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The Celebrities

SIR PETER EMERY Conservative MP for Devon East, has been captain of the House of Commons bridge team since 1984. Who's Who lists one of his hobbies as 'sliding down mountains'.

LIZ FRASER Has played opposite some of Britain's funniest men - not at bridge, of course, but in films. At the table she has partnered Tony Priday, the late Irving Rose, Martin Hoffman and many others. Hmmm - should she be on the pro side?

MIKE GATTING Middlesex and England cricketer and former England captain, scored ten Test centuries and an average of 49.25 runs during his career in first-class cricket, from which he retired in 1998. He learned to play bridge during a tour of Zimbabwe.

DAVID HAIG Olivier Award winner, familiar to tv comedy fans as Inspector Grim in Thin Blue Line and as Richard in Keeping Mum. Appeared in Four Weddings and a Funeral and will soon be on stage in Milton Keynes in Ben Elton's new comedy, Gasping.

DR EVAN HARRIS Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West and Abingdon. Joined the House of Commons bridge team after his election victory in 1997, prior to which he worked at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

JAMES MATES Joined ITN in 1983 and has worked as their correspondent in Tokyo, Moscow and Washington. He is the son of MP Michael Mates.

MICHAEL MATES Former Minister of State for Northern Ireland, current Conservative MP for Hampshire East and a long-standing member of the House of Commons bridge team.

HILTON MCRAE Played Mr Price in the film Mansfield Park, and Sam in The French Lieutenant's Woman. On stage he has appeared in Les Miserables and with the Royal Shakespeare Company in As You Like It and Les Liaisons Dangereuses.

TONY MCWALTER Labour MP for Hemel Hempstead, another member of the House of Commons bridge team and a keen supporter of the EBU's campaign to have bridge recognised as a sport. He is a former lecturer in philosophy at the University of Hereford.

IAN PARTRIDGE Tenor, familiar to Radio Three listeners, appeared worldwide with Prunella Scales in more than 200 performances of An Evening with Queen Victoria. He is governor of the Royal School of Music.

LEO PHILLIPS Violin soloist and chamber musician, has performed, recorded and broadcast worldwide, most notably as Leader of The Nash Ensemble of London. He devised a tv series for Channel 4 and has published several articles.

DAVID RINTOUL Played for five years in Scottish Television's Doctor Finlay's Casebook. Recent stage appearances include An Ideal Husband, A Mad World My Masters and As You Like It.

JAMES SMITH Actor and PR officer for London County Contract Bridge Association. Appeared on television recently in a political thriller starring John Thaw.

BENJAMIN WHITROW Appears regularly with the Royal Shakespeare Company. On tv he played Mr Bennet in Pride and Prejudice and Squire Allworthy in Tom Jones, and co-starred in the Christmas 1999 episode of Jonathan Creek. He also featured in the 1970s cult movie Quadrophenia.

PETER WYNGARDE One of Britain's best-known and enduring actors, has starred in many films, including Alexander the Great, The Siege of Sidney Street, The Innocents, Night of the Eagle and Flash Gordon. Played the title role in the long-running 1970s tv hit Jason King. Once mobbed by 30,000 women at Sidney Airport!

Sir Peter Emery withdrew on the day as he was not feeling well, so KIT JACKSON stood in for him. Kit has appeared on tv in Bramwell, Storm Damage, and Touching Evil. He was also in the feature film entitled Face. Together with fellow actor James Smith, Kit is PR officer for London County Contract Bridge Association.

The professionals

DAVID BIRD Bridge correspondent for the Mail on Sunday. Has written more than twenty books on bridge, many featuring the monks of St Titus, and is a regular contributor to bridge magazines.

DAVID BURN Has been coach to many British teams and writes regularly for all the bridge magazines.

SU BURN Has played internationally for England and for Great Britain. Teaches bridge and is a regular contributor to all the bridge magazines. Su also edits the LCCBA newsletter.

PETER DONOVAN Has written the Daily Mail's bridge column for the past 36 years. Until 1995, his was the only national bridge column in the world to appear daily

ADAM DUNN Former Welsh Junior International, currently taking part in trials to make the transition from junior to senior player. He works as publications executive at EBU headquarters in Aylesbury.

DAVID HARRIS Elected Chairman of the English Bridge Union last October, having served as Vice Chairman for the previous five years. David is a barrister with chambers in St Albans.

MARK HORTON British and English International, and the editor of Bridge Magazine. Has won tournaments in Australia, Canada, Egypt, Germany, Malta, Romania and the Netherlands. His most recent work, The Mammoth Book of Bridge, has already sold 10,000 copies.

ELENA JERONIMIDIS Has been editor of Bridge Plus since its inception in 1989, and edits the Teletext bridge pages. Elena plays regularly at her local club in Reading.

PATRICK JOURDAIN Former president of the Welsh Bridge Union, is bridge correspondent for the Daily Telegraph. He has represented Wales more than fifty times in Camrose matches and five times in world championships.

SANDRA LANDY On five occasions has been part of the British Women's Team, winning the European Championships, and twice the Venice Cup, the women's world championship trophy. Sandra, a former lecturer in mathematics and computing, launched the EBU's new teaching programme Bridge for All.

PAUL MENDELSON As well as writing many bridge books, Paul is a bridge professional at the Roehampton Club, and teaches throughout London.

TONY PRIDAY Has represented his country on many occasions and has won the Gold Cup, England's most prestigious national trophy, seven times. He is a Vice President of the English Bridge Union.

ANDREW ROBSON For years Britain's most eligible bridge bachelor, Andrew has just got married. He played recently in the team which won the prestigious Reisinger (American International Open Teams tournament). He writes for Country Life, the Sunday Express and the Spectator, and runs his own bridge club in Chelsea.

NICOLA SMITH Parents played bridge intensively - her father, Nico, was a regular member of the British team for many years. Nicola has carried on the family tradition - she is Sandra Landy's teammate and holds the same European and world gold medals.

BERNARD TELTSCHER President of the London County Contract Bridge Association, has won most national competitions. He admits to playing in Camrose trials with the late Jeremy Flint and the late Irving Rose and failing to qualify with either!