Midlands No Fear 9-High Swiss Pairs Saturday 26th March 2022 |
and the winners were Staffs and Shrops pair Richard Woodward and Terry Alexander, Many congratualtions both. The results should be available via the link soon. Several Staffs and Shrops pairs took part in this very enjoyable event.
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Last updated : 2nd Apr 2022 19:34 BST |
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No Fear Pairs - Thursday 3rd March Cancelled |
Sadly this normally very popular event has had to be cancelled due to lack of support in 2022, players still lack confidence for face to face bridge. Don't miss out on a No Fear event though, there is the online RealBridge 9-High No Fear Pairs on March 26th
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Last updated : 7th Mar 2022 10:17 GMT |
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Success for Hackett family members |
SSCBA member Paul Hackett is one of Brian Senior's team who have retained the Gerard Faulkner Salver (as reported on January 4th 2022 by the EBU). The full team: Brian Senior (Captain), Tony Forrester, Paul Hackett, Sandra Penfold and Norman Selway.
Jason Hacket was a member of the winning team at the Midlands Counties Congress, played on BBO, on 9th January. Many Congratulations Paul and Jason. Several SSCBA members took part in the Congress Friday and Saturday sessions.
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Last updated : 10th Feb 2022 22:15 GMT |
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Midland Counties 9-High No Fears Swiss Teams - 29th January |
Two teams entered the 9-High event on Saturday 29th January 2022. Staffs1, Newcastle players came second overall, Congratulations Neville, Viv, Tracy and Neil. Staffs 2, made up of Stafford players, came 6th. What a shame there wasn't a third SSCBA team to enter the county ranking.
The next of these events is the 6-high 9-high Swiss Pairs competition on Saturday 26th March, see https://www.bridgewebs.com/cgi-bin/bwop/bw.cgi?club=midlandcc&pid=display_page28,. What about finding a partner now? You can check your ranking click here and search for your name.to see if you qualify to take part. NB on 3rd March the decision was made to change to a 9-high Swiss Pairs event rather than the originally planned 6-high Swiss teams.
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Last updated : 10th Feb 2022 22:14 GMT |
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SSCBA Inter-Club simultaneous pairs |
The event that was due to be held at the end of January at clubs is unable to go ahead in the present situation. The committee will look at this again in the summer, when perhaps there will be more confidence in face to face bridge around the county!
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Last updated : 4th Feb 2022 17:47 GMT |
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EBU Seniors Pairs |
Congratulations to Paul Hackett and his partner Paul Murray for coming second at the EBU Seniors Congress Pairs Final 08/12/2021
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Last updated : 5th Jan 2022 18:56 GMT |
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Congratulation Paul and Jason |
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Travel restrictions eased enough to allow Paul and Jason to take part in the Paris Pairs, October 30th and 31st and came out the winners. Click here for the full results.
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Last updated : 24th Nov 2021 11:46 GMT |
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Tollemache Qualifier 13th-14th November on RealBridge |
The SSCBA team that took part were: Paul Cutler, David Beavon, James Vickers, Keith Shuttleworth, Mike Amos, Paul Hackett, David Debbage, Jason Hackett, Diego Brenner. The event was played on RealBridge and the results can be seen here, RealBridge or Bridgewebs style options. A good picture of some of the team in the winning Crockfords team played 4th-5th September can be seen on the SSCBA "News page"
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Last updated : 24th Nov 2021 11:45 GMT |
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Autumn Sim Pairs 13th October |
At the regular Wednesday evening session 18 Staffs and Shrops pairs took part in the EBU Autumn Sim pairs on 13th October 2021. As at 10:50 a.m. 14/10/21 best placed SSCBA pair were Tony Spiers and John Sanders, playing EW being 8th out 133 pairs, Sue Maxwell and Michael McCartney playing NS not far behind, there may be more results yet to come. Congratulations Tony & John and Sue & Michael. EBU links here for the session full results, club results and commentary in addition to the usual SSCBA Wednesday results for the session. A commentary on hand 19 can be found here.
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Last updated : 11th Nov 2021 08:34 GMT |
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John Withers Presented with Award |
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Last updated : 1st Nov 2021 15:39 GMT |
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Crockfords 4th/5th September 2021 |
Very many congratulations to Paul Hackett,Diego Brenner,David Mossop,Jason Hackett and Justin Hackett (four of whom are SSCBA members) on winning the Crockfords cup that was played on the 4th and 5th September 2021 The final of 8 teams was played face to face in Stratford-upon-Avon
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Last updated : 1st Nov 2021 13:06 GMT |
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9-High Online Swiss Teams 25th September (Copy) |
16 teams took part in this most enjoyable event, sadly only two teams from Staffs and Shrops, best placed of which were Viv Milne's team coming 4th with 62 VP. The winning team, the Sheppard team from Oxforshire, scored 75 VP over the 5 rounds. Oxfordshire and Avon were well represented, 6 teams from Oxfordshire! A discussion of interesting hands followed on after the event itself took place on zoom. The organiser was able to bring up the hands, scores and bidding as the hand selected was discussed, at the start players were encouraged to make a note of suitable hands to talk over at this zoom meeting. Those that entered will be able to see the scores here.
The next Midlands 9 high event takes place 29th January 2022 and there will be 6 high events 27th November and 29th March.
In addition the Malvern Congress is holding 9 high pairs event on Friday 29th October 2021.
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Last updated : 28th Oct 2021 23:28 BST |
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Edgar Foster Cups |
Sunday 19 September 2021
on Realbridge
Overall Pairs winners were Paul Smith & George Richardson of Herefordshire, with John Gould & Tim Hanson of Derbyshire second and Andy Baruch & Mike Meakin of Warwickshire third. Many congratulations. Click here for the full results.
Derbyshire win the Teams title, with pairs in 2nd place (John Gould & Tim Hanson), 5th (Keith Sherwood & Michael Spencer) and 10th (Stephen Read & Elain Coldicott).
The Edgar Fosters Cups are competed for by 4 pairs from each of the 6 Midlands Counties, an individual cup and a teams cup using the best three results from each county.
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Last updated : 14th Oct 2021 10:49 BST |
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S&SCBA: Teams of Four Leagues 2021/22 |
2020/21 Season Winners
Firstly congratulations to James Vickers' team for the 2020/21 season victory just pipping Paul Cutler's team to the post with 127 to 122 VP when the competition finally completed.
2021/22 Season
10 teams have entered the league this year making a single division with 9 rounds to be played between now and mid May 2022. The time table can be found here
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Last updated : 10th Sep 2021 10:40 BST |
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Clubs Reopening |
Several SSCBA clubs have already reopened. Best place for the latest information are the clubs' own websites. Each club is making their own arrangements/restrictions. In general bringing your own glass and drinks is the order of the day and keeping the club informed of when you wish to play.
Club |
Information |
First or Trial Opening |
Border |
Committee meeting on July 29th to discuss reopening on Friday 3rd September |
September 3rd |
Chasetown |
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Eccleshall |
Tuesday evenings only to start with. |
July 20th |
Nantwich |
New venue, Shavington Village Hall, CW2 5JA |
August 2nd |
Newcastle |
Attendace limited to 8 tables, booking advisable. martin.aherne@gmail.com |
August 2nd |
Newport |
Newport Bridge Club will reopen on Tuesday 3rd August at The Hub, St Mary Street, Newport. TF10 7BH. Duplicate bridge played each Tuesday and Thursday 7pm - 10pm. Small friendly club welcomes players old and new. If you are thinking of attending please contact the club to let us know. For more information please contact Marianne on 01952 275934 |
August 3rd |
Oswestry |
Reopening on Thursdays from 9th September. Same venue as before, the Memorial Hall, but using a larger room downstairs. Monday bridge to remain online |
September 9th |
Stafford |
As a preliminary initiative, Stafford invited all members who wish to do so to come to an informal duplicate session and discussion at the Club on Monday 2nd August at 2 pm. This event now fully booked. Club Secretary |
August 2nd |
Tettenhall |
The committee are currently in discussion with the Landlord regarding a reopening date and have a meeting on Friday 30 July. Members will be updated after the meeting. |
July 30th |
Wolverhampton |
Watch the club website for new one way system in Shaw Road as well as full reopening details |
July 23rd |
Wrekin |
Wednesday Evenings |
July 28th |
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Last updated : 10th Sep 2021 10:08 BST |
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Summer Senior Swiss Teams - 11th July |
SSCBA member Paul Hackett was a member of the Sansom team, Paul Hackett, John Sansom, Brian Senior & Clive Owen, the winning team at the Summer Seniors Pairs competition that took place on RealBridge this year. Many congratulations, Paul. Normally this event takes place face to face of course, no event took place in 2020.
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Last updated : 7th Sep 2021 17:39 BST |
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John Day |
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Last updated : 9th Aug 2021 19:05 BST |
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Pachabo 12th/13th June 2021 |
The SSCBA tesam of Paul Hackett & David Debbage and Paul Cutler & Geoof Davies came 10th out of 26 counties in the 2021 Pachabo Cup played on RealBridge 12th/13th June 2021.
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Last updated : 22nd Jul 2021 19:00 BST |
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6High No Fear Swiss Teams |
The Midland Counties Congress Working Party Group ran a third in their series of No Fear Swiss Teams events on Saturday 19th June 2021. This time 15 teams took part, including one from SSCBA, the winners were from Warwickshire. If you took part in any of the No Fear events. 8High in January, 9High in March and now 6High the organisers would be pleased to get feedback so that they can build on the good points and reduce the not such good points. Please send your comments to Paul Cutler.
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Last updated : 22nd Jul 2021 19:00 BST |
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Midlands Counties Challange Bowl - 27th June 2021 |
This was played online on RealBridge. Paul Cutler & Dave Beavon, with Martin Aherne & Steve Smith came 8th, Sue Yardley, Pam Booth Jones with Judi & Ron Stevenson came 11th. The winning team came from Herefordshire.
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Last updated : 22nd Jul 2021 18:59 BST |
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An international bridge conference 28 June – 1 July 2021 |
Bridging Academia, Policy and Practice Online Conference: Monday 28 June – Thursday 1 July 2021 Free international conference for academics, bridge players, teachers & administrators Join Bridge: A MindSport for All (BAMSA) – a global network – and share best practice Case studies from: Australia, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, India, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Madeira, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, South Pacific, UK, USA More than 60 presenters and panelists from 20 countries
- · Day 1: Bridge as a Mindsport
- · Day 2: Digital Bridge: Opportunities and Challenges
- · Day 3: Healthy Ageing, Intergenerationality and Gender
- · Day 4: Education, Development and Marketing
For more information or to register for any of the sessions go to: https://bridgemindsport.org/bridging-academia-policy-practice-conference/
Bridge: A MindSport for All (BAMSA) | Prof. Samantha Punch Faculty of Social Sciences, Colin Bell Building, University of Stirling, FK9 4LA Email: bamsa@stir.ac.uk
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Last updated : 7th Jul 2021 21:41 BST |
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Eric Hartland |
Long time SSCBA members will remember Eric before he retired to West Wales. Sadly Eric died on May 15th 2021. Eric was a regular player in both the Dawes leagues and Tollemache for the county, competing regularly in the Staffs league. Click the link here for the full report on the Welsh website. Paul Cutler recalls, I'm sure I'm in the group he spent time with developing the 2 over 1 system.
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Last updated : 24th Jun 2021 12:20 BST |
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Staffs Cup 2021 |
Congratulations to James Vickers' team (Keith Shuttleworth, Martin Church, Mike McCartney) for winning the Staffs Cup.
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Last updated : 8th Jun 2021 17:55 BST |
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2021 Shropshire Congress - April 24th/25th |
The 27th Shropshire Congress On Line via B.B.O.
There were 56 tables at this first online Shropshire Congress with many from SSCBA taking part, a record number of entries including a standby pair.
Winners |
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Richard Illingworth & Glyn Meredith |
Second |
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Steve Eginton & Ed Scerri |
Third |
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Jackie Pye & John Holland |
Fourth |
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Jason Hackett & John Sansom |
Best placed of the regular Wednesday evening SSCBA players were Brian Nicholls and Keith Shuttleworth coming 11th out of 112 pairs. Very well done all.
34 teams for the Swiss Teams. Another record?
Winners: |
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Paul Littlewood & Fiona Littlewood and Derek Oram & Celia Oram |
Equal |
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Warner Solomon & Ian Walsh and Joy Blakey & Irving Blakey |
second: |
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Keith Shuttleworth & James Vickers and Martin Church & Mike McCartney |
Congratulations to the SSCBA regular players James Vickers, Keith Shuttleworth, Martin Church and Mike McCartney for their joint second-place.
We surely do not want to thank covid restrictions for anything, but due to them we have experienced record numbers for both the Swiss Pairs and Swiss Teams. To think that, back in 2019, we cancelled the teams event for 2020 because uptake was so poor! Obviously, with face-to-face bridge out of the question, on-line bridge involving no travel and no hotel bills has proved very popular in bringing players to our event from all over the country.
My thanks go to Sarah Amos and her team for organising the whole event and to everyone who entered to make it such a success. Will the future of the Shropshire Congress lie on line?
Judy Mitchell (Congress Secretary)
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Last updated : 8th Jun 2021 17:39 BST |
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*9 High No Fear Midland Counties Event 27th March |
Another wonderful success story, 54 teams took part this time including 3 from SSCBA. Best placed SSCBA was Viv Milne's team from Newcastle who came 5th. Many congratulations. Click here to see the results.
Midlands Counties Congress (who put on the event) will welcome feedback - via SSCBA coordinator, Paul Cutler - on this event and the option for future events of this nature.
- the format you prefer (pairs, teams, etc)?
- does the day and time work out OK?
- how often such events should happen?
- anything else you can think of .....
This is clearly a project worth encouraging so please pass comments to Paul so that the event builds on the positives and corrects any negatives. Many players now introduced to RealBridge, another positive spin off from the event.
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Last updated : 25th Apr 2021 19:38 BST |
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Midlands No Fear 8-High Swiss Teams - 30th January |
The 8 High No Fears event was a great success with 45 teams from 10 counties taking part, The title "Midlands" might have been stretched a little! Staffs & Shrops were at the northern limit but one county has a boundary on the south coast! The full results can be seen by clicking here. Sadly only one Staffs & Shrops team entered, those players will need to pass the word on as to how enjoyable the event was to encourage more to enter next time. A great afternoon's bridge, friendly faces, best behaviour at bridge observed by all and not a mile added to wear and tear on anyone's car.
Not only was it an interesting experience playing Swiss Teams but also to gain experience of Realbridge. Realbridge is rapidly becoming a popular platform. The results appeared after each 5 board round and teams were taken back to their home table for a team chat before going on for the next round. Both Swiss Teams and Realbridge were certainly a new experience for the players in the Staffs & Shrops team and, from chat at the table, most of the other players too. The Realbridge taster sessions were very helpful to get used to the system, most weeks there are a few times to give Realbridge a try however you must register at least 3 hours in advance that you wish to play in the 8 board taster, you may "turn up to play" with or without a partner. Newcastle has set up Sunday evening sessions to which they invite others to join in, click for the link to their website.
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Last updated : 25th Apr 2021 19:36 BST |
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Championship Pairs - 7th March |
18 pairs took part this year, 16 pairs last year, good to see numbers holding up in the on-line world. The competition, previously known as the Bearn, was played over 14 three board rounds on Sunday 7th March.
The winners were James Vickers and Martin Church with a score of 59.4%, runners-up Linda Davies and Judy Clowes with 57.9%. The results can be found here. Many Congratulations.
This competition is the qualifying event to select players to represent the County at the Corwen Trophy to be held on 5th & 6th June 2021. Venue: Milton Keynes or on-line.
Prizes: |
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Winning Pair: |
Free entry to the Corwen or equivalent in cash |
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2nd Place: |
*Half the entry fee or equivalent in cash |
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*players to pay the balance. |
If Corwen Trophy is to be held in Milton Keynes you would be responsible for travel and accommodation costs.
Well placed pairs in the Championship Pairs may be invited to take part in the Edgar Foster Cups in September.
Many thanks are due to Judy Mitchel for her organisation and to the director, Eddie, for ensuring the smooth running of the event.
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Last updated : 25th Apr 2021 19:35 BST |
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On Line Bridge Is the only game in town.... |
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Last updated : 30th Mar 2021 12:41 BST |
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Congratulations |
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Last updated : 29th Mar 2021 23:26 BST |
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Chat Manager |
When you meet your opponents you can set up the BBO chat manager to enable you to greet them with your basic system, see links to videos on how to used chat Manager, Using Chat Manager in BBO - Bing video, Chat manager on you tube. For example "Hello both, Jill and Susan here, we play Beni, wkNT, stayman, transfer, wk Majors, RKCB". In addition to using the "chat" please use the alert BBO facility, for example to show strength of 1NT bid and any conventional bids, even Stayman and Transfers.
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Last updated : 1st Mar 2021 16:38 GMT |
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EBU Lockdown League January 2021 |
Many congratulations to the division 7 EBU lockdown league winners, Tony Leech (captain), Pamela Booth-Jones (chairman of SSCBA), Linda Curtis (past chairman of SSCBA) and Sue Yardley. 14 teams took part in the division, the results were very tight at the top. Click here for the full division 7 results. A very popular event with 9 divisions.
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Last updated : 1st Mar 2021 16:30 GMT |
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Teltscher Trophy |
SSCBA member, Paul Hackett, was in the team which retained the Trophy for England. The event was played online on new RealBridge platform 30th October - 1st November.
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Last updated : 11th Feb 2021 18:25 GMT |
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AGM |
The AGM was held on Sunday 27th September via a Zoom meeting. Click here to read the minutes.
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Last updated : 11th Dec 2020 18:15 GMT |
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John Withers |
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Many Congratulations to John Withers who has been awarded the prestigious Dimmie Fleming Award in 2020 for services to bridge. The awards are made specifically to publicly recognise those who have worked hard promoting bridge locally at County level.
John has been a tireless supporter of the county for more than 20 years. Initially he was Membership Secretary for the County, trying to keep club lists up to date and collecting county subs from everyone – before the age of computerisation (we forget how much work that involved).
He also worked very hard on statistics relating to the introduction of P2P: who would benefit, who would lose out and at what level the county should pitch the county subscription. Initially, Staffs and Shropshire county elected to collect from individuals via clubs in the first instance: and then John calculated how much should be added to the P2P to the EBU and, again, which clubs would lose out with the change. His work enabled the county to diffuse any potential issues that would certainly have arisen without his work on this topic.
He was usually the representative of Wolverhampton Bridge Club at county committee meetings and a major player in the administration of that Club.
In addition, he was at the forefront of ‘computer’ scoring for the county and his club (Wolverhampton Bridge Club) and for coping with sending results to the EBU. If there was any sort of computer problem (including sorting out problems with bridge scoring systems from other clubs) – John was your man.
More recently he was at the forefront of starting up the county on-line bridge clubs, liaising with the TD for them and taking on the role of Membership Secretary for the two new on-line clubs.
Over the years he has represented the County at various EBU national meetings, always ready to stand in for another representative in his/her absence.
Always a person willing to take on any task or problem. John is a classic example of an unsung hero, and thoroughly deserves the nomination.
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Last updated : 3rd Nov 2020 09:39 GMT |
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David West |
It is with sadness that we report the death of David West, chairman of Newport Bridge Club, died aged 71 on the 6th of October peacefully at home after a short illness. David had become a member of the Newport Bridge club when he and his wife Lesley moved to the area in 1984. He started playing bridge as a young boy at secondary school and never lost his enthusiasm for the game. His work took him to Rumania, Northern Ireland and America and he continued with his bridge where ever he was based. He was an active member of the club serving on the committee for many years and acting as competition secretary. He led and encouraged others to take part in competitions in SSCBA. He took the directors course and encouraged and enabled others to teach bridge. He was also also a leading light at our many social events. He will be greatly missed.
Lesley has asked that should anyone wish to make a donation in David’s memory, it should be made to the Severn Hospice (www.severnhospice.org.uk) as they provided wonderful at-home caring during Dave’s last days.
David's funeral will be held on 28th October at Chapel - Telford at 3:30 p.m. and there will be a live webcast on https://www.obitus.com/ that can be joined with the username Zehe2433 and password 235305.
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Last updated : 30th Oct 2020 22:59 GMT |
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AGM 5 p.m. Sunday 27th September |
Staffs & Shrops Contract Bridge Association
AGENDA for the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
to be held on Sunday, 27th September 2020 at 5 p.m. on ZOOM*
- Apologies.
- Minutes of the A.G.M. held on 1st September 2019.
- Matters arising.
- Chairman’s Report.
- Treasurer’s Report.
- Competition Secretary’s Report.
- Shropshire Congress Secretary’s Report.
- Webmaster/Membership Secretary’s Report.
- Captain’s Report.
- Proposal from Paul Cutler, seconded by Pam Booth Jones, that the word “Duplicate” be removed from the Constitution as recommended by the Midlands Counties Working Group (see **note below). A copy of the Constitution can be found on the County’s website.
- Election of Officers (no nominations as yet).
- Any Other Business.
*ZOOM Jane Sheehan, our Treasurer, is willing to host the meeting, and if you want to attend you must provide her with your e-mail address so she can send the electronic invitation details. She will also give you her mobile phone number in case you are having difficulties. By having these e-mail addresses she will also send you copies of the Accounts. Please note the time, a different time was indicated on an email.
So, beforehand you will need to download Zoom onto a suitable laptop or phone which has microphone/sound/speaker facilities so that you can hear and be heard (and video if you want to see people or be seen).
This is her email address : jane_sheehan_13@hotmail.com. (There is an underline between her names and the number!). When you email her, please include me in the mail shot, because I shall need to know who will be attending, and I shall also want to send you copies of the other Reports for the AGM.
** Note: At a meeting of the MCWG it was agreed that the EBU and individual counties should be there representing all bridge players and that the word “duplicate” should be deleted from counties’ constitutions.
N.B. Reports will be emailed to those who let me know that they will be attending the meeting.
J. Mitchell,
S&SCBA Hon. Secretary
01743 235374;
mitchellmj@btinternet.com
10/9/20.
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Last updated : 30th Sep 2020 15:59 BST |
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Simultaneous Pairs in aid of E.B.E.D. 9th September |
STAFFS & SHROPS ONLINE BRIDGE CLUB entered Simultaneous Pairs in aid of E.B.E.D,which raises funds for EBED, . on Wednesday, 9th September 2020. This was very well attended with 14 tables. At the time of writing, 10:30 the following morning, results are in for 116 pairs with possibly more to come, Claire Marsh and Celia Day, winners EW at SSCBA, came third in the overall results, winners NS at SSCBA event. Next best placed SSCBA players in the overall results were were Jolanta Coggle and Michael Lucas coming 12th, 2nd EW at SSCBA. NS winners at SSCBA were James and Judy coming 17th overall. A very good evening with 24 boards played, more than the usual number, feedback on the number of boards welcome, just right or too many?
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Last updated : 22nd Sep 2020 19:35 BST |
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John Barratt |
We are sorry to report the death of John Barratt on Monday 24 August at Stafford the day after he celebrated his 97 birthday.
John was a former chairman and Treasurer of the county and a previous chairman of Stafford Bridge Club. For his services to the county he was a recipient of the the Dimmie Fleming Award in 2001.
The link here takes you to Roger O'Shea's memories of John.
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Last updated : 17th Sep 2020 09:32 BST |
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Success for Peter Jones |
Peter Jones, member of Newcastle bridge club, won the Second Mutton cup satellite thus gaining entry to the final in Madrid August 13th - !5th August. Peter being able to take part will be confirmed when the inbound quarantine from Spain to the U.K. is lifted (expected to be this week)
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Last updated : 15th Jul 2020 10:00 BST |
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Report from John Withers |
The EBU organised an online seminar by Suffolk County Bridge Association, on The Virtual Club and their experiences in developing this resource within their County
I watched the seminar this is what I “took away” from the presentation.
Lockdown has universally changed the bridge world, now “the only game in town “ is online.
Playing bridge sitting opposite your opponents, in clubs, is unlikely to resume before September and maybe as far away as the New Year.
There is a growing number of Counties and local bridge clubs that are organising online Tournaments, in which players pay table money to compete with people they played/socialised with prior to March 23rd. The organisers receive 50 – 70 % of the table.
The organisers of Tournaments must have access to a qualified host/director to run the competition, practical experience recommends that initially two directors are needed to ensure the smooth running of the event.
Sixty percent of players in Suffolk on now playing online.
I urge members of SSCBA committee to watch the recording of the meeting, available via the EBU’s website, It runs for an hour. If the committee is then interested in pursuing/promoting the introduction of a Virtual Club/s within the County, it could quickly determine if any local clubs are organising or playing in online Tournaments and what is needed to “Marshall” or train directors.
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Last updated : 15th Jun 2020 16:47 BST |
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Recent Success |
Jason Hackett was in the winning team for this event played on 11th April 2020.
Paul Hackett and David Debbage have won the Premier Grand Pairs played at The Hilton Hotel Warwick, Stratford Upon Avon, 29th February - 1st March 2020. This competition for Reginal Masters and above is devided into groups of pairs championships for which an appropriate EBU Master Point Rank is needed to enter.
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XLVI TORNEO INTERNACIONAL DE BRIDGE at Real Club Pineda, Seville - 22nd and 23rd February 2020
SSCBA member Jason Hackett playing with Graham Osbourne winning in Seville.
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SSCBA members Paul and Jason Hackett were members of the second placed team just one point behind the winners in this competition played at the Young Chelsea Club on 25th January 2020
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Paul Hackett was a member of the winning team, team Mossop, at this sennior trials event that took place at the West Midlands Bridge Club on 16th December 2019. They will represent England at the Telcher Trophy taking place on 15th/16th May 2020.
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SSCBA members Paul Hackett and Dave Debbage were in the team that ended the season at the top of the EBU Premier League, the final round played 9th/10th November 2019 at The West Midlands Bridge Club.
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Last updated : 29th May 2020 10:12 BST |
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No Fear Pairs |
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Last updated : 19th May 2020 17:32 BST |
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SSCBA Events in January to March 2020 |



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This all play all green pointed event was played at the County HQ, Wolverhampton Bridge Club on Sunday 8th March in two sessions with a total of 45 boards. The winners were Paul Hackett & David Debbage with Kath Adams & John Hartley second and James Vickers & Martin Church third. These first three pairs have qualified to play in the national event for the Corwen Trophy on 30th and 31st May 2020 at Kents Hill Park Training and Conference Centre, Milton Keynes, MK7 6BZ.
Four Pairs from this event will be invited to represent the County in the Edgar Foster Cups to be held on 20th September 2020, this year hosted by Staffs and Shropshire.
Many thanks are due to James Vickers for directing and scoring, Jeff Jones for the organisation and Tracy Aherne for the catering.
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Last updated : 19th May 2020 17:31 BST |
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Shropshire Congress - Cancelled |
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The Congress has to be cancelled in line with EBU and other directives regarding Coronavirus. Judy Mitchell will be contacting those who have entered and sent money so that she can refund them..
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Last updated : 19th May 2020 17:30 BST |
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Harold Goodwin |
County members will also be sorry to learn about Harold who passed away on 15th March. He was 91 which by coincidence was the same age as Marion.
Harold first joined Newcastle Bridge Club in the 60’s and became a regular Tuesday and Thursday nighter until recently when his long illness made it difficult to attend. Over the years Harold has also been a member of the Club Committee in various roles.
Harold was a very good player who enjoyed considerable success at Newcastle. He was also selected to play for the County in Dawes matches, the Teams league with neighbouring Midlands Counties. Harold also enjoyed success at weekend EBU congresses.
Harold’s service with family members took place during the Coronavirus situation. If a Memorial Service is held, details will appear later on County website.
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Last updated : 19th May 2020 17:30 BST |
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Marion Jordan |
SSCBA has just been advised by Ray Stubbs that Marion Jordan of Newcastle Bridge Club died on Friday 17th April. Ray passes on the message from the family about future arrangements:
“Clearly it is difficult to make firm arrangements in these challenging times. Flowers are not really practical so if you feel you would like to do something immediately then feel free to kindly make a donation to any charity of your choice.
The funeral by necessity will need to be low key but we do plan to have a larger scale memorial / celebration later in the year when normal life returns. It doesn't make sense to choose a date now but we will keep you informed and I know Marion would love to have as many of you there as practically possible.”
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Last updated : 19th May 2020 17:29 BST |
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Sim Pairs - January 2020 |
6 clubs took part in this event, results in from all 6 with a total of 39 tables as of Tuesday 28th January just short of midnight, thanks to John Withers burning the midnight oil. First are Linda & Paul Laughlin (playing at Stafford, pictured), with Robert Hunt & Cyril Walker (Oswestry) second by a short head from Mike Sherriff & Robin Adey (Stafford) who were themselves a short head from Val Prentice & Jill Bird (Nantwich) now fourth after the 6th club's results included. Slight increase in the numbers taking part this year, 35 tables last year. Many thanks to John Withers and Jeff Jones for all the work they put in to make the event so successful. Next SSCBA sim pairs is Wednesday 12th August 2020.
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Last updated : 20th Feb 2020 12:24 GMT |
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Oswestry News |
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Forty-four bridge players from around Oswestry, some of whom have only recently taken up the game, supported another charitable event on 4th January 2020, this time raising £535 for The Samaritans. Speaking on their behalf, Jane Langdon reported that in her area alone some 120 volunteers deal with about 30,000 calls per year, plus texts and face-to-face meetings, as well as working with support groups and fundraising events, while recent initiatives include outreach programmes to prisons, schools, job centres, and businesses.
Oswestry bridge players have, in the last twelve months, raised well in excess of one thousand pounds in support of local, national and international charities in areas such as mental health, cancer care and research, and children's welfare. Oswestry Bridge Club is one of the most thriving of its kind in the area with approaching 100 members and has an active teaching programme for introducing people to the game. For more details visit https://www.bridgewebs.com/oswestry.
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Last updated : 29th Jan 2020 17:37 GMT |
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Autumn 2019 successes |
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Last updated : 29th Jan 2020 17:37 GMT |
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Edgar Foster Cups |
Congratulations to Kevin Goode and Peter Cartwright, and Helen and Peter Lees, who finished second and third in the Edgar Foster Cups on Sunday 22nd September 2019. Sadly, it wasn't quite enough to bring home the trophy, which was lost on a tie-break to Warwickshire. Full results can be seen here. .
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Last updated : 6th Jan 2020 12:50 GMT |
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Tollemache Qualifier played 16th - 17th November 2019 |
Staffs and Shrops finished 5th of 9 in group D of this national event played in Daventry over the weekend 16th/17th November. SSCBA had 4 wins & 4 defeats. Wins against:
- Berks and Bucks, the eventual winners, their only defeat
- Norfolk,
- Warwickshire,
- Northants.
Team : Paul Hackett & David Debbage, Jason Hackett & Adrian Kenworthy, David Beavon & James Vickers, Geoff Davies & Paul Cutler.
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Last updated : 6th Jan 2020 12:48 GMT |
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Andrew Robson - 31st October |
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Andrew Robson gave a packed out seminar on 31st October 2019 at the Stone House Hotel, ST15 0BQ.
- Morning session 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. After 1 No Trump – Stayman, Transfers, Landy; Bidding bad hands – when a bad hand becomes very useful.
- Afternoon Session 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Listening to the opponents bidding – to find some well-reasoned opening leads; Fourth Suit Forcing – a great convention which is so much more than a stopper-ask.
Some wonderful tips on bidding, declarer play and defence enjoyed by virtually a full house. Missed was the lunch interval supplied by Kath and her team on the last occasion! Many thanks must go to those that provided and set up the tables, bidding boxes and table covers etc who had a very early start. Huge thanks to Kath for organising the day, a great success.
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Last updated : 19th Dec 2019 10:51 GMT |
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Summer Sim Pairs - 8th August 2019 |
Three clubs, Oswestry, Stafford and Tettenhall, totalling 26 tables took part in this event. The overall winners were Michael Lucas & Jolanta Coggle playing at Oswestry, second were Rosie & Mike Ingle also playing at Oswestry and third were Geoff Davies & Anne Seymour playing at Stafford. The best placed Tettenhall pair were Cecil Mottram and Brian Huntbatch. Congratulations all.
The next SSCBA sim pairs is planned for Monday 27th January, please put this date in your club calendar now to be sure that all 7 clubs that play on Mondays take part!
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Last updated : 22nd Nov 2019 10:01 GMT |
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EGM - Wednesday 9th October at 7:15 p.m |
The AGM was held on Sunday, 1st September 2019. An EGM was held in order to ratify the Proposal by the Committee that the current rate of the county fee paid via P2P should remain at 6p per session per player, which was agreed nem con but without a quorum at the Annual General Meeting held on Sunday 1st September 2019. The motion was passed at the EGM.
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Last updated : 22nd Nov 2019 10:00 GMT |
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April/May/June 2019 Successes |
Jason and Justin Hackett were in the winning team in Turkey at the European Championship Open Teams competition representing England. The event started 15th June 2019 in Istanbul.
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Spring Foursomes
Jason and Justin Hacket were in the winning Scharpiro Spring Foursomes team, played 3rd - 7th May 2019
National Swiss Teams
On May 12th 2019 Dave Debbage and Paul Hackett finished second in the National Swiss Teams with team mates Croz Croswall and John Sansom.
Buffett Cup
The Hackett family much involved in the European team taking part in the Buffett Cup April 2019 in China, in the southern coastal city of Haikou, capital of Hainan Province. Paul was captain and Jason and Justin both in the team. The final result was down to the last board with Europe finally losing to the USA and China coming third.
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Last updated : 3rd Sep 2019 11:32 BST |
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County Mixed Pairs - 13th June 2019 |
The County Mixed Pairs took place at Wolverhampton Bridge Club on Thursday 13th June 2019. The winners were John Withers & Judy Mitchell, with Roger & Elaine Taylor second and Dan Crofts & Celia Day coming third. Congratulations all.
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Last updated : 23rd Jul 2019 16:54 BST |
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Spring 2019 Success Stories |
The EBU stratified SIMS on Thursday 14th March involved 262 pairs from 15 different clubs around the country. Oswestry, with the second biggest entry, had some spectacular successes, notably Stan and Valli Challener who came 2nd overall and 1st in their section, while only a whisker behind were Margaret Pritchard and Jane O'Brien, finishing 5th overall and 2nd in their section. Congratulations to both pairs. |
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Martin Aherne and Kevin Goode came second in the Leicestershire Green Pointed Swiss Pairs on 2nd March 2019 having won all their 7 matches but losing by 1 VP.
Jason and Richard Bowdery have won the pairs at Bilbao on February 1st - click here for the results.
Dan Crofts (click link for picture but you have to wait a bit to scroll round to Dan's picture - so many pictures were taken at the event!), playing with Andrew Thompson, won the Hudson Cup (Men's Pairs) at the Midlands Counties Congress on January 4th at Solihull.
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Last updated : 27th Jun 2019 10:01 BST |
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Bridge Taster Sessions at Staffordshire University |
Trying to attract a younger demographic to the game of bridge, the Students’ Union at Staffordshire University are offering their current students 4 taster sessions. These will be held from 4-6pm on Wednesday March 27th, April 3rd, May 1st and 8th. Newcastle-under-Lyme Bridge Club members have kindly offered to come to the university to deliver sessions to the students. It is hoped that students are inspired and may set up a bridge club at the university but let’s not get ahead of ourselves as firstly, we need to entice the students to try the game. If you know of any Staffordshire University students or staff please encourage them to go along. A report will follow these events.
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Last updated : 17th Jun 2019 11:21 BST |
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Shropshire Congress - 27th/28th April 2019 |
The 2019 Shropshire Congress was held at Telford Centre Hotel (previously The Park Inn), Telford on 27th/28th April 2019.
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The winners of the Swiss Pairs are Giles and Gabriel Ip from Norfolk, narrowly beating Sandra Nicholson & Krys Kazmierczak in second, with Eddie Lucioni & John Dakin in third.

There joint winners for the Swiss Teams:
Giles & Gabriel Ip, John Dakin & Eddie Lucioni (who received the trophy) and Sheila Shea, Edward Jones, Wyn Williams and Margaret Barnes. In third were Andrew Thompson, Tom Fisken, Dan Crofts, Ollie Burgess.
Very sadly, because of the diminishing numbers entering the Swiss Teams over recent years, and particularly this year, there will no Swiss Teams next year. We hope that there will be a one-day Swiss Pairs on Saturday 25th April 2020.
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Last updated : 17th Jun 2019 11:14 BST |
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Phil Topley |
Phil Topley passed away on May 1st aged 94. He will be remembered fondly by some of the longer standing members of the County. Phil was one of the earlier grandmasters and won many competitions at both club and county level. He was also very successful at national level. Over the years he won most of the major national competitions. He also represented England at national level.
His first major success was to be in the winning Gold Cup team in 1955. The captain of the winning gold cup team in the previous 3 years was no other than Terence Reese, a prolific author who to this day is still regarded by many as the greatest ever British player. An early testament to Phil's immense ability. He also won the Crockford's cup, another of the EBU's prestigious teams competitions. The list goes on, national life masters, seniors teams (won 4 times from 2000 to 2006). He also won the Tollemache Cup, the inter county teams of 8; firstly in 1955, again in 1956, playing for the North West and then in 1976, being the only time Staffordshire has won the Tolly. Over the years Phil played locally at Stafford, Newcastle and Wolverhampton.
Phil was very supportive of his partners who always appreciated his helpful advice.
Our thoughts at this time are with his wife Ann who was a regular player at Stafford during Phil's time at the Stafford club.
Phil's funeral will be on Thursday 23rd May 3 o’clock at Stafford Crematorium.
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Last updated : 25th May 2019 10:32 BST |
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Championship Pairs - 17th March |

The SSCBA Championship Pairs, previously the Bearn, were played at Woverhampton Bridge Club on Sunday 17th March. The winners were Mike Cornes & Annette Lucas with Barbara Hackett & Dan Crofts second and Keith Shuttleworth & Brian Nicholls third. Apologies no photographer on hand, archive picture used from an Edgar Foster cup event! The top players may go on to compete for the Corwen Trophy, a national event, on 1st/2nd June in Daventry. The SSCBA team for the Edgar Foster Cups are also chosen from the results of this competiton which is to be played in Warwickshire this year, date yet TBA.
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Last updated : 7th May 2019 08:48 BST |
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Success Stories late 2018 |

Paul Hackett playing in the Norwegian team won the open teams event in the Southeast Asia Bridge Federation Championships, Manila, Philippines 1st December 2018. Paul was also in the winning team at the Seniors Trials, 15th - 16th December 2018, which took place at West Midlands Bridge Club.
Jason Hackett playing with Richard Bowdery won the Oviedo tournament on 23rd November 2018
Many congratulations all.
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Last updated : 10th Apr 2019 12:17 BST |
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Shrewsbury Open Swiss Pairs - Played 2nd March 2019 |
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Last updated : 3rd Apr 2019 11:31 BST |
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Success for Lawrence Haynes playing with Trevor Thrower |
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Last updated : 23rd Mar 2019 13:19 GMT |
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No Fear Pairs - Thursday 21st February 2019 |



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12½ tables took part this year in this popular event at Wolverhampton. The results were:
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N/S |
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EW |
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1st |
Julie Rissbrook & Pat McCormack |
59.66 |
Stephen & Yvonne Mancey |
60.66 |
2nd |
Ann Sleightholme & Carl Dudley* |
58.14 |
Michael & Hilary Sedgley |
56.47 |
3rd |
Bill & Wendy Arthur |
55.68 |
David Glasscock & Sally Boardman |
56.12 |
*Won prize for highest scoring losing %
Many thanks are due to Jeff, for organising, Alma for scoring and Linda and her team for the wonderful lunch
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Last updated : 17th Mar 2019 20:54 GMT |
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SSCBA Winter Sim Pairs - Monday January 28th 2019 |
 Five clubs took part, Chasetown, Newcastle, Oswestry, Stafford and Wolverhampton with a total of 35 tables. The results are now confirmed as:
Place |
Club |
Players |
% |
Overall winners (pictured) |
Chasetown |
A Brian & C Woodbridge |
66.44 |
2nd |
Oswestry |
Phil Inch & Nigel Williams |
66.14 |
3rd |
Stafford |
Ivor & Liz Clarke |
64.68 |
A very close result at the top!
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Last updated : 4th Mar 2019 09:36 GMT |
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Castle Comfort Cup - Sunday 4th November |
This annual event, aimed at intermediate players, took place at Newcastle-under-Lyme Bridge Club on Sunday 4th November 2018 with 11 tables in the main section and 4 tables in the mini-bridge section. The winners of the main section were Martin Aherne & William McLauchlan, second Kevin Goode & Tracy Aherne and third Helen Sugrue & Peggy Grocott.
In the mini bridge section, teacher and winners pictured, most of those playing had received about 8 lessons from Viv Milne but 2 had not played bridge before that afternoon and received a crash course over lunch!The group played 12 boards with the occasional need for help from Viv. Teaching has covered leads and scoring which is carried out in the same way as normal bridge. Previously the group had played in a mini bridge simultaneous pairs event organised by EBED. Viv is going to introduce 1NT opening bids next lesson and the bidding boxes will start being used. (For those who have not played mini-bridge, players count their points and the one with the most becomes the declarer and the dummy immediately goes down. After this the declarer then decides the contract and the lead is made by the opponents with dummy already face up.)
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Last updated : 2nd Dec 2018 10:02 GMT |
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The Phoenix Trophy |
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Following the AGM bridge was played for the Phoenix Trophy, the winners were Pam and Tony.
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Last updated : 10th Oct 2018 09:41 BST |
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SSCBA Summer Sim Pairs August 2018 |
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The SSCBA Summer Sim Pairs were played at 5 clubs, a total of 38½ tables, on Wednesday 15th August 2018. The final results are now complete. The winners were Pam Booth-Jones (SSCBA Chairman) & Tony Leech playing at Wrekin, Barbara Tams & Joyce Maddock playing at Newcastle came second with Mike Cornes & Lawrence Haynes playing at Wrekin third. Congratulations all.
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Last updated : 24th Sep 2018 09:47 BST |
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Some Success Stories |
Justin Hacket playing with Martin Taylor won the pairs on 22nd August 2018
Jason and Justin won the 2nd prize in the pairs event played 14th August 2018.
Congratulations to Dom Wilson and Jeff Jones who came second in the Swiss Pairs at the Glouscestershire Green point event on Sat 21st July in a very close contest with the winners scoring 100 vp to their 99 vp.
SSCBA was represented by two teams in this event played at Cheltenham Bridge Club, Gloucesterhire headquarters, on 8th July 2018. Roger Keane's team came third and Dave Clarke's ninth.
Jason Hackett playing with and John Sansom won the Llangollen Swiss pairs on 8th July 2018
Some Staffs and Shrops players have done well during 2017/18 season in this competition with Justin Hackett, as a member of Brian Senior's team, eventually being the losing finalists to Paula Leslie's team in the seventh round. Along the way, in the third round, Brian Senior's team played against Dan Crofts team that also included SSCBA member Celia Day.
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Last updated : 24th Sep 2018 09:22 BST |
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Mixed/Flitch Pairs - Postponed until June |
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A good number of players took part in this competition on the revised date of 14th June following the bad weather earlier in the year. With 2 board rounds every pair played every other pair, most enjoyable. The winners of the Championship Mixed Pairs were Kath Adams & John Hartley (Stafford) with Pamela Booth-Jones & Tony Leech (Wrekin) second and John Day & Pat Stacey (Newcastle) third. Winners of the Championship Flitch Pairs were Roger and Elaine Taylor (Wolverhampton). Many thanks to James Vickers for directing and Jeff Jones for organising the event.
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Last updated : 24th Jul 2018 11:03 BST |
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English & International Success Stories |
Adrian Kenworthy and Jason Hackett have won the pairs in Cordoba, Spain on 17th/18th March 2018. In addition to the money prize they also won a ham each!
Nearer home, Barbara Hackett won the Easter Festival Swiss Teams and came fourth in the Swiss Pairs. Barbara has been selected to play for Germany in the European championships and she came to the Easter tournament to practise with her German partner Anne Gladiotor. Barbara regularly plays in the SSCBA Dawes team.
Dave Debbage, playing with John Sansom, won the Godiva Swiss Pairs on 14th April at the Coventry Congress. Several SSCBA players took part in this event.
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Last updated : 26th Jun 2018 10:14 BST |
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Shropshire Congress - 28th and 29th April |
at Park Inn, Telford, TF3 4NA

The Swiss Pairs event, played on Saturday 28th April, was well attended with 52 pairs playing. The winners were Michael Rawlins & Naomi Gibbs from Hertfordshire. Jason Hackett and Adrian, defending their title, came second. Judy Mitchell & Jolanta Coggle (both from Shrewsbury Bridge Club) were the highest ranking amongst the rest of the S&SCBA county players, coming in at 5th. The bottom two places were only there as one pair had to go home towards the end of the event because of illness, and Lawrence Haynes & Mike Cornes, who were the stand-by pair to make up numbers, were asked to withdraw – to keep the numbers even - hence the zero scores towards the end and their placing at the bottom.

The leading non-expert pair were Liz Bretherton and Adam Fraise.
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The Swiss Teams event was played on Sunday 28th April. The winners were Jeff & Ann Wilkins, Michael Tomlinson & Linda Smith (from Lancashire) with Liz Commins & David Stevenson, Dee & Peter Lindon second. The outstanding S&SCBA result was that a team from Newcastle Bridge Club who came joint 3rd Martin Aherne & Kevin Goode, Tracy Aherne & Joanne McLauchlan, they tied with Sheila Shea & Margaret Barnes, Edward Jones & Wyn Williams.

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Last updated : 25th Jun 2018 21:12 BST |
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