I’m Holden, I’m 15 years old and I live in North London. I first learnt how to play bridge at my school’s bridge club when I was 11, where after a few weeks’ worth of lunchtime sessions I played my first matches for my school in the Inter-School’s League. As I have gained more experience I have progressed quickly, recently winning the Hertfordshire Schools Cup as part of the Habs A team in October 2023, after a tense final round where I made a 22-point game on the final board to take first place.
I was invited to the England Under 16 Squad just before my 14th birthday, and since then I have played in various national competitions, regularly being the youngest player there. After going to the Junior Teach-In in September 2023 my partner Cecilia Birdsall and I returned two months later to the Tunbridge Wells Junior Bridge Camp where we won the Speedball competition: extremely fast bridge played at just 3 minutes per board.
We were then selected to represent the England U16 Squad at the 29th European Youth Team Championships in Wrocław, Poland, where the England team won the Bronze medal! I have now moved up to the Under 21 Squad, where I will continue my bridge career in the years to come.
Outside of bridge, I enjoy playing the drums for my jazz band, reading about world politics and playing board games with my family and friends.