Weekends Cheltenham

Sun shines on Sobell’s Golden Weekend, the Club Secretary and the Friday Afternooners./

Forty two club members enjoyed beautiful sunny weather, the Cotswolds, outstanding colours, and good shopping as well as the usual excellent bridge when the Club, making a return visit to the Thistle Hotel at Cheltenham, celebrated 50 Bridge Weekends since inception. At a Reception to mark the occasion Weekends Organiser George Howlett praised the work of the co – founders Stan Nicholls and Charles Buzzard in relation to the Weekends organisation and particularly drew attention to the work of the Administration Secretary Joan Prior who had only missed one Club Weekend. Since the first Weekend held at Alton the Club has held events in Norwich, Thetford, Peterborough, Corby, Flore, Leamington Spa, Warwick, Hockley Heath, Cheltenham, Midsomer Norton, Bath, Birdlip, Bournemouth, Portsmouth, Worthing and Eastbourne and had visited the Hilton at Swindon on eight occasions.

Those present also celebrated the 90^th Birthday (November 6^th) of Weekend stalwart Ethel Broughton who sadly could not attend on this occasion. Ethel ensured that even in her absence those present enjoyed a glass on her account and her health was drunk as well as that of the Club Weekends.

A pointer to the continuance of the success of the Weekends was the presence of six newcomers to the Weekend scene. Over £500 was added to Club funds from the Weekend.

Newcomers Ngaire, Margaret, Shirley, Susan, Neil and Ruth Martin celebrate celebrating their first Weekend and the Club’s 50 Weekends.

Martin, Neil, Susan, Thelma and Irene celebrate celebrating their first Weekend and the Club’s 50 Weekends.

Some members celebrated early en route to the hotel making the journey in excellent weather and taking lunch at the Kilkenny Inn with beautiful Cotswold views.

Saturday was another lovely day with members taking advantage of Cheltenham, Gloucester and the surrounding countryside in full Autumn splendour.

Of course we played Bridge!! The sun clearly shone on Club Secretary Geoff Gray who with Adrienne Finch, his partner for the first time, was first North/South on both Saturday and Sunday, an achievement mirrored by Hazel Jesson and Martin Isham being first East/West on both days too – thereby speaking volumes for the strength of the Friday Afternoon sessions run by the Club. On Friday a ‘Bowman’ movement was used for the first time at a Weekend – it is rumoured that this was introduced to the bridge world by Robin Hood! Saturday saw the usual afternoon and evening Mitchell movement an event repeated on Sunday when the Club’s newest members Margaret and John Hinton triumphed North/South with Helen and Mark taking the East/West honours.As we were 42 in number the team event could not take place in it’s usual form but teams were drawn for and the result decided by adding the percentages of both pairs in a team, the combined pairs having the highest total being the winner of the Stanley Nicholls Memorial Trophy. After play concluded on the Sunday the prizes were presented by Shirley Pettifer one of the newcomers to the Weekend scene.