Local Focus: The game of bridge brings business to Whanganui

Whether you play bridge at home or at a club, it's likely your supplies came from Bridge NZ. The country's biggest supplier of bridge products is run by Pat and Martin Oyston from their backyard shed in Whanganui.

The couple live, garden and work together, but they almost didn't meet.

"We both learnt [bridge] in the same club a year apart and didn't meet each other," Pat said.

It was in an online bridge game where the romance was kindled, over text comments during games. Recognising Pat's bridge playing prowess, Martin invited her to Wellington to play and the two have been together ever since.

"I came up and played a tournament, two sessions," said Pat. "The first session we won, the next session we got bottom - which was to continue throughout our bridge career."

Things have changed since the business first started selling bridge stationery and Martin, who has an IT background, has written a software package to help with scoring. Bridge NZ also services dealing machines, which deal a pack of cards in less than 10 seconds. It's an innovation that Pat says saves thousands of volunteer hours and avoids record-keeping blunders.

"Dealing machines came out in the late 90s. They're much quicker, you don't have to sit there and shuffle all these cards, you don't have to write the details up."

Bridge players say the game is more skill than luck.

"Bridge normally compares with chess, it's a mind sport," said Martin. "The difference between chess and bridge is, in bridge, you have a handicap. Pat's handicap is me."

In New Zealand, there isn't much at stake apart from pride and occasional prizes. Approximaely 14,000 Kiwis play bridge at more than 100 bridge clubs around New Zealand and at home. Internationally, there are millions of people playing online.

"Bridge Base Online is the biggest online club and they've had a real surge over Covid," Pat said. "They've always had 5 to 10,000 people online if not more all around the world. We are lucky in New Zealand our clubs are not locked-down.

If you are interested in playing bridge, Bridge NZ has a website and there is plenty of information online.

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