Matamata, Te Aroha, Morrinsville Clubs

The final night of the Saxon Teams finished with the Senegal team with an unbeaten record (consisting of Anna Kalma, John Phillips, Shirley Bailey and Adri Rigter).

Senegal

The winner of the ironique vouchers for best dressed teams was Syrian team complete with refugees, dictators and a lovely carrot cake decorated with live ammunition!

Syria

Highly commended in the costume stakes was Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia

Alongside the Sheila's from Stralia

Stralia

Other winners on the night included the "pull up your socks team" who won a pair of bridge socks from Samoa.

Samoa

The Spainish team was 2nd in the actual bridge competition...

Spain

The night finished off with a few boards of crazy bridge which was played as an individual with each even numbered board having a different instruction ... "Don't bother bidding ... this board MUST be played in 7NT by West" ... "No dummies this hand" ... "If the bidding reaches the 4 level - North has to play it in 4H" ... "only look at 3 cards until after the bidding has finished". Well done to Laurie Belfield who won the individual scratch while Diane Jager was top in the handicap results!

Congratulations to Graeme Farrow and Willy Ryder of Tokoroa who came and conquered at the Matamata Intermediate amongst a strong field of 18 tables.

Graeme and Willy

It was a good day to be called Graeme with the second place getters being John Little and Graeme Saunders from Waikato club (who also won the tournament a year ago if my memory serves me correctly!)

Graeme and John

While in third place and the best of the locals was Judith Howard and Joanne Swanwick.

Joanne and Judith

The event was the penultimate event for the Intermediate league and after 8 events things couldn't get closer with the prizes to be decided at the last event in Cambridge next month. In top place is Malcolm Kirkby from Te Aroha who shares the spot with Eunice Eccles.

Joyce Catchpole

We were sad to receive news about the death of Joyce Catchpole following a long illness this week.

Joyce was a great member of the Matamata club for many years until moving to Cambridge in recent time.

She was a career educator and administrator which made Joyce the ideal choice for running the lessons at Matamata for several years. She was always great fun, loved her bridge and played at several clubs and was often called upon to direct junior tournaments.

Another one that will be sorely missed at the bridge table.

The committee is currently reviewing the competitions and club sessions for next year and looks forward to receiving feedback from members for ideas or to make changes to the 2019 programme.

Let us know via matamatabridge@gmail.com or talk to Beth or one of the committee members.

The AGM is too late to amend the programme and book so encourage you to give us feedback over the next few weeks

It was a great night last Thursday at the Matamata Bridge club as we turned our annual fundraising efforts towards raising money for a charitable cause … this one was for Motor Neurone Disease which claimed our past President, Jan Wills.

Thanks to everybody's generosity and effort in supporting this event which raised a fantastic $1183.

Another event for the Junior and Intermediate players to put in your diary ... the Matamata Intermediate Tournament to be held on Sunday 16th September at our clubrooms.

Cost is $20 and includes morning tea and after match nibbles (BYO Lunch!). Entry via the NZ Bridge website and we encourage our locals to find a partner and pair up for this event on their doorstep. Entry via the following link: http://www.nzbridge.co.nz/events,listing,2867,matamata-intermediate-pair...

Matamata Bridge club invites members and visitors along to their annual Benefit Night. Lovely supper, bridge and raffles.

This year, the beneficiary will be the Motor Neurone Association in memory of Jan Wills, our immediate past president who passed away from this terrible illness earlier this year.

Cost is $7 table money. Please be seated by 7.15pm for a 7.130pm start.

Visitors: You can of course just come along ... but we would appreciate an approximate idea of numbers for catering purposes. Please rsvp to matamatabridge@gmail.com

There was a decent turnout of 16 tables at the sixth heat of the WAP.

Morrinsville did itself proud again as the host. Scoring went well, good food and it was the best place to spend a wet and rainy Sunday. This heat is the best value which culminated with Pizzas and wine/beer.

On the day locals Noel Grigg and Anna Kalma came 2nd just behind Kate McFadgyn and Gwynn Lobb.

Lesley and Sonia

But the overall victors who survived 12 sessions of bridge over the past 6 months and were well deserved with Lesley Quilty and Sonia Crawford

Ella and Michael

In second place were Michael Neels and Ella Gray

Mary and Olive

Third place were the perennial bridesmaids MAry Ronke and Olive Davis.

Tim and Rochelle

While the best of the non-open players were Tim Rigter and Rochelle van Heuven from Te Aroha who are pictured flanking the WAP manager Anna Kalma

We have been told the sad news that Anne Cummins - a long time member of both the Matamata and Te Aroha Bridge Clubs - passed away today.

Anne Cummins: Anne getting into the spirit of things at the Te Aroha club.

She has battled illness over the past few years and we all had hoped she was on the road to recovery. So the news was unexpected today only a few weeks after celebrating her 80th birthday.

She had told her daughter that if she passed away on a Wednesday to ring the Matamata Bridge Club as many of her long time friends would be gathered there and playing bridge and this is how the bridge community heard about it.

Anne was made life member of the Te Aroha Bridge Club in 2014 after many years of dedication to the club having joined not long after incorporation in 1953.

Anne didn't regularly play at nights in the past few years ... however she was always available to be called upon to make up a full table at short notice at Te Aroha. She loved playing in Matamata on Wednesday during the day with many of her friends and rarely missed a week.

Sympathies go to Owen and the rest of her family and we will advise arrangements when they are confirmed.

The room was close to capacity to contest the Matamata All Grades 5A over the weekend.

18 pairs which played two 9 tables howells and a 18 table webb movement in the afternoon giving exactly the requisite 60 boards required for a 5A tournament.

The big guns came to the fore in both sessions with Russell Wilson and Patrick Carter Christine and Jenna Gibbons topping the Howells and securing an A point for the mornings effort. While the afternoon was won by Ken Yule and Michael Curry along with Gary Foidl and Antony Hopkins.

However when the dust settled after play - it was the pairing of Ken and Michael that won the event with a solid 60+% in the morning and capping their day with an impressive 66% in the afternoon.

Ken and Michael: Ken and Michael claim victory at the Matamata Open

Russell and Patrick
Second place went to Russell Wilson who travelled the furthest for the event and Auckland's Patrick Carter.

Malcolm and Pam
Third place was Malcolm Mayer and Pam Canning from Auckland.

Gary and Antony
And fourth place was Gary Foidl from Waikato and Antony Hopkins from Auckland.

Top Matamata pair was Ian Bond and Lynette Morgan.

We look forward to welcoming competitors from around the North Island for this weekend's Matamata 5A Open who are hoping to challenge our local players for top spot!

A reminder of the particulars:

Entry: $35
Catering: includes lunch and after play nibbles
Start time: 10am (morning tea from 9:30am)
Sessions: probably two but TBA depending on final numbers
Venue: Matamata Bridge Club on Ngaio Street - between the RSA and St Johns

MAtamata Open