Matamata, Te Aroha, Morrinsville Clubs

Richard Solomon came to Te Aroha to impart some of his vast knowledge on a group of 20 Te Aroha bridge members.

The topics were splinters and cue bidding and was a mix of tuition, quizzes and play (oh and a very nice supper!).

richard's workshop

Richard's workshop

We are looking forward to putting theory into practice in club sessions and I put the challenge to those who attended to show how you put any of the cue bids or splinters into practice and a reward may well be forthcoming!!

Please note that Wednesday Bridge is back to normal start time of 10.30am from next week (ie the 7th February) ... and remember that the Bridge Club is the coolest place to be this summer (excuse the pun) but if you are inclined to feel the cold in an airconditioned room - remember to bring an extra layer!

Tauranga hosted the Waikato Bays Congress over the anniversary weekend that drew competitors from Northland to Invercargill.

After the first day of the teams on Sunday, Kathy Yule and her team headed the field in first place from 33 teams with the top four team going into a head to head final the next day. They had a strong run with 5/6 wins from the day with their only loss being against our other locals in the Quilty Team with Lesley Quilty and Sonia Crawford teaming up with BOP pair Tom Winiata and Tom Henwood who also ended the day with 5 wins from six.

Matamata girls battle it out in the Teams final: Kathy up against Sonia and Lesley at the start of the final of the Tauranga Teams

It was a tight competition going into the final round of four with each team posting at least one loss. In the end it was the Hamilton/Auckland team Foidl (Gary Foidl, Yuzhong Chen, Hank Ping and Jeffrey Luh) who won the event with team Quilty in second and Kathy's in fourth place.

Brilliant results for our doyennes of bridge from Matamata:)

Te Aroha are fortunate to have Richard Solomon, Gold Grandmaster and NZ Bridge Development Officer, coming to Te Aroha on Friday 2nd February at 7.00pm to provide an evening of instruction and play for members and other interested persons to attend.

It is being pitched to intermediate/new open level. The topics he will be covering will include;

- splinters (how to show shortages in a slam try situation)
- cue bidding (when to do it and what does it mean?)
- bidding the opposition suit (when to do it and what does it mean?)

The room was a bit crowded last year so we will be restricting numbers this year ... and priority will be given to Te Aroha members. So let Anna know if you are keen to attend (or if you want to be put on the waiting list for non members).

Cost is free to Te Aroha members and $5 to non members.

Matamata Bridge club kicks off in the New Year with holiday bridge commencing Wednesday 11th January at 1pm .

Thursday night bridge starts on the 12th January for a 7.30pm start.

Te Aroha opens for bridge on Friday the 5th at 11.30am .

Hope you all had a great Xmas and New Years and looking forward to see you in 2018.

Matamata Bridge Club lost its Patron and a treasured member and friend with the passing of Sadie Swap on Tuesday 12th December. She has lived an incredible life and would have celebrated her 104th birthday in January.

The club extends their sympathies to David and Dale and the rest of the Swap family for their loss.

A couple of photos on file caught her at the bridge club in her latter years ... She was still a regular at the bridge club in her late 90's and was very independent driving herself around town and living in her townhouse until the last few years. Her friends agree that she was great fun and a social butterfly.

Sadie turns 100: Sadie at her 100th Birthday Party at the bridge club

Sadie hits 102: Sadie celebrates her 102nd birthday

Jacob and Sadie: Te Aroha local JAcob Kalma (14) and Sadie Swap (98) teamed up for a winning session at the recent Matamata Christmas Party.

Xmas parties are behind us as we settle in to the Holiday Season.

The AGM at Matamata will be held on Thursday 7.30 on the 14th December which includes prize giving for the year.

If you are still keen on bridge then fear not ... there are still options available - Wednesday daytime bridge continues in Matamata but starts at a new time of 1pm for the next few weeks and will restart in the New Year.

Te Aroha will continue with social bridge on Tuesday nights at 7.15pm and Friday's from 11.30am unti December 22nd and will resume in the New Year - All welcome... but keep an eye on the website for developments as it will be based on customer demand!

New Year's party?? We will let you know details on this closer to the date also.

We have pencilled in Richard Solomon to do a 'night out' in Te Aroha on Friday 2ndd February pitched to Intermediate players and will be open to Te Aroha, Matamata and Morrinsville players.

I Hope everybody is winding down and looking forward to celebrating the festive season with friends and family.

Looking forward to 2018!

Te Aroha Xmas: John wins Jim Shine Shield

Te Aroha Xmas: John wins Auckland Cup ..

Te Aroha Xmas: John wins Enid Nicho. ... yawn ... this time with Henk!

e Aroha Xmas: Saxon Cup winners ( Jan, Hermanna, Hanna & Nancy)

Te Aroha Xmas: Rochelle and Anna win the Championship pairs for the second year

Te Aroha Xmas: Best Novice - Tineka Yates!

Te Aroha Xmas: Malcolm and George - Mokena Pairs winners!

Te Aroha Xmas: Best MUMMM

The season wraps up next week with a few events:

Theme: GOLD. All the glitters isn't gold (wear something sparkly)

Wednesday 6th December bridge Xmas Party
- Plate for shared lunch
- $5.00 gift (optional)

Thursday 7th December evening bridge
- small plate for supper (suggest one person cooks, one pays)
- prizes for scratch and handicap

The AGM and prizegiving also takes place at 7.30pm on 14th December.

Attached is a notice for the events and further details on the AGM.

Congratulations to Kathy and Ken Yule who along with Ian Berrington and Fuxia Wen won the 15A National Teams in Tauranga over the weekend.

Richard Solmon from NZ Bridge has written a great summary of their success on the NZ Bridge website which is available here: http://www.nzbridge.co.nz/latest-updates,listing,3983,yuletide-comes-ear...

The format was 8 x 14 board matches over the weekend and they went into the last match with a comfortable lead ... perhaps they took it bit easier in the last round (but probably not! as they registered a loss on the last round they had done the hard yards to take the victory by 5VPs.

Kathy and Ken win the National Teams

Another local success was Noel Grigg who was part of the third place team who teamed up with heavy weights Steve Boughey, Andi Boughey and Carol Richardson.

There was also a Xmas tournament at Te Awamutu over the weekend and Lynette Morgan and Ian Bond were 3rd with Lesley Quilty and Sonia in 6th.

Well done everybody!