Source: English Bridge Union

I learned to play Bridge while at school in Ipswich more than 40 years ago as a teenager.  Little then did I realise how great an influence the game would have on the rest of my life.

We taught ourselves how to play from a book of card games by Hubert Phillips, and so a lifelong obsession began. We didn't even know that there were such things as systems or signals and had only a foggy idea of the Laws. I vaguely remember a heated discussion in those early days about whether it was East or North that was dummy after a sequence that went something like:

(At least we played clockwise unlike some other beginners I've heard of. That's one of those trick questions for trainee directors - where in the Law Book does it say that play should be clockwise?)

We played in a Schools Cup heat and would have qualified for the final if I'd remembered to draw the last trump in a game contract. (So began one of my lifelong claims to fame as the player who has gone off in more "cold" vulnerable games than any other - I think Victor Mollo was right when he advocated Monster Points rather than Master points. I'd be a Grand Monster 3 times over by now.)

And so to University and more bridge - not very serious bridge at that, lots of time that should have been spent studying, playing cards in the Common Room and around the university. Wasted opportunities in more ways than one I guess, because if I'd found my way into the London Bridge Clubs of the early seventies I might have improved my game. I remember a hand from this era, or at least the score; -1660.

Those of you who know these things will recognise 6Hx tick. My partner doubled and I knew this meant I had to make some sort of funny lead and so I did - on lead again after winning with the HA, I tried another funny and equally unsuccesful lead.
"Why did you double?" I asked.
"Why did you defend like a moron? A sensible action defeats it by 4 or 5 tricks"
And so it proved to be, team-mates had been doubled in 4 and been 3 light for -800 and 20 imps away when it could have been 12 imps in. This was the stuff of university bridge.

Blackwood is a convention I've always had trouble with. This modern RKCB where you've got to count up to 5 is way to hard for me. I recall that in those days we played an earlier version of Roman Blackwood probably advocated by Garozzo where

5H showed two Aces of the same rank, 5S two mixed Aces and 5NT two of the same colour.

I found this very hard to remember until one day walking along Earl's Court Road to the Young Chelsea Bridge Club (It was young then - I always want to call it the Middle-aged Chelsea these days and soon it will be Senior Citizen Chelsea) - a very large bright orange cement mixer passed as with RMC in huge letters on the side. I never again had difficulty with remembering the complex Italian system - Rank Mixed Colour. Ready Mixed Concrete Blackwood may not ever have been on many convention cards but it was on mine for a long time.

I retired from full-time teaching in 1998 and now concentrate on organising and running bridge events and teaching the game.  I am a National TD and since 2006 a member of the EBU's Laws and Ethics Committee. I have been quite involved in the training of other TDs at Club and County level.  I've been lucky enough to play in some good teams and have had some success, winning the National Swiss Teams Congress some time ago and the Silver Plate a couple of times. 

I was recently appointed as the EBU's Youth

Co-ordinator and am keen to promote the game among the young. In everything I do connected with bridge I have great fun (Yes even the Laws & Ethics Committee) and would like to pass this on.

Sarah and I married in 2005 and live in Shropshire on the Welsh Borders.