Lady Milne Trophy 2007 Player Profiles
Ireland Ena Cleary & Jeannie Fitzgerald

This is the first Lady Milne for Ena & Jeannie, having had to withdraw from last year’s team. They played on the Irish Ladies Team in Warsaw last August.
The pairing brings a wealth of experience to the table, having won many national titles, together and with Mixed partners. They have the unique  distinction of having won every trials that they have played in as a pair!!
Ena is a senior administrator of Bridge in her home base in North Munster, holding the position of  President for the current season.
Jeannie is involved in the IT area , having  completed a Computer Science degree as a mature student in the University of Limerick
Ireland Heidi Lillis & Teresa Rigney This is the second Lady Milne outing for this pair, both of whom are very experienced at International level, but more usually at Mixed events. Both   players have won many Irish national titles over the years.
Heidi has become a “Consultant” recently, making full use of her years as Public Relations Manager with Electrolux Ireland, deciding that she needs to devote more time to her bridge and her extensive charity work.
Teresa too has “hung up her boots” after a long  career as a teacher of Mathematics at a Dublin  Secondary school for young ladies. With retirement has come a greater facility to relax, so detention for those who don’t know their system is no longer on the cards!
Ireland Mary Lindopp & Anna Onishuk

This is a first international outing for Mary and Anna as a partnership, although both have had plenty of experience at this level. They have won numerous National titles, together and separately.
Mary works as an administrator in a mobile phone repair company and quietly admits that she prefers golf to bridge!!
Anna came to Ireland from her Russian homeland nearly 9 years ago and once she got to grips with her paying job as an IT Consultant, she rekindled her interest in bridge. Amazingly she has only been playing our game for about 10 years in total.
Ireland GAY KEAVENEY (NPC)

Gay is a Doctor of Chemistry in GMIT and is the holder of the highest number of Irish National Points (equivalent of Gold Points). He has played  international bridge in many European and World Events with the late Paddy Walsh and more recently with Rory Timlin. He achieved European Grand Master level in 1999. He was part of the CBAI Camrose winning team in 2000 and appeared on the CBAI Camrose earlier this season. This weekend as NPC of such a strong Ladies’ team, he says, will be a “whistle up the chimney” compared with having to play himself!!
England

Catherine Jagger

 

Catherine and Sarah are playing in their fourth and sixth Lady Milnes, respectively, and are currently celebrating their selection for the Venice Cup in October, having won a bronze medal at the European Championships last August.
Catherine became the country's youngest female grandmaster five years ago, at the age of 26.  She is prominent on the domestic bridge circuit, and won the Welsh Foursomes last time she was in Wales, and the Two Star Pairs at the EBU Spring Congress with her husband Chris last year.  She is an editor for a small company that specialises in current affairs and reference and travel books.  Her other main passion is Latin American Formation Dancing, in which her team holds the current British title and has represented Great Britain at several World Championships.

England

Sarah Teshome

 

 Sarah Teshome is married to Camrose veteran Richard Winter.  They have two children and live in Yorkshire.  Sarah somehow manages to combine family life and bridge with a demanding career.
Internationally, Sarah has won a silver medal in the Common Market Mixed teams, and a bronze medal in the European Ladies Pairs.
England Heather Dhondy Heather and Nicola have been playing together for six years, having come to international prominence with other partners.
Heather won the European Championship three times in a row from 1997, the first two for Great Britain in partnership with Liz McGowan, and the last for England with Nicola.  She has won the Lady Milne a record thirteen times, and a world title in the Transnational Mixed Teams.
Heather is an accountant who lives in London.  She is a former member of the EBU Selection Committee and is currently Vice-Chairman of the EBU Tournament Committee.
England Nicola Smith Nicola is England’s most successful current player, playing principally with Pat Davies before forming her partnership with Heather.  She has won the Venice Cup twice, the European Championship six times, and the World Individual in 1994.  Last year’s win in the Lady Milne took her into double figures.
Nicola lives in London where she teaches bridge.  She was awarded the MBE by HM the Queen in 1995.
England Bryony Youngs Bryony started learning bridge in October 2002 while studying for a MSc at Durham University.  Two years later she started playing with Susan Stockdale and in March 2005 they played in (and won!) their first Lady Milne.  In July 2005 they played for the U25 girls' team at the European youth championships, but Bryony turned 25 in October 2005 which saw an end to competing at junior level.  This will be Bryony's second Lady Milne though the team bears a striking resemblance to the victorious team from two years previously!  Outside bridge Bryony has just completed a PhD in geophysics at the University of Leeds.  At the end of April she is leaving the UK to start to start a research post at Yale University.
England Susan Stockdale
England Martin Jones - NPC

Martin lives and works in Coventry as a designer for a company manufacturing hydraulic equipment. Martin has won all of the main domestic teams events, and is a current holder of the Schapiro Spring Fours.  He was also on the last team to represent Great Britain in the European Championships, in Malta 1999 and more recently was NPC of the English Women’s team that won bronze medal in the Europeans in Warsaw. Martin partnered Neil Rosen in the 2007 Camrose series, having previously played with John Collings and Paul Bowyer.
Wales Diane Kurbalija

Diane is deputy head of a  comprehensive school in Barry.  She has represented Wales many times playing in countless Lady Milnes, in the Camrose, in the European Championships and the Olympiad.  When not playing bridge, Diane is a passionate gardener, cook, keep-fit    fanatic and devoted carer for her cat Spike.  After all this, her husband Filip gets whatever time is left.

Wales Jill Casey Jill is now a self employed consultant after a career in education & industry. Jill has represented Wales many times (Camrose and Lady Milne), and has played for Great Britain in the Common Market, European & World Championships. Jill is thoroughly enjoying working from home, and now has time to devote to her interests outside bridge, i.e. playing golf, keeping fit, gardening and going on holiday.
Wales Diana Jones

Mary & Diana have been playing bridge for a long time but only recently formed a partnership.  Both have played for Wales in the Lady Milne before but this is their first outing together. Mary has previously represented Wales at the Olympiad in Istanbul.

Diana wishes to be known as a retired spy whose main hobby is looking for rich handsome unattached men.  Having given up any hope of finding someone like that in the bridge world, Diana now regularly patrols football terraces eyeing up the talent whilst supporting Wales and Cardiff at home and abroad.
Wales Mary Moore Mary can only aspire to Diana’s exciting lifestyle—at least she won’t own up to anything so glamorous.  Most evenings Mary is at a bridge table, daytimes are normally spent  wielding implements in the garden,  or being a devoted granny.
Wales Sheila Shea Few people would believe it but Sheila Shea claims to be 60; she started playing bridge in 1992 after      retiring from lecturing & teaching in Bangor.  Before taking up Bridge Sheila had a distinguished record at Whist—winning an unhealthy number of  Rolos, Polos & Mars Bars from her grandmother.  Sheila has three sons ranging from 40 to 29 none of whom have any interest in bridge.  Sheila is tournament organiser for North Wales where she plays at several clubs      regularly.  Sheila is not known for her tact, diplomacy or underbidding; she is known for her ability to make herself heard.
Wales Liz Commins Liz Commins is 46; Liz started playing bridge in the canteen at Manweb when she was 16.  Liz lives in Holywell with her husband & three sons, again not bridge players.  Liz now works full time running her own post-office and is also (allegedly) learning to play golf.   Liz has only recently started playing with Sheila and is of a gentler, less volatile disposition
Wales Peter Garner Gray (NPC) This is Peter’s third year captaining the Welsh Lady Milne team—doesn’t time fly when you are having fun. Peter is a retired chemist, a cordon-bleu chef and wine connoisseur. He is a familiar figure on the English tournament circuit—mostly  known for rapidly pacing up and down outside the playing area between sessions whilst clutching a cigarette.
Scotland Liz McGowan

Scotland’s Number One woman player, Liz played 11 times for Great Britain women prior to 2000, winning two Gold and two Silver medals in Olympiads and European Championships.  She also won the world mixed team title in 1996.  Since 2000 she has played for Scotland, in the open team at Malmo 2004, in the Camrose Trophy, and regularly in the Scottish women’s team.  Liz lives in Edinburgh, is a Bridge Journalist, and this year overtakes Jessie Newton’s previous record of 23 Lady Milne appearances.
Scotland Fiona McQuaker

Fiona has played in the Scottish women’s team in three European Championships, two world Olympiads and this is her 11th Lady Milne Trophy appearance, always partnering Liz McGowan.  She was a member of the top British team in the Transnational mixed teams at the Istanbul Olympiad 2004.

Fiona is a Chartered Accountant who lives and works in Edinburgh and enjoys travelling and hill-walking.
Scotland Anne Martin Anne has played in four Lady Milne events prior to this weekend, and started a partnership with Sheila Adamson in 2003.  Anne played for the Scottish women’s team in the 2000 world Olympiad, and with Sheila Adamson at the Istanbul Olympiad in 2004, and in the European Championships at Warsaw in 2006.        
Anne is a Pharmacist living and working near Falkirk.  She also discovered hill-walking in Scotland a few years ago as a new outdoor hobby.
Scotland Sheila Adamson

After a quiet few years of bridge activity, Sheila burst back onto the scene in 2003 with Anne Martin, qualifying for the womens’ team every year since.  She played with Anne in the Olympiad at Istanbul in 2004 and in the European Championships in Warsaw in 2006.  This is her third Lady Milne appearance.

Sheila works in Higher Education administration also enjoys travelling.
Scotland Sheila MacDonald

Sheila first played in the Lady Milne in 1985.  This will be her 10th appearance, and Maida is her third partner.  Sheila has also played for the Scottish womens’ team in the European Championships in Malmo 2004 and Warsaw in 2006, and the Olympiad in 2000 in Italy.   She lives in Glasgow and enjoys spending time with her grandchildren.

Sheila also enjoys walking, and as she lives in the west always carries waterproofs.
Scotland Maida Grant

This is Maida’s third Lady Milne appearance, her first being in 1985, although then not partnering Sheila.  Maida is now semi-retired from a career in international educational reform, and has spent much time in Eastern Europe and sub-Saharan Africa.  She still heads off occasionally to eastern European   locations.

Maida only played serious bridge occasionally before work commitments relaxed, as she was also a very keen golfer.  She now has more time to fit in both.
Scotland Brian Short (NPC) Brian has played bridge for both Great Britain and Scotland on many occasions in the European championships (most recently in Warsaw 2006), Olympiad, and in the Camrose trophy.  He won the Gold Cup in 2006.  He was coach for the women’s team in Malmo, and NPC in Istanbul 2004.   His other main interests are his family, and looking for his golf ball in the rough.
Northern Ireland Anne Fitzpatrick


This is my fourth cap in the Lady Milne, all with my long- suffering partner Mary Madden. Although I have been playing about 20 years I took time out to have 4 children who are quite a handful.  It may be indicative of what my children think because when my daughter picked my e-mail address she chose bridgefanatic.com.  Now that the children are older I have been able to devote more time to bridge.  My ambition is to go on a bridge cruise with Mary to recharge our batteries and to improve our bridge game.  Maybe another year!
Northern Ireland Mary Madden. I was introduced to the game of bridge by my partner, Anne Fitzpatrick, about 20 years ago.  Since then we have played as often as we can - hampered only by husbands and demanding children and occasionally work!   With Anne’s skill as an accountant coupled with my legal skills we hope we can bring a logical approach to the game.  Here’s hoping anyway!
Northern Ireland Diane Greenwood  Diane is a bridge teacher (among other things) living just outside Belfast in a small village called Parkgate, and is married to David Greenwood.  She has represented N.I. consistently in the Lady Milne for the past 24 years and has been on the Irish Women's team on three occasions.  Very keen on animals and reading and currently helps out at a friend's horse sanctuary.
Northern Ireland Dymphna Friel Dymphna is married to John with two teenage daughters Mary & Anna.  She is a Special Needs teacher but is currently working for the NI Civil Service.  This is Dymphna's third time to play in the Lady Milne, each time with Diane.
Northern Ireland Shirlie Brown

Shirlie has been playing in the lady Milne for 30 years or so, also represented Ireland on the Ladies' team - and in 1986 was on the Camrose team against Wales, a truly terrifying experience! 

Away from the bridge table Shirlie spoils her six cats, her five grandchildren and the seven neglected horses in the field beside her house  To finance all this she is a regular stallholder at a local car boot sale
Northern Ireland Rosarie Heatherington Rosarie is married to J.V. and has four grown-up children - three girls, one boy and 7.5 grandchildren - all fit and well. Rosarie has played in several Lady Milnes. This is the second time with Shirlie. Rosarie is also a keen golfer and enjoys the competitions in Balmoral Golf Club where she has been known to win the odd prize.
Northern Ireland Robert Plunkett

A regular in the Camrose team over the last 15 years, Robert is a retired Civil Servant. This is the third time he has captained the Lady Milne team.