NSBC Members Shine at the Coffs Harbour Gold Congress

A whopping 95 NSBC members made the trip to Coffs Harbour for the Gold Congress. The week kicked off on Wednesday with two days of Pairs – two rounds in the morning, a delicious lunch, two rounds in the afternoon, then it’s eat, drink, sleep… and get up the next day to do it all again, slightly bleary-eyed.

Day 1 was off to an exciting start, with Robyn and Margaret leading the Intermediate section and Jamie and Frances topping the Open section. But with IMP scoring, one bad board can be brutal – like missing your turn-off on the freeway and finding the next exit is 20km away. Drop 10–15 IMPs and it takes a minor miracle to climb back.

On Day 2 we had high hopes for NSBC gold, but the medals came in other colours – a shiny silver for Giselle and Andrew in the Open, and a hard-earned bronze for David and Stuart in the Intermediate.

As for my own run – after losing match after match and landing on the last table, we clawed our way back. Our final haul? A glamorous 1.75 Gold Points, which Marina has affectionately dubbed “carats”!

Brains exhausted, we then enjoyed our “NSBC on Tour” gathering – 36 of us sharing wine, snacks, and a home-cooked dinner prepared by Jo, Marina, and me, under Felix’s expert supervision. It was a brilliant night, and it was heart-warming to hear so many members say how inclusive and friendly our club is (with only one person feeling hard done by – we’ll work on that!).

So if you’ve ever been tempted by the magic combo of bridge and travel – don’t just think about it. Jump in! The next stop for Jo and me is Mudgee on 8th November. Come and join us: Mudgee Congress Details