Latest news: April 2009:

Paul and Tom Hanlon finished third in the Yokohama Imp pairs.

Justin and Paul with team mates David Gold and Tom Townsend finished second in the round robin of the Yeh Bros Cup and were beaten by the eventual winners, The Netherlands, in the KO stage.

Jason and Justin with Janet de Botton and Nick Sandqvist won the North Wales Teams.

Dan Crofts, Edward Levy, Mike Goldsmith, Barbara, Paul and Justin won the Staffs and Shropshire League.

Dan Crofts, Gary Hyett and Paul retained the team’s title in the Shrewsbury Congress with Barbara as this year’s fourth player.

Suzy is getting married in Suffolk in June.

December 2008: Gold Cup Win

Justin and Jason won the Gold Cup for the fourth time in an exciting finish coming from behind with two boards to go and winning by 1 Imp.
 
Paul had an excellent American Nationals, played in Boston in November, by getting to all the finals and having a top ten finish in both the Blue Ribbon Pairs and the Reisinger.
Paul's new regular partner for foreign events is Tom Hanlon.
 

October 2008: Silver medal for English Open Team

Jason and Justin were members of the English Open Team who won a Silver Medal in the Mind Sports Games at Beijing.
This is one of England's best results in international competition for many years.

September 2008

The death of John Armstrong shook our family to the core. Much has been written about him but he was an integral part of our lives. We miss him very much
 
Jason and Justin won the trials and will be in the English team for Beijing. Their teammates are Artur Malinowski, Nick Sandqvist, Tom Townsend and David Gold.
Barbara will also be there,playing for Germany.
Paul, together with Tony Waterlow, Peter Czerniewski and Ian Panto won the Swiss teams at Brighton.
In the first weekend of the Premier League Paul, Tony Waterlow, Michelle Brunner and John Holland scored 138 points to build a substantial lead.
Paul captained the victorious European team in the Buffett Cup (Europe v USA).

June 2008

Paul together with Dan Crofts, Gary Hyett and Edward Levy won the Shropshire teams at the Shrewsbury Congress.
 
Paul partnered Ross Harper together with team-mates Tony Waterlow, Ian Panto, Gunnar Hallberg, John Holland and Captain John Williams represented England in the Senior Camrose where they were convincing winners.
 
Roy Moore, Edward Levy, Justin and Paul with occasional help from Susan Stockdale and Brian Senior did the double by winning the Warwickshire League and the Handicap.
 
In Staffordshire Dan Crofts, Edward Levy, Justin and Paul won the Staffs Cup and finished second in the League.
 
Jason and Paul lost the money prize in a split tie in Croatia. Team-mates were Ross Harper, David Levy and Richard Probst.
 
In Moscow Justin celebrated with Andrew Gromov as they watched Manchester United winning the Champions League.
 
Jason, Justin and Paul joined by Tony Waterlow, John Armstrong and John Holland with Captain Bill Hirst and coach David Burn are in Pau representing the English  team in the European Championships.

Apr 2008

Paul, Ross Harper, Tony Waterlow, Ian Panto, Peter Czerniewski and Gunnar Hallberg won the Senior trials and will be representing England in the Senior Camrose to be held at the Oxford Spires Hotel, Oxford from the 30th May-June 1st.
 
Justin and Jason together with Janet de Botton and Nick Sandqvist won the Welsh foursomes at Llandudno.
 
Paul partnering Tony Waterlow and Irish teammates Tom Hanlon, Hugh McGann, Tommy Garvey and John Carroll have qualified for the final of Crockfords.
 
Justin and Paul with Jim McMahon and Jim Forsythe lost in the semi finals of the Scottish Cup to last years winners the Brian Short team.

Mar 2008

Paul has qualified to play for England in the Europeans in Pau in June with John Armstrong, Tony Waterlow and John Holland. Jason and Justin have been invited to join the team.
 
Together with John Armstrong, Paul won $10000 finishing second in the Yeh Bros cup in Taiwan. 4 more Imps would have won the $20000 first prize.
 
Jason won Cwmbran together with Ed Levy, Alex Hydes and Robert Myers.

Coming up soon - in May the Spring Foursomes in Stratford on Avon followed by the Southern Regionals in Port of Spain, Trinidad.  Then in June the European Championships in Pau, France followed by the Biarritz congress in July, then to North America for the Nationals in Las Vegas with the Chairman's Cup in Jonkoping, Sweden completing a busy spring and early summer for the Hacketts.

Dec 2007

For the second year in succession Paul and John Armstrong together with Jack Mizel and Brian Senior qualified for the final of the Reisinger held this year in San Francisco and considered by many as the world's toughest event. In the fourteen team final they improved on last year's performance to finish in the middle of the field.
 
Jason is unfortunately suffering from Deep Vein Thrombosis. This has forced him to rearrange his travel plans so he will be missing the NEC Cup, the Yeh Cup and poker tournaments in Prague and Melbourne as well as joining the Barmy Army for the Tests just passed In Sri Lanka and the upcoming New Zealand series.

Oct 2007

Barbara won her second Silver Medal in the Venice Cup in Shanghai, the world's Ladies Championship. Her tally is now 1 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze.
 
Paul won the Pairs at the October Peebles tournament partnered by Jonathan Davis.

June 2007

Paul and Ross Harper won the pairs at the Easter London Tournament
 
Jason and Justin, Janet de Botton, Nick Sandqvist, Artur Malinowski and David Burn won Crockfords.
 
Justin, Janet De Botton, Nick Sandqvist and Artur Malinowski won the Hubert Phillips

3rd in the NEC Cup Japan (Jason, Justin Paul, John Armstrong and Geir Helgemo)
 
2nd in the Asaka Cup. Paul, John Armstrong plus the Australian National team.
 
1st in the teams in the Gold Coast Congress, Australia.(Jason, Paul, Tom Hanlon and Bill Hirst).
 
In the Yeh Bros Cup in Shenzhen, China England+ (Jason, Justin, Paul, John Armstrong, Geir Helgemo and Tor Helness) got to the quarter finals and John and Paul went on to win the $6000 first prize in the Pairs.

December 2006

Paul second with John Armstrong in Life Master Pairs at American Nationals in Honolulu

October 2006

Jason and Justin won the Camrose Trials (England selection) with Nick Sandqvist and  Artur Malinowski (npc)Janet de Botton.
Paul finished second with Tony Waterlow, John Armstrong and John Holland.
 
Jason won the Pairs, Teams and the Victor Ludorum at Drogheda.

August 2006:
The first week of August was an excellent week.
In the Presidents Cup Brian Cornelius, Gary Hyett, Craig Fisher, Ian Pendlebury, Dave Smith, Barbara, Justin and Paul finished 2nd representing Staffs and Shropshire.
The Ruia Cup was retained by Brian Cornelius, Michael Alexander, Justin and Paul with Gary Hyett helping out in an early round.
The team that won Cwmbran in 2004, Craig Fisher, Brian Cornelius, Gary Hyett and Paul went back again for the first time since their victory and repeated their success winning by a clear 10 V.P. margin.

July 2006:

It has been quite an unusual year. In the trials Paul beat Justin and Jason but failed to win the final. The Commonwealth Games saw John Armstrong and Paul winning the pairs. They then went on to Taiwan to play the Yeh Bros Cup with Justin and Geir Helgemo. We won the round Robin in convincing style but failed to capitalise in the knock out stage.

Paul won the Shropshire Congress with Ross Harper while Justin and Barbara joined Brian Cornelius and Gary Hyett to win the teams.
For the fifth year in a row Brian Cornelius, Brian Senior, Justin and Paul won the Warwickshire League. Brian, Gary Hyett, Justin and Paul won the Staffordshire Cup, but failed to impress in the finals.

The World Championships in Verona saw Jason and Justin finishing 9th, while Paul and Tony Waterlow finished 11th in the seniors. 

The support of Warren Buffett, who recently gave 31 billion dollars to the Melissa and Bill Gates Foundation, as well as Denis Robson and the Irish committee of Joe Moran, B.J.O’Brien and Paul Porteous, helped to put on a match between Europe and the USA. Called the Warren Buffett Cup, Paul is the captain of the European team, while Jason and Justin are members of the 12 man European contingent.

Barbara is our sole representative this year in the European Championships, representing Germany in the Ladies.

On a more personal note Jane and David Powell gave birth to a son, Erin May on the 3rd March.

Also Susie Hackett got a first in nutrition from Manchester University. As she has taken a job nearer her parents, Alison and Sam, we hope she still keeps in touch.

Olivia’s sister, Mary and her husband Arthur celebrated 50 years of marriage and we were delighted to join them at the Koh Samui on their special day.

Earlier in the year we met for the first time Rae and Norm Clarke, who live in Melbourne, distant relatives who have been helping me with the family tree.