I'm in the same position maz. I've not played a tourny since about 1995 (!) but a couple of mates and I are thinking about trying to get back into it (cue lots of pulled muscles
) but the Essex scene appears to be v.quiet.
It doesn't help that PGI have gone so us+euro biased - gone are the days of extensive write-ups of Abridge and AGP.
If you get something sorted, let us know how it goes. I'll have to see if my bunch of overweight, overage, slackers can be persuaded to play again