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.
1
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
2
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
3
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.
Weekends Away and Outings Ann Lamont organised the first club weekend away in 1994 to
Newbury. The next year together with Erica Dougal-Biggs she organised a visit to Buckingham
Palace, and a seminar and lunch at SBBC. In 1996 Ann Lamont and others organised club weekend
near Stroud. By 1998 there were two weekends away at Birdlip and near Stroud. In 2000 a very
successful one was held in Barcelona. Other weekends have been held in Banbury, Cheltenham,
Stratford, Bosham, Cambridge, Arundel, Winchester, Bournemouth and Swindon. Paul Smith had
taken over organising these popular events.
---------------------- o O o -----------------------4