Pat Gardener, wife of Nico and mother of Nicola (now Smith), died on May 19 in Bournemouth, UK, after a short illness.
She had played for Britain in the European Championships on four occasions, although never in a winning team. Among some successes she had twice been in the winning Whitelaw team and had featured in the exciting Whitelaw in which her team - after beating her daughter's team in the semi-final - lost by only two imps to the invited Italian European champions.
After practically giving up tournament bridge she played five times with Bob Rowlands in the Portland Pairs, twice winning the London heat and, in 1971, securing the first overall place.
by Alan Hiron
Major International Appearances
Women's European Championships:1939 1953 1955 and 1957
Lady Milne selections: 1952 1955 1970 1972 and 1973
Hubert Phillips Bowl winner: 1954