Bridge | 12 November 2022

I was very sad to learn last week that Dinah Caplan has died. She was 90, and had been a hugely popular and respected player on the bridge circuit for as long as any of us can remember. But more than that, she was an inspiration to anyone who worries that they’ve left it too late to make their mark. Having joined her family’s clothing business at just 15, she juggled the demands of a job and motherhood for much of her life, and it wasn’t until 2011 that she decided to get more serious about bridge. She entered the England women’s trials (with Lizzie Godfrey), ended up winning, and at the age of 78 made her international debut – surely one for the record books. As it happens, I was also on the Lady Milne team that year, and I’ll never forget what a supportive and calming presence she was.