New Tuesday Evening Improvers Session
We are starting a new Tuesday evening bridge session in August aimed at Improvers, though anyone can attend. A maximum of 18 boards will be played; finishing around 9.30pm.
This session is designed to be the next step in the development of bridge skills for people who have played in assisted play sessions. It will be a gentle session with no assistance provided.
The first session will be 7pm Tuesday 6th August.
Tuesday Evening Assisted Play
In August we will cease the Thursday evening assisted play sessions and replace with Tuesday evenings. So from August the 3 weekly assisted play sessions will be:
10am Monday
7pm Tuesday
1.30pm Wednesday
Refurbishment
We will be carrying out some refurbishment over the next few weeks. We are hoping that there will be limited disruption to bridge sessions. The current plans include painting, curtain replacement and new table cloths.
Open Day 10am Saturday 17th August
We are holding an open day to showcase our bridge club and encourage new people to play bridge at our club. We have printed hundreds of leaflets to promote the event. Please pass the word and distribute some leaflets.
The open day will run 10am to 4pm.
Saturday 17th August afternoon bridge cancelled
Due to the open day, we will be cancelling the usual afternoon bridge session on Saturday 17th August.
Steve Green Masterclass 1.30pm Wednesday 21st August
The topic for this session is 'Suit Contracts: Declarer Play and Opening Leads'. The session is aimed at players with NGS 7 or higher; though anybody can attend. If you plan to attend, please sign up at the club, or email me.
Improvers Extras - 10am Tuesdays
These sessions have proved to be very popular. There is no need to book; just turn up and pay on the day. The next few sessions are:
10am Tuesday 30 July - Bid & Natter
10am Tuesday 6 August - Protective Bidding
10am Tuesday 13 August - Splinters & Cue Bidding
10am Tuesday 20 August - Bid & Natter
Wednesday evening beginners classes
The Wednesday evening (7pm) beginners classes are in term 2. You have the opportunity to attend any session as a refresher. The cost is £12.60 per session.
The next few sessions are:
24 July - Suit Overcalls & Responses
31 July - The Opening Lead & Defender Play 1
7 August - Defenders Play 2 - Play & Signals
14 August - Simple Takeout Doubles
21 August - 1NT Overcall & Responses
28 August - Overcall Revision & Vulnerability
Save the dates
Festival of bridge social - 2pm Friday 6th September
We will be holding a social bridge session in aid of cancer research as part of EBU's festival of bridge week. There will be a pig roast afterwards. You can sign up and pay now.
Sunday 8th to Wednesday 11th September - Play Without the Experts Festival
As part of the EBU festival of bridge week, to raise the profile of bridge and money for cancer research, Oliver Cowan is running a 3-day residential 'play without the experts festival' Sunday 8th to Wednesday 11th September at Barton Manor Hotel & Spa, Preston. All profits are being donated to the charity.
Only people with an NGS grade of 10 or below are entitled to attend. Therefore this excludes 'experts'. All sessions are hosted so no partner is required. As well as bridge there will be two teaching seminars; one is being run by our very own Adam Hickman, who has an excellent reputation teaching at our club.
This is a great opportunity to attend a relaxed bridge congress. If you've never been to a congress before, this is the first one you should attend. Several people from our club are attending
Enter via Oliver Cowan Bridge Club website.
Training day - Sunday 6th October - Slam Bidding
We have booked an excellent trainer, Charlie Bucknell, for two training sessions on Sunday 6th October 10.00am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 4.00pm. This is the equivalent of an Andrew Robson day. Slam bidding is the topic for the day. Each session will be a different aspect of slam bidding. We therefore recommend you attend both sessions. The cost will be £19.80 per session.
AGM - 1.15pm Thursday 7th November
Our AGM will be followed by a free bridge session.
Christmas Social - 2pm Friday 13th December
Bridge Club holiday - 31st March 2025
Our Hayling Island trip is now fully booked. However, places may become available. If you haven't booked on and want to attend, please email Lynne Ballinger, lynnedballinger@gmail.com. She will put you on the reserve list.