What is the Len Salmon Memorial Trophy?  Who was Len Salmon?  These are some of the questions asked by Bridge players outside the Abingdon and Wallingford Bridge Clubs.  First, a brief résumé of the life and interests of Len Salmon: born in 1929 in Birmingham, he graduated with a degree in chemistry from Birmingham University in 1950 and joined the Atomic Energy Authority at Harwell Research Laboratories on October 2^nd the same year.  Len was a keen bird-watcher as well as bridge player and both pastimes occupied a lot of his time throughout his career, where he became an environmental physicist of international standing, specialising in gamma-radiation spectrometry.  He became a leading light at the Harwell Bridge Club, being Chairman for several years, before the club was discontinued in the late 1970s.  Len also instigated the ‘Harwell Cup’ annual competition, an event that was administered by Harwell Bridge Club in its early days and which now still continues as an Oxfordshire event.  Abingdon Bridge club was formed in 1978, and he took an energetic role in club activities.  He and his wife Ann also played at Wallingford Bridge club, and, like so many other bridge players in the local area, were members of both clubs.  Before Len sadly died in February 1996 of an incurable illness, he had time to document his life history and his wishes for the future, one being an annual match between his two favourite bridge clubs, Abingdon and Wallingford.  As he was a keen advocate of the Oxfordshire Wessex League and its format, he requested that the matches should be in similar vein, with as many teams of eight competing as could be mustered!  The match is usually held in November and is preceded by a ‘challenge’ by the host for that year to the other club chairman.  These challenges cause some amusement – both by the perpetrators and the recipients.  They enable a few of the ‘actors’ from each club to dress up and practice their act in front of an appreciative audience.  This year a ‘fatwa’ was presented to Roger Haycock (as Chairman of Wallingford bridge club) by a couple of unknown infiltrators into a Wallingford bridge evening.  If you would like to try and identify them click here!

The ‘Len Salmon Memorial Trophy’ is presented by Ann Salmon to the Chairman of the winning club – this year it was to Roger Haycock, of Wallingford.  Click here to witness the presentation!