It is with great sadness to report that John Legg, one of the Club’s Honorary Members, passed away in the early hours of Tuesday 8^th June 2021.

John joined the Club in 1972 when still run as a Proprietary club by Gordon Gill and quickly became “part of the furniture”. Following the death of Kath Gill and Gordon’s decision to transform the Proprietary Club into a Members Club, John stepped up to the breach as Secretary to the newly formed Club in 1978 and remained an active member of the management committee for 28 years. John was elected Chairman in 1994, a role he would fulfil for six years until taking the decision to step down from the management committee altogether to allow more time to enjoy his bridge playing.

During his time on the management committee, John was involved in many changes to the Club including three moves of premises: a short stint at the Ashcroft Hotel, the premises in Wilton Rise and the current premises in Holgate Road. John oversaw the last move as Chairman and would frequently be found at the new premises rolling his sleeves up and getting involved where he could especially put wallpaper up which was one of his fortes.

John was made an Honorary Life Member at the AGM in 2000 to show the appreciation which he deserved for the years of service. He felt almost embarrassed to accept the honour and insisted on continuing to TD sessions to ensure that he was still able to give something to the Club but also to ensure that the Club didn’t miss the table money which he no longer was required to pay for each session.

As a bridge player, John was a fearsome opponent at the table who did not suffer fools gladly but would also be the first in line to offer advice and guidance, especially to the younger or less experienced members. Several of his partners remember fondly how steady and reliable he was and was quick to instil the discipline that he followed into them. You would always know if he disapproved of a “flight of fancy” but John had the great ability to put the previous board behind him and play the next hand.

There have been occasions where John and his partners had a little more than just disagreements at the table but no matter what happened at the table, at the end of the session he and his partner would depart the Club as friends as he knew that it was only a game and not worth getting upset over.

Our thoughts are with Rene, his wife, who has lost a life-long companion. John will be sadly missed.

It is with great sadness to report that John Legg, one of the Club’s Honorary Members, passed away in the early hours of Tuesday 8^th June 2021. ..........

It  is with profound sadness to have to report that the York Bridge Club member, YCBA President and former Chairman passed away in hospital following an accident on 10 May 2021.

Philip was born in Lincolnshire and attended Alford Grammar School before graduating at Hull University where he met his wife Janet. On taking up his first teaching post at Malton School (where he taught until his retirement in 1993), he was taught to play bridge by Alan Martindale (a fellow teacher, life- long friend and former York Bridge Club member) quickly developing a passion for the game. Whist combining successful teaching careers and raising their daughter Julia, Philip and his wife played bridge at the highest level particularly enjoying many successes in team events with other couples. Such was his love of bridge that when his daughter announced she was getting married he provided a set of dates that he and Janet were available so as not to clash with any bridge commitments.

He was a leading member of Malton and York Bridge Clubs for more than fifty years and details of his accomplishments can be found on the Malton Bridge Club website.  Philp also introduced many new players to the game and taught many beginners and improvers and one of his recent students quoted ‘he was also an excellent and patient teacher with a delightful sense of humour’ and adding that the sessions were often the highlight of the week.      

Not only was Philip an excellent bridge player and teacher he was also and will be best remembered for his contribution as an outstanding administrator for the game. He was elected to the YCBA Management Committee serving as Vice-Chairman to the then chairman Hubert Castle who he succeeded as Chairman in a contested election in 1990. During that time he continued the development of the Yorkshire League, the county’s teams of eight event to the envy of other counties with as many as 100 teams taking part on seven Sunday afternoons over the winter months. Other competitions including the annual Yorkshire Congress flourished under his leadership.     

His leadership ability along with a flair for organising tournaments saw him elected to the EBU Board of Directors in 1996 serving as Vice-Chairman during the years 2002 - 2006 and elected to the Tournament Committee in 1994 until 2016 serving as Chairman between 1997 and 2002 where he brought the EBU Northern Summer Congress to Scarborough.  This became a hugely popular event and for many of the earliest years always coincided with glorious weather and Philip could always start his welcoming speech with a reference to this.    

In 2014 Philip announced he would be stepping down as YCBA Chairman in 2015 after completing 25 years’ service and subsequently received a prestigious EBU Silver Award for his services to bridge and was unanimously proposed as YCBA President.     

Malton BC, York BC and the YCBA has lost one of its most dedicated and committed leaders and our deepest sympathy is extended to his daughter Julia, son-in-law Christopher, grandchildren Emma and Stephen and great grandsons Charlie and Oscar, along with his many friends in both the world and outside of bridge. Other interests included sport for which in his younger days he was a qualified football referee and often was a linesman at football league matches and once having to stand in for an injured referee in a top flight match. He also travelled extensively and named the house that he had built ‘Amboy House’ after a town on route 66 one of his favourite travel destinations. 

He will be very sadly missed and long remembered in Yorkshire for being for so long at the forefront of bridge provision for the county.

It  is with profound sadness to have to report that the York Bridge Club member, YCBA President and former Chairman passed away in hospital following an accident on 10 May 2021.

Philip was born in Lincolnshire and attended Alford Grammar School before graduating at Hull University where he met his wife Janet. ..........

After completing beginner classes, the recommended progression is to play in a bridge session with teachers present who can advise you on bidding when you are uncertain what to do   We are currently running weekly online “Learn and Play” sessions on Tuesdays and Fridays 1.30pm, and Wednesdays from 10am

The sessions use the Realbridge platform This allows the students to not only play the game but interact with each other as it also utilises the computer's camera and microphone. This has been very successful and brought several new players into the club   We currently manage around four tables a session, but numbers are growing    It helps inexperienced players gain in confidence as they play more bridge in a relaxed and supportive environment.  

Please email Azizah Clayton at Aclayton@theyorkbridgeclub.com if you require further information or want to participate.

As a spin off from this we have introduced a Wednesday night session on BBO for any member or potential members rated NGS<6. The session is 12 boards costing $3 and free for Juniors.  The session has only been introduced during January but has been popular with the Club’s less experienced players. We now have a natural progression of online sessions leading up to the regular sessions played by the more experienced players

After completing beginner classes, the recommended progression is to play in a bridge session with teachers present who can advise you on bidding when you are uncertain what to do   We are currently running weekly online “Learn and Play” sessions on Tuesdays and Fridays 1.30pm, and Wednesdays from 10am

The sessions use the Realbridge platform This allows the students to not only play the game but interact with each other as it also utilises the computer's camera and microphone. This has been very successful and brought several new players into the club   We currently manage around four tables a session, but numbers are growing    It helps inexperienced players gain in confidence as they play more bridge in a relaxed and supportive environment. ..........

Club secretary, Mark Dunkley, has been spending time over the last two years researching the history of York Bridge Club. The outcome is a book of 68 pages including over 60 pictures 

The book has been printed and is now available for sale. All proceeds are to be paid to the bridge club and will assist with funding our new premises

The Club’s 75^th Anniversary year is 2021 - The book covers all 75 years in quite some detail, it names and describes the contribution of many of the key personalities who helped shape the Club and provides a history of the Club’s premises, including when and why the Club decided to move.

• How it became a Proprietary Club between 1961 and 1977
• the history of the Annual York Congress between 1971 and 2004
• It mentions many of the social occasions and describes the vibrant social scene at the bridge club and between its members, particularly in the 1980s and 90s (including 16 pictures – who can you recognise?)
• How the teaching of bridge evolved and how it was delivered over several decades
• Changes in bridge equipment and technology and how and when it was implemented by the Club
• How and why the Club became a Registered Charity and a Company limited by guarantee
• And there is so much more besides.

Whilst the Club remains closed it may be necessary to rely on the post to deliver the book. However, the Trustees and our Club chairman who live in different parts of York have agreed to act as “agents” to distribute the book if you live close by

Options for paying for the book are as follows: -

• Send a cheque payable to The York Bridge Club to Mark Dunkley, 39 Wetherby Road, York YO26 5BU. Please write your name on the back of the cheque.
• Arrange a bank transfer into the Club bank account, which is Barclays Bank, sort code 20-99-56, account number 70633186. Please provide you surname followed by book as a reference. E.g. Dunkley book
• Payment by cash on delivery if we can arrange for delivery to your house.

In the first instance you should place an order by emailing Mark Dunkley at secretary@theyorkbridgeclub.com, providing your name and address and contact phone number, and the number of books you would like to purchase. By exception he will take orders by telephone on 01904 332020 if you do not have an email account.

On receipt of your order the secretary will advise you how your book will be delivered to your private address. You should make immediate payment for the book(s). On receipt of the correct amount the book will be delivered to you.

Cost of the book is £10 with an additional £2 to cover postage and packaging if the book is sent by post.

Please buy the book and learn about the fascinating history of your Club.

Club secretary, Mark Dunkley, has been spending time over the last two years researching the history of York Bridge Club. The outcome is a book of 68 pages including over 60 pictures 

The book has been printed and is now available for sale. All proceeds are to be paid to the bridge club and will assist with funding our new premises

The Club’s 75^th Anniversary year is 2021 - The book covers all 75 years in quite some detail, it names and describes the contribution of many of the key personalities who helped shape the Club and provides a history of the Club’s premises, including when and why the Club decided to move. ..........