Silver screen and Snooker

Limited areas for convening around the Club have not curtailed opportunities for Silver Screeners to gather together to enjoy continued entertainment at the Club. From July onwards, once the East Wing is completed and again open to all members, there will be far more availability for increased numbers to participate in Silver Screen offerings.

In March, Barney Broom was our guest for the Author’s Talk and he gave a most entertaining insight into the challenges facing authors today. Having spent a lifetime working in the film industry, Barney moved from behind the camera to writing novels, covering a variety of subjects aimed at both young and older readership. The Movie Matinee special later that month, was the much-loved favourite (original version) of The Thomas Crown Affair.

The Movie Matinee for April was The Eddy Duchin Story. Portrayed by Tyrone Power in this 1956 biopic, Eddy Duchin was a pianist and orchestra leader who became an overnight sensation in 1930s America. Kim Novak plays the beautiful socialite Marjorie Oelrichs, with whom Duchin had a passionate, but ultimately tragic, relationship. After an acclaimed musical career interrupted by World War II, the only challenge left for Duchin was to reconnect with his estranged son. This event was followed by our monthly drinks evening. There was another full house in May for the screening of Ernst Lubitsch’s Angel, the 1937 movie featuring the complicated love triangle between Maria (Marlene Dietrich), neglected wife of wealthy British diplomat Sir Frederick Barker (Herbert Marshall) and the suave libertine Anthony Halton (Melvyn Douglas), ending with a poignant twist when true identities were revealed.

The Social Sip (coffee) mornings are held on the first Wednesday of the month, so do please come along and join in. Italian classes and courses on classical music also remain very popular. Do sign up for these if you are interested in either!

Looking ahead, as well as the monthly get-togethers mentioned above, the Movie Matinee on Monday 9 June is The Bookshop (2017), the story of widow Florence (Emily Mortimer) who opens a bookshop in a sleepy East Anglian town in 1959, whose plans invite the apathy of local townsfolk and the open hostility of Mrs. Gamart (Patricia Clarkson), doyenne of the local arts scene.

We are always open for innovative ideas and suggestions for events that you may like to hear or see at the Club. Please send these to Minette Moss, Hurlingham’s Deputy Head of Member Events: minette.moss@hurlinghamclub.org.uk.

PETER EVANS, SILVER SCREEN COMMITTEE

SNOOKER

COMING TOGETHER

Pictured: David Shannon with winner, Charlie Courtney

In a fiercely contested dénouement to this year’s Shannon Trophy, the ‘young pretender’, Charlie Courtney, defeated Hurlingham snooker royalty, Paul Cattermull, two frames to nil, to get his hands on the coveted silverware.

The annual knockout competition runs from autumn through to spring and is the pinnacle of the Club’s snooker calendar. We were delighted to have 16 entrants play out several competitive games this year, all in terrific spirit.

I’m delighted to take over as Chair from Paul Cattermull, who has led the Committee with distinction for more than 8 years.

During Paul’s tenure, snooker has continued to grow in popularity at Hurlingham, especially amongst younger members. Consequently, how lucky I am to find the game in rude health, and I look forward to building on Paul’s legacy. In due course I hope to arrange a number of events aimed at bringing together snooker players both young and old.

We are extremely lucky to be guardians of one of the finest snooker tables in London which brings joy to so many members. The table can be booked for up to 90 minutes via Main Reception.

FRED KELLY, CHAIR, SNOOKER