A BRIEF HISTORY OF GERRARDS CROSS BRIDGE DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB
Sometime known as the GERRARDS CROSS BRIDGE CLUB (1984)
Looking through papers passed on to me in 2005 I found a small exercise book with handwritten reports on the earliest meetings of the club starting with the first committee meeting on Tuesday 15 May1984, chaired by David Killick. (The first AGM was held on 30 April 1985.) “The Gerrards Cross Duplicate Bridge Club was re-opened after a short break ... in Wexham Cement Works Sports’ Centre”, opposite what is now Wexham Park Golf Club , playing on Tuesday evenings. Previously 5 or 6 tables had played at Lyncroft, the home of Lyn Stancer in Gerrards Cross. Lyn Stancer was made an Honorary Life Member and Honorary President of the club. The Lyncroft Bridge Club had been set by a group of experienced players including Peter Constable, who had been teaching bridge since 1948. The new club was affiliated to the English Bridge Union (EBU), members being keen to collect master points and to play in inter-club teams competitions. The club entered teams in the EBU Teams of 8 competitions enthusiastically for many years until very recently when few members were keen to participate and teams hard to maintain. Mary Taylor and her partner won the first club “Play with the Experts” evening. Soon there was a move to hold sessions on Monday evenings from mid 1985 for “improvers”. Peter ran the new Monday club and was appointed the professional director. David Killick resigned in February 1986. He proposed that Peter Constable join the committee and become chairman. David was granted Life Membership
In October 1985 the club moved to St Andrew’s Church Hall, Stoke Poges and some of today’s members started playing there. Bidding boxes were not yet in use (they were in use by 1992), hands were dealt at the table and scoring had to be done on big spread sheets. Once again the club outgrew its venue and in September 1987 moved both sessions to the Gerrards Cross Memorial Centre, Mondays to the Main Hall, which subsequently became the Garden Room, and Tuesdays to the Conference Centre in the World War One Building. Ivy Barnard remembers having to carry tables and all the equipment from the Memorial Centre to the WW1 Building, now occupied by a fitness centre. By this time there were 14-15 tables on Mondays and 8-10 tables on Tuesdays. Tony and Erica Dougal-Biggs were among a number of Monday players who passed the entry test of playing on three Tuesday evenings and attaining required standard of an average of more than 45%. Tony joined the club committee, representing the “improvers” Monday club. Subsequently he continued for many years as chairman to run Gerrards Cross Bridge Club very successfully, while Peter Constable remained director of Monday sessions. In 1989 Dot Whitton was Treasurer and Membership Secretary. Jo Lidgate, also on the committee, helped with membership and was partnership secretary. Tony Dougal-Biggs was looking into computer scoring.
By 1990 playing on Thursday evenings were considered. It was at this time that, although smoking was allowed after 9pm, a total ban was proposed. Smoking was banned in the Main Hall from 1991. Ted Holloway was auditing the accounts around this time. Monday sessions were proving very popular, and in 1991 the AGM was moved to a Monday evening, and Erica Dougal-Biggs became Secretary. In 1992 there were 207 club members and 58 on a waiting list, and by the next year sessions of 26 tables were not uncommon. Tables were set up on the stage and occasionally visitors had to be turned away. Heats for the club championships were held on a Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and the finals on the following Wednesday. Ann Lamont joined the committee. On 14 April 1994 the club opened Thursday sessions at the newly opened South Bucks Bridge Centre (SBBC), Burnham. GXBC members were the first people to play there.
In 1995 membership reached 273 with 20 on a waiting list and these players were allowed to join in 1996. To help keep all sections of the membership informed, Jean Patefield re-started a club newsletter. The first computerised scoring system was introduced.
Once the Colston Hall was opened in December of that year, Monday sessions were played there. The Main Hall was halved in size and became the Garden Room, to which Tuesday sessions moved but to play there on Wednesdays. Tuesday players were able to play at SBBC at sessions run by GXBC from July 1996. Suggestions that less experienced players might be encouraged to play in a separate section on Wednesday were not followed up. To support the Gerrards Cross Community Association (GXCA) and to secure regular bookings on two nights a week, the club became a Centre Section of that organisation.
From 1998 Phyl Walter, Len Wellard, Sandy McNaughton, Tony Woolley and Ursula Pain were scoring using the new computer. Pauline Woolley was club secretary, Beverley Stott treasurer and Sandy McNaughton and Jean Patefield joined the committee. In 1999 membership reached over 300, even though at the Memorial Centre coffee was served in paper cups! The peak for membership came in 2001 when there were 322 members. More people played each week at this club than in any in the county and it was widely recognised as a “friendly club”. In 2000 Peter Constable resigned as chairman, but remained on the committee. Tony Dougal-Biggs, who had been chairing committee meetings for some time, became chairman. Don Richards and Alec Poole were on the committee and John Faux left. Alec Poole became vice-chairman, and Gail Martin and Ruth Speechley joined in 2001.
In 2002 Alec Poole chaired the AGM, Frances Colman became secretary. In 2003 Andi Price became Treasurer. Roger Mann, Frank Bushnell and Paul Smith joined the committee. This was “a critical time for the club”; it needed to attract more members. It was considered that this could be put down to the success of SBBC to which Tuesday and Thursday sessions had been transferred, the advent of new clubs in the area and the apparent general decline in popularity of club bridge. Shortly afterwards directors and scorers would no longer be paid. By 2004 the club had its own website showing results, and money had been set aside for an automatic dealing machine. Marjorie Kennedy joined the committee and Erica Dougal-Biggs came on the committee again. On retiring as a director in 2004 after more than 20 years, Peter Constable agreed to become President of the Club, and was granted Life Membership. With his retirement the club dropped its hosting system. After a two year gap Tony Dougal-Biggs returned to the committee as chairman.
In 2005 membership was 246. Ursula Pain became Treasurer, Bernadette MacKenzie Ross and Paul Smith joined the committee. The automatic dealing machine was in use and the club’s results were being posted on its website. Roger Mann, who was the club’s Hon Auditor for several years, started friendly Teams of 4, which lasted two seasons. Jim Kennedy continued as the captain of the club’s teams in the County League of 8 competition.
By 2006 Thursday sessions at SBBC were no longer run by the club. Tony Dougal-Biggs continued as acting Chairman because no one was willing to try to replace him. Erica Dougal-Biggs and Ann Lamont retired from the Committee and David Drew joined it. (David and Pauline Drew had been playing at the club since its Stoke Poges days.) Erica Dougal-Biggs continued helping the club by being partnership secretary. This proved successful so that Cherry Suttie subsequently took over this task, and now Pat Powell helps out in this way.
Paul Smith acted as chairman of the 2007 AGM as Tony Dougal-Biggs had stepped down from the committee. In appreciation of all his work over many years for the club he was granted Life Membership. Frances Colman, who directed for Wednesday evenings and was club secretary for several years, and Angela Flintoft, who directed Thursday sessions at SBBC, came off the committee. Celia Mann, Cherry Suttie and Ursula Henzell joined the committee. Margery Kennedy organised the annual swiss teams competition at Hazlemere Golf Club for 12 teams. Table money had remained at £2 for many years. Because of the Club’s healthy bank balance, occasional free sessions were introduced, and when on duty directors and their partner did not pay table money. The Club continued to pay for its members to be members of the GXCA.
In 2008 the position of chairman remained unfilled. Beverley Stott re-joined the committee. The new email address list of members was proving useful as an easy way to keep most members informed of club fixtures and even of last minute cancellations of sessions because of bad weather, for example. Bernadette MacKenzie Ross became chairman in 2009. That year annual membership cards were re-introduced, showing the club calendar for the year. The committee had considered the proposals for re-organisation, including Pay2 Play, issued by the EBU. The initial response was that the club would probably give them a one year trial. Ursula Pain retired from the committee after many years and David Drew became treasurer. Paddy Fordyce and Julian Blogh joined it.
On 20 July 2009 an EGM was held to decide whether GXBC would remain affiliated to the EBU if P2P were introduced. Reasons given were that members were not keen to play in EBU-run competitions and most were not interested in collecting master points. After some passionate speeches for and against, members voted by the required two thirds majority not to remain affiliated to the EBU when P2P was to be introduced on 1 April 2010. In August the club celebrated Peter Constable’s 90th birthday by inviting him to join them for drinks during a session.
In 2010 club membership was increased to £10, still including individual membership of the GXCA. The club became a founder member of the Chiltern and South Bucks Bridge Association (CASBBA) for clubs not affiliated to the EBU. Jean Patefield was the promoter of this organisation and plans were to run competitions between the 20 or so interested clubs (GXBC entered three teams of 4 in the first year) and to offer training to directors etc. CASBBA did not flourish without Jean Patefield who retired to Cumbria. With more members accessing the club website for information, the newsletter was discontinued. The new twice weekly winners vouchers for a free session, introduced in place of masterpoints, proved popular. Ursula Pain rejoined the committee for a further two years and Tony Reading joined the committee. Wendy Reid joined it in 2011 and Susan Young in 2012. Elaine Whitehead was appointed Hon Auditor in 2010.
Membership of the club is now just under the 200 playing around 19 tables on Monday evenings and 9 tables on Wednesday evenings.
GXBC remains one of the largest bridge clubs in the area. It is proud of its reputation for being a friendly club and visitors are always welcome on both evenings.
Bernadette MacKenzie Ross
March 2013
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Play In 1985 there was a complaint that sessions were ending to late, at around 11pm. A prompt start was recommended. Slow play was also criticised at another AGM. In 2002 the chairman was to buy a timer for Monday Evenings. By 2007 it was agreed that on Mondays there would be no arrowswitch. This practice had been stopped on Wednesdays two years previously.
Teams The club at its inception was keen to play in EBU competitions. There was one team in 1985 in the League of 8, two in 1986, three in 1987, four in 1991, five in 1993 (in which 65 members played) and six in 1994. The numbers dropped off from then on and it became difficult to arrange one team by 2005. One reason being that the Berks and Bucks County area was large and many members did not want to travel long distances for away matches. Holding teams only sessions at the club were contentious by 2003 because some members preferred to play ordinary duplicate. Also there were complaints about holding a teams event in the same room as a normal club session.
Club Competitions In 1992 there were 15 trophies awarded for club pairs, swiss teams, club mixed pairs, Tuesday and Thursday ladders, open junior pairs, open under 26s, top percentage and for the member below rank of County Master gaining most points at Tuesday session. Swiss teams were played on the fourth Tuesdays for many years.
In 1993 the names of Mike and Jean Patefield, Tony Dougal-Biggs and Paul Smith, Dot Whitton, Ursula Pain, Len Wellard, Joyce Bushnell, Evelyn Lever, Beverley Stott, Erica Dougal-Biggs, Jim and Diane Osborne, and Majorie Frost appear on the competitions’ winners list.
The first social event, playing swiss teams, was held before and after lunch at the SBBC in October 1996. For members who wished to play teams Roger Mann introduced a Friendly Teams of 4 competition in 2005. This was discontinued after two years. However, since 2005 an annual swiss teams competition has been held on a Sunday in recent years at Hazlemere and Beaconsfield Golf Clubs and is a popular event.
From 2000 there were no heats for club competitions. In recent years club trophies have been awarded to the winners of the following competitions - Club Pairs, Flitch, Constable, Men’s Pairs, Ladies Pairs, Wednesday Pairs, Mixed Pairs, Swiss Teams, Monday Ladder, Wednesday Ladder and, played for during weekend away, the Country Cup and Country Salver.
Donations to Charity There are references to donations being made to: the Hillsborough Disaster Fund; the NSPCC; Cancer Research; Thames Valley Hospice; the Dunkirk Veterans Association; Macmillan Nurses; the Samaritans; Thames Valley Hospice, Save the Children; ScanAppeal; and the GXCA numerous times
Christmas Parties These have been a regular annual event. At one time up to three parties were needed for the different session days. Don Richards and Ruth Speechley have been responsible for the food since well before 2000. It has become a tradition that Military Bridge on these occasions.