Ollie Burgess is holding a seminar at York Bridge Club on Saturday July 29th.  Players from Malton Bridge Club are welcome to attend, but need to book.  For more details please click here.

Fifty pairs entered this online event on Saturday April 9th.  Congratulations to the winners, Pat Johnson and Peter Scotting.  The leading Malton pair were Pauline Cooper and Richard Hilton in third place, with two other local pairs finishing in the top half.  Many thanks to Oliver Cowan for the organising and running of the event.

For full results see the Results list, or click here.

Donations from the proceeds were made to the Ukraine appeal, the Multiple Sclerosis society and Flexicare Oxford.

With great sadness we have to report the sudden death of our Treasurer, Philip Mason, peacefully in hospital, following his recent car accident.  The committee and members extend their deepest sympathy to his family.

Philip joined the recently-formed club in 1960 and had become a committee member and then Treasurer by 1962.  He has been on the committee, mostly as an officer, ever since.  Along with Alan Martindale he formed the backbone and driving force of the club for nearly all its 66-year existence and was responsible for its standing within Yorkshire bridge out of all proportion to the size of its local population.  His contributions beyond the club, to Yorkshire and English bridge, are recognised on the YCBA and EBU websites.

He will be sorely missed on a personal level and his loss leaves a hole in the club that will not be filled by any one individual.

The club is now closed on Thursday afternoons.  These social sessions will re-start in October.

However, the club competitions have now finished and the club is open on Wednesday evenings to all-comers: guests, visitors or those who normally attend on Thursday afternoons.

All are welcome.  A "host" is available for anyone who arrives without a pre-arranged partner, and tea, coffee and biscuits are provided.  The table money is £3 per head.  Play starts at 7.15 p.m. but it would be helpful if players could arrive by 7.05.  Play normally comprises 20 to 24 boards and the results are handicapped for those attending fairly regularly - a trophy being awarded to the player with the best average position by the end of September.

In Division 1, Malton A beat Scarborough A 12-8, Sheffield B 15-5 and Harrogate A 15-5 but lost 7-13 to Sheffield C, by 3-17 to Leeds A and 8-12 to Leeds B, then defeated Sheffield A 16-4.  The team finished in 4th place.

In Division 3, Malton B beat Keighley A 16-4, lost 9-11 to Hull B and 8-12 to Sheffield D then won 19-1 against Wakefield B, lost 5-15 to Leeds E and beat Ilkley A 11-9 and Bradford A 13-7.  They finished 3rd in their division.

In Division 10, Malton C won 13-7 against Wakefield E, lost 0-20 against Hull C then beat Doncaster E 17-3, Ripon A 15-5 and Brighouse C 18-2 then drew 10-10 with Keighley D and also with Beauchief B.  They finished top of the division, tying on points with Wakefield E but awarded first place on the result of the match between them.

The Yorkshire Pairs final was, of course, held online this year, on 24th January with a field of 26 pairs.  Congratulations to the winners, Tom Gisborne and Sandy Davies of Sheffield, and to Mike Jackson and John Hayton who were very close behind in second place.  Richard Hilton and Pauline Cooper finished in a respectable 7th position.

The club has entered three teams-of-four in this new league, which replaces the traditional teams-of-eight league during the current epidemic.

The full season's results have been:

In Division 2, Malton A beat Sheffield D by 16-4, Sheffield C 13-7, York B 17-3, Leeds C 11-9, Huddersfield B 20-0 and Leeds D 12-8 but lost 9-11 against Harrogate B.  They ended top of their division.

In Division 3, Malton B lost 1-19 to Leeds E, 5-15 to Sheffield E, beat Keighley A 19-1, lost 8-12 to Bradford A, lost 2-18 to Wkefield A, 9-11 to Inlkley A and 5-15 to Hull A.  They finished in eighth and last place.

In Division 10, Malton C lost by 8-12 to Hull C and by 4-16 against Leeds J, beat Brighouse C 16-4, lost 9-11 to Keighley D, lost 4-16 to Wetherby C, won 14-6 against Ripon B then lost 3-17 to Barnsley.  They finished sixth, avoiding relegation.

The 2020 AGM was scheduled for Wednesday 30th September but cannot be held in the present circumstances.  Copies of the Secretary's and Treasurer's reports will be sent to members instead.

The Committee decided that this year's Goodall Trophy would be awarded on the basis of the three completed competitions.  The Cross-IMP Pairs and the Handicap Pairs trophies could not be awarded this year as fewer than half the scheduled sessions had taken place and a pair could have qualified by just playing one session.  Congratulations to Mike Jackson for winning the award this year.

It is sad to have to report that George Goodall has fallen victim to the Covid-19 virus.  George joined Malton Bridge Club in 1970 and was a stalwart of the club and of its second team in the Yorkshire League for very many years until restricted by the necessary travelling.  Always a congenial and gentlemanly partner and opponent, his name will continue to be linked with the club through his donation, in 1983, of the Goodall Trophy, a 'victor ludorum' award for success in the club's internal competitions.  Condolences are extended to all who knew him.

Please note that there will NOT be a Thursday afternoon session on this date.  In accordance with government guidelines, sessions have been suspended for the time being.  We hope to resume before too long, perhaps in October.

The road through Old Malton is having pot-holes repaired this coming Wednesday evening, starting at 7 p.m.  Members are asked not to park on the road on this occasion but to use a side-street, the Royal Oak or the car-park opposite it, and it is recommended that they arrive before 7.00 if possible.  If the way is barred, explaining the need to be at the Community Centre should allow entry.

Wednesday 18th December is the club's Christmas Session - while the evening counts as part of the Positional Pairs, it also includes a break for a small celebration.  Drinks are provided by the club but members attending are asked to bring a small contribution of 'nibbles', either sweet or savoury.

We hope to see many of you there. 

Please note that there will be no Thursday afternoon sessions on December 12th, 19th and 26th or on January 2nd.  The sessions resume on January 9th.

There will not be a Wednesday evening session on December 25th or January 1st.

Congratulations to Lis Jackson and Rosemary Page, the winners of this year's event.

Full results are below

The Club's "Gentle Duplicate Bridge" sessions restart on Thursday 10th October at 2 p.m..  All are welcome, however much or little experience they have.  No partner is needed and help and advice are available on all aspects of the game.  Just turn up at the St Mary's Community Centre in Old Malton on any Thursday or for more information contact the Club Secretary (see 'Information' and 'Committee').

28 members attended the 64th Annual General Meeting of the Club on Wednesday 25th September.  Officers appointed for the new season were:

Chair:  Rob Ashdown

Secretary:  Richard Hilton

Treasurer:  Philip Mason

Vice-Chair:  Tricia Pearce

The Malton foursome of Philip Mason, Rob Ashdown, Mike and Annette Jackson were the winning team in this year's Garforth Swiss Teams event on 22nd September.

The club now uses Bridgemates to score its weekly sessions, with results immediately available at the end of play.  It also now has its own card-dealing machine.  These developments have only been possible through a significant grant from the YCBA.

Congratulations to David Waxman, Dominic Rayner, Richard Pike and Alan Hayward, the winners of the event this year,

In 1983 George Goodall denoted a trophy to be awarded to the player with the best average position after qualifying in all of the club's five competitions.  This year there were 18 such qualifiers, the highest number for sixteen years, and there was a three-way tie for the trophy between Madge Allison, Derek Fox and Richard Hilton (see 'Competitions').