For the first time since 2016, Yorkshire have reached the final of the Tollemache Cup, the EBU’s premier competition for teams of eight representing counties. Congratulations to the players and selectors.
30 counties entered the qualifying competition played online on RealBridge over the weekend of 8th and 9th November. The teams were divided into two groups of 15 with each playing a round robin of seven board matches against all the others in the group, with four from each group to qualify for the final. Yorkshire were off to a fast start defeating one of the strongest teams, Kent by 18-2, and they went on to win seven of the eight matches played on Saturday, the only reverse being a 0-20 defeat by the eventual group winners, Surrey. At the end of the day Yorkshire were second and 32 points clear of the fifth placed team.
Things didn’t go so well on Sunday with only one win and two 10-10 draws from six matches. However, there was only one heavy defeat against a strong London team, and Yorkshire never looked in danger of losing their second place, eventually finishing 14 points ahead of third.
Yorkshire’s team comprised five pairs, who all played well – Dave Robinson (captain) & Tony Sowter, Alan Hayward & Steve Raine, Paul Brereton & Frank Dixon, Alan Brosgill & Robin Jepson, and Richard Pike and David Waxman. Steve, a native Scarborough lad, made a welcome return to the Yorkshire fold. Dave Robinson and Richard Pike were also members of the 2016 finalist team. The selectors are Alan Brosgill, Dave Robinson and Nichola Cockerill-Smith.
The final will be played face-to-face in Cambridge over the weekend of 31st January and 1st February. Good luck!
Podcast 2: Promoting Duplicate Bridge in Yorkshire
6th November 2025
YCBA are set up to promote duplicate bridge in Yorkshire, and the encouragement of inter-club, inter-county, and national competitions. YCBA are also responsible, as a not-for-profit organisation, for deploying its funds to best effect.
But how do our objects translate to practical actions? The attached podcast hopefully brings this to life for you.
ENTRIES ARE OPEN FOR THE WINTER 2026 ONLINE YORKSHIRE LEAGUE
5th November 2025
This popular competition returns for its winter season with three match days on Sundays, 4th and 18th January and 1st February. There are three 8 board matches each day, played on RealBridge and BBO. The entry fee is just £16 per team and you’ll find an entry form by navigating from the Leagues tab above.
Entries are made by clubs, so, if you would like to play in the competition, contact your club secretary if you have not yet heard from them. Entries close on 30th November and the fixture list will be published shortly thereafter.
Yorkshire win B division of the Northern Bridge League
16th October 2025
Yorkshire win B division of the Northern Bridge League
The final round of matches in this year’s NBL took place on 11th October, and the Yorkshire team has won the B divisions by the convincing margin of 34 victory points ahead of Lancashire. They will compete in the final of the National Inter-County League competition next summer.
Yorkshire teams finished equal third in the A division, and also third in the C division.
The match days for the 2026 NBL have been announced. They are Saturdays 11th July, 15th August, 12th September, and 17th October.
YCBA Podcast – Café Bridge In Wetherby
1st October 2025
To keep our members and clubs well informed, we are launching our own YCBA podcast programme
Our first podcast, (click for audio file) gives the insider experience of our successful August Café Bridge day and is an invaluable 14 minutes listen for any club that is thinking of holding their own local event.
Great Northern Swiss Pairs 2025 Winners
28th September 2025
1st: Steve Raine & Matt Brown 2nd: Robin Jepson & Alan Brosgill 3rd=: Keith Joules & David Beck 3rd=: Liam Fegarty & Jamie Fegarty
For more information contact: academy@theyorkbridgeclub.com
Cafe Bridge Photos
27th August 2025
Cafe Bridge Results
27th August 2025
Café Bridge came to Yorkshire
On 26th August YCBA ran a successful café bridge pilot in Wetherby. There were 80 bridge players, and due to the capacity of the 5 venues, we couldn’t fully satisfy the demand for the event.
Players seemed to be enjoying this new experience, and all the venues were happy to increase their turnover, each serving 16 covers and taking additional drink sales. It was a win-win for all parties.
YCBA would like to run more café bridge events, either in Wetherby or in other towns or cities in Yorkshire. We hope this can happen in partnership with our bridge clubs.
