Loughton Bridge Club can boast the finest players in Essex after the team of Michael Watson and Jacek Lapszys triumphed in the David Boston Simultaneous Pairs.

The duo, who have been playing together for four years, managed a 68.96 per cent success rate, which also saw them ranked seventh in the country.

Over 1,000 pairs played the same hands across England, and Loughton’s maestros proved that they are a team not to be messed with as they muscled their way into the top ten.

Anyone interested in taking up bridge can join the club, which meet at Oak View School in Whitehills Road, Loughton on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7.20pm until 10.30pm. For more information call chairman Keith Thompson on 020 8989 3323.