| SUNDAY BRIDGE ATTRACTS 9 TABLES |
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Stormin' Den celebrates in style
As Storm Dennis raged outside Stansfield village hall on Sunday, players inside were toasting another Dennis.
'Den' Bishop is the oldest member of the club and celebrated his 91st birthday by partnering his son-in-law, Dave, in the second Winter Sunday bridge afternoon.
A special chocolate cake was baked in his honour and Den very kindly provided wine and beer for the half-time break.
The Sunday attracted a number of less experienced pairs who played at a crackiing pace. Tessa & Alan, who were partnering each other for the first time, deserve special mention for finishing runners-up in the Handicap - while Angela & Paul were the only pair to bid and make a grand slam. To see all the results click on SUNDAY
Many thanks to those who baked wonderful cakes and to Denise and Mary for organisig the tea. Sunday bridge takes place on the third Sunday of the month so the next one is on 15 March.
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| WACKY HANDS |
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'Hermann', the affectionate (?!) name for the duplimte machine which produces the club's boards, surpassed himself on Tuesday with one of the most unusual sets for years.
During 24 boards there were eight hands with voids and 34 singletons! All of which made for some interesting bidding - and scores.
Board 10 (see right photo) was particularly ugly for Declarers - with three off resulting in a top!
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| NEW YEAR PARTY ATTRACTS 17 TABLES |
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| Paul, Bridget and Elizabeth x 2 |
On a night when the club ran out of bidding boxes and table cloths, the champagne kept flowing during a New Year party which attracted 17 tables.
There was sufficient ‘sparkling’ to enable the top pair - Paul & Bridget - and the Handicap winners - the two Elizabeths - to take home a bottle.
The idea of having a celebration in January rather than during the hectic run up to Christmas seems to work well. A wonderful array of dishes prepared by members and a hall decked in bunting made out of playing cards contributed to a great evening. There were several highlights, including a bidding sequence which started Pass - Pass - Double! Blame it on the champagne.
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| LOCAL HOSPICE TO BENEFIT FROM 'HAZEL'S' EVENING |
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Officially, Thursday was the annual charity night when money is donated to a good cause. In practice, it was the evening when Stansfield bridge club remembered Hazel.
The end result - in addition to being a fun evening with 50 players enjoying themselves - was £550 which will go to St Nicholas hospice in nearby Bury St Edmunds, having been nominated by Hazel's family.
Thank you to everyone who supported the evening and the raffle, and to Denise for organising it.
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| STANSFIELD HANDICAP PAIRS |
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Sue & Dave win Stansfield's flagship event in style
A maximum field of 68 players contested the Stansfield Handicap Pairs on Sunday - despite all kinds of problems with roadworks which hampered their journey.
Players from all over Suffolk and as far away as Hitchin enjoyed an unexpected trip down winding country lanes due to the closure of the main road in the village, but made it to the club on time.
After 36 boards, Sue Smith & Dave Walker not only produced the best overall score but also came out top in Handicap to claim the winners' trophy and £100 prizemoney.
Runners-up were Angela & John Jeffries who finished ahead of two club pairs, Wendie & Peter Summers and Penny Easting & Mary Rix. Andre Gray and his daugher Sarah collected the prize for the next best gross score.
To see all the scores, click on the Latest Result tab in the right hand column, and then click on Handicap to see the handicap results.
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| FELIXSTOWE CONGRESS TRIUMPH |
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Paul & Dave pulled off a tremendous triumph on the opening day of the Felixstowe Congress.
The Stansfield regulars saw off all the opposition to win the Championship Pairs final, the prestige pairs event at Suffolk's flagship event.
After finishing 10th in the afternoon qualifying round to make the final, they led for most of the way in the final. However, their lead was whittled down in the closing stages only for them the get their heads back in front where it mattered - at the final board.
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| BRIDGE RULES YOU CAN UNDERSTAND |
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The Laws of Bridge are anything but an easy read. And some of them are mind blowingly complicated, even for more experienced players.
However, help is now at hand thanks to an excellent ABC guide produced by Suffolk player Peter Bushby in which he offers an easy to understand explanation for the most common laws. Spare a few minutes, if you can, to read his guide by clicking on any of these links:
Hesitation, Use of Bidding Boxes, Changing Your Bid, Insufficient Bids, Misleading Explanation, Penalty Cards, When to Alert, When to Announce.
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| DEFIBRILLATOR CHEQUE HANDOVER |
 A cheque for £1218 was presented to Stansfield Parish Council by the bridge club on Thursday and will enable the village to buy a defibrillator which will be kept at the village hall.
Sarah Hopkins, chairman of the parish council, thanked members of the bridge club for the fund raiser they held a couple of months ago which, together with donations made by villagers, ensured sufficient money was available to buy the life saving piece of equipment. She is pictured receiving the cheque from David Unwin, the club treasurer.
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| DEFIBRILLATOR BRIDGE AFTERNOON RAISES £1,640 |
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| Sue & Jean |
Christine & Paul |
The bridge afternoon in aid of the Stansfield defibrillator appeal surpassed all expectations and raised £1,640.
That means the village now has the money to buy the life saving piece of equipment and install it at the village hall, home of Stansfield bridge club.
Sixty two players from far and wide supported the event. A raffle rasied £540 and a number of members made donations.
Richard Evans, chairman of the club, said: "The sum raised by a bridge club which, let's face it, is in the middle of nowhere was remarkable. A huge thank you is owed to members and visitors who made it happen and together with local businesses provided some fabulous raffle prizes."
The winners of the afternoon, based on handicap scores, were Sue & Jean, while Christine & Paul recorded the top overall score. Hugh & Sue Sandle, playing in their first ever duplicate, deserve a special mention for finishing runners-up in the Handicap. To see all the scores click on DEFIB
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| BRIDGEMATES, DUPLIMATED BOARDS, DUPLICATE EVENINGS & LEARN AND PLAY SESSIONS |
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STANSFIELD bridge club, formed in 2007 and situated in the heart of Suffolk countryside between Clare and Bury St Edmunds, is not only the county's jolliest and fastest growing bridge club - but also one of the most progressive with a state-of-the-art scoring system, computer generated hands and lively website.
The club meets three times a week in the village hall. On Thursday evening (6.45 for 7pm) the emphasis is very much on having a fun evening out where less experienced players can flourish (and use 'crib sheets' or receive supervision)
There is a half-time break when players enjoy delicious nibbles prepared by members, and a glass of wine or cup of tea/coffee. A host system is in place so visitors are welcome. Bridgemate scoring means duplicate players get the result on the night and, in addition, computer generated boards are available every week with the hands uploaded on to this website. (Click on 'Results' in right column)
In September 2013 the club voted in favour of affiliating to the English Bridge Union. Thursday nights continue to focus on encouraging beginners and improvers - while Tuesday night (6.45 for 7pm start) offers 24+ boards for more experienced players.
On Wednesday afternoons (2-4.30pm) there are Supervised Learn & Play sessions for Improvers and those who prefer gentle or afternoon bridge. And during the winter, there is a gentle duplicate on the third Sunday (2pm start) of the month.
As of Februaryy 2020 the club had 117 members.
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