August 2024 – Cards Update

Hello to all Hornby Club Members and families.

We are now into August and are still having those awful, cold, dreary days. But Spring is coming!

Our section is the Cards/ Euchre Section, and our section members have the chance to play Euchre every Thursday night of the year at the club. We play from the first week of February, until the first week in December. We are down in the Glassworks Room, through the Restaurant.

We currently have just on 100 members as registered in our card Section.

We have great turnouts every week with our regulars and continue to have new members join us most weeks. We have a set Calendar advertised that outlines every week of activities, so members know what activities we are having week by week. Check our Card Section Notice Board on the right, under the stairwell, as you go into the main Legends Sports Bar.

Just to recap on my magazine report, going back from last month’s magazine. We have now completed our last four aggregated nights of play, best of six weeks, individual winners each night.

• 20 June, week 3. Maurice Adler, Dave Luke, Bruce McIntosh, all on 18 pts.
• 27 June, week 4. Tom Rae, Terry Mc Callum, both on 19 pts.
• 4 July, week 5. Bev Bulmer on 19 pts.
• 11th July, week 6. Anne Hepburn on 20 pts.

On Thurs 18th July, we had our special Mid-Winter night, with a different option for the night, as Drawn Pairs. As people came into play, they were allocated a partner for the night, based on a mystery card given and table number. We had 64 players on the night. A great turnout. We started the night with an awesome early supper meal, which everyone loved. Then we sat down to play 10 games of euchre with our designated partner. We finished off the evening with trays of dessert for late supper at end of play. Everyone had a great night by all comments.

Winners on the night, playing 10 games, were Terry McCallum and Marcia Whanga on 15 pts, (photo shown) with a few other pairs on 14 pts.
Also on this night, prior to starting, we announced our winners of the first aggregate, now finished after six weeks of play.

So our results for our first round of aggregate, collecting the cash payouts…

• 1st Tom Rae 79 Points
• 2nd Anne Hepburn 73 pts
• 3rd Dave McKay, Tony Bakhos 69 pts

There were many overall close scores behind. Congratulations, to everyone and great to see our section members come every week when they can.

Our second six-week aggregate starts on 8 August through to 19 September. We have now started our annual “Winter Tournament” Games. This involves anyone that wishes to play pairs against other pairs, in-house. The competition is set out as section play. This year four sections, and play goes through to semifinal and final. We have our awesome shield trophy that gets presented to the winners at our Xmas breakup night along with cash payouts.

We have 13 pairs participating this year, and they all have the playing draw. After Section play, the semifinal of four pairs will be played at our normal Thursday night on Thursday 26 September, and the final, best of seven
games, will be played alongside our usual card night on 10 October.

On 25 July, we had our end of month Pairs night. Everyone loves this night. I can report next month on the results and maybe get a photo of lucky winners.

Saturday Interclub Games have been a big part of our Card Section. We have been competing in this Saturday Tournament over the last 36 years, ever since joining with other Christchurch local clubs for the shield trophy.

In our current new format, we play 15 weeks from 27 April, and finish on 10 August. It involves 26 players each week (3 complete rounds against 5 clubs). Sadly, this year our games have not gone our way, but last year we finished 1st equal, but lost in final playoff game to Kaiapoi. Things can change. We look forward to next year with new challengers. Helen and I personally wish to thank everyone that play every week and also to our regulars that we call on as needed.

I wish to thank Shane Keating@nztouring.co.nz for providing his bus and service, for our away games, eight in all to our away clubs.

Looking ahead, we have 15 section members playing in the Clubs NZ 29th National Euchre Singles Championship Tournament on 17/18 August at Kaiapoi Club. Two full days of playing Euchre from 9.15am in the morning, 36 games on Saturday, then on Sunday, depending on scores from Saturday, players play in the Championship or Plate. Here they will play 27 games.

On Sunday 25 August, Hornby are hosting another six-handed tournament. It will be open to all clubs. Any club members are welcome to come and play in a team of three.

On Sunday 4 August, The All sports are hosting the Alan Cole Trophy, between sections, playing Euchre. This is a special trophy dedicated to Alan Cole who was the first card Section President, more than 65 years ago. We always love to see a great turnout from all sections on this day.

Lorraine Cole