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27th Feb 2026 12:14 GMT
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Welcome to the Royal Automobile Club Bridge Circle - Pall Mall
RAC PALL MALL NEWSLETTER MARCH 2026
ROYAL AUTOMOBILE CLUB

PALL MALL BRIDGE COMMITTEE CHAIR

MARCH
NEWSLETTER

Hello Everyone,

I have to admit I have an addiction and I was ashamed to hear this week it’s called ‘doom scrolling’, I waste hours scrolling through Instagram. So, the other evening I was happily scrolling through said Insta (yes that's what those in the know call it) and as I follow the Club, of course, the below picture popped up!

My heart missed a beat, a card room at Pall Mall… As you will note the picture is from, let’s say another era!

Today we are in the very lucky position that we all belong to a club that is far busier than any other in the area and obviously space is at a premium. I think the only way we’d get a card room now is to have a shed on the roof and then we’d be vying for the space with the chess and backgammon groups who’d want to share our penthouse position!

A few weeks ago, I popped along to an open day at which members were being shown the details of the refurbishment plans for the Seagrave, Committee, Mall and Small Mall rooms. If you’ve been lucky enough to see the newly named and refurbished Stewart Room (previously the St James’s Room) you will appreciate how wonderful the lighting, air conditioning and decorations are in this splendid room.

All I can say is that I am really excited with the plans the Club has for the four function rooms. Updated lighting, air conditioning and heating, new carpets, decoration etc. all looking really smart. I know you will all be delighted with the results and it’s going to be a real pleasure playing bridge and entertaining guests in these newly refurbished spaces. No, we won’t have our own card room but the rooms we will use will be really very smart indeed!

IN MEMORIAM

Our friend Tony Scouller very sadly passed away on Thursday 12 February. I have posted on BridgeWebs a notice with details of his funeral which is due to take place on Monday 16 March. I will miss updating Hand of the Week with him and all our email chats. Rest in peace, Tony.

ROSS COPE SWISS TEAM EVENT

Thursday 19 March

I hope you all received the invitation to take part in the Ross Cope Swiss Team event on Thursday 19 March. We commence with a high tea which is always very popular and then onto the bridge tables.

This is a lovely event and great fun, it’s also a way to remember a truly lovely man. It’s open to all Club members and indeed all our St James’s Club non-member friends.

MORE INFORMATION

WEEKLY DUPLICATE

Numbers are now constantly very high which is fantastic and I'm truly delighted so many people want to play! We really are stretched to the limits now.

My advice is to get to a table as early as possible in order to make sure you can play. I need to think on this, as there has to be an upper limit at some point and I really don’t want to turn people away.

On Thursday 19 February we had 54 players and two weeks previously 56 players crammed into the Library! The big question is, are our numbers going to rise again and what do I do if that’s the case?!

After bridge on a Thursday some players go to the Cocktail Bar. When I say “some players” what it seems I mean is loads of players take over the Cocktail Bar as the lovely picture below shows!

LEDERER CUP

21-22 February

The prestigious Lederer Cup took place at Pall Mall last weekend. I’m delighted to report that the winners were The Black Adders, captained by Club member Andrew Black. Our very own Victor Lesk (pictured below, right) worked very hard to make this event a success!

DEVONSHIRE CUP

Tuesday 24 February

The Devonshire Cup reached its climax on Tuesday 24 February and I am delighted to announce the winners of the Cup and the Plate for 2026. Roehampton Blue secured a deserved victory in the Devonshire Cup, overcoming a determined performance by Hurlingham Peacocks. In the Plate, Roehampton Red triumphed in a closely contested match against The Queen’s Club.

    RATINGS UPDATE

NGS RATING

As of the Tuesday 24 February, Andrew Kisiel and Paul Weston still rule over Pall Mall as our Kings. They are kept company by John Craggs and Lester Pereira who are both identifying as Queens!

UPCOMING MATCHES
    QUEEN’S CLUB

WEDNESDAY 25 MARCH

Team:
David Wilson/Trevor Southam
John Craggs/Pascale Hakim
David Owen/Fiona McWatters
Anne Rands/Harvey Rands

Match Captain: David Wilson

  
    HURLINGHAM CLUB

MONDAY 30 MARCH

Team:
Fiona McWatters/Ina Wolf
Michael Bailey/Pauli Laumen
David Wilson/Pearse Elder
Howard Wand/Robin Kilborn

Match Captain: Fiona McWatters

 

MATCH REPORTS
    MCC AT LORD'S CRICKET GROUND

WEDNESDAY 4 FEBRUARY

The Royal Automobile Club were ahead at half-time by 19 IMPs and we extended the lead to finally win by 55 IMPs. The boards in the second half were lively with three grand slams and one small slam on offer. I commend my teammates for showing great restraint in resisting the wine on offer from our hosts until dinner and for once we were not undone by the slope. The match was played in fine spirit and was followed by a delicious dinner.

Team: Trevor Southam, Mark Alcock, Sally Found, Paul Found, Brigitte Kisiel, Andrew Kisiel, Paul Weston and Lester Pereira.
 

Match report by Lester Pereira, Match Captain
 
    ATHENAEUM CLUB

WEDNESDAY 11 FEBRUARY

This match saw eight of us braving the elements to play against our good friends down the road at The Athenaeum. At the halfway point, the boards seemed to favour us, with the Royal Automobile Club being up by 32 IMPs. A delicious dinner in another lovely book-filled room followed and then things became trickier, not helped by me putting my perfect partner Pauli into the wrong game contract on the final board.

But I am very pleased to report that in the final analysis we squeaked through, winning by 4 IMPs. I can only thank John Neilson and his team from The Athenaeum for such an enjoyable evening and for even ensuring that, by the time we left, it had stopped raining.

Team: Mark Alcock, Brigitte Kisiel, Andrea Geser, Robin Kilborn, Yvonne Rogers, Paul Mainwaring, Pauli Laumen and David Owen. 


Match report by David Owen, Match Captain
 
    ALL ENGLAND LAWN TENNIS CLUB

WEDNESDAY 18 FEBRUARY

Our match against the All England Lawn Tennis Club was held at Pall Mall. This is always one of my favourite matches of the year and this year the match was again very enjoyable.

We usually have a relatively easy win in this fixture but this year suffered a large defeat. We had a very large deficit at half-time and, although we pulled back a little in the second half, we still had an overall loss of 59 IMPs.

Our performance was a tale of two teams, with mine failing to bid games and slams. I didn’t help matters by going off in a tricky slam that was makeable.

Team: John Craggs, Pascale Hakim, Mark Alcock, Nigel Clayton, Lissa Gillott, Oliver Wand, Sally Found and Paul Found. 


Match report by Paul Found, Match Captain

BEGINNERS AND INTERMEDIATES

Lessons are ticking over nicely with our Beginners and Intermediates, our mentees are coming along once a month to play and everything looks good. I note our Intermediate students took part in the first gentle Duplicate of the year which is always fun and good practice before getting into the ‘main room’!

I am pleased the Supervised Bridge is popular. Can I please remind you all that this is for our Royal Automobile Club students, and it forms part of our teaching schedule. We cannot accommodate non-members.

If any students have Royal Automobile Club friends wanting to learn to play bridge, I thought it might be nice to know that we will start our new Beginners Course in September. The course starts with a one-day introduction to the game of bridge on Saturday 19 September. For those who enjoy this and want to learn more, this will lead into the next part of the course which will start the following week. It’s a great way to get bridge into your head and meet the students who will accompany you on your path to the Duplicate!

    PALL MALL

SUPERVISED BRIDGE DATES

Bridge will start promptly at 2.00pm and end at 4.30pm. The cost per session will be £15.00 including refreshments. Mike Eden will be on hand to 'teach' and help students with hard hands.
  • Monday 9 March, Terrace Room
  • Monday 23 March, Mall Room

 

  • Monday 13 April, Stewart Room 
  • Monday 27 April, Mall Room

 

  • Monday 11 May, Terrace Room

 

  • Monday 8 June, Stewart Room
  • Monday 22 June, Mall Room
 
  • Monday 6 July, Mall Room
  • Monday 20 July, Terrace Room
  
  • Monday 7 September, Terrace Room
  • Monday 21 September, Mall Room

 

  • Monday 5 October, Mall Room
  • Monday 19 October, Mall Room

 

  • Monday 9 November, Stewart Room
  • Monday 23 November, Mall Room

 

  • Monday 7 December, Mall Room

WHATSAPP GROUP

Do You Need a Bridge Partner?

Little did I know when I started this WhatsApp group how popular it was to become. If you need a partner, just ask the group! If you don’t recognise someone looking for a partner, please don’t discount them. We have some new additions as Club members continue to start playing bridge with us. 

If you are looking for a partner to play bridge with at Pall Mall on Thursday evenings, this is the place to find someone! 

Please can I stress it is only for Thursday evenings. I do advertise other St James’s Club matches via the WhatsApp group so do keep an eye open for those. There are a number of lovely events going on around us at other clubs and it is always very nice to have the opportunity to visit them.

If you could use another form of connection for private matches or any other information, all participants would be very grateful.

ST JAMES'S CLUB MEMBERS

Teams Event

We warmly welcome our St James’s Club friends to join us on the last Thursday of every month for our regular Duplicate. We do encourage you to find a partner either from your club or the Royal Automobile Club before coming along.

We hold a Teams Event four times a year on the last Thursday of the month which is open to both Royal Automobile Club and St James’s Club teams. It has been very popular this past year and I am pleased to give you all the dates for these matches for this year:

Thursday 28 May
Thursday 27 August
Thursday 26 November

Non-St James’s Club guests are very welcome to come and play at the Club 12 times in any one year with a Royal Automobile Club member.

I advise all players to visit the Club’s BridgeWebs page often, as any news will be posted there throughout the month.

    IMPORTANT DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
 
  • Thursday 19 March: Ross Cope Swiss Teams Event
  • Monday 18 May: Centenary Cup
  • Tuesday 7 July: Pall Mall Bridge Summer Party
  • Saturday 19 September: Bridge Starter Day
  • Sunday 27 September: Bowman Pairs Tournament (please note the date change)
  • Thursday 10 December: Christmas Party

 

If you have any questions about the Pall Mall Bridge Group, please do get in touch with me.

Best Wishes
Fiona McWatters
Chair, Pall Mall Bridge Committee

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© ROYAL AUTOMOBILE CLUB 2026
Last updated : 27th Feb 2026 12:14 GMT
Comment
RAC v All England Club

On Wednesday the 18th February we played a match against the All England Club at Pall Mall. This is always one of my favourite matches of the year and this year the match was again very enjoyable. 
 

We usually have a relatively easy win in this fixture but this year suffered a large defeat. We had a very large deficit at half time and although we pulled back a little in the second half we still had an overall loss of 59 imps. 

Our performance was a tale of two teams with my team failing to bid games and slams. I made things worse by going off in a tricky slam that can be made. 

Our team was John Craggs and Pascale Hakim, Mark Alcock and Nigel Clayton, Lissa Gillott and Oliver Wand and Paul and Sally Found. 

Report submitted by Paul Found Team Captain
 
Last updated : 20th Feb 2026 09:23 GMT
Comment
ANTHONY SCOULLER FUNERAL DETAILS

The funeral for our dear friend Tony

Will be held on Monday 16th March 2026, commencing 12 noon

at

St. Annes Catholic Church, Banstead

I'm sure our Bridge Circle will be well represented
Last updated : 19th Feb 2026 09:41 GMT
Comment
ANTHONY SCOULLER

 

 
ANTHONY SCOULLER 1936-2026
 
It is with the heaviest of hearts I attach a piece written by one of our fellow Bridge players Marina:-
 
 
"Another of our Greats left us!

On 12th February at 1.30 pm Tony returned his soul to God.

Flamboyant and successful bridge player, esteemed teacher and mentor, loyal friend, one time Chairman of the Bridge Circle to which contributed almost to the end of his life.

My enduring memories are of the endless post mortem we discussed on our way home after a game, followed by constructive criticism online the  next day.

Goodbye Tony, we will miss you.

Marina"

 
Having helped Tony publish Hand of the Week for over 3 years I got to know him well via constant email chats - we talked about life, religion, opera, people and many other topics.  We argued, and agreed on many things and I will miss him very much, in fact I am quite devastated.
Fiona 
Last updated : 13th Feb 2026 12:28 GMT
Comment
RAC v The Athenaeum

Wednesday 11th February saw eight of us braving the elements to play against our good friends down the road, at The Athenaeum. 

At the half way point, the boards seemed to favour us, with the RAC being up 32 IMPs. A delicious dinner in another lovely book filled room followed, and then things became trickier - not helped by me putting my perfect partner Pauli into the wrong game contract, on the final board. 

But I am very pleased to report that in the final analysis the RAC squeaked through winning by 4 IMPs. I can only thank John Neilson and his team from The Athenaeum for such an enjoyable evening, and for even ensuring that, by the time we left, it had stopped raining . 

The RAC was represented by 

Mark Alcock/Brigitte Kisiel/Mark Alcock

Andrea Geser/Robin Kiborn 

Yvonne Rogers/Paul Mainwaring

Pauli Laumen/David Owen 

Match report submitted by match captain David Owen 

 
Last updated : 12th Feb 2026 17:19 GMT
Comment
RAC v MCC

The RAC were ahead at half time by 19 Imps and we extended the lead to finally win by 55 Imps. The boards in the second half were lively with 3 Grand slams and 1 small slam on offer. 

I commend my teammates for showing great restraint in resisting the wine on offer from our hosts until dinner and for once we were not undone by the slope. The match was played in fine spirit and was followed by a delicious dinner. 

The RAC was represented by Trevor Southam/ Mark Alcock + Sally/ Paul Found and Brigitte/Andrew Kisiel + Paul Weston/Lester Pereira

Match report submitted by match captain Lester Pereira
Last updated : 5th Feb 2026 09:58 GMT
Comment
Pam Walker Cup - Swiss Teams Invitational event hosted by Hurlingham

The RACsals win the Pam Walker Cup - Swiss Teams Invitational event hosted by Hurlingham Saturday 24th January 

The RAC accepted Hurlingham’s kind invitation to play in the Pam Walker Cup - Swiss Teams Invitational event on Saturday 24th January 2026.  It was a 10 AM start, however the early start for a Saturday was necessary given the format of the event, 3x 6-boards rounds before lunch and 3x 6-boards rounds after lunch. The very well organised event was hosted in the spacious and naturally lit Broomhouse suite that was bedecked with different pieces of tartan fabric suspended from the ceiling in preparation for the Burns night supper. 

The field consisted of 18 teams of which there were 3 teams representing the RAC. Our very own RACsals pipped one of the teams representing Roehampton in the final round to win the Cup. 

The RAC was represented by:

RACsals: Lester Pereira & Paul Weston + Andrew Kisiel & Nìgel Clayton

RAC Spitfire: David Wilson & Pearse Elder + Jeffrey Lawrence & Mike Hammond

RAC Fellows: Howard & Simone Wand + Paul Mainwaring & Yvonne Rodgers

 

The winning RACsals posing with the Pam Walker Cup 

 

The runners and riders 
Match report submitted by Lester Pereira ( RACsals Captain) 
Last updated : 24th Jan 2026 20:31 GMT
Comment
RAC vPhoenix 
 
RAC 95 Phoenix 97 meant that the opening match of 2026 was lost ever so narrowly by 2 imps. Phoenix is a “club” supported by the former Lady Taverners who raise funds for charitable purposes. Phoenix bridge is in its infancy played by seasoned players particularly from the ranks of Lord's Taverners bridge. An early start of 3.30pm in the Stewart Room allowed players to finish dinner mid evening and was appreciated by those with distance to travel. It was an enjoyable match with the RAC actually leading by 20 imps at the midway point but as we all know a slip here, a clever bit of play there and a swing of 22 imps can readily result, as tonight. Both sides are already looking forward to a rematch in 2027. RAC team: Michael Bailey (Captain), David Mannooch, Lester Pereira, Nigel Clayton, Sally and Paul Found, Pauli Laumen and Antonia Muir.
Report submitted by Michael Bailey (Captain)

 
Last updated : 24th Jan 2026 15:57 GMT
Comment
Teams for January to July 2026 RAC inter club Matches

 

 

RAC v MCC at Lords cricket ground

16.00 for 16.30 on Wednesday 4 February

Lester Pereira (Captain)/Paul Weston

Andrew Kisiel/Brigitte Kisiel

Sally Found/Paul Found

Trevor Southam/Mark Alcock

Reserves: Howard Wand, Oliver Wand, John Kemball

 

RAC v Athenaeum at the Athenaeum Club

18.00 for 18.30 on Wednesday 11 February

David Owen (Captain)/Pauli Laumen

Mark Alcock/Brigitte Kisiel

Robin Kilborn/Andrea Geser

Paul Mainwaring/Yvonne Rogers

Reserves: Ivaylo Valev, Xiaoyu Valev

 

RAC v AELTC at the RAC (Terrace Room)

15.30 for 16.00 on Wednesday 18 February

Paul Found (Captain)/Sally Found

Pascale Hakim/John Craggs

Nigel Clayton/Mark Alcock

Lissa Gillott/Oliver Wand

Reserves: Pralab Barua, Rita Skinner, David Bruce

 

 

RAC v Queen’s at Queen’s Club

16.30 for 17.00 on Wednesday 25 March

David Wilson (Captain)/Trevor Southam

John Craggs/Pascale Hakim

David Owen/Fiona McWatters

Anne Rands/Harvey Rands

Reserves: Pralab Barua, Paul Found, Sally Found, Jeffrey Lawrence

 

Triangular Cup at the Hurlingham Club

15.30 for 16.00 on Monday 30 March

Fiona McWatters (Captain)/Ina Wolf

Michael Bailey/Pauli Laumen

David Wilson/Pearse Elder

Howard Wand/Robin Kilborn

Reserves: Sally Found, Brigitte Kisiel, John Kemball

 

RAC v Metropolitan Club Washington at the RAC (Committee Room)

14.00 for 14.30 on Saturday 11 April

Fiona McWatters (Captain)/Henry McWatters

Pralab Barua/Howard Salter

Andrew Kisiel/Brigitte Kisiel

Paul Found/Sally Found

Andrea Geser/David Wilson

Ivaylo Valev/Xiaoyu Valev

Reserves: Nigel Clayton, Trevor Southam, Pearse Elder, David Owen

 

RAC v Club Int. CSA at Club Int. CSA Brussels

14.30 for 15.00 on Monday 27 April

Lester Pereira (Captain)/Nigel Clayton

Howard Salter/Pralab Barua

Ivaylo Valev/Xiaoyu Valev

Antonia Muir/David Bruce

Reserves: Trevor Southam, Paul Found, Sally Found

 

 

RAC v Cumberland at the RAC (Stewart Room)

16.00 for 16.30 on Wednesday 13 May

Pralab Barua (Captain)/David Wilson

Michael Bailey/David Mannooch

Nigel Clayton/Geoff Lane

Rita Skinner/David Bruce

Reserves: Pauli Laumen, Harvey Rands, Anne Rands

 

Centenary Cup at the RAC (Mountbatten Room)

14.00 for 14.30 on Monday 18 May

RED TEAM

Michael Bailey (Captain)/David Mannooch

Paul Weston/Marina CP

Paul Found/Sally Found

Howard Salter/Robin Kilborn

BLUE TEAM
 

Pearse Elder (Captain)/Andrea Geser

Pauli Laumen/Ina Wolf

Trevor Southam/John Kemball

David Bruce/Rita Skinner

Reserves: John Craggs, Mike Hammond, Antonia Muir

 

RAC v ACF at the ACF Paris

Friday 5 June

Howard Salter (Captain)/Pralab Barua

Andrew Kisiel/Brigitte Kisiel

Michael Bailey/Andrea Geser

Howard Wand/Oliver Wand

John Craggs/Pascale Hakim

Trevor Southam/David Owen

Reserves: Pearse Elder, Antonia Muir

 

 

RAC v Le Cercle at Le Cercle Paris

Sunday 7 June

Fiona McWaters (Captain)/Henry McWaters

Howard Salter/Pralab Barua

Andrew Kisiel/Brigitte Kisiel

Michael Bailey/Andrea Geser

Howard Wand/Oliver Wand

John Craggs/Pascale Hakim

Reserves: Trevor Southam, Pearse Elder, Antonia Muir

 

RAC v Hurlingham at the Hurlingham Club

15.30 for 16.00 on Monday 15 June

Michael Bailey (Captain)/Robin Kilborn

Nigel Clayton/Geoff Lane

John Craggs/Pascale Hakim

Sally Found/Paul Found

Lissa Gillott/Oliver Wand

John Kemball/Mike Hammond

Reserves: Pauli Laumen, David Bruce, Trevor Southam

 

RAC v Roehampton at the RAC (Stewart Room)

16.00 for 16.30 on Tuesday 30 June

Michael Bailey (Captain)/David Mannooch

Marina Channing Pearce/Paul Weston

David Wilson/Brigitte Kisiel

John Kemball/David Owen

Reserves: Sally Found, Paul Found, Pauli Laumen

 

RAC v New Club at the RAC (Stewart/Terrace Room)

14.00 for 14.30 on Saturday 18 July

David Owen (Captain)/Rita Skinner

Lester Pereira/Nigel Clayton

Paul Mainwaring/Yvonne Rogers

Fiona McWatters/Henry McWatters

Ivaylo Valev/Xiaoyu Valev

Mike Hammond/Sandy Jones

Reserves: Sally Found, Paul Found, David Bruce

 

RAC v Phyllis Court at the RAC (Terrace Room)

10.30 for 11.00 on Tuesday 28 July

Lester Pereira (Captain)/Marina Chaning Pearce

Andrew Kisiel/Paul Weston

David Mannooch/Pearse Elder

Pascale Hakim/Pauli Laumen

Reserves: John Craggs, Brigitte Kisiel
Last updated : 24th Jan 2026 15:56 GMT
Comment
Results
Thu 26th Feb 2026
FACE TO FACE DUPLICATE
Mon 23rd Feb 2026
23rd Feb supervised
Thu 19th Feb 2026
FACE TO FACE DUPLICATE
Thu 19th Feb 2026
NN
Calendar
Thu 5th Mar 2026
FACE TO FACE DUPLICATE
6.45pm
Thu 12th Mar 2026
FACE TO FACE DUPLICATE
6.45pm
Thu 19th Mar 2026
FACE TO FACE DUPLICATE
6.45pm
Thu 26th Mar 2026
FACE TO FACE DUPLICATE
6.45pm
Tony's Hand of the Week
Tony's Hand of the Week
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