GO EAST YOUNG MAN

The trophy awarded to the winners of the English Bridge Union’s flagship event, the Spring Foursomes, was originally presented to the winners of Terence Reese’s TBA Open Teams Championship. Subsequently it was given to the winners of the Men’s teams at the EBU Spring Congress. Following the introduction of the Spring Foursomes in 1962, it was presented to the winners of the southern heat. Such was the popularity of the event that from 1978 it was played at two venues (in 1990 and 1991 at three). Sponsorship saw the event renamed the Woolwich Spring Foursomes and then the Schapiro Spring 4’s. Run on double elimination lines, a team must be defeated twice before being eliminated.

In its long history the event has never been won by a team from North America, but this year the Schnelwar team (Joe Grue, Zach Grossack, Susan Schnelwar, Adam Kaplan & Vincent Demuy) set the record straight, defeating the holders – Ireland’s Barton (Grainne Barton npc, Conor Boland, John Carroll, Nick Fitzgibbon, Tom Hanlon, Adam Mesbur & Mark Moran).