Hall and will be charged at £2 for members or £3 for non-members, to include refreshments.

Advance booking is essential so that we can make sure we have enough copies of the handout paperwork and practice boards.  Please click here to email your booking.

Please let us know if there are any topics you'd particularly like us to cover in future sessions.

Looking beyond our own walls, provisional dates for more Andrew Robson and Caroline Macpherson training events over the next year have now been published by the SCBA and added to our club calendar.  Why not have a look and at least pencil them in your diaries whilst they're in your mind?  They're always excellent value.

Both of our teams played their last matches of the County League season (online on BBO of course!) in the last week of February, with mixed success - but both had good seasons.

Our 'A' team, represented by Tricia Ewing, Liz Hale and Terry and Ann Yearsley overcame a team from Street by a 15-5 scoreline and have won all but one of their matches this season - but only finished in third place because of the vagaries of the scoring system!

The 'B' team, represented this time by Graham Daniel, Tony Bowler, Sylvia Fearon and Pauline Wilding lost 15-5 to the table-topping team from Winscombe and finished the season with three wins, three defeats and a comfortable mid-table position.

Now we're waiting to hear details of the new Spring/Summer online league; we're expecting to field two teams again and there's still time to join the fun (which is what we play for!) if you wish.

Click here to see the third division table and details of the matches played by our 'A' team and here to see the fourth division table and details of the matches played by our 'B' team.

Our RealBridge sessions are restricted to club members and invited guests - but we're a friendly bunch, always open
to contact from like-minded players.  Please click here to send us a message if you'd like to talk about joining us.

We usually play 18 boards in 2-board rounds on Tuesday evenings,
starting play at 7:00pm prompt and aiming to finish by 9:00pm or very soon thereafter.

Sessions are charged at £1.50 per person.
Our treasurer will contact new players to explain how these fees are collected.

Please click here to see the RealBridge player guide and here for advice on logging in and playing.

You can click here for some good advice on the RealBridge website on the equipment you need
 and here for an excellent, easy-to-use camera and microphone test.

Daphne Patrick started giving beginners bridge lessons in the small anti-room at Kingston Seymour Village Hall around 2004.  Once this course was completed, she encouraged the students to continue meeting at the hall on a Tuesday evening to play and improve their bridge.  Daphne has had many more pupils since then and the sessions at the village resulted in the formation of the Kingston Seymour Bridge Club, which became affiliated to the English Bridge Union (EBU) in the summer of 2015.

In recognition of this significant contribution to the club, Daphne was unanimously voted an honorary life member at our inaugural general meeting in December 2015.  In 2020, Daphne was awarded the SCBA's Terry Girdlestone Cup for her outstanding contribution to bridge in the area.

The club is closed until further notice.

Unfortunately, you can't play bridge and maintain 'social distancing' or avoid touching bidding cards and playing cards other players have just touched.  Many of our members fit the 'elderly' demographic and quite a number have underlying medical conditions.

On 16 March 2020, after much careful thought, we decided that the only prudent route, for the safety of all our members, was to close the club until further notice - and then, a week later, the Prime Minister announced the restrictions which would have taken that decision out of our hands if we hadn't already made it.

We'll keep a close eye on relevant news and listen to the expert advice before considering when we can reopen.  We'll try to keep the calendar updated as we learn more, but please assume for now that the club is closed until there's explicit news to the contrary.

During these difficult times, both Andrew Robson and Bernard Magee have been and continue to offer some great online training, which we'd hope they'll continue long-term.  There are also many online games (both friendly and competitive) you can take part in to practice your skills.  Please talk to Graham Daniel if you want information or advice on any of these things or to check what's still in plan by ourselves or the SCBA.

Take care, look after your loved ones and spread only kindness.

Our teams played their latest County League matches on 15 January (online on BBO of course!) and both were successful.

Our 'A' team, represented by Tricia Ewing, Liz Hale and Terry and Ann Yearsley overcame a team from Cossington by a 15-5 scoreline and have now won all but one of their matches this season.

The 'B' team, represented this time by Tim Mather, David Sands, Derek Sutton and Brian Cherry recorded a 12-8 win against a team from Street and have now one their last three matches on the trot.

Both teams play their final match of the season on 26 February.  Good luck to them!

Click here to see the third division table and details of the matches played by our 'A' team and here to see the fourth division table and details of the matches played by our 'B' team.

Those of our members who can remember playing face-to-face (!!) will know that, for several years, we've taken part in the SCBA's annual Michael Coda Cup event in aid of local charities.

This year, whilst we'll need to play online, the event is still taking place and all of the funds raised will go to CLIC Sargent, which works with young cancer patients and their families and was, of course, originally formed by Bob Woodward in our part of the world.

Our local heat will be hosted by the Clevedon & Portishead club, with whom many of our members have been playing regularly in their Wednesday evening BBO sessions, and it will take place on Wednesday, 3 February, kicking off at 7:15pm.

More details will follow on what you need to do to register to play and how to make your donation to the charity but please, for now, save the date!

Annual subscriptions for 2020 were approved at our AGM on 28 January 2020 and are due for payment by the end of February.

Payment should preferably be made by transfer to the club's bank account; please ask the Treasurer for our bank details.  Many thanks.

Members' Questionnaire 2021

We've at last been able to say "good riddance" to 2020 and the club committee is starting to think about how we can best get the club back up and running when it's safe for us to do so.

We have to recognise that some of the things we've all been used to might well have changed for ever but, if we embrace them, some of those changes might be for the better.  On-line bridge, for example, has become popular with many players and, whilst  the committee believe the primary object of the club is, and will remain, the organisation of face-to-face meetings, we also believe that experience with on-line play has shown it can offer opportunities which face-to-face play cannot.  Inter-club or regional events without the need to travel, allowing less-mobile people to play bridge from the comfort of their own homes and easier access to training are just three examples of that - and they can all be additional to regular play, sitting and talking with real people at the club.

The committee produced a questionnaire, asking for members views, and that was sent to all members on 1 January.  The response rate exceeded 75%, for which we're very grateful, and those responses are currently being analysed for discussion at our AGM on 26 January.

You can click here  to see the questionnaire but, better still, join our AGM (which will be held on Zoom) to take part in the discussion.

Both of our teams played their latest County League matches on Friday, 11 December (online on BBO of course!) with mixed results.

Our 'A' team, represented by Tricia Ewing, Liz Hale and Terry and Ann Yearsley disappointingly lost their unbeaten record, losing 17-3 to a team from Yeovil.

The 'B' team, represented by Sylvia Fearon, Pauline Wilding, Tim Mather and David Sands moved up the table with an excellent 14-6 win against a team from Wells.

Click here to see the third division table and details of the matches played by our 'A' team and here to see the fourth division table and details of the matches played by our 'B' team.

Members' Questionnaire - Opinions Invited

We've at last been able to say "good riddance" to 2020 and the club committee is starting to think about how we can best get the club back up and running when it's safe to do so.

We have to recognise that some of the things we've all been used to might well have changed for ever but, if we embrace them, some of those changes might be for the better.  On-line bridge, for example, has become popular with many players and, whilst  the committee believe the primary object of the club is, and will remain, the organisation of face-to-face meetings, we also believe that experience with on-line play has shown it can offer opportunities which face-to-face play cannot.  Inter-club or regional events without the need to travel, allowing less-mobile people to play bridge from the comfort of their own homes and easier access to training are just three examples of that - and they can all be additional to regular play sitting and talking with real people at the club.

So that's the committee's view, but we need to know what our members think and the questionnaire you can see by clicking here is intended to increase the chances that our planning is reasonably aligned with the consensus view.

Our members should have received a copy of the questionnaire by email but, if you haven't or want to offer your views anyway, please call our chairman, Graham Daniel.

Once again this year, on 4 February, we played in the annual Michael Coda event, organised by the SCBA, helping to raise funds for local charities.  This year, the chosen charity was Bibic, based in Langport, which helps children and young people with learning and behavioural difficulties resulting from brain injury, autism, cerebral palsy, ADHD and a wide variety of other conditions.

More than 200 pairs took part at many participating clubs across Somerset.  None of our pairs were in the top ten but we did have three pairs in the top twenty - so a very creditable result!

The consolidated results can be seen by clicking here, and a useful commentary on the hands can be seen by clicking here.

One thing which often causes confusion when the consolidated results appear for an event like this is why our pairs don't always appear in the same order as they were on our club evening.  Click here for an explanation which will hopefully clear up some of that confusion!

We all feared that this year's West of England Congress would be another victim of the Covid-19 pandemic, but I'm delighted to say that those busy boys at the SCBA have now announced their plans to run it online.  Not only that, they're actually taking advantage of adversity and turning it into a nine-day festival, from 26 September to 4 October, rather than cramming everything into one weekend.

They've included events for everybody, from the least to the most experienced, and included both blue and green pointed events, explanations of which can be found in our club handbook if you really do want to know!

During the first weekend, there will be Open Pairs and Swiss Pairs events plus a relaxed pairs event for those who enjoy a slower game.  There are lots of options during the week (including a 'set up your own matches' knock-out teams event), before the festival comes to its climax with Championship Pairs and Swiss Teams events (and another relaxed pairs event) on the closing weekend.

Full details can be found by clicking here.

What's not to like!  There really is something for everybody so please make your plans, support the SCBA's efforts and join as much of the fun as you can during the West of England Online Congress 2020.

Our fourth full AGM was held on Tuesday, 28 January 2020.

Notes from the meeting, together with the Chairman's report and the Treasurer's financial statement for 2019 can be found by clicking here.

The latest matches in this season's league were played on Friday, 27 November - online on BBO of course!

Our 'A' team, represented by Tricia Ewing, Liz Hale and Terry and Ann Yearsley played a team from Cheddar and came away with a 13-7 win.  They're now the only unbeaten team in their division and are locked in a top of the table tussle with teams from Clevedon and Yeovil.  Congratulations to them.

The 'B' team had a bye in this round but both teams play again on Friday, 11 December.

Click here to see the third division table and details of the matches played by our 'A' team and here to see the fourth division table and details of the matches played by our 'B' team.

Both of our teams played their third matches of the season on Friday, 30 October - online on BBO of course - and both had great results!

Our 'A' team, represented by Tricia Ewing, Liz Hale and Terry and Ann Yearsley, played in a top-of-the-table clash with a team from the Clevedon club and came away with a 15-5 win.

The 'B' team, represented this time by Graham Daniel, Tony Bowler, Tim Mather and David Sands played a team from Castle Cary and won by an impressive 18-2 margin.

Congratulations to both teams.

Click here to see the third division table and details of the matches played by our 'A' team and here to see the fourth division table and details of the matches played by our 'B' team.

Both of our teams have now played their second matches of the 2020-21 season - online on BBO of course!

Once again, the glory goes to our 'A' team, represented by Tricia Ewing, Liz Hale and Terry and Ann Yearsley, winning 11-9 in a tight match against a team from Frome.  That's two wins from two after securing promotion last season.  Congratulations to them!

The 'B' team, represented this time by Graham Daniel, Tony Bowler, Derek Sutton and Brian Cherry lost 1-19 to the team from Weston-super-Mare which had pushed our 'A' team hard at the top of the table last season.

Click here to see the third division table and details of the matches played by our 'A' team and here to see the fourth division table and details of the matches played by our 'B' team.

Both of our teams played their first matches of the 2020-21 season (online on BBO of course!) on 25 September - with mixed results!

The glory goes to our 'A' team, represented by Tricia Ewing, Liz Hale and Terry and Ann Yearsley, winning 14-6 against a team from Wedmore.  A great result in their first match after securing promotion last season.  Congratulations to them!

The 'B' team, represented this time by Graham Daniel, Tony Bowler, Sylvia Fearon and Pauline Wilding lost 3-17 to a team from Wilton, with just one or two boards which could have gone either way (but went their's!) making much of the difference.

Click here to see the third division table and details of the matches played by our 'A' team and here to see the fourth division table and details of the matches played by our 'B' team.

Both of our teams played their last matches of the 2019-20 season on 21 February, with mixed results on the night, but plenty to be positive about from the season as a whole.

The glory goes to our 'A' team, represented this time by Tricia Ewing, Liz Hale and Terry and Ann Yearsley, who finished in style, winning 15-5 against a team from Cossington and securing promotion as champions of the division.  Many congratulations to them!

The 'B' team, represented by Graham Daniel, Tony Bowler and Christine and Andrew Weller lost 2-18 to the very strong team from Weston which has pushed our 'A' team at the top of the table all season.  They finished the season in seventh place, with exactly the same points total as last year, but with three more wins - so they're definitely not downhearted.

Click here to see the table and details of all the matches played.

Improve your Bridge in 2020!!

Following on from his very useful 'back to basics' refresher session on 22 January, John Cockram will now be taking us to the next step on Wednesday, 11 March.  This session will help develop your bids and responses in both no-trumps and suits, all based on a simple Benji Acol system.

As usual, the session will start at 2:00pm in the Kingston Seymour Village Hall and will be charged at £2 for members or £3 for non-members, to include refreshments.

Advance booking is essential so that we can make sure we have enough copies of the handout paperwork and practice boards.  Please click here to email your booking.

Please let us know if there are any topics you'd particularly like us to cover in future sessions.

Looking beyond our own walls, provisional dates for more Andrew Robson and Caroline Macpherson training events over the next year have now been published by the SCBA and added to our club calendar.  Why not have a look and at least pencil them in your diaries whilst they're in your mind?  They're always excellent value.

This year's West of England Congress was a great success, with six competitions over the three-day event - and more than 60 tables on both the Saturday and Sunday!

Quite a few of our members took part in one or more of those competitions; none finished in the top 10% but it was all very enjoyble and a great experience for those who were new to it.

One prize we did come away with was that Graham won a £150 holiday voucher (kindly donated by First for Bridge) in the draw - but he now has to persuade Salma to go on a bridge holiday next year!

The club is closed until further notice.

Unfortunately, you can't play bridge and maintain 'social distancing' or avoid touching bidding cards and playing cards other players have just touched.  Many of our members fit the 'elderly' demographic and quite a number have underlying medical conditions.

Now, after much careful thought, we have decided that the only prudent route, for the safety of all our members, is to close the club for the next few weeks.  We'll keep a close eye on relevant news and listen to the expert advice before considering when we can reopen, but you should assume for now that the club will be closed until at least the end of April - and it will probably be longer!

Take care, look after your loved ones and spread only kindness.

In November last year, we had a fabulous turnout for our heat of the Children in Need Simultaneous Pairs charity event, with nine full tables raising a total of £180 for that wonderful charity.

Next, on 4 February, we're playing in the Michael Coda event organised by the SCBA, this year raising funds for the Bibic charity.  Bibic, based in Langport, help children and young people with learning and behavioural difficulties resulting from brain injury, autism, cerebral palsy, ADHD and a wide variety of other conditions.

Please come along and give us your support.  Table money will be slightly higher than usual at £3 a player, with the club covering all the other costs - including your normal tea and biscuits!

Both of our teams played again on 17 January - and, maintaining their recent form, they both won again.  That's all of their last four matches for the 'A' team and three out of four for the 'B' team!

The 'A' team, respresented by Tricia Ewing, Julie Holder and Terry and Ann Yearsley, triumphed 14-6 against a team from Cross, consolidating their lead at the top of the table and, with only one match still to play, making them odds-on favourites for promotion as champions.

The 'B' team, represented by Graham Daniel, Tony Bowler and Christine and Andrew Weller triumphed 11-9 in a tight encounter with a team from Street and are now sixth in the table.

Click here to see the table and details of the matches played.

Improve your Bridge in 2020!!

As previously advised - and requested by several of our members - our next session (and maybe others that follow it) will follow a 'back to basics' theme.  This reflects the unquestionable truism that, after learning all the Acol basics, many bridge players expand their skill in various ways but often then forget some of those basics.

John Cockram's session on Wednesday, 22 January, will discuss partnership agreements (your system, on which it's vital you and your partner have a common understanding), giving you a basic model for that, and then address both no-trump and suit opening bids.

As usual, the session will start at 2:00pm in the Kingston Seymour Village Hall and will be charged at £2 for members or £3 for non-members, to include refreshments.

Advance booking is essential so that we can make sure we have enough copies of the handout paperwork and practice boards.  Please click here to email your booking.

Please let us know if there are any topics you'd particularly like us to cover in future sessions.

Looking beyond our own walls, don't forget that Caroline Macpherson will be paying a return visit to North Somerset at the Claverham Village Hall on Sunday, 9 February.

Caroline's topic is 'Double' and she'll be guiding us through the various (and valuable!) uses of the Double Card - Penalty, Take-Out, Negative and Responsive to name but a few - with the main focus, as always, on declarer play and defence.

Thanks to generous funding from the SCBA, the day is FREE of charge - although you will need to bring your own lunch!

Click here for more details and to book your place on the SCBA website.

Our next AGM will be held on Tuesday, 28 January 2020.

Notes from the last AGM, together with the Chairman's report and the Treasurer's financial statement for 2018 can be found by clicking here.

We had a fabulous turnout for our heat of the Children in Need Simultaneous Pairs charity event on 12 November, with nine full tables raising a total of £180, every penny of which went to the charity.  Our thanks go to everyone who contributed to that great total and to the village hall committee for kindly agreeing to waive their normal hire fees for the night.

We look forward to helping raise even more next year.

Click here to see the consolidated national results for the Tuesday evening and here to see the hand commentary, if you didn't pick up one of the booklets.

Both of our teams played again on 13 December - and they both won!

The 'A' team, respresented by Tricia Ewing, Julie Holder and Terry and Ann Yearsley, triumphed 13-7 against a team from Street, consolidating their lead at the top of the table and, with only two matches still to play, making them odds-on favourites for promotion.

The 'B' team, represented by Graham Daniel, Howard Davies, Daphne Patrick and Carolyn Waite recorded their best-ever result with a 16-4 victory over a team from Cross, moving up to equal sixth in the table.

Click here to see the table and details of the matches played.

Improve your Bridge in 2020!!

Our 2019 training programme finished with a great session on bidding thin games from Martin Holcombe (thanks Martin!) and the planning for 2020 is already under way.

Following requests from a number of our members, John Cockram will be running a 'back to basics' session on Wednesday, 22 January.  It's undoubtedly true to say that, after learning all the Acol basics, many bridge players expand their skill in various ways but often then forget some of those basics - and this session (and maybe others that follow it) is intended to help address that.

Please let us know if there are any topics you'd particularly like us to cover.

Looking beyond our own walls, don't forget that Caroline Macpherson will be paying a return visit to North Somerset at the Claverham Village Hall on Sunday, 9 February.

More details will follow on both events but please put the dates in your diary now.

Our third full AGM was held on Tuesday, 29 January 2019.

Notes from the meeting, together with the Chairman's report and the Treasurer's financial statement for 2018 can be found by clicking here.

Both of our teams played twice in four days (on 29 November and 2 December) and, between them, won three of those four matches.

The 'A' team, respresented by Tricia Ewing, Julie Holder and Terry and Ann Yearsley, triumphed 20-0 against a team from Wilton and leapfrogged them to the top of the table.

They repeated that score (with the same team) in their second match - but, unfortunately, that was against our 'B' team, represented by Graham Daniel, Tony Bowler and Christine and Andrew Weller!

The 'B' team, represented by Graham Daniel, Tony Bowler, Daphne Patrick and Glenda Horner did however win their other match 11-9 against a team from Wells.

With three games left to play, there's still a lot to play for this season but, as you can probably imagine, the 'B' team's cheering the 'A' team on for promotion so that they don't need to play them next season!

Click here to see the table and details of the matches played.

Change of Date!!

Our Autumn training programme is now under way and, thanks to John Cockram's excellent session, sixteen students are now better informed on how to react if their partner's weak no-trump opening is doubled.

Our next session will now be on Wednesday, 13 November, when Martin Holcombe will lead a session on bidding thin games with confidence and, just as importantly, stopping short.

Martin says:

"It’s a very scientific way of assessing whether or not the game is achievable.  It's a smashing subject but also very simple; I’m confident that everyone, including the more experienced amongst the group, will benefit.  It will enable games to be reached on very few points whilst also stopping below game when it appears there are more than enough between the two hands".

As usual, the session will start at 2:00pm in the Kingston Seymour Village Hall and will be charged at £2 for members or £3 for non-members, to include refreshments.

Advance booking is essential so that we can make sure we have enough copies of the handout paperwork and practice boards.  Please click here to email your booking.

Looking beyond our own walls, the Andrew Robson seminars in Street on Friday, 18 October are fully booked but you can still book places (free of charge) on Caroline Macpherson's seminar in Street on Saturday, 16 November.  Also, please put in your diaries that (thanks to the SCBA's support) we've now booked Caroline for a return visit to North Somerset at the Claverham Village Hall on Sunday, 9 February.

Overall then, plenty of opportunities to improve your bridge - and most of them cost less than a bag of chips!  Don't miss out.

Both of our teams played their first matches of the 2019-20 season in Woolavington on Friday, 11 October - with both of them now playing in the fourth division.

The 'A' team, respresented by Terry and Ann Yearsley, John Pady and Julie Holder triumphed 16-4 against a team from Wells and immediately moved into second place in the table.

The 'B' team, represented by Graham Daniel, Tony Bowler and Christine and Andrew Weller, had a more disappointing (but still very enjoyable) evening, losing 16-4 against a friendly team from the Wilton club - but they did win the second half!

Click here to see the table and details of the matches played.

We had a fabulous turnout for our heat of the Children in Need Simultaneous Pairs charity event last year, with ten full tables raising a total of £195 - with gift aid adding 25% to that.

This year, we've entered again and will be playing on Tuesday, 12 November.  We'll be setting table money at £3 for this special occasion but, for such a great cause, you'll be welcome to pay a little more!  The village hall committee have kindly agreed to waive their normal hire fees for the night and the club will cover all the other costs - helping us to ensure that every penny of the table money will go to this very worthy charity.

Both of our teams played their final matches of the 2018-19 season in Woolavington on Friday, 12 April.

The 'A' team, respresented by Tricia, Liz, Terry and Ann, came close to beating a team from Nailsea, eventually losing by an 11-9 margin.

The 'B' team, represented by Graham, Tony, Christine and Andrew, had a more disappointing (but still enjoyable) evening, losing 14-6 against a team from the Wilton club.

Overall, both of our teams had a disappointing season, with both of them finishing in the bottom half of their respective tables.  That hasn't made it less enjoyable (well, not much less!) and, with a chance they'll be playing each other in the same division next year, there's more fun to look forward to - and more chances for others to join in!  Please talk to Tricia or Graham to find out more or sign up for one of the teams!

Click here to see the third division table and details of the matches played by our 'A' team and here to see the fourth division table and details of the matches played by our 'B' team.

The West of England Congress provides a great opportunity to finish the summer with a festival of bridge in the impressive surroundings of the recently refurbished Winter Gardens venue.  Young or old, experienced or not, there is something here for everyone.

The events on Friday are very suitable for those wishing to try a tournament for the first time.  In the Swiss Pairs on Saturday, you'll only play against pairs with a similar score (so will never be over matched) and the same is true of the teams event on Sunday.

Please don’t think this is not for you, that you are not good enough or any such negative thoughts.  This is for you, you are good enough and, if you try it, you will enjoy it.  Anyway what is there to lose? 
 
You can play just one or more events or the whole congress.  Everyone is welcome.  Click here to see the details and an on-line entry form on the SCBA website.

Please talk to Liz, Graham or John for more information.

We had a fabulous turnout for our heat of the Children in Need charity event on 13 November, with ten full tables raising a total of £195 - and with gift aid adding 25% to that.  The village hall committee kindly agreed to waive their normal hire fees for the night, helping us to ensure that every penny of the table money could go to the charity.

At the time of writing this article, Daphne and Joe were lying seventh out of 1921 pairs taking part that night and more than £52,000 had been raised across the country - taking the total over the years past the magic £1million mark!

We look forward to helping raise even more next year.

Click here to see the national results and here to see the hand commentary, if you didn't pick up one of the booklets.

Plans for our Autumn training programme are now coming together and John will be delivering a session on 'bidding after your partner's weak no-trump opening is doubled' on Monday, 30 September.  We've all been in that situation; it's the only one where doubling at that level can usually be taken to be for penalties rather than take-out and this session will give you some great advice on how you might rescue your partner from going several tricks down in a 'one no-trump doubled' contract.

As usual, the session will start at 2:00pm in the Kingston Seymour Village Hall and will be charged at £2 for members or £3 for non-members, to include refreshments.

Advance booking is essential so that we can make sure we have enough copies of the handout paperwork and practice boards.  Please click here to email your booking.

Further training sessions will follow on Wednesday, 23 October and Wednesday, 27 November.  Watch this space for details of the content, but please put the dates in your diaries now!

Looking beyond our own four walls, I believe the Andrew Robson seminars in Street on Friday, 18 October are fully booked but you can still book places (free of charge) on Caroline Macpherson's seminar in Street on Saturday, 16 November, and (thanks to the SCBA's support) we've now booked her for a return visit to North Somerset at the Claverham Village Hall on Sunday, 9 February.

Overall then, plenty of opportunities to improve your bridge - and most of them cost less than a bag of chips!  Don't miss out.

John ran another great session (on bidding with single-suited hands) on 26 June, but will now be taking a well-earned break for the summer.  He'll be working on his Autumn programme whilst he's resting(!!) and we expect to publish content and dates by the end of August, with the next session being towards the end of September.  Watch this space!!

Looking beyond that, Andrew Robson will be delivering three seminars in Street on Friday, 18 October.  Click here for details.

And there's more .... Caroline Macpherson will be performing in Street on Saturday, 16 November, and will be back with us in North Somerset next February.  More details as we firm up on them, but please put the first two dates in your diaries now.

Meantime, enjoy the summer sun!

Date Change!!

It's a bank holiday week and grandchildren arriving on their half-term holidays have trumped our plans - and we've had to concede that running a class on 29 May was perhaps a lttle ambitious!

Consequently, that date is cancelled and the planned programme has moved to Wednesday, 26 June, when John will present a session on bidding (and responding) with single-suited hands - that's anything from a six-card suit upwards.  He might also touch on the dreaded 4441 hands!

As usual, the session will start at 2:00pm in the Kingston Seymour Village Hall and will be charged at £2 for members or £3 for non-members, to include refreshments.

Advance booking is essential so that we can make sure we have enough copies of the handout paperwork and practice boards.  Please click here to email your booking.

The SCBA (Somerset Contract Bridge Association) are very active, we work closely with them and get a great deal of support from them.

Click here to go to their website and see what they're up to.

Their next AGM will be held in the Woolavington Village Hall on Sunday, 26 May 2019, starting at 1:00pm.  Click here to see the agenda and here to see the minutes of last year's AGM.

Note that the AGM is followed by a Swiss Teams event and what's usually an excellent tea.  Both are FREE.  More details on the agenda.

Our 2019 programme is well under way; John and Martin have already delivered three classes and there are dates in the diary (see the club calendar) for two more sessions to the end of June.

The next of these is on Wednesday, 29 May, when John will present a session on bidding (and responding) with single-suited hands - that's anything from a six-card suit upwards.  He might also touch on the dreaded 4441 hands!

All of these sessions will start at 2:00pm in the Kingston Seymour Village Hall and will be charged at £2 for members or £3 for non-members, to include refreshments.

Advance booking is essential so that we can make sure we have enough copies of the handout paperwork and practice boards.  Please click here to email your booking.

An average of 20 people took advantage of the six excellent training sessions John Cockram and Martin Holcombe ran in 2018 and our 2019 programme kicked off in Kingston Seymour on 4 February, when John delivered a session on limit bids, followed by a session on opener's re-bids from Martin on 25 March.

Three more dates are already in the diary (see the club calendar) for sessions to the end of June.  The first of those is Wednesday, 1 May, when John will present a session on Reverse Bids (also known as Going Over Your Barrier) to show Stronger Hands.

All of these sessions will start at 2:00pm in the Kingston Seymour Village Hall and will be charged at £2 for members or £3 for non-members, to include refreshments.

Advance booking is essential so that we can make sure we have enough copies of the handout paperwork and practice boards.  Please click here to email your booking.

Both of our teams played in Woolavington on Friday, 22 February.

The 'A' team, respresented by Tricia, Liz, Terry and Julie, came close to beating a team from Yeovil, eventually losing by an 11-9 margin.

The 'B' team, represented by Graham, Tony, Daphne and Salma, had a disappointing (although very enjoyable) evening, suffering a 16-4 reverse against a team from Street.

The 'B' team, this time represented by Graham, Tony, Christine and Andrew, have since played a re-arranged match against a high-riding team from Cheddar, kindly hosted by the Chew Valley club in Chew Stoke.  Another enjoyable evening with a disappointing result - this time a 17-3 reverse, leaving us fifth in the table.

Both teams play their final matches of the season in Woolavington on Friday, 12 April.  Watch this space!

Click here to see the third division table and details of the matches played by our 'A' team and here to see the fourth division table and details of the matches played by our 'B' team.

An average of 20 people took advantage of the six excellent training sessions John Cockram and Martin Holcombe ran in 2018 and our 2019 programme kicked off in Kingston Seymour on 4 February, when John delivered a session on limit bids.

Four more dates are now in the diary (see the club calendar) for sessions to the end of June.  The first of those is Monday, 25 March, when Martin will present a session which follows on from the one on limit bids.  We're calling it 'Further into the Auction' or 'Opener's Re-bids' as it will cover where one player has opened and their partner has responded with a bid which isn't a limit bid - so that opener has to bid again.  The session will also touch on what happens if the opposition interfere.

All of these sessions will start at 2:00pm in the Kingston Seymour Village Hall and will be charged at £2 for members or £3 for non-members, to include refreshments.

Advance booking is essential so that we can make sure we have enough copies of the handout paperwork and practice boards.  Please click here to email your booking.

An average of 20 people took advantage of the six excellent training sessions John Cockram and Martin Holcombe ran in 2018 and our 2019 programme will kick off in Kingston Seymour on Monday, 4 February, starting at 2:00pm.

John will be presenting a session on limit bids in support of your partner's opening and then developing the bidding after that.  It definitely won't be complicated and is intended to reinforce things you should already know - but might have forgotten!

Following that, Caroline Macpherson (another excellent bridge tutor) will be running a FREE session (funded by the SCBA) on 'Bidding with a Fit' at the Ring O'Bells in Nailsea on Saturday, 16 February.  Click here for more information.

Then there's another weekend in Bruton (again taught by Caroline) at the end of March.  Several of our members have attended these weekends over the last three years and found them great value.

Click here for more information and here for the flyer/booking form.

Our teams played their latest matches on Friday, 25 January, both playing the teams which are top of their respective divisions.

The 'A' team, respresented by Terry and Ann (Yearsley), Daphne and Sylvia (Fearon) played a very strong team from Castle Cary and suffered a 17-3 reverse.

The 'B' team, represented by Graham, Tony, Brian and Derek gave a team from Frome a fright, leading them at half-time, but eventually going down to a creditable 12-8 defeat - the Frome team's closest result of the season!

Our next matches are on 22 February; watch this space!

Click here to see the third division table and details of the matches played by our 'A' team and here to see the fourth division table and details of the matches played by our 'B' team.

Our next AGM will be held in the Kingston Seymour Village Hall on Tuesday, 29 January 2019, commencing at 6:30pm.

Minutes of our last AGM (held on 30 January 2018), together with the Chairman's report and the Treasurer's financial statement for 2017 can be found by clicking here.

Our teams played their first matches of 2019 on Friday, 11 January, and both performed well.

The 'A' team, respresented by Tricia, Liz, Terry and Ann (Yearsley) played the table-topping team from Street and came away with a very creditable 10-10 draw - bringing Street's 100% record to an end.

The 'B' team, represented by Graham, Tony, Daphne and Glenda (dipping her toes in the water for the first time), beat a team from Wells by just one IMP (recovering from being 18 down at half-time!) and were therefore also awarded a 10-10 draw.

Our next matches are on 25 January; watch this space!

Click here to see the third division table and details of the matches played by our 'A' team and here to see the fourth division table and details of the matches played by our 'B' team.

Our 2018 programme is now complete, with an average of 20 people having taken advantage of the six excellent sessions John Cockram and Martin Holcombe ran.  Many thanks to both John and Martin - and all the folk who helped them.

We will be putting another programme in place for 2019 but you can kick-start your New Year's education by booking on the FREE session Caroline Macpherson (another excellent bridge tutor) will be running on 'Bidding with a Fit' at the Ring O'Bells in Nailsea on Saturday, 16 February.  Click here for more information.

Then there's another weekend in Bruton (again taught by Caroline) at the end of March.  Several of our members have attended these weekends over the last three years and found them great value.

Click here for more information and here for the flyer/booking form.

A disappointing night for both of our teams on 14 December, when they travelled to Woolavington (along with 30 other teams) to find there were no boards!  Needless to say, there were a few red faces amongst the organisers, but we still enjoyed the tea and biscuits before heading home somewhat earlier than expected.

No matter, we live to fight another day and (like Manchester United!) hope to see improved results in the rest of the season.

Click here to see the third division table and details of the matches played by our 'A' team and here to see the fourth division table and details of the matches played by our 'B' team.

Our second full AGM was held on Tuesday, 30 January 2018.

Minutes of the meeting, together with the Chairman's report and the Treasurer's financial statement for 2017 can be found by clicking here.

More than 30 people attended Martin Holcombe's excellent session on overcalls and he's following it up with a session on doubling.

The two subjects go hand in hand as, quite often, your opponents' opening bid coupled with what you have in your hand gives you a choice between doing one or the other!  Doubling as a subject does of course go much wider than that but you can be confident, based on feedback from Martin's last session, that you'll go away feeling much more confident in this important part of your competitive armoury.

The session will be on Monday, 12 November, kicking-off at 2:00pm in the Kingston Seymour village hall.  As usual, it will cost just £2 for club members and £3 for guests, with tea and biscuits included in that fee.  It's likely to be very well attended and we have to produce handouts and practice hands, so reservations are essential.  Please advise ASAP if you’d like to be there.

See the chairman's blog for information on more great tuition opportunities.

Both of our teams played in Woolavington on 12 October; our 'A' team playing their second match of the season and the new 'B' team making their debut.

The 'A' team, represented by Pauline & John Deal and Ann & Terry Yearsley, lost 16-4 to an experienced team from Wells, whilst the 'B' team, represented by Graham Daniel & Tony Bowler and Derek Sutton & Brian Cherry, lost  by a narrow 11-9 margin to a team from Cossington.  The latter match really was close, and could have gone our way with just one more trick on any one of three or four particularly tight boards. 

Click here to see the third division table and details of the matches played by our 'A' team and here to see the fourth division table and details of the matches played by our 'B' team.

This year's West of England Congress was a great success with several of our members taking part in one or more competitions over the three-day event.

Amongst them, Graham & Tony dipped their toes in the water for the first time, playing in the Swiss Pairs with 274 other players!  Have a look at the chairman's blog to see how they got on - and make a note to join them next year!

The 2018-19 season is now under way, with a record 32 teams playing across four divisions.  Our established team is playing in the third division and, this year, we've entered an additional team to play in the new fourth division.

Our 'A' team have already played once, losing against tough competition from Cossington, and they're playing their second match on Friday, 12 October - when the 'B' team make their debut.

Click here to see the third division table and details of the matches played by our 'A' team and here to see the fourth division table and details of the matches played by our 'B' team.

Our team have now played their last match of the season, with Pauline and John Deal, Patricia and Liz securing a 13-7 victory over a team from Coxley.  We've finished a very creditable fourth in the table and look forward to even greater success next season.

Congratulations to all who've played for the team, with particular thanks due to Patricia for taking the captain's role, organising the squad and making sure we always turned out a team, even when substitutions were necessary at short notice.

Patricia sends her thanks to everyone who's played in one or more matches over the season.

Click here to see the table and details of the matches played.

The West of England Congress provides a great opportunity to finish the summer with a festival of bridge in the impressive surroundings of the newly refurbished Winter Gardens venue.  Young or old, experienced or not, there is something here for everyone.

The events on Friday are very suitable for those wishing to try a tournament for the first time.  In the Swiss Pairs on Saturday, you'll only play against pairs with a similar score (so will never be over matched) and the same is true of the teams event on Sunday.

Please don’t think this is not for you, that you are not good enough or any such negative thoughts.  This is for you, you are good enough and, if you try it, you will enjoy it.  Anyway what is there to lose? 
 
You can play just one or more events or the whole congress.  Everyone is welcome.  Click here to see the details and an on-line entry form on the SCBA website.

Please talk to Liz, Graham or John for more information.

Recognise this scenario?  Your opponents open the bidding but you have some reasonable values; you and your partner might even have the majority of the points and you want to try and take the contract from the opposition or at least compete, perhaps intimidate them, making it more difficult for them to find a contract – or simply suggest a lead to your partner.  So how do you go about it?

An overcall can often be the starting point and they can undoubtedly be an important part of your competitive armoury.

Martin Holcombe (an experienced bridge tutor) will be addressing the subject at our next tuition session on Monday, 24 September, kicking-off at 2:30pm in the Kingston Seymour village hall.  As usual, the session will cost just £2 for club members and £3 for guests, with tea and biscuits included in that fee.  The session is likely to be well attended so please advise ASAP if you’d like to be there.

This friendly inter-club competition, organised in collaboration with the Clevedon & Portishead and Nailsea clubs, comfortably exceeded our expectations, with a total of ten teams (that's 40 people!) taking part - including very welcome representation from the Backwell, Yatton and Chew Valley clubs.

It provided a great opportunity for anyone with little or no experience of playing outside their home club to spread their wings and give it a go.  Some were paired with more-experienced partners and we believe it's fair to say they all enjoyed the afternoon and learnt from the experience - as well as enjoying the free tea and cake kindly paid for by the SCBA!

We expect to do it again - so watch this space.

In conjunction with the Clevedon & Portishead and Nailsea clubs, we've organised a friendly inter-club competition at the Ship Inn in Portishead, with players from other local clubs (such as Backwell, Yatton and Chew Valley) involved as well.

It's an opportunity for anyone with little or no experience of playing outside their home club to spread their wings and give it a go! Experienced players will be there as well - a few of them taking part, but all of them willing to give advice on how the hands might have been bid and played - and hand records will be available after play to help you learn from those experienced people as well as (hopefully!) having an enjoyable afternooon.

Play will start at 1:15pm (so you'll need to be there by 1:00pm please), we'll have a tea, cake and comfort break at half-time and should be done, dusted and on our way home before 5:00pm.

The SCBA have kindly offered funding support - so the event will be free of charge!

Please talk to Liz, Graham or John for more information.

We've now had the third of our new tuition sessions; another excellent turnout with eighteen students this time and John Cockram's two charming young assistants (Daphne Patrick and Ann Bawdon) back to support his excellent tuition.

John's next topic is Conventions made Simple, and it will be on Wednesday, 20th June, commencing at 2:00pm.  Keep an eye on the club calendar (top right corner of the website home page) to see dates beyond that.

Sessions over the next few months will include Reverse Bidding and Fourth-Suit Forcing - and the possibility of guest tutors, who're queuing up to be part of our success story!

Please let us know if you'd like to attend or want more information.

We've now had the second of our new tuition sessions; twenty students this time and two charming young assistants (Daphne Patrick and Ann Bawdon) to support John Cockram's excellent teaching.

The next session will feature much more card play to consolidate John's teaching on the many ways no-trumps can be used in the bidding phase.  It will be on Wednesday, 16 May, commencing at 2:00pm.

John's sessions over the following two or three months will be on Conventions made Simple, Reverse Bidding and Fourth-Suit Forcing.

Please let us know if you'd like to attend.

Our team have now played their penultimate match of the season, with Pauline and John Deal, Daphne and Isy securing an 11-9 victory over a team from Street.

We've still fourth in the table but the table is tight and, dependent on how other results go, we could yet finish anywhere between second and fifth - so there's still everything (and even an outside chance of promotion) to play for!

Click here to see the table and details of the matches played.

We've now had the first of our new tuition sessions; fifteen students with widely varying levels of experience all getting great value from John Cockram's excellent teaching.

We're going to try alternating these sessions between Monday and Wednesday afternoons (as inevitably neither option is perfect for everyone!) and the next one will be on Monday, 23 April, commencing at 2:00pm.

John's continuing to emphasise how important a role no-trump bids can play and is talking about (a) opening a suit and rebidding in no-trumps, (b) two no-trump openings and (c) no-trump responses after partner opens a suit.  Plenty to get your mental juices going!

Please let us know if you'd like to attend.

As discussed at our AGM on 30 January, the before-play tuition sessions we've been running once a month are seen as being too brief to do justice to the subject or offer the opportunity to consolidate what's been taught by playing some relevant hands.  We have therefore been planning to offer separate, longer tuition and assisted play sessions and the first of these will be on Wednesday 21 March, commencing at 2:30pm and expected to last for a couple of hours.

As with our previous classes, these sessions will often be at a 'back to basics' level but they're definitely not just for our less-experienced players and are likely to be every bit as well received.

Please let us know if you'd like to attend one of these sessions.

As discussed at our AGM on 30 January, the before-play tuition sessions we've been running once a month are seen as being too brief to do justice to the subject or offer the opportunity to consolidate what's been taught by playing some relevant hands.  We are therefore planning to offer separate, longer tuition and assisted play sessions and perhaps run them in conjunction with other local clubs.  More information will follow ASAP.

In the meantine, we will continue to hold tuition sessions on the first Tuesday of most months, before the start of normal play.  Whilst suffering from the limitations described, they are nonetheless invariably well received; topics are usually at the 'back to basics' level but it's definitely not just our less-experienced players who've taken advantage of them and learnt something!

Please let us know if you'd like to attend one of these before-play sessions; there's no addiitonal charge and sessions start promptly at 6:30pm.

We've now played the seventh (of nine) match of the season, with Daphne and Isy, Tricia and Liz scoring an impressive 16-4 victory over a team from Yeovil.

We've back up to fourth in the table and, with just two matches to go, there's still everything to play for!

Click here to see the table and details of the matches played.

We've now played the fifth (of nine) match of the season, with Tricia and Sylvia, Graham and Tony losing by a 12-8 margin to a team from Castle Cary.  It really was close, and could have gone our way with just one more trick on just one of the hands!

Despite losing the match, we've moved up to fourth in the table as the team which was just above us lost by a much bigger margin.  There's still everything to play for!

Click here to see the table and details of the matches played.

We've now played the fourth (of nine) match of the season, with John and Pauline Deal, Daphne and Graham beating a team from Cross by a 15-5 margin.

We're firmly in the top half of the table (particularly when you add in the minimum of 12 points we'll get from September's match, when the opposition couldn't field a full team) and, with our next three matches all being against teams above us, there's still everything to play for!

Click here to see the table and details of the matches played.

The new SCBA committee are putting a significant initiative in place to develop a closer liaison between clubs and county, improve the opportunities for new players to embrace the game and help those already in it to improve their play.

This all kicks-off on 16 November and you can click here to find out more.  Our little club is on the agenda (!!) and everyone who's interested in the future of bridge in the county is encouraged to come along, enjoy some free tea and cake and join the debate.

We've now played the second match of the season, with John and Pauline Deal, Daphne and Graham taking on a strong team from Street and losing by the narrowest of margins.  With the minimum of 12 points we'll get from last month's match (when the opposition couldn't field a full team), we've crept into the top half of the table - with greater things to come!

Click here to see the table and details of the matches played.

A disappointing first evening of the season for our team in the SCBA County League.  Liz & Tricia, Sue & Sylvia all went down to Woolavington on 15 September but their opposition from Cossington couldn't field a team!  We will be awarded a winning score but, the way the rules are written, we probably won't know what it is until the end of the season. Watch this space!

Click here to see the table and details of the matches played.

The SCBA (Somerset Contract Bridge Association) AGM was held at the Woolavington vilage hall on Sunday, 25 June.

Click here to see the minutes and here to see the associated reports from the SCBA website.

Our team performed wonderfully well in their first season in this competition, finishing equal third in their division and missing out on promotion by just one place.

Perhaps we could enter a second team next season?

Congratulations to all involved.

Click here to see the table and details of the matches played.

The club took part in the Michael Coda simultaneous pairs charity event organised by the SCBA in February 2017.  Nearly 200 pairs took part across the County with the funds raised going to local RNLI stations.

Final placings can be seen here and a every useful commentary on the hands can be found here.

We're delighted to be taking part again in this simultaneous pairs charity event, organised by the SCBA, with players across the county competing for the cup.

Our heat will be held on Tuesday, 7 February.  Table money will be increased by just £1 to £3 for members and £4 for guests and visitors, with £2.50 of that going to RNLI stations in Somerset.

Please speak to Graham if you want to find out more - but come along anyway and support this very worthwhile cause.

Our first full AGM was held on Tuesday, 31 January 2017.

Minutes of the meeting, together with the Chairman's report and the Treasurer's financial statement for 2016 can be found by clicking here.

The SCBA's plans for the new season have now been published and can be seen by clicking here.

There are already plans afoot for Daphne to lead a team in the County League but the new Inter-Club events provide an excellent opportunity for more players of all levels (as long as they're not Jedi Masters!) to have a go.  There are only two events (in November and January) and taking a bus-load to each of them would be wonderful.

Please speak to Liz, Graham or Daphne if you're interested.

The SCBA (Somerset Contract Bridge Association) AGM was held at the Woolavington vilage hall on Saturday, 18 June.

Click here to see the minutes and all the associated reports from the SCBA website.

We're proposing to enter a team in the SCBA County League, which plays matches roughly once a month from September to May on Friday evenings.  Two pairs are needed for each match but our squad does need one or two more pairs (and potentially some occasional players) to ensure we can fulfil our fixtures when anyone's unavailable.

It's a super opportunity to gain experience in a different environment and is more about enjoying the evening than winning every match!

Please talk to Daphne or Graham if you're interested.

The club took part in the Michael Coda simultaneous pairs charity event organised by the SCBA in February 2016.  Well over £1,000 was raised for Somerset Cancer Care.

Final placings can be seen here and a every useful commentary on the hands can be found here.

Following our affiliation to the EBU, the Club's Inaugural General Meeting took place in the Kingston Seymour Village Hall on Tuesday 15th December 2015 - followed by our Christmas Party!

Minutes of the meeting can be found here.

Our AGM for 2017 will be held on Tuesday, 30 January 2018, commencing at 6:30pm with the evening's play following as soon as we finish.

Minutes of last year's meeting, together with the Chairman's report and Treasurer's financial statement can be found by clicking here.

Our monthly improvers' evenings have now run their course, helping us establish a structure for club evenings which (hopefully!) suits both our experienced members and those a little further back on the learning curve.

We do however continue to hold tuition sessions on the first Tuesday of most months, before the start of normal play.  These sessions are invariably well received; topics are usually at the 'back to basics' level but it's definitely not just our less-experienced players who've taken advantage of them and learnt something!

Please let us know if you'd like to attend; there's no addiitonal charge and sessions start promptly at 6:30pm.

More great news of our team in the SCBA County League.  Liz & Tricia, Daphne & Tony represented us in the latest match on 9 December and won 14-6 against one of the teams from Cossington.  We're still firmly in the top half of the Division 3 table.

Congratulations to all involved.

Click here to see the table and details of the matches played.

Daphne & Joe Patrick are half of a team (lead by Joe) which has reached the semi-finals of the SCBA county-wide knock-out competition.  Click here to see details of the matches played.

Daphne Patrick has been very kindly running brief tuition sessions before the start of play on our Improvers Evenings and they've been very well attended.  Topics are usually at the 'back to basics' level but it's not just our less-experienced players who've taken advantage of them!

Please let Daphne know if you'd like to attend; there's no addiitonal charge and sessions start promptly at 6:45pm.

This year's congress will run from Friday, 30 September to Sunday, 2 October.  Click here for more details from the SCBA website.

Don't forget that your annual subscription was due by the end of February.

Please contact the Treasurer or Chairman if you haven't yet paid but do intend to renew your membership.  Many thanks - and even more thanks if you have already paid!

Our first improvers evening, held on 1st March 2016, was wonderfully well supported with six full tables and a good number of experienced players there to help their less-experienced colleagues hone their skills.  Our thanks to everyone for supporting this initiative.

The scores can be seen in the results section below - but they're probably less important than the learning opportunity the event provided!

Effective 1st March 2016, we'll be holding an improvers evening on the first Tuesday of each month.  On those evenings, we'll play fewer boards (probably 18-20 rather than the 21-24 which is our norm) thereby allowing more time to discuss each hand or look at notes after playing it.

All of our members are encouraged to support this initiative, irrespective of where they see themselves on that never-ending learning curve.

This facility is currently in development.  For now, please talk to a committee member if you'd like to invite a guest.

Please complete this form if you'd like to invite a guest to play with you in our RealBridge sessions.

Note that your guest does need to be able to play DUPLICATE bridge to a reasonable standard and that you will be expected to pay their fees.

The next Woodspring Online session will be on Friday, 10th September 2021 starting promptly at 7:00pm
and you'll be able to click anywhere in this box to join it when the session has been set up.

When you login, please enter your full name (forename & surname) and (in the ID number field) your EBU number.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE make sure you've done all the recommended things, such as rebooting your device
and your router on a regular basis, to minimise the risk of connection issues.

You can click on any of the entries below to see the full results and hand records in RealBridge.
Friday 22nd October 2021 - won by Roger Preston and Catherine Preston

Friday 8th October 2021 - won by Jennifer Gostlin & Janey Clark

Friday 1st October 2021 - won by Janey Clark & Jennifer Gostlin

Friday 24th September 2021 - won by Steve Tomlinson & Susie Lovell

Friday 10th September 2021 - won by Steve Tomlinson & Susie Lovell

Friday 3rd September 2021 - won by Steve Tomlinson & Susie Lovell

Tuesday, 31st August 2021 - won by Alan Evans & Bridget Johnson

Tuesday, 24th August 2021 - won by Mike & Sylvia Fearon

Tuesday, 17th August 2021 - won by Mike Powell & Christine Dean

Tuesday, 10th August 2021 - won by John Cockram & Jacky Baker

Tuesday, 3rd August 2021 - won by Sue Wilson & Roger Calderbank

Tuesday, 27th July 2021- won by Jacky Baker & John Cockram

Tuesday, 20th July 2021 - won by Deric Burns & Barbara Parker 

Tuesday, 13th July 2021 - won by Joe Patrick & Michael Whittaker

Tuesday, 6th July 2021 - won by John Pady & Pauline Deal

Tuesday, 29th June 2021 - won by Mike Powell & Christine Dean

Tuesday, 22nd June 2021 - won by Mike Powell & Christine Dean

Tuesday, 15th June 2021 - won by John Cockram & Jacky Baker

Tuesday, 8th June 2021 - won by Joe Patrick & Michael Whittaker

Tuesday, 1st June 2021 - won by John Cockram & Graham Daniel

Tuesday, 25th May 2021 - won by Alan Evans & Bridget Johnson

Tuesday, 18th May 2021 - won by Sylvia & Mike Fearon

Tuesday, 11th May 2021 - won by John Cockram & Jacky Baker

Tuesday, 4th May 2021 - won by John Pady & Ann Yearsley

Tuesday, 27th April 2021 - won by Jacky Baker & John Cockram

Tuesday, 20th April 2021 - won by Jenny & Mark Gostlin

Tuesday, 13th April 2021 - won by Martin & Judy Holcombe

Tuesday, 6th April 2021 - won by Joe Patrick & Michael Whittaker

Tuesday, 30th March 2021 - won by Martin & Judy Holcombe

Tuesday, 23rd March 2021 - won by John Cockram & Tony Bowler

Tuesday, 16th March 2021 - won by Carolyn Waite & Patti Craven-Wilkinson
 

You can click on any of the entries below to see the full results and hand records in RealBridge.

Friday 1st October 2021 - won by Janey Clark & Jennifer Gostlin

Friday 24th September 2021 - won by Steve Tomlinson & Susie Lovell

Friday 10th September 2021 - won by Steve Tomlinson & Susie Lovell

Friday 3rd September 2021 - won by Steve Tomlinson & Susie Lovell

Tuesday, 31st August 2021 - won by Alan Evans & Bridget Johnson

Tuesday, 24th August 2021 - won by Mike & Sylvia Fearon

Tuesday, 17th August 2021 - won by Mike Powell & Christine Dean

Tuesday, 10th August 2021 - won by John Cockram & Jacky Baker

Tuesday, 3rd August 2021 - won by Sue Wilson & Roger Calderbank

Tuesday, 27th July 2021- won by Jacky Baker & John Cockram

Tuesday, 20th July 2021 - won by Deric Burns & Barbara Parker 

Tuesday, 13th July 2021 - won by Joe Patrick & Michael Whittaker

Tuesday, 6th July 2021 - won by John Pady & Pauline Deal

Tuesday, 29th June 2021 - won by Mike Powell & Christine Dean

Tuesday, 22nd June 2021 - won by Mike Powell & Christine Dean

Tuesday, 15th June 2021 - won by John Cockram & Jacky Baker

Tuesday, 8th June 2021 - won by Joe Patrick & Michael Whittaker

Tuesday, 1st June 2021 - won by John Cockram & Graham Daniel

Tuesday, 25th May 2021 - won by Alan Evans & Bridget Johnson

Tuesday, 18th May 2021 - won by Sylvia & Mike Fearon

Tuesday, 11th May 2021 - won by John Cockram & Jacky Baker

Tuesday, 4th May 2021 - won by John Pady & Ann Yearsley

Tuesday, 27th April 2021 - won by Jacky Baker & John Cockram

Tuesday, 20th April 2021 - won by Jenny & Mark Gostlin

Tuesday, 13th April 2021 - won by Martin & Judy Holcombe

Tuesday, 6th April 2021 - won by Joe Patrick & Michael Whittaker

Tuesday, 30th March 2021 - won by Martin & Judy Holcombe

Tuesday, 23rd March 2021 - won by John Cockram & Tony Bowler

Tuesday, 16th March 2021 - won by Carolyn Waite & Patti Craven-Wilkinson