December 2009
Tollemache – Suffolk Qualify!
There can be few who haven't heard the news by now: for the first time in the association's history, Suffolk qualified for the final of the Tollemache, the National County Teams of eight.
(Left to right) Peter Sutcliffe, Andrew Moore, Jane Moore, Chris Chambers, Jim Gobert, David Price (Capt.), Jonathan Green, Jenny Price, Peter Gemmell.
| County | Suf | NE | Nor | Mer | War | Wor | Yor | Nth | Lan | Total |
| Suffolk | - | 14 | 6 | 15 | 20 | 12 | 16 | 14 | 18 | 115 |
| North East | 6 | - | 6 | 10 | 16 | 20 | 9 | - | 9 | 94 |
| Norfolk | 14 | 14 | - | 1 | 6 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 10 | 89 |
| Merseyside & Cheshire | 5 | 10 | 19 | - | 9 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 81 |
| Warwickshire | 0 | 4 | 14 | 11 | - | 12 | 14 | 4 | 13 | 77 |
| Worcestershire | 8 | 0 | 6 | 13 | 8 | - | 18 | 0 | 13 | 75 |
| Yorkshire | 4 | 11 | 5 | 14 | 6 | 2 | - | 11 | 18 | 73 |
| Northamptonshire | 6 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 59 |
| Lancashire | 2 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 11 | - | 57 |
As you can see, Suffolk didn't just sneak in second (also qualifying) but won their group handily and ending "Thirty years of hurt" – well almost. Reminiscences differ as to when Suffolk was first invited to the Tollemache. Almost all of the team have been part of unsuccessful campaigns and some thought this day would never come. Not so perhaps Jenny Price whose debut this was and so consequently has a 100% record!
Of particular note were the number of people who came up to us (or contacted us subsequently) with support and then congratualtions – a heartfelt thanks to all of them. Of course this was just (!) the qualifier and the county have another date, the final in mid-February.
Bridge in the Cupboard
Ah, Confucius, he say "Be careful when you play the Five of Hearts.
Forthcoming Events
Suffolk Pairs Open Heat
Thursday 14th January 2010, 7:00pm at Ipswich and Kesgrave Bridge Club. This heat is open to anyone yet to make an attempt to qualify for the 2009-10 Suffolk Pairs Championship.
For those who qualify and those who already have from club heats, the semi-final will be on Friday 12th February at the Ipswich and Kesgrave Bridge Club venue in Kesgrave. The final is on Sunday 25th April at Stoke by Nayland.
Mid Anglia Pairs 2010
Sunday 24th January 2010, 2:00pm at Stoke by Nayland. A two session pairs event scored along teams lines (IMPs) with a break for tea, included in the £10.00 per player cost. Entries and inquiries to tournament secretary .
National Pairs Qualifying Heat
Thursday 28th January 2010, 7:00pm at Ipswich and Kesgrave Bridge Club. This is a qualifying heat for a regional then a national final. If you are intending to play, please contact (01728 685392 but email preferred) who is coordinating the heat. If there are insufficient entries the heat may be cancelled so notification is essential.
Results
Novice Pairs
The event is primarily intended for students taking bridge lessons, Bridge for All Students, and social players new to duplicate bridge.
| 1. | Sarah Lomas & Rosie Lumn | 60.94% |
| 2. | Anna Yarkina & Rob Davis | 59.03% |
| 3. | Mo O'Shaughnessy & Terry Sawers | 56.51% |
The highest score was recorded by teachers Bogdan Talaga and Elaine Green who made up a full table and played without standing.
Suffolk Simultaneous
207 pairs took part from eleven clubs during the week beginning Monday 23rd November 2009. David & Jenny Price produced an impressive score to win and the leading scores were:
| 1. | David & Jenny Price | 71.23% | Clare |
| 2. | John & Maureen Garbutt | 64.34% | Ipswich Hospitals |
| 3. | John Leigh / Joe Marshall | 63.64% | Woodbridge Green |
| 4. | Ken Yates / Roy Winchester | 63.52% | Woodbridge Green |
| 5. | David Osborn / Ann Bradshaw | 62.99% | Colchester Castle |
| 6. | Joan Mayhew / George Bailey | 62.65% | Ipswich Hospitals |
| 7. | David Wilson / Dave Wiseman | 62.61% | Stowmarket |
| 8. | Paul McComish / Betty Horrex | 62.57% | Aldeburgh |
| 9. | Frances Moor / Peter Edwards | 62.35% | Deben |
| 10. | Dick Chard / June Blair | 62.31% | Aldeburgh |
Suffolk Championship Teams 2009-10
The preliminary stages of the Suffolk Championship Teams are complete; the field is first split into two halves, the lower plays a round-robin for the Suffolk Plate and the top section qualifies four teams into the knock-out phase.
Semi-Finalists
Moore (A. Moore, J. Moore, D. Price, J. Price; +24) will play Malinowska (B. Malinowska, J. Mayhew, M. Honess, A. Wilmer; +18)
Sherer (M. Sherer, E. Newman, W. Tweddell, R. Hanley; +19) will play Chambers (C. Chambers, J. Gobert, M. Allnutt, P. Gemmell; zero)
Plate
| 1. | Green (R. Green, C. Bamberger, J. Orton, G. Beeton) | +78 |
| 2. | Less (N. Less, D. Carter, P. Warren, B. Knight) | +31 |
Summer League
A bit of a stretch to recall warmth and long days at the moment but the Summer League, the Inter-club Teams of Eight, is drawing to a close. From the first stage, Ipswich & Kesgrave and Frinton qualified from one division and Colchester and Clare from the other. Those teams played the semi-finals, in which:
Colchester beat Frinton
and
Clare beat Ipswich & Kesgrave
So it will be Colchester against Clare in the final.
Suffolk v Norfolk
All Suffolk teams struggled against neighbours Norfolk: the 'A' lost 0-20 VPs (-87 IMPs), the 'B' drew 10-10 (+2) but the 'C' team lost 3-17 (-51).
Suffolk v Cambridge University
The boot was on the other foot against the university side: Suffolk won all three matches, the 'A' team by 15-5 VPs (+32 IMPs), the 'B' by 19-0 (+183) and the 'C' team by 20-0 (+106).
If you are interested in playing for the county side, Suffolk has a policy of granting all those interested an outing for the 'C' team: contact the captain .
EBU Premier League
Suffolk players were active in this year's English Premier League: David Price was part of the first division Rosen team (Neil Rosen / Martin Jones, David Price / Colin Simpson, Michael Byrne / Michael Bell) who finished fourth.
Jim Gobert and Chris Chambers played on the Wilson squad (Alan Wilson / Nick Smith, Stuart McPhee / Mike Ash, Jim Gobert / Chris Chambers) who were runners-up in the second divison. They would have gained promotion to the first division had they not had too many Scots in the team – Mike Ash (some locals will remember him from his Suffolk days) now lives in Edinburgh and represents Scotland.