Thank you, Elspeth!

On Thursday night the club recognised one of our longest serving committee members, Elspeth Goodrick, thanking her for her time on the committee, and the many years during which has served as treasurer and auditor. Elspeth can’t remember exactly how many years she has held these posts, but her time on the committee goes back the early 90s (she started young).

Rotorua Bridge Club is lucky to have the services of members like Elspeth, who work efficiently behind the scenes to ensure the club runs smoothly, and at this time as she is standing down, would like to show appreciation for all her hard work.

Tournament successes

Paul Rogers and Liz Wilcox were 5th in the Te Awamutu Christmas Tournament on Saturday 17 November. They were 1st N/S in the morning and 3rd N/S in the afternoon with very consistent scores in the mid 50s. Liz and Paul were also the top Intermediate/Open pair overall. Leonie Pritchard and Mark Bendall (pictured right) finished among the prizewinners in …

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Rotorua players at Congress 2018

The annual Bridge Congress in Hamilton took place last week, and although there were not a lot of Rotorua players taking part, those that were there had some notable success. Marie Milsum teamed up with her former long-time partner at Rotorua, Alison Beer, and they showed that they are still a force to be reckoned with, winning the Open Swiss Pairs.

Alison and Marie, winners of the Open Swiss pairs.


Pam and Ian Moore had a very successful Congress, being runners-up in the Senior Teams, and coming fourth in the Senior Pairs. They also won a special award as they for best team on Day One that did not qualify for the final of the Open teams. And Liz and Michael Wilcox were fourth from a large field in the Open Restricted Pairs. Well done to all who played in the Congress.

Ian and Pam Moore, along with team members Noel Woodhall and Ian Clayton, and Allan Morris chairman of NZ Bridge second from left, receiving their prize for being the top team on Day One of NZ Open teams who did not qualify for Round of 16. They were 3rd overall on Day One.

Ib Thulin 2018

A very enjoyable day was had by all on Sunday, playing in the Ib Thulin Rotorua handicap tournament, for club members only. The event was won comfortably by our UK imports Chris and Angela Overton, with Neil and Mary Dravitski winning the raw competition. Neil and Mary were second on handicap with Margie Robbie and Marie Milsum coming third. Well done to all placegetters! A huge thanks to James Twist from Craig Investment Partners for their ongoing sponsorship.

winners ib thulin

Winners Chris and Angela Overton with James Twist from Craigs Investment Partners.

Ruth – NZ Bridge Volunteer of the Month

Congratulations to Ruth Lewis, who has very deservedly been named as NZ Bridge’s Volunteer of the Month for August 2018.

Ruth has been a member of the Rotorua Bridge Club for well over thirty years. During that time she was on the committee for nearly thirty years including two terms as President, has directed Wednesday night bridge and took the beginners’ lessons for ten years.
Ruth is probably best known throughout the North Island as the organiser of Rotorua Bridge Club’s Christmas tournament which had been extraordinarily popular for seventeen years. With her band of elves, they create a Christmas extravaganza which includes the finest Christmas quilts, glorious decorations, a delicious Christmas dinner and generous prizes. There is often a waiting list to fill the 39 tables available for players of all grades.
However, her quiet commitment to dealing boards for all the events at the club is remarkable. Week in week out, for approximately 14 years the boards are ready for each session regardless of whether Ruth is away on holiday or has family commitments.
It is people like Ruth Lewis who ensure a club functions well and has events of which we can be proud, so it is great that the club can show her some recognition in this way.

Interclub Teams 2018

The BOP Interclub teams, played for the Ib Thulin Shield, took place on Saturday at Rotorua, and was a very enjoyable day. Six clubs from the Bay of Plenty took part – Rotorua, Tauranga, Mt Maunganui, Whakatane, Te Puke and Taupō, each with teams of Open, Intermediate and Junior players, thus giving players of varying experience the chance to represent …

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