BA Bridge Club trip to Atlanta
13 April 2008
Our American hosts from Delta Airlines excelled themselves once again and incidentally won back No Trumps along the way!
In March a thirteen strong party from the BA Bridge club visited Atlanta to play the annual friendly match against Delta Airlines. The team were joined by Lily and Tor from SAS plus a guest American, Bruce.
The BA team were once again superbly hosted by our American friends in their own homes and with a packed agenda of bridge, food and even a golf buggy rally round Peach Tree City!
On Friday night (14th March) the social bridge event was held in retired Delta pilot Mike McGowans private hangar which contained a full mural on one wall featuring all the planes that Mike and his father had ever flown!
With unusual transatlantic partnerships, an excellent italian hot buffet, a fun version of " Call My Bluff" and the presentation of a special birthday cake to Tor, the event was a great success.
On Saturday 15th March the main competition was held in the home of Bob and Kim Roethler. With eight teams of four competing you can imagine this is some home! It is also set in woodland overlooking a lake, with marvellous views to take in when relaxing between rounds.
Although the BA first team succeeded in being the only team to remain unbeaten, the Delta team packed with American life masters were just too strong and whilst every BA Team managed at least one win they lost overall in the final reckoning.
At the prize giving in the evening BA team captain Ron Vass handed over the trophy to Mike McGowan, the comic figure of No Trumps following a toast to Peter Blundell, the BA Bridge club chairman, who sadly passed away the week before.
The trip was rounded off on the Sunday morning with a fun Golf Buggy rally through Peach Tree City culminating in the BA team treating their hosts to an excellent lunch in a local convention centre as a thank you for an excellent trip.
