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European YouthTeam Championship
The 22nd event in this series takes place in Poina, Brasov, Romania from 8th to 18th July 2009.
Manchester is well represented with Alex Morris (playing with Fiona Brown) and Mike Bell (playing with Ed Jones) in the U-26 Open.  Amy Stout (playing with Emily Middleton) and Jennie Marvin & Elizabeth Roberts play for the Ladies U-26.  The U-20 team has no Manchester players, but is captained by Michael Byrne.


Director's Course
Trafford are following up  the TD Book Rulings course with one on Judgement Rulings on 10th September
 
There are 23 repeat bookings from the first course so there is only one place available at the moment though there may be cancellations.
Contact Clive Worthington for further details.

European Open Sanremo
The fourth European Bridge Championships take place at Sanremo on the Italian Riviera from 12th to 27th June.  John Holland and Michelle Brunner and John Hassett and Bill Hirst did very well to reach the finals of the Open Pairs and Senior Pairs respectively.  John and Michelle finished 20th (from a total original entry of ~315) and John and Bill were 8th (from an original entry of ~69).

Click here for the Sanremo web site
Riviera Congress Torquay
Michael Byrne with Simon Cope, Alan Shillitoe and Tom Paske won the Swiss Teams at the EBU Riviera Congress on 26th June.
Congratulations also to Mike Bell playing with Ed Jones who won the Swiss Pairs.  Mike and Ed will be playing for the England U-25 team in Romania next month - more details on this event to follow next week.

Gloucester and Hereford Swiss Pairs
Congratulations to Bill and Joyce White who won this EBU Green point event from a field of 88 pairs on Saturday June 20th.

Northern League
The first matches of this season's Northern League took place on Saturday 13th June.  Manchester are leading the A division, third in the B division and fourth in the C division. 

The A team was Denis Robson (capt.) & Raymond Semp, Bernard & Rhona Goldenfield, Dave Barton & Alan Jones and Dave Debbage & Mark Halliwell.
 
Only 5 counties took part with the NE missing.  However, Manchester performed strongly throughout recording 71 VPs out of a possible 80, with a creditable performance from all their pairs who finished 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th in the overall rankings. Pride of place goes to David Barton and Alan Jones in 1st place.  This was Manchester's best ever score in this event.
 
Brierfield proved to be an excellent venue with first class food, and the event was very professionally directed by Jeff Smith who provided a full package of results and rankings making the team captain's job so much easier.

In the Junior division of the Northern League, held on the same day at Bradford Bridge Club, Manchester won the junior division, heading the 3 team round robin.
 
Ross Allen, Luke Webb, Alex Birchall and Laura Bonney finished on +21 imps, sending both of their opposing teams minus, a very creditable performance from 4 spirited youngsters, whose average age is only 16.

Full results are on the Northern League web site.
Future Events

Green Point One Day Swiss Teams
Sunday July 19th at Altrincham Bridge Club
  All places taken now, but teams may go on a waiting list.
Click here for entry form and more details


Click here for a calendar of this season's events


Selections
The selection committee has selected the following players for various inter county events this summer.
Official invitations will be issued by the match secretary within six weeks of the match being played.

National Finals of the Inter County leagues 5th July at Solihull
A Team
Michelle Brunner & John Holland
Michael Newman & Michael Byrne
Rodney Lighton & Gary Hyett
John Hassett & Bill Hirst

C Team
Dhun Daji & Howard Stubbins
Kevin & Celia Comrie
Jim & Jenny Morris
Bill & Joyce White
Northern League matches 13th June
A Team at Brierfield
B Team at Bradford
C Team at Bradford
Bernard & Rhona Goldenfield
David Barton & Alan Jones
Raymond Semp & Denis Robson
David Debbage & Mark Halliwell
Sid Travers & Eve Lighthill
David Audley & Frank Brown
Royce Alexander & Robert Jones
Ian Kane & David Olliver
Kevin & Celia Comrie
Peter & Jean Hand
Gillian McMullan & John Fitzgerald
Karen Reissmann & Irene Davies
Northern League matches 11th July
A Team at Manchester
B Team at Blackburn
C Team at Keighley
Michelle Brunner & John Holland
Mike Bell & Gary Hyett
Kath & Alan Nelson
Michael Newman & Michael Byrne

John Roberts & Fred Bell
John & Pauline Rudolf
Pauline Lang & Rod Franks
Peter Jones & Tom Slater
Graham Campbell & Lindsey Barnes
David Matthews & Barry Hobden
Kevin Higgins & Richard Sinton
Elena & Marcelo Rosenbaum


Pachabo
The Manchester team of Michael Byrne, Michael Newman, Gary Hyett, Rodney Lighton and Mike Bell finished 8th out of 33 teams in the Inter County Teams Championship at Hinckley on 13-14th June.  Manchester were lying 16th after a disappointing first day; Mike Bell played on the Sunday, replacing Rodney Lighton and the team performed better to reach a respectable final position.  Full results are on the EBU web site.

NICKO
Manchester's only representatives left in this competition are the Manchester Bridge Club team of Michelle Brunner, John Holland, Bill Hirst and John Hassett who have now reached the quarter finals after beating a team from the North East.

Corwen Trophy
The inter-county pairs event at Hinckley on 6-7th June was attended by all four Manchester Pairs who qualified via the Ben Franks last December.  Rodney Lighton and Gary Hyett finished fourth overall with Michelle Brunner and John Holland tenth.  Fred Bell and John Roberts and Barbara Lewis and Alec Smalley started well, but fared less well in the later sessions.


Gerard Faulkner Seniors KO
Joy and Irving Blakey, Rhona and Bernard Goldenfield won their semi final against the strong team of Keith  Stanley, Irving Gordon, Derek Rue and Tony Sowter and now play Derek and Celia Oram, Tony Gordon and Roger Jackson in the final.

Merville Goldstone Trophy (County Cup)
Michelle Brunner's team (John Holland, Bill Hirst, John Hassett) prevented Michael Byrne's team (Mike Bell, Michael Newman, Gary Hyett, Rodney Lighton) from getting a clean sweep of the major teams events this year when they outplayed them to win by 17 IMPs in the final held at Manchester Bridge Club on 5th June.  Michelle's team are, however, playing in the European Open, so Michael's team will represent Manchester in the Pachabo on 13th-14th June.

Goldstone trophy

John Hassett, Kevin Comrie (MCBA Chairman), Michelle Brunner,
John Holland and Bill Hirst
Join the EBU

Click here to learn about joining the English Bridge Union, the National organisation in England.  
Included is a direct debit form and information about the benefits of joining the EBU.
The latest edition of the EBU's club focus newsletter can be read by clicking here

Please e-mail information for the site to author Rodney Lighton (lighton@btinternet.com)
Last updated 2nd July 2009.  Pages updated recently - News
Photos Kath Nelson/Kevin Comrie/Rodney Lighton/Bernard Kaye. Thanks to Michael Byrne for many reports.

Counter http://www.digits.com - visitors since Jan 2000.  Copyright Rodney Lighton 1999-2008.
 

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