Welcome and thank you for visiting the Durham Bridge Club website.
The Club, located within the beautiful and ancient city, is registered with the English
Bridge Union and meets three times weekly for duplicate bridge.
( See 'CLUB General Information' in Main menu )

So that the club can maintain up-to-date records could we please ask that if any member has recently changed their email or postal address or telephone number that they inform the secretary, Christine Farnsworth (cafarnsworth2@gmail.com) of the changes
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Christmas parties and bridge over Christmas and the New Year

We will be holding the Christmas parties on Monday 15th December and Tuesday 16th December (afternoon) with festive nibbles and prizes.

Also bridge sessions will be taking place as normal over the Christmas period on Monday 22nd/Tuesday 23rd December and also on Monday 29th/Tuesday 30th December.

Published 28/11/2025

Durham Interclub participation - second match

Today the second NEBA Interclub match was played at home.

Both teams narrowly won:

Team A won against Darlington A with 2 IMPs

Team B won against Whitley Bay and Tynemouth with 5 IMPs.

That means 10 VPs will be awarded to our A team and 11 VPs to our B team.

Thank you to all our participating players:

Iain Gordon, John McCourt, Peter Sykes, Rufus Barnett, Adrian Darnell, Nigel Martin, Jill Hancock, Ann Squires, Irene Hancock, Ken Goddard, Ian Mordue, Clive Nichols, Rachel Lillycrop, Rosie Fetherston-Dilke, Frank Bouweraerts, Irina Hendrickx

I would still like to hear from any other Durham Club members who would like to play in the next teams match on Sunday 14 December or even just to be on our reserves list. Please email me on irina.hendrickx@gmail.com

Current interclub standings are:

Published 16/11/2025

Stuart Wigham

We are very saddened to announce the sudden and unexpected death of Stuart Wigham who died on Sunday October 26th. Stuart was an enthusiastic and accomplished bridge player who contributed significantly to the running of the club through hosting and helping in the kitchen! He will be missed by us all.

Published 31/10/2025

NEBA 90th Anniversary Simultaneous Pairs

On Monday 27th October and Tuesday 28th October (afternoon) the club competed in the NEBA 90th Anniversary Simultaneous Pairs. Commentary on these hands can be found here: Monday | Tuesday.

Published 29/10/2025

David Thompson

Dear Member,

We are sorry to inform you the very sad news of David Thompson's death. David died peacefully in hospital on Thursday 2nd of October.

As many of you will know, Dave was a longstanding member of Durham Bridge Club, a committee member and an accomplished player.

He was always willing to volunteer his time to support the club through hosting and committee activity. He will be greatly missed.

Published 5/10/2025, added to on 14/10/2025

Durham Interclub participation - first match

Today the first NEBA Interclub match was played at home.

Both teams narrowly won:

Team A won against Bishop Auckland with 2 IMPs

Team B won against Castle Morpeth with 1 IMP.

That means 10 VPs will be awarded to each of our teams in the competition.

Thank you to all our participating players:

Jonathan Lillycrop, Rachel Lillycrop, Iain Gordon, Peter Sykes, Adrian Darnell, Nigel Martin, Liam Fegarty, Rufus Barnett, Ian Mordue, Clive Nichols, Susan Penswick, Dorothy Pearson, Ann Squires, Jill Hancock, Frank Bouweraerts, Irina Hendrickx

I would still like to hear from any other Durham Club members who would like to play in the next teams match on Sunday 16 November at Framwellgate Moor. Email me on irina.hendrickx@gmail.com

Published 12/10/2025

Beginner Bridge Lessons starting from September

Beginner Lessons will take place on Monday evenings starting September 15th at 6:30 pm. Please email bridgeclubdurham@gmail.com to express your interest.

Published 25/06/2025, amended 05/08/2025

NEBA Competitions

As part of the North Eastern Bridge Association's (NEBA) 90th Anniversary celebrations, we are excited to announce a series of special competitions, which can be found in our Competition Guide. 
In addition, our Online Teams League was a huge success last season (details below). This competition is open to all bridge players, providing a fantastic opportunity for your members to team up with others from across the country. It would be good to get more players & a second division.

If your members have friends or fellow bridge enthusiasts from other areas, why not form a team together? It's a great way to expand social connections and enjoy some friendly competition in a flexible online format.

1. Saturday 4th October - Blue-Pointed Category Pairs, Durham

• Time: 1:00 PM

• Competitions:

  • Men's Pairs

  • Women's Pairs

  • Mixed Pairs

  • 9-high (NGS grade) Pairs

• Prizes: In addition to EBU Blue Masterpoints, generous prizes will be awarded in each category, thanks to sponsorship from Portwood Insurance.

You can enter this competition via the NEBA website Information & entry forms here

2. Monday 27th Tuesday 28th & Thursday 30th October - Simultaneous Pairs

• Different boards on each night, scored against all other pairs in the NEBA clubs.

3. NEBA Green Point Congress - 1st & 2nd November at the Delta Marriott Hotel

• A great opportunity to play in the prestigious Green Point Congress.

• Welcome Pairs: Designed for newcomers to competitive bridge, making it an excellent entry point for those looking to step up their game.

4. Online Teams League - Starting September (Date to Be Confirmed)

• Season 2: This popular competition returns after a successful first season. We would like to introduce a second division if possible to accommodate more teams.

• Teams from NEBA clubs are invited to join in this exciting online competition.

In addition to these, the NEBA Competitions 2025-2026 PDF contains details on a wide range of other competitions throughout the year. For full details and how to enter, please refer to the NEBA Competitions link.

We would greatly appreciate it if you could promote these competitions by adding the details to your club's website. Linking to the NEBA Competitions 2025-2026 will ensure your members have access to all the upcoming events.

Thank you for helping make our anniversary celebrations a success! We look forward to seeing your members participate in these exciting events.

Best regards,
Marion
Chair of NEBA

Published 19/08/2025

Calling ALL Durham Members who would like to play for one of our Teams in the regional interclub competition

We need 8 pairs of players for every match day across 2 teams.
Don't worry if you have never played in a teams competition before or if you don't have a partner.

The match dates are:
12 October 25
16 November 25
14 December 25
18 January 26
1 March 26
They are Sundays starting at 2pm. All are face to face, three of them will be played at Durham.

The teams are decided nearer the time, so no need to commit to any specific dates yet.

Please let me know of your wish to play by emailing me on irina.hendrickx@gmail.com

Irina Hendrickx, Durham Bridge Team Captain

Published 23/05/2025, amended 05/08/2025

AGM Minutes

The Durham Bridge Club AGM was held on Tue 29 April 2025.

Please find attached the minutes from the meeting, including the report from chair and treasury summary.

AGM minutes 2025.docx

Published 23/05/2025

Competition winners 2025

Our 2024/2025 competition winners were as follows:

Summer Afternoon Pairs 2024 - Iain Gordon & John Dobson

Summer Evening Pairs 2024 - John Bernard Portwood & Peter Sykes

Summer Masterpoints 2024 - John Dobson

Sykes Cup - Iain Gordon & Margaret McCabe

2024 Cansino Trophy - Irene Burns & Joan Crompton

Durham City Trophy - Ann Squires & Richard Cottrell

Winter Afternoon Pairs 2024 - Adrian Darnell & John Dobson

Winter Evening Pairs 2024 - Adrian Darnell & Nigel Martin

Winter Afternoon Champion - Adrian Darnell

Winter Evening Champion - Adrian Darnell

Master Point Club Champion - Adrian Darnell

Summer Monday Evening Champions - Sam & Durga Rao

Congratulations to them all!

Published 23/05/2025

Annual Subscription

At the recent AGM the proposal to increase the annual membership fee from £156 to £168 was approved and as a result the membership fee will increase from the 1st June.

Please can you ensure that your standing orders reflects this change: 

- for those who pay annually the fee will be £168
- for those who pay monthly it will be £14/month
- for those who pay quarterly the fee will be £42.

It was also agreed that student members under the age of 25 would not pay fees.

Published 14/05/2025

NEBA Inter-Club League

On Sunday 2nd March 2025 our Durham Club Teams competed in the NEBA Inter-Club League.

The results were:

Durham A Team won against Stannington A with a score of 15-5

Durham B Team lost to Bishop Auckland with a score of 0-20

The final results of the Inter-Club Team competition can be found HERE

We would like to thank all those that played for both teams. 

If you would like to be part of our squad for the next season, please contact our team captain (irina.hendrickx@gmail.com). Everyone is welcome.

Published 09/03/2025

2024 Cansino Trophy Winners

Many congratulations to Irene Burns and Joan Crompton on winning the 2024 Cansino Trophy.

Published 15/01/2025

EBU Masterpoint Promotion

Many congratulations to Ann Squires for achieving the 1 Star Regional Master Status.

Published 15/01/2025

Announcing our Summer Competition Winners

The winners of our competitions that ran from 01/03/2024 to 30/09/2024 are:

Summer Afternoon Pairs 2024
Iain Gordon & John Dobson with 59%

Summer Evening Pairs 2024
John Bernard Portwood & Peter Sykes with 60%

Summer Masterpoints 2024
John Dobson with 675 Masterpoints

Summer Monday Champ 2024
Jill Hancock with 58%

Congratulations to them all!

Published 31/10/2024

Bridge Teaching Sessions

Teaching started on Monday 7 October for anyone wanting to learn bridge. Classes will be on Mondays at 6pm and will run for 10 weeks. The cost will be a very reasonable £30. If you know of anyone who may be interested please encourage them to sign up by emailing bridgeclubdurham@gmail.com.

Published 25/09/2024

A Year of Bridge Advice

We have a new article, or rather book of 204 pages, available on our website called:

"Play your cards right", by John Portwood

This is a compendium of articles on various aspects of the game, aimed at the novice/improving bridge player.

It was kindly created and shared by John Portwood and amalgamates his Monday weekly articles throughout 2022, which usually related to the hands being played that week.

For your convenience, the complete pdf file can be accessed here

Published 28/07/2024

Competitions winners 2023

Our 2023/2024 competitions winners were as follows:

Summer Eve pairs 2023

Adrian Darnell and Nigel Martin

Summer Afternoon Pairs 2023

Adrian Darnell and John Dobson

Summer Masterpoints 2023

Adrian Darnell

Winter afternoon champ 2023/24

Adrian Darnell

Winter afternoon pairs 2023/24

Jill Hancock and Niall Keaney

Winter evening champ 2023/24

Equal first

Adrian Darnell

Nigel Martin

Winter evening pairs 2023/24

Jonathan and Rachel Lillycrop

Cansino Trophy

John Bernard Portwood and Niall Keaney

Very well done to all!

Please welcome our new Chairman: Jonathan Lillycrop

Jonathan Lillycrop is taking over as chairman from Adrian Darnell. Here is Jonathan's profile in his own words: 

"I was taught bridge by my parents when I was 13 and have loved the game ever since. After university I got a job in London and became a regular at the Young Chelsea Bridge Club. Gordon Rainsford who at the time was the manager of the Young Chelsea inspired me to get in to directing; I have risen up the ranks and am now one of two EBU Deputy Chief Tournament Directors. My first 12 years after leaving university were spent working for a bank in IT Infrastructure, firstly in London and later in Wroclaw, Poland. On my return to England I decided to follow my passion for bridge and started working for the EBU as their Club Liaison Officer. As of last September Rachel (my wife) and I moved up to Durham so she could start a PhD in Theology at the university. We are very much enjoying playing at Durham Bridge Club and having the opportunity to play together more than we did in London."

We thank our outgoing chairman Adrian Darnell for all the work over the years, keeping the club going during the tricky Covid years, securing grants for the club and taking the club to its 50th anniversary celebration in 2022. 

Published 17/05/2024

Tuesday Afternoon Hosting

The Tuesday afternoon hosting system has been working well, allowing players to join in on an extra 11 occasions so far since October.
We are aiming to continue hosting in the New Year, as long as we have willing volunteers.
If you would like to volunteer and have not already done so, please contact the secretary, Christine Farnsworth.
Published 20/12/2023

Our previous Chairman has been elected Chairman of the EBU

Adrian Darnell, previously also Durham Bridge Club Chairman, has been elected Chair of the English Bridge Union. 
Congratulations to Adrian for obtaining this prestigious position.  
Results of all the elections to the EBU board are announced here.

Published 20/12/2023, updated 27/02/2025

NEBA Summer Pairs Success

Congratulations to members Frank Bouweraerts and Irina Hendrickx on winning the NEBA Summer Pairs at Hexham

Published 19/06/2023

We are pleased to announce the Summer Competition winners (played from April to September 2022) as follows:

Tuesday afternoon
Champions:  Irene Burns & Joan Crompton    
Runners up: Adrian Darnell & John Dobson

Tuesday evening 
Champions:  Bill Dixon & Peter Sykes        
Runners up: Adrian Darnell & Nigel Martin    

Monday novice
Champion:  John Owen    
Runner up: Neville Cain    

Congratulations to them all!        
Published 02/10/2022

The face to face NEBA SWISS PAIRS event that took place at Durham Bridge Club on 15 Sept 2022 was won by Audrey Bainbridge and John Dobson.

Congratulations to them both!

All results of the event can be found HERE

Published 15/09/2022

Durham Bridge Club was 50 years old in 2022!

Durham Bridge Club was founded in 1972 and we celebrated in great fashion with an afternoon of bridge followed by dinner, at Durham Town Hall on Sunday 4th September 2022.

We had 2 parallel sessions of bridge play followed by quiz and dinner.

The winners of the Experienced Players event were:
John Dobson and Audrey Bainbridge 
Runners-up were:
Nigel Martin and Adrian Darnell

The winners of the Less Experienced Players event were:
Kathleen Penrose and Brian Henderson 
Runners-up were:
Nick Deeming and Mick O'Sullivan

The quiz session was very capably organised by David Thompson.

Published 05/09/2022

The Club History page has been updated with the last 5 years (2016-2021).
The page can be seen under Club General Information / Club History or simply click HERE

Published 21/08/2022

The 2022 Durham City Trophy Winners are Bill Dixon and Peter Sykes

They achieved an impressive 71% score on 26th April 2022 in the evening session of the Durham Bridge Club AGM

Published 15/07/2022

An Extraordinary General Meeting was held on Tuesday 14th June to amend the constitution of the club.
Please find attached the amended constitution and accompanying notes (Constitution 2022 and Constitution Changes 2022).