Margaret Lee presented the trophies as follows:

Norman Cup: Pam & Peter Southon

Mayfield Tms Cup: Jim Grant, John Davies, Peter & Margaret Lee, Malcolm Channing, Ron Maclaren

Ladies Pairs: Pam Hoskins, Prue Rumens

Mens Pairs: Tony Lunn, Peter Lee

Mixed Pairs: Ann Madden, Sean O’Neill

Liz Phillips Cup: Liz Phillips, Bernard Pike and Roger Morton, John Davies (shared)

D Williamson Tms: Jill Leslie, Peggy Moir, Rene Price, Angela Samuelson

Mayfield Cup: Liz Phillips

Mayfield H’cap: Mike Stilwell

Kath Coward Cup: John Timberlake

Kath Coward H’cap: Phil Brooks

This year for the first time the cups were presented already engraved with the winners names and the Chairman thanked Helen Seymour for getting this done in time for the AGM.

Sadly, he reported the death of John Ullman very suddenly and since the AGM Ian Tomlinson has also died.

Discussion took place on the suggestion that the club should consider having a dealing machine with print-outs of the hands being available for the members, and the findings are set out later in this Newsletter.

MEMBERS SUCCESSES - not previously announced

Eastbourne Senior Teams ;1^st Denny Wade’s team

Lady Rose Rs-Up Peter & Margaret Lee, Bob Rowlands, Sean O’Neill, Tony Lunn, Liz Phillips

Lady Rose Plate Rs-Up Julia Brough’s team

Ranked Prs Nat Masters 3^rd Pam & Peter Southon

Reg/P Reg 2^nd Renate Lane, Audrey Randall

3^rd Vi Smith, Ian Tomlinson

No Fear Pairs 3^rd Liz Hammergren-Smith and husband

Swiss Teams 2^nd 3^rd Bernard Pike, Arun Suri, John Davies and partner

Mary Edwards – Pegasus 2^nd Sylvia & John Timberlake

Wanborough Cup - Dell 1^st Mary Street, Edith Smollett, Elizabeth Johnson, Ann Chapple

- Mayfield 2^nd John Davies, Jim Grant, Peter & Margaret Lee

- Wimbledon 3^rd Audrey Grzesiak, Hazel Farmer and team

Affiliated Clubs League Central Div I - 1st Mayfield A

Club 2001/02

Ladies Pairs - lst Angela Samuelson, Sylvia Timberlake
R/Up Jean Davies, Kath Coward

Mens Pairs - lst Tony Lunn, Peter Lee
R/Up Roger Morton, John Timberlake

Dorothy Williamson Swiss Teams - 1st Liz Phillips, Sean O’Neill, Bernard Pike, Roger Morton
R/Up Sylvia & Dick Clark, Vi Smith, Ian Tomlinson, Geoff Whitehead

Mixed Pairs 1st Angela Samuelson, René Price
R/Up Myrna Clappa, Arun Suri

The new Fixture Card for the full season is now available.

Get yourself entered or prepared for the following events up to the end of the January 2002:

Tue 21 Aug Committee & Liz Phillips Cups

;Tue 18 Sep EBU Simultaneous Pairs

Tue 25 Sep Pro-Am Night

Tue 30 Oct Teams Night

Fri 16 Nov NO BRIDGE

Tue 4 Dec Jubilee Pairs

Tue 11 Dec Party Night (Cocktails 6.30, Bridge 7.15)

The Teams Night on Tue 31 July will be a Pick-Up Teams so there is no need for you to search around for another pair. There will be a host pair so you are assured of a team.

Committee and Liz Phillips Cups – Tue 21 Aug. As last year, the Committee Cup will be for Regional Masters and below and the Liz Phillips Cup will be for Premier Regional Masters and above. Please make sure that you enter the right flight.

Friday 19 November – Please note that there is no bridge that evening as the church has a long-standing booking. Put it in your diaries now to avoid turning up and being disappointed.

FREE! Christmas Party Night – Tue 11 December. Once again, as last year, this party will be provided without charge. There will have to be a limit of 18 tables, so the first 36 pairs to sign up will be able to play and there will be a reserve list for any other pairs in case of drop-outs! So the message is get your names up early. Just because it is free do not think that you can put your name up and not turn up on the day (except of course in exceptional circumstances), as that would be unfair to those on the waiting list and create a half table which is impossible in a teams event! Please let the organiser, whose name will be on the sign-up list, know if you are unable to come as early as possible. Thank you.

National Pairs Heat - Tue 15 January 2002. Please put your names up early for this and all other events as this makes it much easier for the organisers. There will be open pairs for those not wishing to play in this green-pointed event.

TUESDAY HOST LIST and there’s one on FRIDAY too!

Tuesday list to end of September:

August
7 Bengt Adilz
14 Jill Allard
21 Committee & Liz Phillips Cups
28 Clive Allum

Please advise Malcolm Channing (01372 811949) as early as possible if you have to cancel your duty date for any reason. Sylvia Timberlake (020 8642 8012) keeps the list for Fridays on which the Committee have guaranteed to act as hosts with voluntary help from other Friday regulars.

Please let a Committee member know if you require a stationary seat. At present the Director, Eve Church and Kath Coward are afforded this privilege.

Pam Southon has ordered a quantity of EBU diaries for the 2001/02 season which she will be selling in early August. Price £3.25 each.

The feasibility of having a dealing machine, which was raised at the AGM, has been investigated. The Chairman spoke to the EBU directors who were using one at the Jersey Congress, and to Martin Sinclair who has one at Richmond Bridge Club. The equipment required is a PC or laptop with a printer, and (supplied by Jannersten, Sweden who make bidding boxes) a Duplimate dealing machine, special boards (min 32), bar coded cards (min 32 packs) and the random deal software. The cost from Jannersten is about £3,500 which, plus the PC and printer, totals about £5,000. The advantages are obvious – pre-dealt random hands ready to play, and hand printouts available at the end of a session – which are very useful when running a Congress. However, Richmond found that the dealing machine, being mechanical, can have faults which require to be referred to Sweden for correction, and the bar coded cards can fail to sort properly if they become worn or bent. Mayfield would have to decide on someone who not only kept all the equipment at their home but also was willing to spend one and a half hours preparing for each Tuesday evening. We would probably have to accept that, if that person was on holiday or occasionally not coming to the Club, the system would revert to status quo. Also, it is felt that machine dealt hands would be unsuitable for Fridays. The Committee’s conclusion is that a dealing machine is not appropriate for the Mayfield at the present time.

There are several available to members at the cost of £5. Please see Joan Underdown if you are interested.

The new list is now available – see below. Please let Sylvia know if there are any errors.

The Newsletter is now on the web-site and copies have only been printed for members who are not on the internet. You will have been advised to collect your copies of the above in an envelope at the club. Those members whom we know to be on the internet will only have the telephone list and the fixture card in their envelope all others will have copies of all three items in theirs. It would appreciated if you could let Sylvia or any Committee Member know your e-mail address if it is obvious that we do not have it. This will be helpful when the club needs to send out information - for example the notice of the AGM together with the subscription form. Thank you.

The January Newsletter will be distributed in a similar way.

Do make your Opening Lead before writing down the contract, you will have time to do so while declarer is planning how to play the hand.

Do finish the set of boards before telling partner how he/she should have bid/played the hand – after all you might be wrong!

Don’t tell opponents how they should have played the hand unless invited to do so.

Do welcome opponents to the table, if necessary breaking off from your discussion to do so.

Do wash up your dirty cups after the coffee lady has gone on a Tuesday and always on a Friday.

Don’t leave them for the Committee to do as they have enough to do after the members have gone.

Do introduce yourself to visitors to the club and make them feel welcome.

Do congratulate your opponents when they get a top (even if it is through clenched teeth!).

Don’t crow when you get a top especially when it is undeserved!

Do call the Director when there may have been an infringement of the rules making sure you do it in a polite fashion so that your opponents do not feel intimidated or affronted.

Don’t try to settle the matter yourself, you may be wrong and by doing so you may infringe your rights. This is part of the Director’s remit.

Don’t feel indignant if you opponents call the Director for a possible infringement, they have to protect their rights as early as possible or they may lose out. This is only protection NOT accusation.

Do shuffle your hand when returning it to the board on the last round of the evening. This begins the randomising of the hands the next time the boards are used.

You may think these are unnecessary reminders, I hope they are, but I suspect that we can all relate to one of the above that we may be guilty of at some time.

Sadly, Polly had to leave us as her diabetes was giving her problems and causing her to let us down on numerous occasions. We have now been fortunate to have found Kirsty who has done a similar job at a football club and although only 15 seems ideal for the job and full of confidence. Beware you do not give her any grief or she may show you the red card – only joking - we know our members appreciate having their coffee served. She will collect any dirty cups around 9.20pm after which it is DIY!

Roger Morton played in the Pachabo Cup in June which is a National event for the winners of each County Team of 4 Championship. He was representing London County and he has written up and commented on some of the hands which were played in an article on the web-site entitled ‘The Pachabo from the London Perspective’. Here is an extract from that article. Peter Lee and Tony Lunn also played in the event representing Surrey, as part of the team that won the Lady Rose could not play and as part of the team that were the runners-up they were invited to take their place. Both Surrey and London acquitted themselves well finishing 3^rd and 4^th respectively.

Four spades is a poor contract, especially as the bidding tells you that the trumps are likely to be 4/1. You ruff the opening heart with a sinking feeling and play Ace and another diamond.. South forces you with another heart. Now you realize that you may run out of trumps and not make your clubs. Hoping something will turn up, like a singleton ª 10, you ruff a diamond, (North discarding a club), and play the ª K. North ducked.. Now see what happens! Ruff a heart, club to the Queen, ruff your last heart, cash the club Ace and lead your last diamond making the spade queen in dummy en passant. An amazing 420! Team mates in the other room had doubled 4 spades. Oppo ran to 5 clubs, also doubled, for one off.