Ayrshire Bridge Union

05/01/2026

IAN ADAMSON

Ian died peacefully at his home in the early hours of 2026 in the company of his son and
daughter.
Ian was a stalwart supporter of Ayrshire Bridge since 1965 when he joined Kilmarnock
Bridge Club.
As a player Ian was a true gentleman and a pleasure to play with or against. While always
maintaining his friendly manner Ian was a formidable opponent who achieved many
tournament wins in district pairs events with his long-time partner Jim McClymont and in
teams events with Jim and Jack Cleland and David Ross.
The highlight of Ian’s bridge career was in 1974 when he and Jim, playing with Gordon Smith
and his father Peter reached the final of the Scottish Cup only to lose to a team of
established international standard players, including the legendary Willie Coyle and Victor
Goldberg, and having beaten several top class teams in earlier rounds. This proved to be an
achievement which has never been replicated by an Ayrshire team in the years since and
seems unlikely to be for many years yet.
As a council member Ian was, with Ian Stewart of Caledonian Bridge Club, instrumental in
the purchase, against severe opposition, of the premises at The Riggs and the driving force
in the development and improvement of the premises to form the excellent facility that it is
today.
We have all lost a good friend and a bridge player whom we should all try to emulate.

05/01/2026

Dear All,

As the New Year starts I would like to highlight what is happening in our bridge world. Hopefully, some of these will help with the long winter days.

Ann Galt Charity Pairs are currently being played in clubs - proceeds from these events go to support a local charity. As yet, the charity has not been agreed on and suggestions are welcome.

The next Play & Learn will be held on Friday 30 January. Details are being finalised and will be shared via the website and on the noticeboard. We are very fortunate to have a number of willing presenters and also several folks who mentor at tables when practical examples of the lesson are tested. Do come along to receive the benefit of others experience.

Club Directors course - the SBU have agreed to run a course for Club Directors in the New Year and we're waiting for some dates from them. So far around 12 people have expressed an interest, if you haven't already done so and would like to attend please let us know.

They say teams is the purest form of bridge and the District leagues have again proved popular with five teams in the all-comers league and seven in the bronze league. Early leaders are Doon B (all-comers) and 'Three Queens and a King' along with Doon Roses (bronze league).

We have some more team competitions coming up:
The Ronnie Alexander Teams for Bronze players is on Friday 13 February, this was last played in 2020
The Tourney Cup is our premier competition for teams of four, and heats are held in the clubs during January and February- please check to see if your club is running a heat
The SBU are running a new teams competition next year for clubs with separate Gold, Silver and Bronze categories and finals played in April at the new Clyde Bridge Centre in Glasgow. More information coming soon, let your Club secretary know if you're interested in taking part. This is a great opportunity to play against a wider field without having to travel far.
With best wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year. Enjoy your bridge.

Best wishes,
Sharon

04/01/2026