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Wakefield Bridge Club
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Welcome to Wakefield Bridge Club
Looking to start playing bridge....?
  • Newcomer to the game, intrigued by what you have heard or seen?
  • Returning to the game, after a long time away?
  • Able to play, but no partner - not sure how to find one?

We may have the answer - just call the Acting Secretary Stephen Hanslip on 0781 555 3130, or email him at secretary@wakefieldbridgeclub.org.uk.

All you have to do is make that first step - we'll take it from there.  

An Introduction to Bridge
An Introduction to Bridge

Most of us, when we look into joining a Bridge Club, are not likely to join at the same time as anyone we know. This is not unusual. Please look upon this as a chance to become friends with the Club members that we have yet to meet. Most Bridge players are friendly people, who could also be in some similar circumstances to you. This card game is played all around the world with no bars on colour, creed or any other factors. It is primarily played for "FUN & ENJOYMENT". Having said that, we cannot deny that this is not an easy game to learn. 

Having said that, help is at hand. There are people within the club, who would like to help you learn this great game. At the top end of Bridge are all the Professionals, who whom Bridge is their livelihood. At the other end of the spectrum, there is the Bridge Club members, for whom the social side is part of the game.

In the middle are the Teachers, helpers and others, who will try & help you to learn the game.

Do not worry if you know next to nothing about the game of Bridge. With the help of the Teachers, you can gain the knowledge to help you navigate your way to learn the game of Bridge. We would suggest that people who are new to the game of Bridge, or may have played the game in the past & have forgotten how to play or what to do, start with attending Teaching sessions, before attempting to play in any of our playing sessions.

When you first attend a playing session ( when coming from Teaching sessions ), it is normal to feel very nervous. Do NOT worry. We have all been there, but with practice & continuing to go to the playing sessions on a REGULAR basis, it becomes easier. Remember, you are important to the Bridge Club. You are the future of the Bridge Club, whether that be as a partner, an opponent or a team member. The world is your oyster as far as your progression can be in the big, big world of Bridge. Representatives of County, Regional, National & International teams all come initially from Bridge Clubs. How far do you want to aspire..............  

Come and join us in our home...
Come and join us in our home...

Wakefield Bridge Club

The club was founded in Autumn 1953 and currently has more than 150 members.  In July 2021 we re-opened in our new home at Thornes Park, where we have taken part of the ground floor of the former grammar school/college, now part of the Penny Appeal Campus. We have two Bridge rooms, with a small kitchen, and ladies and gents separate toilets.  The aerial view here shows the college/Penny Appeal buildings at the top left, and the main car park; the thin grey line running through the trees from the bottom right of the photo marks the line of the road up from the park entrance on Horbury Road.  For detailed guidance on finding us please click one of these links.

Directions to Wakefield Bridge Club - Maps and Photos.pdf

Directions to Wakefield Bridge Club - Written.pdf

The post code of the club is WF2 8QZ; the what3words /// address is flank.inspector.waving.  (Find the what3words app on your smartphone.)

The Acting Secretary is Stephen Hanslip.  Please contact him on 0781 555 3130 - or at secretary@wakefieldbridgeclub.org.uk.

The club subscribes on members' behalf to Pianola, an online tool which helps you review your performance, analyse where you went wrong - and see how you can do things better in future.  If you have accepted the invitation from the club to join, just click the button below to log in to Pianola.  If you would like another invitation simply email or phone the Secretary.

Login to Pianola

The Calendar....
The Calendar....

The Calendar (shown in the index) shows upcoming sessions & events, but please also see below for details of our regular playing sessions.

 

 

Our Playing Sessions
Our Playing Sessions

Forthcoming Events are now listed on the Calendar. 

Please plan to be at any of our sessions 10 minutes before the start.

Monday Mornings - 'Stepping Stones' -  for beginners and early improvers. The emphasis is on a gentle pace where nobody feels rushed, and up to ten minutes is allowed for each board.  If you are stuck with either the bidding or the play, you can ask for help from a teacher / helper. If you would like to be involved simply turn up on the day, or contact Danny Parsonson on 07581 476235. 

Monday Afternoons - This relaxed session aims to be more social in character, and players of all grades are welcome. You are welcome to stay over in the club after the Monday morning session - bring your own lunch!  Host normally available.

Monday and Thursday evenings - These have a more competitive atmosphere. Pairs of visitors are always welcome, but if you need a partner, please place an advert in Pianola, on Partner Finder. Occasional Monday evenings are marked as Teams Events, and then advance registration is required - see the calendar for details. 

Tuesday mornings - A teaching session for improvers, new and existing members with some experience of the game. We play (random, not prepared) hands from a previous session, and discuss teaching points as they come up. Open to all, an excellent opportunity to think a little more deeply about your bridge.

Tuesday evenings - The atmosphere is a little more relaxed, and the number of boards played is limited. A host is normally available.

Friday mornings - This relaxed session aims to be more social in character, and players of all grades are welcome. A host is normally available.

Need to know :-

  • Monday morning - Level ♣ - start 10.00, finish about 12.30 - play about 15 boards.
  • Monday afternoon - Level   - start 13.00, finish about 15.30 - play about 20 boards. 
  • Monday eveningLevel ♠  - start 19.00, finish about 22.30 - play 24 - 27 boards.
  • Tuesday morning - Level ♣  - start 10.00, finish about 12.30 - a teaching session involving up to 8 boards of guided play.
  • Tuesday evening - Level   - start 18.45, finish about 21.30 - play about 20 boards. 
  • Thursday evening - Level ♠  - start 19.00, finish about 22.30 - play 24 - 27 boards.
  • Friday morning - Level   - start 10.00, finish about 12.30 - play about 20 boards.
  • Levels equate approximately to difficulty of each session

The hard part - monies etc
  • Sessions are charged at £3.00 table money per head.  Please don't bring cash, we will send you a bill at the end of the month and you can pay by bank transfer.
  • Membership 2023 - 2024: The membership fee is £35 per annum.  However, new members can join during the year at a rate of £3 per month remaining until the following 31 March (payable as a lump sum).
  • Drinks - Tea and coffee are available for a small charge ( we suggest 50p ) in our own kitchen. We have a large fridge and members are invited to bring their own drinks. If you use cups or glasses from the kitchen, can you please remember to return them afterwards - THANK YOU.   
Education in Bridge

We hope to be able to suggest places for you look at to learn more about Bridge.

1 - The Library - Books held by the club. Currently these are being looked through to ascertain their usefulness. Bear with us please.    

2 - The DVD's - Training DVD's held by the club. Currently compiling the list, and a format, that does not make them disappear. Bear with us please. 

3 - Sites on the internet - Sites of  learning interest. We will be compiling a list for  A) Strong No Trump players & B) Weak No Trump players. Bear with us please.

This is a work in progress, more details to follow....

Upcoming Events

All members need to make a note in their diaries of the 70th anniversary of our Bridge Club. We have arranged for Andrew Robson to be with us on the 21st October 2023. More details should be out shortly....

We are also trying to organise a special, one off celebration on the 7th October for all our members only to celebrate our 70th anniversary. This will be in the form of two sessions, one in the afternoon & one in the evening. More details to follow......

Rumours abound about some brand new playing sessions - watch this space......

The next Fun Day at Wakefield is likely to be early 2024. More details to follow......

 

 

Yorkshire Contract Bridge Association ( YCBA )
Yorkshire Contract Bridge Association ( YCBA )

Over the previous Winter, we had two teams competing in the YCBA leagues. Whilst we had limited success in these leagues - but, we are hoping that we can attract more people to playing in these leagues, by trying to run three teams this upcoming winter. Teams play in Bridge is slightly different to how most of us play Bridge, so much so, that we are planning on having a training session for all who may be interested.  Please watch out for details in the near future.......

Committee Meeting and more....

The next committee meeting of Wakefield Bridge Club is likely to be in September 2023. If there is anything that you think might need raising at this type of meeting, ask one of the committee to bring it up on your behalf. The names and photographs of the committee members are on the notice board in the big Bridge room, so that they cannot hide!

The committee members act on behalf of YOU the members and to help keep the Club in a financially stable condition, we need your help. We need more people playing in more sessions and we would like to encourage all members to play, even if your normal partner is away. The playing sessions are there for you, can you help? 

Bridge Room Etiquette

Bridge is a card game of skill & concentration. It needs also to remember that people are people, and we should give them the respect that you would ask for yourself. The following points we hope you can follow please:- 

1 - Turn mobile phones off or put them on silent please whilst in the Bridge Room. 

2 - Keep conversations in whispers please (if you must talk). Remember that some of us have really good hearing.

3 - Do not discuss hands that you have played until the session is completely over. e.g. saying 3D makes but 2S doesn't, tells the rest of the room what & what not to bid. Do you really want to be bottom!!!  

4 - A hand hovering over the bidding box gives away information (that you are somewhere near a bid). If you had a Yarborough, would your hand be hovering?

5 - Do not touch anybodies cards but your own. Dummy only touches their own cards when instructed to by declarer. 

6 - Be a good host at the table. This makes for a pleasant atmosphere at the table.

These & many more points, are all designed to make Bridge the fun & enjoyable experience that we all desire.

 

Face-to-face or Online bridge?
Face-to-face or Online bridge?

We are aware that a few of our members are playing online.... but the club is firmly committed to, and only offers face-to-face bridge. We welcome all members - and visitors - to our regular Pairs and Teams sessions.

Visitors are always welcome. If you want to come alone, please check the session and/or calendar to ascertain as to whether a host is available. If in doubt, have a look at our playing sessions for more details.

Masterpoint 2022 Leaderboard

Although a lot of us make no noise about the gaining of masterpoints in club sessions, a few people make it under the radar. The lowest in the system is Category 6 (District Masters & below), which is probably where most of our members are. So congratulations are in order for the following members...

John Armstrong, John Dalton, Barry Copley & David Bullimore.

Also :- Category 3 - Alan Ardron

          Category 4 - Peter Wallace

          Category 5 - Bryan Hutton, Richard Porteus, Steve Cartwright, Marilyn Poole, Linda Cartwright & Roger Holmes.

The above members made it into the top 50 in Yorkshire. Well done to all. Maybe this could be you next year, when the 2023 leaderboard is published. 

NGS Grades
2022 2023
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
June 2023
 
Ace diamond
Russ Parkinson
 
King
Tony Murray
 
Queen
Brian Leggetter Tony Johnson
 
Jack
Allan Clarke Bryn Pick David Donaldson Dennis Thompson Malcolm Gray
Nigel Walker
 
Ten
Alan Ardron Dave Hughes Dave Moules John Dalton Martin Fenton
Stephen Hanslip
 
Nine
Anne Cooper Bryan Hutton Derek France Elizabeth Jones Karen Lemm
Pat Maynard Pauline Parker Peter Wallace Richard Porteus Roger Parker
Steve Cartwright
 
Eight
Adrian Dubel Carol Count David Bullimore David Elliot David Poisson
Gail Elliot Jenny Davies John Armstrong John Milne Linda Cartwright
Liz Jackson Liz Mackay Margaret Watson Maria Elmieh Marilyn Poole
Oliver Paynter Rosemary Smith Veronica Hartley
 
Seven
Barbara Martin Beverley Barrows Bill Davies Chris Maynard Christine Stack
Danny Parsonson Dave Westwell Dorothy Jordan Gerry Lumb Liz Clarke
Pat Sellwood Shirley Bastow
 
Six
Barry Copley Christine Archbell Christine Daley Elaine Blain Harold Walker
Janet Pratt John Walker Les Lammas Marilyn Monaghan Roger Holmes
Stewart Tyson Sue Thick Trevor Thick
 
Five
Alan Braddock Anne Haith Brian Skinner Janet Walker Jenny Sinkinson
Johnathan Poznansky Keith Harrison Lawrence Kinlin Margaret Sewell Mihaela Lambert
Sean Dalton Tricia Bond Val Carter
 
Four
Carol Blackall George Chambers Mary Hampton Pamela McGraynor Pat Lambert
Roger Blackall Sue Arnold Thelma Leatham
 
Three
Deborah Poppleton Elaine MacGregor Kath Robinson Lorraine Eichhorn Maree Crossley
Nigel Scott Sue Smith
 
Two
Alison Sharp Andrew Harrison Andrew Stapleton Ann Withers Anne Charlton
Anne Metcalfe Bill Ewart Carol Parsonson Chris Durgan Christine Hewitt
Christine Holmes Enid Braddock Gill Durgan Jane Bradley Joan Ella
Keith Hunt Laurie Earle Liz Maher Margaret Hammond Roger Pickup
Susan Mellor Vivienne Sercombe

Updated 1st June 2023
Contact the Web-Site

You can always contact me here by E-mail at "wakefieldbridgeclub2@hotmail.comfor any bridge related questions, information, comments or problems. I cannot promise that I will always be able to help, but I will try. 

The idea behind the website, is being a one-stop site for everything Bridge related. If you like / dislike the direction of this, please let me know. There is a lot more to do until this is complete. Please bear with me......

The Last Thought

A motto goes - " Win and be happy or lose and learn - never quit." Are we happy when we win - probably yes, but sometimes it is better to lose. Lose, and we learn not to make the same mistakes and follow the same bad lines of play. Sometimes losing is the only thing that we can do. But by not quitting, and taking all the tricks that we can do, we can learn that sometimes a bottom can turn into a top. Winning can only take you part of the way in the journey............

 

Results
Summer Fun Day
Director: Martin
Scorer: Karen
Friday Morning Pairs
Director: Pat
Scorer: Chris
Thursday Evening Pairs
Director: Stephen
Scorer: Chris
Calendar
3rd Jun 2023
Club Fun Day
10.00
5th Jun 2023
Monday Morning Stepping Stones
10.00
5th Jun 2023
Monday Afternoon Pairs
13.00