Online bridge has fundamentally changed the game's landscape at club, county and national level, Malcolm Pryor, said in his valedictory speech as chairman of the Suffolk Contract Bridge Association on Sunday.

Many players now looked to play a mix of online and face to face bridge and that posed challenges and opportunities for Suffolk and its clubs, he told the association's AGM. (Click on MALCOLM to read his summary or PRYOR to read the full report)

His warning came as the Swiss Pairs at the East Anglian bridge weekend was restructured due to lack of support - only a fortnight after the Clare Swiss Pairs was scrapped for the same reason. The AGM Pairs, which followed the annual meeting, attracted only 13 pairs online. The winners were Con & Pauline Hanson.

Richard Evans, the new SCBA chairman, said: 'The pre-Covid bridge 'model' of everyone going to their local club and sufficient numbers being prepared to travel around Suffolk to play in county organised events is broken, possibly irrevocably. We are acutely aware of the changing landscape which is happening all over the country."

Four new members were elected to the SCBA committee: (l-r) Kate Chapman, Tim Evans, David Unwin (who takes over from Roger Tattersfield as Treasurer), and Paul MacLachlan.

EABW Swiss Pairs scrapped

The East Anglian Bridge Weekend has been reduced to one day with the Swiss Teams on Sunday 22 May.

The Swiss Pairs, scheduled for Saturday, has been cancelled due to lack of support. Players who entered are being offered the chance to play in a similar online event being organised by Northants bridge association.

To enter the online Swiss Teams click SUNDAY (which will take you to the entry form which is on the Kent website).

Bridge with Lunch will be the first F2F event organised by Suffolk for sometime - and what better way to celebrate than with a free glass of champagne.

ENTER NOW!

So please put the date - Wednesday 8 June @ 1pm - in your diary. The event will take place at the Blackbourne community centre in Elmswell (IP30 9UH) and offers a chance to meet up with bridge friends, some of whom you may have not seen for a couple of years. A two course lunch followed by bridge has been deliberately kept to a minimum price.

To enter click on BRIDGE WITH LUNCH

All bridge players who are members of an affiliated club have their own EBU page - which may come as a surprise to some.

'My EBU' is a place where, if you are so minded, you can check your masterpoints and NGS records, book events, modify your account details and carry out other bits of bridgey administration.

"It is important that members can access the My EBU area," says the EBU, "and we are aware that some cannot, either because we do not have the right email address, or it is blank. We would like to encourage you to contact your members to make sure they can access My EBU"

So that's what we are doing. To access your EBU page click on MY EBU.

Eric & Diane win Suffolk Pairs final

Eric Newman & Diane Whitley (left) won the final of the Suffolk Pairs Championship on Sunday from Bill Tweddell & John Wilmott (centre) and Tony Philpott & Andrew Moore.

When the dust had setteled after a 42 board all-play-all event, the top five pairs had pulled clear of their nearest rivals. The first three pairs will now represent the county in the final of the national Corwen trophy.

For the first time in many years - perhaps ever - the pairs final failed to attract a full field. A sign of the times?

To see all the scores click on FINAL

Deben's generous parting gift

Sadly, Deben bridge club is no more due to a dwindling attendance exacerbated by the pandemic. However, their name will very much live on thanks to a generous parting gift to Suffolk bridge.

The club has handed over the money it held in the bank plus the proceeds from the sale of equipment - a total of £2,964 - to the SCBA with the intention it should be used constructively to encourage more people to play the game.

Bim Wilson, Michael Bizzey, the club treasurer, and Sam Wilson (pictured above) presented the cheque recently to Richard Evans, the association vice chairman,

"Obviously it is sad when a club has to close but the generosity of Deben means something very positive can emerge," Richard said. "The Suffolk committee will be discussing the 'Deben Project' next month to see the best way to generate more bridge players in the county and thereby support smaller clubs who are struggling."

First Suffolk player to be honoured by the English Bridge Union

Malcolm Carey, a founding father of the Suffolk Contract Bridge Association, has been honoured by the English Bridge Union for his outstanding contribution to the game in the county and beyond.

The Dimmie Fleming Award is reserved for a select band of players and administrators, and is a public recognition of all they have done for bridge over a number of decades. The award was announced at the EBU's online annual general meeting.

Malcolm suggested the creation of a Suffolk association in 1978 and following its formation a few months later he has been a key member for more than 40 years, most notably as the county's chief tournament director, a position he held for 32 years.

As well as directing in Suffolk, his talents were regularly in demand in other counties, Jersey and Guernsey, and abroad - including Kenya, Tobago, Spain, Malta, Israel and Egypt.

Malcolm Pryor, the chairman of the SCBA, said: "Malcolm is the first person on the SCBA committee to have received this award and it is thoroughly deserved. Malcolm has been a driving force behind the development of Suffolk bridge from the county's foundation in 1979 through to the present day and the county owes him a huge debt of gratitude for his many years of dedicated service."

Click on MALCOLM to read a tribute by Phillip Edwards, and a report in the Ipswich Evening Star.

Never played bridge on-line - and intimidated by what's involved? Don't be!

An A-B-C guide to playing bridge at BridgeBaseOnline (BBO) which covers the most basic points - how to get started, how to join a game - has been created for Suffolk Bridge by Peter Bushby, and even includes some very fancy film clips.

The big advantage of playing on BBO is that you can partner a real person (for example, your regular partner) - rather than a robot - and it can be free.

Don't feel left out...just click on HOW TO PLAY BRIDGE ON LINE.

In addition to the basics, the comprehensive guide also shows how you can enter Suffolk's regular Sunday evening duplicate, how to play a match between two teams of four, and much more besides.

The EBU has also produced a guide on how to play on BBO. Click on EBU to see.

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