It is with great sadness that we inform members that Geoffrey Peel passed away on the morning of 26th December. A thanksgiving service in memory of Geoffrey will be held on Saturday 18th January at 2:30pm at Emmanuel Church, 24, Ridgeway, Wimbledon, SW19 4QN, followed by refreshments at the church.

Wimbledon Bridge Club has not only lost one of its founder members and one of its most consistently successful players, but it has lost one of its most congenial and stalwart members.  Geoffrey was a most amiable man and respected by all those with whom he came into contact.  He was in essence a perfect gentleman as well as an ideal bridge partner.

From an early age Geoff always enjoyed playing card games.  He was also a keen sportsman. He captained his school 1^st eleven and was on occasions invited to play for Somerset and at golf  he had a handicap of 2.  Geoff and his wife Joan became aware of John Gullick on reading an article in The Times newspaper by Jeremy Flint and bridge became a lifelong interest for them.  About 40 years ago, Geoff and Norman Robson negotiated with John Gullick the terms of the transfer of the Club from a Private Owner's club to a Members' club.  Geoff was delighted to see the club flourish.

Geoff was married to Joan for nearly 62 years and they played together for many years achieving some memorable successes not only as a Pair but also as members of teams from Cheltenham and Wimbledon Bridge Clubs.

John Samuels and Chris Smart, both regular partners of Geoff, remember him as a player who believed in simple systems in both bidding and play.  So his many successes were earned by judgement as well as skill with the cards – having few misunderstandings made him easy to play with.  He was always highly rated nationally, latterly in the NGS rankings; among his successes in national tournaments were wins at Eastbourne, Oxford and mid-Wales.

It is with sadness that we report the death of Byron Crittenden on Aug 26th, aged 91. Byron was a Trustee of the club until the mid-2010s and was also the Treasurer for many years.  The Club relied on him heavily for his financial acumen - he was very particular about the club’s investments. He played regularly in the evenings and partnered Jim Bochsler. He is remembered for always being very smartly dressed in a suit! We send our condolences to his daughter, Ceri Padgett, and the wider family. 

We are very sad to announce the passing of longtime Wimbledon Bridge Club member Christine Bickerstaff.  Christine died on Wednesday 3rd April, following a deterioration in her health over the past couple of months.  Christine was a loyal supporter of the club, an excellent bridge player, always willing to mentor learners, and helped out with the junior bridge programme.  She enjoyed playing at the club enormously and appreciated the welcome she always found there.

We send her daughter, Helen, and her family our deepest condolences at the loss of this remarkable woman. 

We are sorry to inform members that Margaret Brennan passed away earlier in January.  The funeral will be at Sacred Heart Church Wimbledon Village at 11.30 on Friday 9 February.  Family flowers only, donations to Alzheimer's Society.