Tony Priday
Encyclopedia
Richard Anthony Priday (born 1922) is an English
bridge
player and journalist, who had a longstanding and successful partnership with Claude Rodrigue. He was a member of the Great Britain
teams which finished third in the Bermuda Bowl
in 1962, third in the World Team Olympiad
in 1976 and which won the European Championships in 1961 (when he was partnered by Alan Truscott
) and came second in 1971.
He played in the World Team Olympiad three times in all (1972, 1976 & 1980) and in the European Championships eight times between 1961 and 1979. He also won the Sunday Times Invitational Pairs, a prestigious tournament which featured some of the world's strongest partnerships, in 1970 partnered by Nico Gardener
.
He has been selected 30 times for England in the Camrose Trophy
(competed for by England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland), with a record of won 24, drew 3 and lost 3. His first appearance was in 1955 and the most recent in 2002. He won the Gold Cup
on seven occasions between 1964 and 1976.
He was an independent assessor of the technical evidence at the British Bridge League inquiry into the allegation of cheating by Terence Reese
and Boris Schapiro
at the 1965 World Championships.
He is renowned for his correct demeanour at the bridge table. In a survey of 23 leading British players, 13 chose him when asked to name the "perfect gentleman/woman".
In 1983, he took part in a televised match arranged by the BBC
between teams representing Britain and the United States
. The British team was Priday, Rodrigue, Nicola Gardener
and Pat Davies. The US team was Neil Silverman, Matthew Granovetter, Jacqui Mitchell and Gail Moss. The British team won by 32 international match points over 78 deals in seven sessions. The match subsequently formed the basis of a book, in which Priday was described as follows: "He is tall, grey-haired, distinguished and impeccably dressed... He is also amusing, polite and might appear ripe to be mugged at the Bridge table... Beneath the velvet lurks a mind of iron..."
He has been non-playing captain of many England and Great Britain teams over a period of almost forty years, including those in:
He was the bridge correspondent of the Sunday Telegraph
from the newspaper's launch in 1961 until 1997.
He was made a Life Member of the English Bridge Union
(EBU) in 1997 and is its Vice-President and a former Vice-Chairman. He is a former Chairman of the British Bridge League.
, and then joined the King's Royal Rifle Corps
, serving during World War II
and achieving the rank of Major. In 1947, he joined the family timber business, Sydney Priday & Snewin Ltd. He became Managing Director in 1968. He retired from the firm in 2001.
In 1966, he married Jane Juan, herself a noted bridge player (d. 1994). He remarried, to Vivian, in 1995. He now lives in Marbella
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
bridge
Contract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
player and journalist, who had a longstanding and successful partnership with Claude Rodrigue. He was a member of the Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
teams which finished third in the Bermuda Bowl
Bermuda Bowl
The Bermuda Bowl is a trophy awarded to the winners of the Open series in the World Team Championship in contract bridge and is named for the site of the inaugural tournament held in 1950...
in 1962, third in the World Team Olympiad
World Team Olympiad
The World Team Olympiad was a contract bridge meet organized by the World Bridge Federation every four years from 1960 to 2004. Its main events were world championships for national teams, always including one open and one restricted to women...
in 1976 and which won the European Championships in 1961 (when he was partnered by Alan Truscott
Alan Truscott
Alan Fraser Truscott was a bridge player, author and columnist. He wrote the daily bridge column for The New York Times for 41 years, from 1964 to 2005 and served as Executive Editor for all six editions of The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge, 1964 to 2002.- Britain :Truscott was born in Brixton,...
) and came second in 1971.
He played in the World Team Olympiad three times in all (1972, 1976 & 1980) and in the European Championships eight times between 1961 and 1979. He also won the Sunday Times Invitational Pairs, a prestigious tournament which featured some of the world's strongest partnerships, in 1970 partnered by Nico Gardener
Nico Gardener
Nico Gardener was a British international bridge player, born in Riga, Latvia .After the Russian Revolution his family moved to the Ukraine, and then to Moscow, where he trained as a ballet dancer. He later moved to Berlin, where he read languages and history at Berlin University, and played...
.
He has been selected 30 times for England in the Camrose Trophy
Camrose trophy
The Camrose Trophy or "The Camrose" is an annual bridge competition among open teams representing the home nations of Great Britain and Ireland: England , Northern Ireland , Republic of Ireland , Scotland and Wales...
(competed for by England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland), with a record of won 24, drew 3 and lost 3. His first appearance was in 1955 and the most recent in 2002. He won the Gold Cup
Gold Cup (bridge)
The Gold Cup is the premier open Britishcontract bridge competition for teams of four. It was first contested in the 1931/32 season, making it one of the oldest contract bridge tournaments anywhere...
on seven occasions between 1964 and 1976.
He was an independent assessor of the technical evidence at the British Bridge League inquiry into the allegation of cheating by Terence Reese
Terence Reese
John Terence Reese was a British bridge player and writer, regarded as one of the finest of all time in both fields...
and Boris Schapiro
Boris Schapiro
Boris Schapiro was a British international bridge player. He was a Grandmaster of the World Bridge Federation, and the only player to have won both the Bermuda Bowl and the World Senior Pairs championship...
at the 1965 World Championships.
He is renowned for his correct demeanour at the bridge table. In a survey of 23 leading British players, 13 chose him when asked to name the "perfect gentleman/woman".
In 1983, he took part in a televised match arranged by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
between teams representing Britain and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The British team was Priday, Rodrigue, Nicola Gardener
Nicola Smith
Nicola Smith MBE has been a leading English bridge player for over thirty years, with many successes in international competition to her credit. She was a member of the British teams which won the Venice Cup, the women's world championship, in 1981 and 1985, and which finished second in 1976...
and Pat Davies. The US team was Neil Silverman, Matthew Granovetter, Jacqui Mitchell and Gail Moss. The British team won by 32 international match points over 78 deals in seven sessions. The match subsequently formed the basis of a book, in which Priday was described as follows: "He is tall, grey-haired, distinguished and impeccably dressed... He is also amusing, polite and might appear ripe to be mugged at the Bridge table... Beneath the velvet lurks a mind of iron..."
He has been non-playing captain of many England and Great Britain teams over a period of almost forty years, including those in:
- the Bermuda Bowl in 1987 when the British team finished second;
- two World Team Olympiads (1988 & 1996);
- the Women's World Team Olympiad in 1960;
- four European Teams Championships (1969, 1985, 1987 & 1997).
He was the bridge correspondent of the Sunday Telegraph
Sunday Telegraph
The Sunday Telegraph is a British broadsheet newspaper, founded in February 1961. It is the sister paper of The Daily Telegraph, but is run separately with a different editorial staff, although there is some cross-usage of stories...
from the newspaper's launch in 1961 until 1997.
He was made a Life Member of the English Bridge Union
English Bridge Union
The English Bridge Union or EBU is a player-funded organisation that promotes and organises the card game of duplicate bridge in England. It has an office in Aylesbury with a staff of more than twenty people...
(EBU) in 1997 and is its Vice-President and a former Vice-Chairman. He is a former Chairman of the British Bridge League.
Life outside bridge
He attended Winchester CollegeWinchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
, and then joined the King's Royal Rifle Corps
King's Royal Rifle Corps
The King's Royal Rifle Corps was a British Army infantry regiment, originally raised in colonial North America as the Royal Americans, and recruited from American colonists. Later ranked as the 60th Regiment of Foot, the regiment served for more than 200 years throughout the British Empire...
, serving during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and achieving the rank of Major. In 1947, he joined the family timber business, Sydney Priday & Snewin Ltd. He became Managing Director in 1968. He retired from the firm in 2001.
In 1966, he married Jane Juan, herself a noted bridge player (d. 1994). He remarried, to Vivian, in 1995. He now lives in Marbella
Marbella
Marbella is a town in Andalusia, Spain. It is situated on the Mediterranean Sea, in the province of Málaga, beneath the La Concha mountain. In 2000 the city had 98,823 inhabitants, in 2004, 116,234, in 2010 approximately 135,000....
.