"A legend of the Morpeth bridge circuit is okaying his last hand this week - as he retires from a game he helped develop in the town.
Bill Skelton founded the Collingwood Bridge Club in 1988 and has scooped a whole host of awards for his contribution to a sport which offers so much. He was President of the club for twelve years; in 1986 he won the prestigious Dimmie Fleming Award for services to bridge. His role is best summed up by one close friend who said: 'There would not be any bridge in Morpeth if it wasn't for Bill'.
Now that he is retiring, Bill has no plans to give the game up. He said: 'I still plan to play bridge but not competitive duplicate bridge, although I may be drawn to it occasionally'."
Letter to Bridge plus magazine, from Terry Willcocks, published November 2000