A Bridge to a grand score
AFTER 37 years of competitive Bridge, Beverly Bonnell has achieved something she never thought she would.
She has attained the ranking of grandmaster in Bridge, after reaching the qualifying mark of 1000 points. Mrs Bonnell said she never thought she would make it to the ranking.
"I didn't know if I would live long enough to get there," Mrs Bonnell said.
"You normally get less than one point per day when you're playing at your local club.
"If you go to regional congress, you could get four or five points in one go.
"It wasn't a surprise when I got there because we get regular updates on our points but it was certainly a relief."
Mrs Bonnell said the best thing about playing Bridge was the friends she had made.
"It's enjoyable and you can play it all over the world," she said.
"I started playing in Africa and have played it in England, New Zealand, the US, China and every state in Australia.
"I've made some wonderful friends in Bridge and there's a group in Sydney I have been playing with forever.
"It's also great in that if you go on holiday, you can play at the local club as a visitor."
Mrs Bonnell said her best Bridge memory was a game she played in Beijing.
"(Husband) Neil and I were in Beijing teaching and we got invited to play for Diplomatic Core against the Chinese Bridge Association," she said
