News from the Club during the Pandemic - Round 2 (#2)

  

 Palmerston North Bridge Club

So, on Friday the Government announced that Level 2 restrictions will remain in place across the country (excluding Auckland) for at least another 12 days. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our members for your patience over the weekend as the Committee considered our next steps. We met last night and had a long discussion about whether or not it was possible for us to re-open for normal playing sessions and keep our members safe.

After that discussion, our consensus was to re-open the Club with immediate effect but put in place the following measures:

  • Any sign of a respiratory infection stay at home. Members will be asked to return home and not play if displaying any respiratory symptoms (Directors and Room Reps have been asked to enforce this).
  • Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands
  • Wearing masks at the table is OBLIGATORY – if possible, members should supply their own but we do have a supply available at the Club - we will need to charge $1 each to cover our cost
  • The tablet will be handled by south only
  • Hand sanitiser will be available in copious supply – you will be required to use it every time you leave or sit at a table
  • The kitchen and bar area will be closed – members to bring their own drinks. Do not go into the kitchen to help yourselves
  • The Club Rooms will continue to be cleaned between each playing session (as has been the case under Level 1.)

We firmly believe that these measures will ensure that we minimise the risk to our members, keeping ourselves and each other safe, AND comply with the requirements from the Government for operating a business under Level 2.

But also, each of you, our members, must make your own decision about your participation at the Club under Level 2. You must make the decision that suits you – even if it means letting down your partner – our session hosts will continue with their “find a partner” service so please, make the right decision for you.

Our decision was based on the fact that there is no community transmission in our region, or in the south of the North Island. That may change at any time and we will, of course, be keeping abreast of the situation as it develops.

If you have any questions, queries, or concerns, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with your session host, room rep, Lorraine or myself (contact details given below).

Thank you – and stay safe,

Denise Servante

President

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Monday afternoon session host: Clare Veltman 027 4814821 

Monday afternoon/Friday Luncheon room rep: Tony Fayerman 06-357 7834 or 027-350 4689 

Monday Novice Plus room rep and session host: Maxine Keay 027 534 7410

Tuesday Social room rep and session host: Anne Gordon 027-3278276

Tuesday Open room rep and session host: Morgan Booker 021 167 0195

Thursday Multigrade session host: Cindy Lowndes 027 450 0319

Thursday Multigrade room rep: Laura Griffin 021-436905

Friday Luncheon session host: Jenny Kelland 06 357 3886

President: Denise Servante 06 353 0664 or 027-353 0664

 

News from the Club during the Pandemic - Round 2

 

 Palmerston North Bridge Club

Hello!

It is happening again.

As previously, the advice from NZ Bridge is that Clubs should not be open during Alert Level 2. Therefore, the Committee have agreed to cancel the Multigrade Session on Thursday 13 August and the Luncheon Session on Friday 14 August.  

I suppose we knew this could happen and hopefully, the Government’s strategy of going hard and early will minimise the closure. We will wait to hear how things develop over the weekend and I’ll be back in touch again as soon as we have any further news.

Meanwhile, if you have any questions, queries or concerns, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with your room rep, Lorraine or anyone from the Committee.

Thank you – and stay safe,

Denise Servante

President

 

News from the Club during the Pandemic (FINAL?)

Palmerston North Bridge Club

 

Hello!

I am so pleased to be able to let you know that we have brought forward our plans to re-open the Club Rooms. This follows the early return to Level 1 across New Zealand and advice from NZ Bridge with guidelines to ensure your ongoing safety.

The Club will open immediately for ungraded playing sessions on Monday afternoon (from 1.15 pm) and Friday daytime (starting 10.30 am – bring your own lunch). These sessions, for the rest of June, will operate as “Winter Bridge”. There is no requirement to organise a partner - we will ensure that someone is available to play with you. You may want to use the Winter Bridge sessions to confirm your partners for July onwards.

From July, the day and evening sessions will resume as per the programme booklet BUT on 2nd July, play will start at the later time of 7.30 and we will hold our deferred AGM from 6.45. Please try and get along to the AGM if possible – we would love to see you there.

Note - The results of the session on 2nd July will not count towards the (Gold and Silver) Memorial Trophy Pairs competition which will run over the remaining four Thursdays in July.

To summarise:

Monday 15 June (from 1.15 pm): Winter Bridge (come with or without a partner).

Friday 19 June (from 10.30 am): Winter Bridge (come with or without a partner but with your lunch).

Monday 22 June (from 1.15 pm): Winter Bridge (come with or without a partner).

Friday 25 June (from 10.30 am): Winter Bridge (come with or without a partner but with your lunch).

Monday 29 June (from 1.15 pm): Winter Bridge (come with or without a partner).

Thursday 2 July: Annual General Meeting from 6.45 pm, ALL WELCOME, ungraded playing session (from 7.30 pm)

Friday 3 July: Resumption of normal programme of playing sessions

This means that our BBO pairs event on Monday afternoons will no longer take place BUT the Teams event running through BBO will continue for the rest of June as planned.

I know that many of you will be looking forward to playing bridge face-to-face again. I want to reassure you that the Committee is not complacent about the danger of a second wave of infection. So, we will be asking that you wash and sanitise your hands when you enter the Club Rooms, when you leave the card table for refreshment or a comfort break and again at the end of the session as you leave the Club Rooms. As an added precaution, you may want to bring your own pen. Please stay at home if you are at all unwell.

The attached guidance from NZ Bridge outlines these and the other measures that we will be taking as a Club to keep everyone safe.

It will be fantastic to see as many of you as possible over the next few weeks at the Club Rooms. If you have any questions, queries or concerns, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with your room rep, session host, Lorraine or anyone from the Committee.

Thank you – and stay safe,

Denise Servante

President

News from the Club during the Pandemic (# 6)

 

Palmerston North Bridge Club

 

Hello!

I hope that you are still safe and well wherever you find yourself and taking great care as we begin to go about our normal business again. New Zealand has done so well to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic to this point and EVERYONE is to be congratulated in being part of that success.

It seems that it will not be too long before we move to Alert Level 1 and the Club Rooms can be re-opened for our regular playing sessions. At the moment, the Committee is reasonably confident that we can recommence bridge in the Club Rooms from the beginning of July. This may yet not be possible but that is our plan, subject to advice from the Government and NZ Bridge. I will keep you updated as things progress.

The Committee intends to hold its deferred AGM with social bridge at the earliest opportunity to welcome everyone back to the Club Rooms and celebrate the re-opening. Again, I will send more details as we work to ensure your safety when you return to play bridge.

I would also like to post a wee reminder that, in the meantime, we are running a match point pairs event on Monday afternoons via BBO. This has been made possible because Julie Atkinson of Auckland Bridge Club has offered us one of her hosting slots for our Club weekly tournament.

The sessions start at 1.15pm each Monday and pairs will be able to register from about half an hour beforehand. Julie's BBO host name is "qwikjanz" and the tournament is called "Palmerston North Bridge Club June Pairs".

If you are interested in participating in one or more of these sessions, it is vital that you email Lorraine at pnbridge@xtra.co.nzwith your BBO username so that you can be added to Julie’s friends to access the registration process.

Need a partner??

Contact our Monday Afternoon Hostess:

Clare Veltman 027 4814821 or email kihikihi181@gmail.com

Thank you – as ever - and stay safe,

Denise Servante

President

 

 

Club June Teams Event

Palmerston North Bridge Club

 

Hello!

I hope that you are all well and enjoying at least a bit more freedom under Level 2. As per my previous update, the Club Rooms will remain closed until the country is at Alert Level 1.

So, this pianola is purely to encourage you to sign up for our team’s event in June which we will be running online through BBO/Discord.

We have been running a Swiss Pairs event during May with 7 tables which has been a lot of fun. The Teams event will run similarly using BBO casual room with Discord running alongside to enable table chat.

JUNE TEAMS EVENT

To enter the event, please email tojamespljack@gmail.comorpnbridge@xtraco.nzor register directly in Discord. You can register your interest, as an individual, as a pair or as a full team and we will match people up. We would really love to see as many people as possible participating in this event so please put your name forward if you are interested. We can coach you in getting set up online in BBO or Discord if you have yet to make a start at either (or both).

The event will consist of eight 16 board matches played over the month. This event will not have set round times. There will be two rounds that must be played per week, but there is nothing barring teams from playing a match earlier than needed. Officially, the event will start on the 1st June with groupings announced. The end date is more or less when you have played your required matches. Each team will organise a time to play its match.

We are trialing a match points pairs set up in BBO/Discord which we hope to get up and running in June also. More details will be sent around shortly.

The advantage of running Discord alongside the BBO bridge is that the four people at each table can talk to each other during play. If you haven’t tried it yet, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with any of the contacts below for help to set up. It is good to get Discord up and running before the match starts so that delays at the table are minimised.

Jack James (preferred by email)jamespljack@gmail.comor 027 531 7635

Maxine Keay 027 534 7410

Tony Fayerman 027 350 4689

Lorraine Stachurskipnbridge@xtra.co.nz

Thank you – looking forward to catching up virtually over the next few weeks.

Stay safe,

Denise Servante

President

News from the Club during the Pandemic (# 5)

Palmerston North Bridge Club

Hello!

This update should arrive in your inbox as NZ begins to open up again, moving to Alert Level 2. My inbox has been very busy this past week and I am attaching a number of items which you may find of interest.

Perhaps most importantly, there is the advice from NZBridge that Clubs should remain closed until the country is put into Alert Level 1. Hopefully, this will not be too far away, and the Committee is already discussing the protocols we will likely put in place when we are open again. 

When we do move to Alert Level 1, current Government advice is that until a vaccine to coronavirus is developed, New Zealand is likely to remain there. A vaccine may be some time off: our new normal will involve lots of handwashing/sanitising and staying at home if you feel at all unwell.

I've attached a copy of the Open Letter sent from NZ Bridge, in partnership with the Australian Bridge Federation, to the World Bridge Federation regarding the impact of Covid-19 on international bridge events postponed from this year. It is no doubt indicative of the long-term consequences being felt in all walks of life from this pandemic.

Somewhat aligned to this, I also attach a request: Bamsa recruitment letter & prompts  from BAMSA (Bridge As a Mind Sport for All) for bridge players to opt in to participate in a research project about the impact of COVID-19. The team at Stirling University has been researching the benefits of playing bridge (mental well-being and social connectedness being two of the main ones) for many years. We continue to use their research to support our funding applications to various charitable bodies. If you have something to contribute, go for it! Bamsa participant information sheet

If you do contribute, it is likely that you will mention the fantastic opportunities offered through BBO for us to keep playing our game during lockdown. So many of us have been doing this, that the server system has been upgraded this week to cope with demand. It means there are some slight changes to the way that you will move between the Main Bridge Club and the Tournament sections. For further information see:

http://www.nzbridge.co.nz/latest-updates,listing,6137,important-message-for-those-playing-on-bridge-base-online.html 

During May, we have been running a Club Swiss Pairs Tournament via a combination of BBO Casual Room and Discord. We have had seven virtual tables, playing 12 boards twice a week. Many, many thanks to the team who have put this together but particularly to Jack James who has been the instigator and chief programmer. Many thanks also to the Club members who have supported this initiative. It is a lot of fun!

Jack and Lorraine are now working on two further initiatives:

* a Teams Tournament running throughout June

* a multigrade session running (probably) on Monday afternoons with, of course, a BYO virtual tea break

I will circulate more details as soon as they have been finalised – keep an eye on your inbox.

The advantage of running Discord alongside the BBO bridge is that the four people at each table can talk to each other during play. If you haven’t tried it yet, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with any of the contacts below for help to set up. It is good to get Discord up and running before the match starts so that delays at the table are minimised.

Jack James 027 531 7635

Maxine Keay 027 534 7410

Tony Fayerman 027 350 4689

Lorraine Stachurski (pnbridge@xtra.co.nz)  

Please remember that if you need anything at all or just a chat, please feel free to ring any of your committee members who are very happy to take your call and try to help sort out any problems.

Tony Clear 06-355 1721 or 021-02723554

Laura Griffin 021-436905

Anne Gordon 027-3278276

Liz Burrows 06-355 1259 or 027-3039218

Denise Servante 06-353 0664 or 027-353 0664

Tony Fayerman 06-357 7834 or 027-350 4689 

Meanwhile, please continue to let me have your news and views to share with Club members.

Stay safe,

Denise Servante

President

 

News from the Club during the Pandemic (# 4)

Palmerston North Bridge Club

Hello! It has been just about two weeks since the last update – the Committee has been working with Lorraine to develop more online options for us to play as a Club during lockdown and it has taking a bit longer than we hoped. More later.

Most importantly, I hope that you are all keeping safe in your bubbles. Although the country has just moved to Alert Level 3, this will not affect the closure of the Club. NZ Bridge has been keeping in touch with Clubs and we will follow their advice as and when we receive it. The Committee understands that we will need to be at least at Alert Level 1 before we can think about opening up again because, at the bridge table, we are not able to maintain the physical distance required for Alert Level 2 upwards. The attached newsletter from the Chair of NZ Bridge gives more detail and I think is very informative.

So it is probably going to be several months (at least) before we can start playing at the Club Rooms. Please remember that if you need anything at all or just a chat, please feel free to ring any of your committee members who are very happy to take your call and try to help sort out any problems.

Tony Clear 06-355 1721 or 021-02723554

Laura Griffin 021-436905

Anne Gordon 027-3278276

Liz Burrows 06-355 1259 or 027-3039218

Denise Servante 06-353 0664 or 027-353 0664

Tony Fayerman 06-357 7834 or 027-350 4689 

Online bridge options!

Many of us have been enjoying playing online bridge. Particularly the initiative from the Auckland Bridge Club to run daily online tournaments on BBO has been amazing. They also offer a Novice tournament on Mondays at 10:30 am.  

We have also received notification that WaikatoBays have set up a series of national and local tournaments for members of BBO in New Zealand; these are aimed at novices, beginners, junior, intermediate and good local club members. Full details are on the WaikatoBays website https://www.waikatobays.bridge-club.org/but the current weekly schedule for all NZ players is:

Monday 1pm - Matamata hosts Matchpoint Individuals open to newer players throughout NZ.
Tuesday 7pm - Te Aroha hosts Matchpoint Swiss Pairs open to Junior and Intermediate players throughout NZ.
Wednesday 1pm -Rotorua hosts Matchpoint Indivduals open to players throughout NZ.
Thursday 1pm -Tauranga hosts Junior/Intermediate players at Matchpoint Pairs open to anywhere in NZ.
Friday 1pm - Piako hosts Swiss Pairs open to all NZ players.
Friday 7pm - Cambridge hosts IMP Swiss Pairs open to all NZ players.
Sunday 7pm - Rotorua hosts Matchpoint Indivduals for Beginner and Novice NZ players.

Many of you will know that the upsurge in online tournaments and games has meant that BBO have stated that no more local tournaments can be hosted on the site. We have requested that Palmerston North Bridge Club be offered the opportunity to host tournaments (that Lorraine would organise and direct). We are waiting to hear back but, to be honest, not holding our breath! If we get the go-ahead, our intention is to hold sessions at the same time as our most popular regular sessions (Thursday evenings and Monday afternoons).

Several members of our Novice Plus room have set up a twice daily playing session on BBO at the “Casual Tables” but they run it alongside a communication tool called Discord which is easily downloaded onto your computer or laptop. This means that you are able to talk at your “table” with the other three players. The original intention was to enable some coaching to be done but it also works well on a social level. The group is very willing to open this up to other Club members – particularly those who are not yet confident about playing on BBO (or those who actually enjoy a bit of table talk!). I have just had a game with 3 Club members to try it out: it was easy to set up and I quickly got the hang of using both programmes (Discord and BBO) at the same time. If you would be interested to join the group, the best way is to ring one of the numbers below and arrange a time to get set up and given instruction for use. It is really simple, so please do give it a go! People gather in the Discord Chill Room at 2.00 and 7.15 daily and then set up Casual Tables in BBO depending on how many players turn up.

Jack James 027 531 7635

Maxine Keay 027 534 7410

Tony Fayerman 027 350 4689

Lorraine Stachurski (pnbridge@xtra.co.nz)  

STOP PRESS: The group will running a Swiss pairs tournament (2 rounds per night) on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the month of May. This is open to all Club members and is due to start on the 5th – please contact Jack James (as above) if you are interested. 

Finally,Central Districts Regional Committeehave let us know that the IP trials have been cancelled due to the Covid 19 lockdown. The Central Districts Committee are seeking expressions of interest from established partnerships so that the regional team can be selected at a later date (to be advised). To apply, simply email Francey atcdbridgeregion@gmail.com with your names, NZ Bridge numbers and playing history. The cut off date will be subject to an announcement from NZ Bridge and I will try to make sure I get that information out to Club Members who are interested. But, basically, if you want to be considered, please register your interest with Francey without delay.

Meanwhile, please continue to let me have your news and views to share with Club members as we enter a slightly more relaxed period of lockdown.

Denise Servante

President

 

 

News from the Club during the Pandemic (# 3)

 Palmerston North Bridge Club

Hello! Once again, I hope that you are all keeping safe and busy in your bubbles. This third update comes just before the Easter weekend – I attach the Annual Report and Accounts for 2019 for you to look over at your leisure whilst eating plenty of chocolate! 

The Annual Report was written before the COVID-19 lockdown so it acts as a reminder of the issues that troubled and delighted us in those more ‘normal’ times. I would also like to thank our treasurer, William Laing, and reviewer, Peter Horgan, for their time and effort to prepare the Accounts. As expected, the Financial Statements continue to show a cash deficit for the Club. The dwindling cash reserve remains a key concern for the Committee but one that we were confident would be arrested during 2020. However, that was before the current crisis and the impact on our bank balance in 2020 remains to be seen. We are looking into all the possible sources of support to help clubs like ours get through this period of financial hardship.

But in reality, that is the least of our concerns at this point in time. As I write there is welcome good news about a downward trend in the number of new cases of Coronavirus in New Zealand and it is heartening to feel that the Government’s strategy appears to be working – provided we can maintain the strict lockdown for the next few weeks at least.

Please remember that if you need anything at all or just a chat, please feel free to ring any of your committee members who are very happy to take your call and try to help sort out any problems.

Tony Clear 06-355 1721 or 021-02723554

Laura Griffin 021-436905

Anne Gordon 027-3278276

Liz Burrows 06-355 1259 or 027-3039218

Denise Servante 06-353 0664 or 027-353 0664

Tony Fayerman 06-357 7834 or 027-350 4689 

Now, the important stuff - how to continue playing bridge whilst the Clubrooms are closed!

Last week, Julie Bunnell provided a step-by-step guide to joining the Auckland Bridge Club daily online tournaments on BBO. I mistakenly suggested that you could play with anyone from around the Globe – that is true on BBO generally but the Kiwi bridge games are only open to NZ-based players. I played again this week and there were about 120 pairs playing in that session. So it is clearly filling a need for weekly bridge playing.

By the way, if you feel inclined, you can make a (table money style) donation to Auckland Bridge club – details on their website athttps://www.akbc.co.nz/. They are continuing to pay the Director’s salary so they deserve some support. (Thanks to Ev Hurley for alerting me to this.)

The Committee and Lorraine are actively looking at providing an online playing forum for our Club and we hope to have news for you on this very soon. There is already a small “Novice Plus” group emerging and our task is to find the best way to extend this to a greater number of people. Anyway, watch this space.

Finally, I want to give a special shout out to Tony Fayerman who has been busy making – yes making – hand sanitiser in his garage and supplying our most “at risk” members with steady supplies. Tony is able to extend this to all Club members and their whanau/family and friends. Please see below for details.

Meanwhile, please continue to let me have your news and views to share with Club members as we enter week 4 of NO CLUB BRIDGE. ☹

Denise Servante

President

Hand Sanitiser now available for general Club Members

We seem to have supplied sanitiser to the most at-risk members of the Club who need it, and so wish to now make it available to general club members.

As of Sunday evening, there is a relatively limited supply, however more of the key ingredient (ethanol in the form of methylated spirits) is expected to arrive in the next few days.

Anyone interested should contact Tony Fayerman on either of the numbers in the membership booklet, or by email to oldfogey4801@gmail.com. 

If you can, it would be best if you can collect it yourself from Tony’s letterbox (time by arrangement), however we do have a daytime and an evening delivery volunteer available if necessary.

Anyone who would like more details of the formulation can request it by email (so Tony has your correct email address). For those who watched the 6pm news on TV1 on Saturday night, the formulation is the same WHO recommended one reported there (except for the hydrogen peroxide, which does not add anything to the sanitising properties).

Our version is not pretty, as it relies upon materials purchasable by members of the public, however in its key properties it is the same. It does not contain any hydrogen peroxide.

Because of courier constraints, we are not able to send sanitiser out of town, but happy to share the “DIY” details with you, to pass on to family and friends.

Any questions, please contact Tony.

 

 

News from the Club during the Pandemic (# 2)

Palmerston North Bridge Club

Hello!

I hope that you are all keeping safe and well-fed in your bubbles. So, this is my second update from my own isolation – it is kind of taking on a “new normal”.  I seem to be having much more contact with friends and family from across the globe and eating and sleeping well. No sign of a cough or sore throat yet – I hope that you are all feeling as well. Just a further reminder, that if you need anything at all or just a chat, please feel free to ring any of your committee members who are very happy to take your call and try to help sort out any problems.

Tony Clear 06-355 1721 or 021-02723554

Laura Griffin 021-436905

Anne Gordon 027-3278276

Liz Burrows 06-355 1259 or 027-3039218

Denise Servante 06-353 0664 or 027-353 0664

Tony Fayerman 06-357 7834 or 027-350 4689  

In this update, there is news about:

1. A step by step guide to participating in the twice daily online 15-board games being organised by Auckland Bridge Club. Julie Bunnell very kindly offered to be my partner when I took my first foray into BBO this week. I am certainly a late adopter of online bridge, but it was really easy once I got familiar with the layout of the screen. Julie has provided information below to get you started – it’s easy to register and you can partner with anyone from around the world.

2. A link through to the three times weekly improvers sessions being offered by Mr Bridge (aka Bernard Magee) – now may be the time to brush up and break any bad habits that have developed in your play.

3. Keeping your stocks of hand sanitiser replenished. Club member, Tony Fayerman, has done an amazing job of ensuring that there are supplies available for Club members – particularly those who are in the “at risk” group – let’s face it, most of us!

A special thanks to Jack James who has continued liaising online with the people who had just started the 12-week lessons course before lockdown.

I know you will be disappointed not to have the Annual Report and Accounts to read and help pass the time this week. But I am pretty confident that we will get them to you shortly. We are also investigating setting up our own Club sessions online so please watch this space!

Please let me have your news and views to share with Club members as we enter week 2 of NO CLUB BRIDGE. ☹ Meanwhile, stay safe!

Denise Servante

President  

Feeling bridge-deprived? Why not try playing online? (Julie Bunnell)

The Auckland Bridge Club is offering daily online 15-board games at 1:30 pm and 7:30 pm, via Bridge Base Online. These are open to all bridge players in New Zealand, and a number of club members are already playing online. Follow these steps to get started:

1.    Go to bridgebase.com and register. Choose your own username and password.

2.    Ask a bridge friend you’d like to play with to do likewise (if they are not already registered). Tell each other your usernames.

3.    Browse around the site and read the introductory information.

4.    About 15 minutes before game time, go to bridgebase.com and login.

5.    On the home screen, click on Competitive, and then click on All Tournaments.

6.    Use the search function to find a tournament containing the word “kiwi”. The tournament will usually be called something like Afternoon Kiwi Pairs or Evening Kiwi Pairs. Click on the tournament.

7.    Invite your partner to play, using their username. When your partner accepts, you’re in.

8.     Nothing will happen until the start time, and then your hand and your opponents will appear on the screen. 

9.    When it’s your turn to bid, your name will be highlighted yellow, and a bidding panel will appear on your screen.

10. Unlike face to face bridge, you have to self-alert bids that would normally require announcing (1C, 1NT) or alerting. You alert and explain before you place your bid.

11. When it’s your turn to lead or play, your name will be highlighted in yellow.

12. When the hand is over, the next one will appear. When the round of three hands is over, nothing will happen until the next round begins with new opponents. 

Bernard Magee Live Broadcasts: Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays at 11.00am

Bernard Magee's first broadcast was a great success, with well over 4000 of you tuning in to watch it live and many more of you watching the recording. As there has been so much good feedback from this, Bernard has decided to do three live broadcasts a week while he has the time available to do this.

The easiest way to keep up to date with Bernard's broadcasts, is to subscribe to his YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1g-0QEEjjYEZ6fiYg-VDUw/videos?view=57&flow=grid). This is completely free, and it also allows you to comment and interact.

DIY Hand Sanitiser Available for “At Risk” Club Members (Tony Fayerman)

As some of you already know, Tony F has been making DIY hand sanitiser, and has distributed it around some of the “most at risk” members of both Palmerston North and Hokowhitu bridge clubs. However, he has not been able to make contact with all club members personally, and this message attempts to rectify that.

If you would like to obtain a bottle of hand sanitiser, please call or text Tony on the numbers in the membership booklist or email him at oldfogey4801@gmail.com. There will need to be a small charge for the sanitiser, to recompense Tony for materials. The exact charge will be advised later but is expected to be appreciably less than retail cost. (Of course, there’s virtually no hand sanitiser in retail outlets at the moment!)

Tony currently has enough material on-hand to make 20 by 500ml bottles. More supplies are due shortly, so it should be possible to supply most/all those who are interested. Tony is therefore happy to extend the offer to at-risk family members of club members.

The sanitiser formula is based on a World Health Organisation bulletin. If you would like details of the formulation before deciding whether to purchase, send Tony an email. He’ll be happy to provide details of the exact formulation that has been made up and why.

Tony has been firmly advised that he should not be out and about making deliveries (he’s over 70).  Therefore, arrangements will need to be made to collect it from his letterbox. The collector could be yourself, or a family member or friend – but definitely not someone in a high-risk category! Tony has had a couple of club members volunteer to make deliveries, so that’s also an option.

The sanitiser is dispensable from either a pump (think liquid soap type) or a spray bottle (think spray-on glass cleaner), so if you have one of these, please bring it along to swap for a full bottle.  (To keep the dispenser supply going in the short term, Tony has bought some spray bottles of glass cleaner from the supermarket for about $3 each just to get the bottle … so if you bring an empty bottle of any kind with you, he will fill it up with the glass-cleaner he has already got).

Lastly, there are also a number of small hand-bag/glove-box sized bottles available – first in, best dressed.

 

News from the Club during the Pandemic (# 1)

Palmerston North Bridge Club

Hello! These are unprecedented times. Our first thought is for the safety and well-being of family, whanau and friends. I hope that you are all taking the best care of yourselves as we enter into the Level 4 restrictions from midnight tomorrow. Your Club Committee is here to help and support you in anyway necessary. If you would like a chat, or are feeling stressed or alone at this uncertain time, please reach out to one of our Committee members – we are here for you. The following Committee members will be your first point of call:

Tony Clear 06-355 1721 or 021-02723554

Laura Griffin 021-436905

Anne Gordon  027-3278276

Liz Burrows 06-355 1259 or 027-3039218

Denise Servante 06-353 0664 or 027-353 0664

Tony Fayerman 06-357 7834 or 027-350 4689

What no bridge!

We know how hard it is having to stay at home and not play bridge

Don't forget there are various online bridge games you can play.  The most popular being BBO (Bridge Base Online).  You can play free or pay a small fee to participate in tournaments.  Sign up now and have look around.  If you need help, contact one of the Committee members above. One tournament (recommended by Tauranga Bridge Club) is the Speedball held on the hour every hour.  12 boards in an hour.  The fee for this is $US1.25. Auckland Bridge Club are running a daily match on BBO starting each night at 7.30. It is listed as For Evening Kiwis by AKBC #4863. 

Alternatively, you can get 3 friends together and start a table.  You can chat, practice and see how you compare with others playing the same hands.  Click on this link to get started 

There has also been a whole bunch of free downloads to help you fill in the hours and days. You can find a grab bag of goodies by clicking on this link.

We'll keep you updated on new things to do while in isolation (is this the right time to start reading "The Luminaries"?).

Business Continuity

The Club premises are closed down. This means there will be no AGM this Thursday evening. BUT, the Committee would still like to get some business done - we think we may even get a bit more interest in our Annual Report and Accounts when everyone has time on their hands. So, I've attached with this message a list of the current nominations for the Committee - everyone has the chance to put themselves forward for any of the positions and I would encourage you to think if you are able to give back to the Club in this way. With our next News update, I'll attach my Annual Report and the reviewed Accounts - that will clearly be the highlight of your week. So watch this space.

If you have any items that you would like sent around to Club members - please send them through.  We will try to get information round to people whenever practicable and appropriate.

In the meantime, keep safe, keep busy and keep clean! 

All best wishes,

Denise Servante

President

No Bridge at the Club for at least Three Weeks

COVID-19

The Committee has taken the decision to suspend all bridge sessions at the Club Rooms for three weeks from Monday 23 March.

This follows the latest advice from NZ Bridge:

“the global messaging is border closure in itself will not be enough and that more is required if we are going to take control and quell this pandemic. “Social distancing” is becoming the norm and people should not congregate in close proximity for more than 15 minutes at a time.

The difference in New Zealand compared with other countries is that those societies are subject to community transmission whereas we only have a border issue. Hopefully that remains the case and we are able to largely contain the virus at the border. Unfortunately our planning must assume community transmission, a rise in cases and the impact this will have on everyone.

New Zealand Bridge is deeply concerned about protecting our bridge community. We know we have an older demographic who are the most susceptible group. We also know that bridge is a game that involves close-quarters contact around a bridge table and touching of cards that go to numerous people. Droplets from people talking, laughing, sneezing and coughing pose a threat to all players and officials present, especially if someone is unaware they are infected.

None of us want players harmed; consequently we see no choice but to recommend that clubs close for three weeks from Monday 23rd March. We also recommend all tournaments throughout this period be cancelled.

Currently we plan to re-evaluate on 9th April to see whether closure should be extended or if it is okay to reopen clubs. In the meantime we suggest Clubs look at running events on BBO. Over the coming days we will put out guidelines on how you might achieve this.”

The Committee is going to follow this recommendation. We know at this stage it is precautionary but we would rather take steps now and contain the Pandemic as much as possible, than wait for developments which could have much harsher and longer-lasting impacts down the line. We will continue to share with our members news as it comes to us from NZ bridge and will also be following up on opportunities to run online events.

Watch this space! Meanwhile, keep safe and please reach out to your Bridge Community (i.e. us!) if you need anything.

Your Club Committee

AGM 2020

Palmerston North Bridge Club A G M

Thursday 26 March 6.15 pm

Multigrade playing session to follow at 7.15 pm

 

Agenda

2019 AGM Minutes

Lessons 2020

Christmas Cheer 2019

On Staturday 7 December our annual Christmas Tournament was filled to capacity with 39 Tables of eager particpants....

 

 

...all hoping to win one of the many prizes on offer!

 

 

 

Two sessions of bridge, followed by drinks and a sumptuous Christmas dinner, and then the prizegiving:

 

Taking out first place were

  

Anthony Ker (Wellington) & Charles Ker (Hokowhitu)

 

Second prize went to

 

Sandra Calvert & Colin Carryer (New Plymouth)

 

In Third Place

 

Lorraine McArthur & Elanor Morel (Kapi Mana)

 

Top Intermediate Prize went to

 

Susan Baty & Tony Clear (Palmerston North)

 

and the Intermediate Runners Up were

 

Hans van Bunnik & Anne Gordon (Palmerston North)

 

The final special mention is for the best Junior pair and that prize went to

 

Frances Tacon & Jenny Bradley (Masterton)

  Full Results

 

PN 5A Swiss Pairs

Our Open 5A Swiss Pairs tournament on Saturday 12 October 2019 attracted a record entry of 21 tables.

 

The Winners were Jan Whyte & Ken Bateman (Palmerston North)

 

pictured here with PN Bridge Club President Denise Servante (centre).

 

In Second Place:

 

Pam Livingston & John Davidson (New Plymouth/Wellington)

 

and in Third Place:

 

Carolyn Yeomans & Alister Buchanan (Napier)

 

Class of 2019 Graduates

On August 5th our 2019 learners had their first full evening of bridge in the Novice Plus session. Here we are with our graduation certificates for successfully completing the course and being brave enough to give it a go!

Awesome!

 

Quinella at the Wanganui 5A Swiss Pairs

Palmerston North club members had a particularly sucessful day at the the Wanganui Swiss Pairs held on the 14th of July, taking out both first and second places.

Winning the tournament were Morgan Booker and Jan Whyte

and in second place were Tony Clear and Laura Griffin

 

 

Interclub Win for Palmerston North

In June 2019, the Wanganui, Hawera and Palmerston North clubs returned for their annual tri-match tournament which was not held last year. A very successful day was held in Whanganui, with Palmerston North winning the Wilkin Cup which is for head to head competition between Wanganui and Palmerston North. Palmerston North then won the "Claret Jug" for overall honours on the day. For more information, see the June newsletter.

Lessons 2019

A happy bunch of new bridge players started lessons at the start of May and all have returned each week. We are well through the course now, with only a couple of weeks left. We look forward to welcoming them into our regular Monday night Novice evening where they will be a welcome boost to our numbers.

  

 

 

 

 

 

Intermediate and Junior Tournament Results 2019

On Saturday 18th May, we held a successful Intermediate and Junior tournament. Club members yet again featured prominantly in the results.

 

Junior winners (below) were Tad Krogulec (who normally resides in Westport but calls Palmerston North his home club) and his teammate Paula McCool, who is a member at Pahiatua. They were also the defending winners from 2018.

 

In 2nd place were Angela and Paul Harper (photo below), of Palmerston North, while in 3rd place were Harry Mills and Linda Lawrence from the Dannevirke club. 

 

The Intermediate tournament was won by our very own Club President Denise Servante and her partner Martin Carryer. 

 

In 2nd place was Jim Heald and Mark Kuijten from Levin.

 

 In 3rd place were Cindy Lowndes and Laura Griffin also of Palmerston North. 

Club Members achieve at recent Intermediate Tournaments

CD Intermediate Interprovincial Trials

On the weekend of 11th and 12th May, in Whanganui, the trials for the Inter-Provincial team was held. The Intermediate team from Palmerston North managed to survive both days with an unbeaten record, and have won the right to represent Central Districts in Christchurch, over three days, in November. They will compete against Intermediate team winners from the other six provinces around New Zealand. 

CD Intermediate Winners 

Garry Hodge, Laura Griffin, Cindy Lowndes & Debbie Marcroft

 

Feilding Intermediate - May 4

Third place in the Feilding Intermediate Tournament was Hans van Bunnik and Anne Gordon with a combined score of 57.72% over 2 sessions of play. They were followed by Cindy Lowndes and Laura Griffin in 4th place and Debbie Marcroft and Garry Hodge came fifth. 

 Hans van Bunnik and Anne Gordon

 

Hokowhitu Intermediate - April 28

 The Hokowhitu Tournament was held on the last Sunday of April. After two sessions of play the winners were Debbie Marcroft and  Garry Hodge with a score of 59.12%. They were followed by Hans van Bunnik and Anne Gordon in 2nd, John Hogan and Stuart Malcolm placed 3rd, while Allan Mudford and Tony Fayerman were 4th.

 

 Garry Hodge & Debbie Marcroft

 Hans van Bunnik & Anne Gordon

 John Hogan & Stuart Malcolm

National Recognition for Club Volunteer

Club stalwart Liz Burrows has been named as NZ Bridge's "Volunteer of the Month" for April. Congratulations Liz!

Read more about Liz in our April Newsletter

 

Many Happy Returns!

Congratulations to Joy Mitchell who recently celebrated her 90th birthday!

 

Friday Luncheon bridge players wish Joy an early Happy Birthday.

 

Joy is an enthusiastic bridge player and regularly plays at the club on a Monday and Friday. She is also a keen participant in club tournaments.

 

As well as bridge Joy's two other main passions are lawn bowls (which she only gave up last year) and genealogy:

 

 Joy's Birthday Cake

 

Read more about Joy and her adventures in our April Newsletter

 

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The Bridge Zone - a weekly half hour radio show for New Zealand

Lastest Broadcast

This week’s show includes:

  

Afternoon Delights

 

What a round from the Bristow’s

 

73% to take out the Forsyth Barr All Grades Taupo 8B

 

I could certainly of done with some of that cream

 

Afternoon Delight (film) - Wikipedia

 

And  INT opening bids

 

Have you ever heard of it

 

It almost got awkward

 

Though 1 positive to come out of it was that we needed to brush up on the defence to interference over our 1NT opening

 

And pulling your hair out is not an option

 

 

Opening 2C  and the Rule of 29

 

Overwhelming strength

Good high card points

A strong hand

 

Too hard for the simple Naki boy

He can’t count to 29

Premeditated murder call

Barry takes it back and… interrupts the session – cough cough, lolly sucking and incoming phone calls

 

 

What is – What isn’t

Where’s the medicine ???????

 

Liam Milne joins the Bridge Zone next week

 

Susan and Liam are in Auckland and in quarantine

 

We will find out what their plans are

 

Bridge International Competition

Check it out

 

 

Don’t forget – Hamilton Congress Labour weekend

   

We invite comments queries etc through bridgezoneshow@gmail.com

 

The Bridge Zone – proudly supported by NZ Bridge – taking Bridge to the airwaves.

 

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