The date marked 30 years since the club was first formed and seven years since its clubhouse was built.

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The club started with about a dozen locals in the mid-1990s who had a passion for this most strategic of card games.

Four of the originals were present for the celebrations at their Hawks Nest clubhouse.

Before it was built atop an old disused parking lot behind the Hawks Nest shops, players spent many years bouncing from one location to another.

“We started in the Hawks Nest Golf Clubhouse in 1995, but the raffles and other events there proved too inconducive to the environment of concentration and brain-work that bridge needs,” said Adrian Ryan, one of the founding members.

The club now has over 100 members, 30 of whom attended the celebrations – enjoying several special rounds of play and an exquisite home-made lunch.

The clubhouse boasts a big, modern indoor space, which goes quiet during play – the only sounds being the ticking over of the players’ brains as table after table of partnered pairs fall into pensive concentration.

Following from clearly defined rules and suit values, with trumps at play, rounds are composed of “tricks” where the highest scoring card wins.

Some succeed in gathering trick after trick from their opponents before moving on to the next table.

Among the partnerships are married couples, while other couples know better than to play with their partner.

The clubhouse was designed by local architect Chez Rands, a member of the HNBC, and the building consists of three demountable units that can be separated and relocated relatively easily.

It is also hired out to groups for yoga, pilates and charity work.

The HNBC links to a national federation, with players’ scores and progress, and the deal-out of the cards, able to be viewed online for post-game analysis.

“The game keeps the brain alert, it’s fun and competitive… [with] mental stimulation and camaraderie,” HNBC President Peter Baily told NOTA.

“Needing a partner adds another dimension.

“There is a great deal of flexibility, countless permutations in how the game can turn out, and players can meet new people and interact on a cerebral level by playing up to four times per week; Mondays, Tuesday nights, Wednesdays and Fridays.”

By Thomas O’KEEFE