For the first time in history, Frome Bridge Club is celebrating its first pair of Ace-graded players.
Club Chair Ray Nicholson and Committee member David Clayton reached the English Bridge Union rank of Ace within a fortnight of each other in January, placing them among the top 10 bridge players in Somerset.
First to the post was David, when a Monday night Club Pairs score of 76.3% lifted his National Grading Scheme (NGS) rank over the Ace of Clubs threshold of 61%. Two Mondays later, it was Ray’s turn.
Both learnt to play bridge in their youth before taking a long break and resuming later in life. David joined the club after moving to Frome in 2023, and his rise to Ace-grade playing has been swift.
He said, “I’ve improved from Queen (57–59% average) to Ace over a three-month period. My goal is to maintain the Ace and work on improving my play further. It has only been achievable through playing regularly with the same, reliable partner.”
Ray resumed playing when moving to Frome in 2017. He said, “I am very pleased to have achieved Ace of Clubs, as I had been a Jack or Queen (55–59%) for quite a while. I believe I only managed it because I have a regular partner who plays using my system; Margaret (Donkin) is keen to learn and we regularly discuss hands we have played. It is this kind of joint understanding of each other that is essential. And it is important to remember that Bridge is meant to be fun!”
Somerset League Success
Frome Bridge Club players are also celebrating in the Somerset County League 2025–26, which ended in early February.
David Clayton’s team topped 30 teams in the seventh and final round, scoring 70 International Match Points alongside Richard King, Paul Fine and Steve Douglas. They will be promoted to Division 2 for 2026–27, having previously moved from Division 4 to 3 at the end of 2024–25.
Meanwhile, Ray Nicholson’s team rose to third in Division 2 from seventh last year, while John Perry’s team finished sixth. This means Frome Bridge Club will likely field three teams in Division 2 next season, a first for the club. Committee member Sarah Miller said, “Well done all, and onwards and upwards.”
The EBU (English Bridge Union) has approximately 50,000 playing members and, of those, only 640 people currently hold the rank of Ace.
“This puts our Frome players in the top 640 players in the country, so it is quite an achievement for Frome Bridge Club,” said the club. “Ray Nicholson is currently ranked as the 523rd best bridge play in the country, and David Clayton 628th. These rankings do fluctuate according to the results of each match the play in.”
Pictured l-r: David Clayton and Ray Nicholson
