Early attempts to organise a County League did not prove popular, attracting only enough teams for one division, but for the 2005–06 season clubs were invited to enter teams (with all team members restricted to members of their club) and there was a surge of interest with enough teams for three divisions.
Wembdon village hall and Bridgwater Rugby Club were the venues used in the early years before the excellent Woolavington village hall was found, accommodating up to 33 teams in three or four divisions.
Covid put paid to F2F bridge and County League matches, so since 2021–22 matches have been played online using RealBridge. Because during the F2F break for Covid some clubs went out of existence, and some players no longer play at a club, the requirement for all team members to be members of the named club was dropped.
For 2025–26 and in future all teams are required to play their matches on the designated Friday evenings, with defaulting teams being penalised if they fail to conform. This rule may have led to the loss of four teams, but two new teams joined so a total of 31 teams in four divisions played last season.
Some teams still like to be identified by their club name, so in 2026–27 teams may choose any name they wish for the team, most probably club or Captain’s name.
SCBA leagues include a few teams with team members who play in neighbouring Counties, and it is possible that in future years more integration with Dorset may occur.
If you are not already playing in an SCBA County League team and would like to enter a team, or would as an individual or pair like to join an existing team, please contact Bob Warrender (marianandbob86@gmail.com)
Dates for 2026–27:
4 Sept, 9 Oct, 6 Nov, 4 Dec, 15 Jan, 5 Feb, 5 Mar.
Note 23 Oct, when league teams will be invited to enter a Championship Teams qualifier.
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