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At Belton Bridge Center, fun is in the cards

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Even on a rainy, cold Tuesday morning, the Belton Bridge Club of Las Cruces is the place where aspiring bridge players gather to learn the game from John Randall, whose patient approach and calm demeanor help make learning a complex game a little less intimidating.

Each Tuesday morning, Randall holds court at one of the center’s 20 tables, all of which are set up for duplicate bridge for players of all levels of experience and expertise.

Since 1998 – when the founding members of the club bought the non-descript building at 1214 E. Madrid Ave. – it’s been a haven for bridge players from as far away as Lubbock and Albuquerque, as well as the closer bergs of El Paso, Deming, Alamogordo and Silver City.

Randall said one of the primary rules at the center is kindness toward all players – even when they mess up playing a hand.

“We want people to come here and enjoy themselves,” he said. “Some centers and clubs have reputations for play being ruthless and highly competitive, but we don’t play that way. It’s a friendly competition, and we plan to keep it that way.”

Each Tuesday morning, the center is Randall’s classroom for free and ongoing lessons. But come Tuesday afternoons, the players begin to arrive to stake out their boards and compete with one another to see who can score the most points with the hands assigned to them.

Divided into north/south and east/west teams, players rotate around any number of tables where predesignated hands have been dealt. The idea behind duplicate bridge is to see how different teams and players play the respective hands to accumulate points.

Bridge is a complicated game with roots going back centuries. In the mid-20th century, bridge was a staple on college campuses and among groups of friends across the United States. Its popularity has waned in the age of the Internet.

“I’ve tried to get my foot in the door at NMSU, but there isn’t much interest,” Randall said, his voice trailing off with disappointment.

He gets much more animated when he talks about the tournaments and players who regularly frequent the center.

“They come from all over to play here,” he said. “We’ve got snowbirds from Minnesota and back East, and when we host tournaments, a lot of players come hundreds of miles to play here.”

Belton Bridge Club is one of very few bridge clubs in the region with a designated building for play and tournaments, he said. The locals have a great deal of pride in owning the facility, and the visitors show both amazement and respect when they come to play.

“It’s quite a place,” Randall said. “The members did all the work to finish it up after the purchase, and then the dancers put in the wood floor. They did a really nice job.”

On evenings and weekend, the tables and chairs are put away to make way for classical ballroom dance lessons and events at the center, and the hardwood floor looks worthy of the likes of Carmen Miranda to cut a rug upon.

To keep the floor dance-worthy, each table and chair leg in the Belton Bridge Center sports a bright green tennis ball at the foot. No scuffing allowed.

Randall said he and the rest of the people who use the center were initially a tad worried when construction began on a hospital on the grounds of the old Las Cruces Country Club, but a quick check with city staff reassured them that they would be grandfathered in to any proposed zoning changes that might affect the surrounding properties when the hospital opens.

The Belton Bridge Center is open for lessons each Tuesday from 10-11:45 a.m., with afternoon games beginning at 2 p.m. For information about lessons or becoming a member, contact Randall at 786-338-5970.

Belton Bridge Club, bridge, John Randall

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