KARORI BRIDGE CLUB
Club News April 2017
Welcome to our new member Graham Halliday.
From the President:
I’m writing this newsletter as the Easter Mixed Sex Pairs is running. We host this tournament on behalf of the regional committee and have 17 tables playing which is a great result. Thank you to all of the helpers who baked for morning tea and assisted running the day.
Our bridge scorers are rapidly dying so we plan to replace them quite soon with Samsung tablets. This is the same equipment that Kairangi bridge club are successfully using and will be an investment for the club of around $3,500 for 20 units. We currently have one tablet and will be trialling it over the next couple of weeks before introducing the tablets to general club play. I have already had a small trial and they look quite user friendly.
At the recent club meeting with the regional committee, Jane Stearns a newly elected board member presented a presentation about the work she has been doing in the Waikato /Bay of Plenty in the last couple of years. The results are phenomenal, with most clubs experiencing growth of around 50% in playing numbers. Should we be as successful, this would mean another 100 members for Karori. Pivotal to Jane’s success has been the nurturing of beginners and the clubs in Wellington are committed to work together to coordinate a drive for new members in 2018. This will mean a change in our programme and lesson timings from February to April to coincide with school terms. After that follows a structure of buddies and events to encourage new members to enjoy their bridge, stay at clubs and develop.
We have confirmed our tenant for the mezzanine floor and welcome the drama school. Saturday bridge starts again on 10 June. We get a good number of entries and it’s a nice way to spend those cold winter afternoons.
Thanks to a lot of good work from Vivienne, we had 17½ tables on Tuesday 28 March. That’s thehighest number of tables for a number of years and shows that people are keen to come and play on our top night.
From the Committee
We have decided to create a new membership category for people who play at Karori as a secondary club on a Monday afternoon only. This will take effect in the new subscription year and is designed to encourage people from other clubs who want to play bridge here during the daytime.
New Zealand Bridge
It’s pleasing to see that the two people we supported for the New Zealand bridge executive were successfully elected. We supported Jane Stearns and Clare Coles on the basis of the very successful work they have done to grow bridge in the Waikato/Bay of Plenty.
The new chair is also very committed to see better engagement with clubs so we expect to see more from New Zealand bridge.
Interclub
This year we have 8 interclub teams entered. After two rounds they are well placed as follows;
Open 6th (10 teams)
Open Restricted 4th & 6th (12 teams)
Intermediate 8th (22 teams)
Junior 1st, 3rd & 11th (16 teams)
Novice 1st (4 teams)
From the Manager:
Average table numbers for March:
Monday / Tuesday / Thursday / Friday / Saturday / Average2017 / 10.9 / 14.9 / 10.9 / 3.3 / 9.7
2016 / 9.9 / 11.8 / 10.6 / 2.3 / 7.0
2015 / 11.6 / 12.4 / 9.9 / 3.0 / 7.8
Upcoming Events:
Please note the following in your diary:
11 June - Karori Junior Tournament – a special one session event
Recent Club Winners:
Congratulations to:
Monday:Caffell Price LadderRoss Craig
Tuesday:Autumn TeamsJenny Coulter, Debbie Gapes, Royce Johnston & Christina Mander
Thursday B Grade TeamsGerry Cooper, Klaus Dorbecker, Ed May & Marcus Smith
Thursday:R Grade TeamsVera Andrews, Louise Morgan, Gerald Rawson & Bob Stallworth
Thursday R Grade Ohariu CupEd May & Marcus Smith
Recent Tournament Successes:
Masterton Open:2ndGraeme Norman & Pat Darcy
South Wairarapa Intermediate: 3rdequal Graham Potter & Mira Trifunovic
Kapi Mana Intermediate/Junior/ Novice Pairs: 1stGraham Potter & Mira Trifunovic
Mixed Sex Pairs: 1st Peter Delahunty & Lynda Rigler