ABINGDONDUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB

RECENT NEWS

Success at the 2010 Eastbourne Congress!

Abingdon Pairs did very well in the Swiss Pairs event held on the Saturday of the Eastbourne Congress held on 9^th – 11^th July 2010. Mike Brown & Clive Keep came 2nd out of 120 pairs, scoring 100vps, just 2vps behind the winners and Jean Squires and Norman Gascoyne came 6^th= on 97vps. Not Bad! The teams on the Sunday was not so successful, both pairs (with different Team-mates) coming about half-way in the event.

An Abingdon-based Team win the 2009/2010 Chester Cup!

The Abingdon-based Team of Clive Keep, Mike Brown, Nigel Wilkes, Gillian Lonsdale & John Slater (Oxford) have won the 2010 Chester Cup, averaging 8.33VPs per match out of a maximum 12VPs. This is an Oxfordshire ‘Teams of four’ League played throughout the season. The full results are on the Aylesbury BC Web Site. Why not enter a team next season? It is a very sociable event.

Success in the BGB Spring Simultaneous Pairs!

Following on from their overall national first place in the Autumn Simultaneous pairs last year (played at Wallingford BC), Mike Brown and Clive Keep managed to achieve 19^th place overall (out of over 1500 pairs) with a score of 66.14% nationally playing at the Club on 13^th April. If only they hadn’t ‘blown’ boards 9 & 19! Next best in the club were Frank Denton-Powell & Graham Poole with 61.54% (100^th) and Andrew Ashworth and Joe Fox with 59.38% (160^th).

Success in the National Pairs Semi-Final!

Jean Squires, playing with Roger Haycock (Wallingford) finished 7^th in the National Pairs Semi-Final at Solihull on Sunday March 21^st – thereby qualifying for the final later in the year. Well done Jean!

Success in the 2010 Harwell Cup!

The Abingdon Team of Clive Keep, John Clifford, Nigel Wilkes and Gillian Lonsdale came a very creditable 2^nd in the Harwell Cup held at Oxford Bridge Club on 24^th January 2010. Debbie Roberts (playing with Geoff Nicholas, Kathy & Denis Talbot) won the event. Quote of 2010 from Nigel when we were scoring up ‘ I hadn’t been counting’………………

England Seniors are World Champions!

The England Seniors Team have just won the World Championships in Brazil ! They fought back magnificently after a first 16 board deficit of 60 imps to beat Poland in the final by 187 imps to 163.67 imps. Most of us know Peter Baxter of Wallingford BC, who was non-playing captain. Click here to see a picture of the victorious team!

News from the Brighton Congress

As usual, several Abingdon players made the journey to sunny Brighton to play in the biggest congress of the year. Swiss pairs is the format for the first weekend and Swiss Teams for the second. Results for Abingdon Pairs at the end of the first weekend were – Jean/Isobel 184^th=, Alison/Keith 250^th=, Gordon/Keith 260^th= and Maxine/Stuart 381^st= out of the 436 pairs competing. Results for Abingdon teams competing during the second weekend were – Clive/MikeB/Gillian/Nigel 38^th =, Debbie (playing with Geoff Nicholas and a pair from Oxford) 102^nd= out of 170 teams competing for the Brighton Bowl.

2009 Seniors Congress at Eastbourne

There was some success for Abingdon players at Eastbourne this year, with Jean Squires and Norman Gascoyne coming 24^th and Clive Keep and Mike Brown coming 13^th out of 146 pairs in the Swiss Pairs event and then the latter pair coming 15^th out of 84 teams in the Swiss teams, playing with Mike Webley and Earnest Schlesinger.

2009 National inter-county League Final

Mike Brown and Clive Keep played in the Oxfordshire County C team of eight that won the National inter-county league final on Sunday 5^th July 2009 at the West Midlands Bridge Club in Solihul. In this competition the league winners from all the different leagues in the Country meet and play in a two session multiple teams competition to find an overall winner.

2009 OBA Mixed Pairs

Well done to Norman and Jean who came third in the OBA mixed pairs event at Oxford BC on Sunday June 14^th. Twenty Six pairs competed for the trophy.

2009 Bournemouth Spring Bank Holiday Congress

Well done to Jean and Isobel who achieved a fantastic 23^rd place in the ‘A’ final at Bournemouth over the Spring Bank holiday week-end.

2008/9 County Pairs

Well done Jean and Isobel in coming 4^th, with Alison and Peter 5^th in the County Pairs at Oxford Bridge Club on May 10^th 2009! Debbie (with Geoff Nicholas) came 7^th, Clive and Gillian eighth, Gordon and Keith 10^th, Maxine/Stuart 15^th and Nigel/Mike Webley 16^th. Well done all Abingdon Players!!

2009 Portland Pairs

For the first time, a heat of the Portland Pairs was run at Blewbury village hall on Sunday 29^th March 2009. This is a national event for mixed pairs scored over the internet, with results produced at several venues in the country. Gordon Carroll and Betty Yearling came 100^th and Clive Keep and Gillian Lonsdale 77^th out of >400 pairs competing – both pairs playing at Blewbury. Anyone playing in the doghouse? It was Mother’s Day…..

2009 Harwell Cup

The Abingdon Team of John Clifford, Clive Keep, Gillian Lonsdale and Nigel Wilkes attempted to retain the Harwell Cup on Sunday 18^th January, but narrowly failed and come in second. There is always next year!!

2008 Len Salmon Trophy

Abingdon win the Len Salmon trophy! Wallingford entertained Abingdon on Sunday 23^rd November 2008 for the annual ‘Len Salmon’ trophy. The Wallingford Chairman, Colin Jones introduced the event for saying ‘it’s not too serious’! Anyway the ‘B’ and ‘C’ teams got the bit between their teeth and won their matches by 59 an 21 imps respectively. This compensated for the 52 imp loss achieved by the ‘A’ team. Perhaps we can mange to keep it for your three years as Chairman David?

2008 OBA Mens Pairs

Clive Keep and Mike Brown came second in the Men’s pairs at Oxford on November 9^th 2008. Defending Champions Nigel Wilkes and Mike Webley came 5^th.

2008 Eastbourne Congress

There were some successes at the Eastbourne Seniors Congress over the weekend of the 4th-6th July 2008.  Norman Gascoyne and Jean Squires qualified for the 'A' Final and managed a very creditable 9th Place.  In the Swiss Pairs event, Clive Keep and Mike Brown came 14th out of 146 pairs competing and Betty Yearling and Isobel Townley-Freeman came 35th=.  The Sunday is the day for Swiss Teams and here Clive and Mike teamed up with Mike Webley and Ernest Schlesinger to manage 9th position out of 92 competing teams.  Norman, Jean, Betty and Isobel played together and  finished 19th=.  Not bad from the Abingdon Players!

Debbie comes second!

Debbie Roberts, playing with Geoff Nicholas came second out of 24 pairs in the OBA's mixed pairs competition on Sunday June 15th 2008 at the Oxford BC.

We win the Harwell Cup!

The Abingdon Team of John Clifford, Clive Keep. Nigel Wilkes and Gillian Lonsdale won the Harwell Cup on Sunday January 20th 2008 at Oxford Bridge Club.  Their final score was +43imps, 7imps above two teams in joint second place.  Ask them about a grand slam bid and made with a cashing side-suit ace missing!

Success in the Haddenham Swiss Teams!

The largely based Abingdon team of John Clifford, Peter Russell, Norman Gascoyne sand Peter Finbow (Wallingford) won the Haddenham Charity Swiss teams on Sunday January 6th 2008. Well done all!

1st in the Men's pairs!

Nigel Wilkes, with Mike Webley (Aylesbury) won the Men's Pairs on Sunday 4th November 2007.  Well done deputy cap'n!!

10th in the Seniors!

The team of Gordon Carroll, Keith Sadler, Betty Yearling and Tom Gibbard (remember Tom!!!) did well in the Seniors teams on Sunday 11th November by coming 10= out of 77 teams at Coventry.

Len Salmon Trophy Defeat

Abingdon played Wallingford in the annual Len Salmon memorial Trophy mach on Sunday October 28th 2007.  The A and C teams lost heavily, with only the B team managing a tight win.  Never mind - there is always next year!!

Didn't we do well!!

Clive Keep and Nigel Wilkes are currently lying 6th overall in the EBU Autumn (Tuesday) SIMS pairs with just over 69%.

2007 Eastbourne Congress

Jean Squires and Norman Gascoyne pulled out all the stops in the Seniors Swiss Pairs at Eastbourne... coming 9th out of 143 pairs competing.  No-one shone in the Swiss Teams on the Sunday.... best forgotten!

2007 Oxford Congress Results

Clive Keep, Mike Brown, Nigel Wilkes and Gillian Lonsdale came 3rd out of  36 teams at this year's Oxford Swiss Teams Congress on Sunday 24th June.  Maxine & Stuart Henry were in a team that came 13th and Gordon Carroll Betty Yearling, Keith Sadler and Stephen Marsh came 15th... well done all!!

Well done in the County Pairs!

Prof Harry Freeman, playing with Alan Parker from Wantage BC managed 4th place in the County Pairs final at Oxford Bridge Club on April  29th 2007, thereby qualifying to represent Oxfordshire in the Corwen Trophy in June.  Well done both!  Nigel Wilkes, playing with Mike Webley (Aylesbury) just missed the cut in 5th position.  Where did the rest of us come?  Have a look at the OBA website!....

Success in the Wessex League!

Abingdon A have had a tremendous 2006/7 season in Division 2 of the Wessex League, winning with a match to spare.  The team managed an average of nearly 17vps in winning all their matches.  Here's to Division 1 next season, where we belong!

Success in Cyprus!

There was a great deal of success by Abingdon BC pairs in the Baker-Tilley Congress in Cyprus - during the 1st - 6th February 2007.  Debbie Roberts, playing with Geoff Nicholas did well in the pairs events, coming 10th= out of 92 in the Swiss Pairs and 5th out of 58 in the Mixed Pairs.  They then teamed up (pardon the pun!) with Jean Squires and Norman Gascoyne and came 4th (out of 47) in the Swiss Teams.... well done all!

Lamorna and Frances Win the BGB Winter SIMs Pairs!

Lamorna Burwood-Smith and Frances Pollit have led the field from start to finish with a score of over 72% in the BGB Winter SIMS pairs that was held at the Club on 9th January 2007.  Well done both! 

We Lose the Len Salmon Trophy!

The annual match between the Abingdon and Wallingford Bridge Clubs took place at Roke village hall on Sunday 26th November 2006.  This match is in memory of Len Salmon -  who was a member of both clubs before he died in February 1996 -read all about it!  Anyway... who won it?  Would Abingdon win again, following their triumph last year?  No... it wasn't to be... Our A team lost 20-0vps, the B team 18-2 vps - our only saving grace was our C team - winning 17-3vps giving an overall result of 45-15 vps to Wallingford.  The match was staged over 32 boards with a great tea at half-time.... thank you Wallingford for staging it this year!

Recent Successes!

Jean Squires and Isobel Townley-Freeman did extremely well in the Swiss Pairs at the Bournemouth Autumn Congress on Saturday 21st October 2006.  They won their last match 19-1vps to leap to 7th= out of 136 pairs competing.  Well done both!  They also did well in the Oxfordshire Ladies Pairs on Sunday 29th October at the Oxford bridge Club, achieving third place, with Maxine Henry (playing with Brenda Harris (Oxford BC)) achieving the second place slot and Gillian Lonsdale and Marian Day (Menagerie BC) fourth.  The Men's pairs was as held at the same time and location - Clive Keep, playing with Nick Smith (Menagerie) coming second to Wilson/McPhee (Menagerie).

Split tie in the Harwell Cup

The Abingdon Team of Gillian Lonsdale, Nigel Wilkes. Clive Keep and John Clifford came second in the Harwell Cup at Oxford BC on September 3rd 2006, losing out to the winners on a split ties, the VP scores of the two teams being the same.  Drat and Double drat!!

Weekend in the sun at Eastbourne

The summer Seniors and veterans congress was held, as usual at Eastbourne over the weekend of the 14th - 16th July 2006.  The temperatures soared as players battled it out for the Championship Seniors Pairs final, Veterans Pairs Final, and Swiss Pairs on the Saturday and the Teams on the Sunday.  It was a good day for Abingdon Pairs on the Saturday, with Jean Squires and Norman Gascoyne being 16th (out of 28) in the Championship pairs final and Clive Keep and Mike Brown being 6th= (out of 150) in the Swiss pairs.  Sunday is best forgotten!!

Success at the Oxford Congress

The Abingdon team of Clive Keep, Mike brown, Nigel Wilkes and Gillian Lonsdale came second in the Swiss Teams event of the Oxford Congress, held at Benson parish hall on June 25th 2006.  The team of Harry Freeman, Allan Parker (Wantage), John Gunn and Sandy Millikin came fifth out of a total entry of 26 teams.  A good result!

Recent Master Point Promotion Successes

Premier Life Masters: Jean Squires and Clive Keep, Premier National Master: Norman Gascoyne, 3 Star Master: Brian Cooper, 2 Star Master:  Maxine Henry, 1 Star Master: Betty Dick

Green Points Success at Northants!

Alison Nicholson and Keith Robbins did well in the Northamptonshire Green Pointed Pairs on 13th May 2006 managing a very creditable 15= placing out of a total entry of 92 pairs.

Fourth overall in the OBA SIMS!

John Clifford and Gillian Lonsdale, having won the Abingdon Heat of the OBA SIMS on April 25th with a score at the club of 72% came fourth in Oxfordshire as a whole with a score of 69%.  Well done both!

Abingdon Pairs do well in the County Pairs Final

Abingdon Pairs took some top places at the County Pairs Final on April 9th.  Nigel Wilkes (playing with Mike Webley) finished in 2nd place (60.82%), Jean Squires and Isobel Townley-Freeman were 3rd (55.56%),  Clive Keep and Gillian Lonsdale were 6th (51.46%),  Alison and Peter Jackson were 7th= (51.17%), out of 20 pairs competing.

Qualifications at the National Pairs Regional Finals

Regional finals of the National Pairs took place at various venues on Sunday 26th March 2006.  Several Abingdon/Wallingford  partnerships participated at two venues, Bristol and Solihul.  Debbie Roberts and Geoff Nicholas came third at Solihul, with John Gunn (playing with Lynn Kirby) in 5th and Clive Keep and Gillian Lonsdale came 7th at Bristol, both with eight from each regional final qualifying for the grand final at Kettering on 22nd/23rd April 2006.

Success at the Portland Pairs!

Clive Keep and Gillian Lonsdale had some success at the heat of the Portland Pairs (for 'mixed' pairs) at Solihull on Sunday 19th March, coming second there and 26th overall, out of about 400 pairs competing.  Debbie Roberts, playing with Geoff Nicholas of Aylesbury came 8th in the heat and 96th overall.  The results are scored up locally and then scored over the internet to compare with results at other venues.  It was great to see so many Abingdon/Wallingford members competing.  Full results are on the ECATS website (look at 'SIMS').

Well done at the Avon one day event on March 12th!

Gordon Carroll, Keith Sadler, Betty Yearling and Stephen Marsh came 5th in the Avon green point one day Swiss Teams event on March 12th. well done team!  (a lot better than some of us who went to Winchester and played in a freezing sports hall...............)!

Good Achievement in the BGB Winter SIMS in January 2006

Alison and Peter Jackson are doing well in the BGB Winter Sims held on Tuesday January 10th.  They are, at the time of writing, lying in 37th place in the country with about 66%.  Others did well too!! Have a look at the Ecats website!

Good result in the OBA Swiss Pairs and Ladies Pairs!

Abingdon BC members had an excellent result in the OBA Swiss pairs on 4th December 2005, with Clive Keep and John Clifford winning the event and Gillian Lonsdale and Nigel Wilkes coming third out of 34 pairs.  Gillian, partnering Marian Day, also won the Ladies Pairs on the 30th October 2005.  well done all!!

Bournemouth here we come!

NigelWilkes and Gillian Lonsdale had a great outing in the Swiss pairs atthe Bournemouth Congress on Saturday October 22nd, coming 7th in theSwiss pairs out of the 162 pairs competing.  Jean Squires andIsobel Townley-Freeman also did well, coming equal 65th.

Good result at Brighton!

Theall Abingdon Team of Clive Keep, Mike Brown, Nigel Wilkes and GillianLonsdale beat some huge opposition at the Brighton Teams congressweekend to come 2nd in the Brighton Bowl.

Good Results at the BGB Sim Pairs on 27th July!

 Csaba andMichael are currently 19th in the country, followed by Joe and Betty (34th),Gillian and John (35th) and Jean and Norman (96th).  Brilliant!! well done all!!

Some Success at Torquay!

Thiswas the first Torquay Summer congress - held at the Riviera centre onthe weekend of  23rd - 25th July 2005.  The format wasdifferent than usual, with the teams being played on the first day (theFriday) followed by Swiss pairs on the Saturday and Sunday. Debbie (playing with Geoff Nicholas) did well in the teams, coming 2ndoverall.  Mike Brown and Clive Keep came 21st in the Swiss pairs,with Jean and Betty coming 33= out of 134 pairs.

The Gloucestershre Green Point Event

The team of Clive Keep, Mike Brown, Nigel Wilkes and Gillian Lonsdale managed 5= out of 31 teams on the 17th July at Barnwood

Alison and Keith do well in the OBA green point event!

Alisonand Keith did very well in the recent OBA green point event held atBanbury.  They came 12th out of 118 pairs.  Where were therest of us?  nowhere to be seen......

Eighth and 21st at Bournemouth!

Gillian Lonsdale and Nigel Wilkescame a brilliant 8th in the 'A' pairs final at the Bournemouth congressover the May 2005 Bank Holiday.  Well done both!  JeanSquires and Isobel Townley-Freeman came a great 21st equal in the BFinal - what a weekend!!

Second in the OBA SIMS!

Jean Squires and Norman Gascoyne overcame the terrors of theOBA Simultaneous pairs to end up being second overall in Oxfordshire,having won the North/South heat at Abingdon.  Well done Norman andJean!  Did you agree with the expert commentaries?

8th in the County Pairs Final

Joe and Betty came 8th inthe County Pairs Final on April 24th.  The other qualifiersfrom Abingdon propped up the rest of the field!

Chester Cup Win!
Theteam of Gillian Lonsdale, Nigel Wilkes, Mike Brown, John Slater andClive Keep have won the Chester Cup - Oxfordshire's Team of fourLeague.  They won it by beating Kathy Talbot's team 8-4 and nowcannot be overhauled, even though there are some matchesremaining.  The match was won with the Lady captain sitting athome in her armchair - well done Cap'n!