SSCBA is very sad to hear the news of the death of John Day on Tuesday 13th July.

John made an enormous contribution, not only at his beloved Newcastle BC but also at County level. 

John has been a member of Newcastle BC since the early 60s.In his early days he also became an active member of the County bridge scene, not only as a player but also on the admin side. He was the County Secretary in the mid 60s and over the years has had regular stints as the club’s County rep on the County Committee. Over the last 50 plus years he has been a very keen player in County events. 

John achieved many successes in county competitions such as the County Pairs, Mixed pairs and Men’s Pairs. His longevity is demonstrated by first being a member of the winning County League team in 1970, other wins over the years, and then winning the League three times in four years from 2010 to 2014. John first played in the Inter-Midlands County Dawes League in the late 60s and was still playing in the team prior to lockdown.

John also enjoyed success in national competitions. In the early 70s he reached the semi-final of the EBU Hubert Phillips Bowl, the National Mixed teams knockout competition, a most creditable achievement.  

How often did he feature on the “As We Once Were” pages here?

John was reluctant to try online bridge but with encouragement eventually took to it and has been playing regularly both on BBO and RealBridge at Newcastle as recently as 22nd  June on BBO coming third  and RealBridge on 20th June coming second. Tracy, who John played with at the recent RealBridge sessions and SSCBA events reports from her own experience John was super in supporting new players with sound advice, encouragement and patience.
 
Indeed a very talented player with a great flair for the game.  A brilliant declarer player who also made life very difficult for you when he was the defender. We must also not forget his very pleasant table presence, a true gentleman at the table, he always had a friendly word for his opponents and was very supportive of his partner.
 
Our thoughts go out to Frances, their two daughters and grandchildren at this very difficult time.