BROUGHTON & DISTRICT CLUB: BRIDGE SECTION RULES

1  AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

1.1 The Section shall aim promote and further the interests of Contract Bridge by way of playing social and competitive Contract Bridge.
1.2 Encourage and foster new members and beginners to play Contract Bridge.
1.3 Encourage and foster welcoming and friendly play and fellowship.
1.4 The generation of sufficient income to enable the Section to operate affectively and develop.
1.5 To donate such surplus funds to Broughton & District Club as the Committee may deem prudent.

2 OFFICERS
2.1 The Officers of the Section shall be the Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer.
2.2 No member of the Section shall simultaneously hold the office of more than one Officer of the Section.
2.3 In the event of a vacancy arising in any Section Officer position during the year, the Committee shall choose one of their number to fill such vacancy until the ensuing Annual General Meeting, or until a General Meeting is held.

3 COMMITTEE
3.1 The Committee of the Section shall consist of the Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer together with such other members either elected or co-opted as is deemed necessary for the successful running of the Section. Such number shall not exceed 7 at any one time.
3.2 The members of the Committee shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Section and shall retire annually at the ensuing Annual General Meeting but shall be eligible for re-election.
3.3 A quorum at meetings of the Committee shall be five members of the Committee, including at least two of the Officers.
3.4 The proceedings of the Committee shall be regulated in such a manner as the Committee may from time to time decide.
3.5 The Committee shall make a report to each Annual General Meeting of the Section concerning the affairs of the Section since the previous Annual General Meeting.

4 MODE OF ELECTIONS
4.1 At least four weeks before the date of the Annual General Meeting each year, the Secretary shall post on the Section notice board the names of the Offices of the Section and the members of the Committee annotating those who are retiring at the end of the current year.
4.2 Nominations for Officer Posts or Committee membership shall be invited in writing, and shall be signed by a proposer and a seconder, both of whom shall be members of the Section, having previously obtained the consent of the nominee.
4.3 Nominations must reach the Secretary no later than two weeks prior to the date fixed for the Annual General Meeting and must appear on the Section notice board no later than one week preceding the meeting.

5 CHAIRMAN
 The Chairman or in their absence another Committee member selected by the meeting shall preside at all meetings and in case of an equality of votes shall have a casting vote.

6 TREASURER
6.1 The Treasurer shall pay to the bank, to the credit of the Section all monies received and shall submit a Financial Statement to the Annual General Meeting, such Statement having been approved by the Committee prior to the meeting. A copy of the Financial Statement to be forwarded to the Honorary Club Treasurer once approved.
6.2 The Treasurer shall keep a permanent record of all monies received and payments made on behalf of the Section; all payments shall be subject to the approval of the Committee.

7 SECRETARY
7.1 The Secretary shall keep a permanent record of the minutes of all meetings of the Section and of the Committee, and shall produce the same at all meetings, and shall summon all meetings of the section and Committee.
7.2 The Secretary shall liaise with the General Committee of Broughton & District Club and the other individual Sections of the Club to ensure the smooth and harmonious relationships within the main Club.
7.3 The Secretary shall maintain an up-to-date list of Bridge Section members.

8 MEETINGS
8.1 The Annual general Meeting of the Section shall be held on a convenient date in February or March each year.
8.2 The Committee may convene a Special General Meeting of the Section on its own initiative at any time.
8.3 A Special General Meeting of the Section shall be convened by the Committee if a request for such a meeting signed by at least ten members of the Section is delivered to the Secretary, stating the reason for the meeting, and shall be held within one month of the receipt of such a request.
8.4 The Chairman, if present, shall chair all General Meetings of the Section, and in his absence some other member of the Committee appointed by the meeting shall chair the meeting.
8.5 Notice of all General Meetings of the Section, and its purpose, shall be given to all members of the Section no later than two weeks prior to the date fixed for the meeting. A Notice placed on the Section notice board will be deemed a sufficient notice.
8.6 Any member may propose a motion to be discussed at a General Meeting provided written notice of the proposed motion is delivered to the Secretary no later than one week prior to the dated fixed for the meeting.
8.7 The Chairmen of the meeting may permit discussion of other business at the General Meeting if he thinks fit.
8.8 A quorum at a General Meeting of the section shall be sixteen members present in person including the Committee.
8.9 If after fifteen minutes after the time fixed for a general Meeting no quorum is present, the Meeting shall be adjourned to a new date (of which the like notice shall be given to members as was required for the Meeting, which has been adjourned). And in the case of a General Meeting that has been adjourned due to lack of a quorum (but not a meeting adjourned for any other reason) such number of members as are actually present at the adjourned Meeting shall constitute a quorum.
8.10 Voting at General Meetings of the Section shall be by show of hands, and in the event of parity of voting the Chairman of the meeting shall have a second or casting vote. The Meetings may elect to require individual items to be decided by secret ballot if 25% of the members present agree.

9 NOTICES
9.1 Notices of the Annual General Meeting shall be shown in a prominent position on the Section Notice Board in the Wilson Room in accordance with rule 8 above.

10 MEMBERSHIP
10.1 Membership of the Section is restricted to those who have elected to become members of the section either on election or renewal of their membership and paid subscription to Broughton & District Club.

11 TABLE MONEY
11.1 Each member of the Section, and each guest and visitor, shall pay table money on each occasion when they play in a Directed bridge session, the basic amounts of which shall be decided at the Annual General Meeting of the section but can be subject to amendment should the Committee deem it necessary for the benefit of the Section as a whole.
11.2 The committee may determine variations on the basic amounts of table money for members, guests and visitors for any bridge session, which is deemed to be a Special Event, or a Club Competition.
11.3 The Committee may determine from time to time the amount to be paid for the loan of the equipment of the Section for any purpose for which it is the opinion the fees ought to be charged.

12 FINANCES
12.1 The financial year shall be from 1 January – 31 December in line with that of Broughton & District Club.

12.2  The funds of the Section shall be under the control of the Committee and no expenses shall be settled or monies paid out except by authority of the Treasurer and approved by the Committee.

13 GUESTS and VISITORS
13.1 Guests and Visitors may play but are subject to the rules of Broughton & District Club; they must also pay a visitors fee set by the Club, the member introducing the visitor must make an appropriate entry in the Visitor’s Book on the occasion of each visit. No person may be introduced as a guest on more than six occasions in any one year.

14 CONDUCT AND ETIQUETTE
14.1 All those registered as a member of the Bridge section of Broughton & District Club will be expected at all times, whether in social or Directed Play, to adhere to the Code of Conduct & Etiquette adopted by the Members and published on the Sections Notice Board.
14.2 All Directed Sessions will be played in accordance with the Laws of Duplicate Bridge and Play Etiquette adopted by the English Bridge Union, (EBU).
14.3 Any member in breach of the Sections Code and fails to meet the standards of behaviour required as a member of Broughton & District Club may be referred to the General Committee of the Club under section 13(a) of the Constitution and Rules, Revised 2006, and any subsequent revision thereto.

15 COMPETITIONS
15.1 The Committee shall have the responsibility of organising and the supervision of any Section competitions: the number of which is not limited. Each competition to be governed by the rules under which it was originally created, any amendment to their rules to be approved by the Committee and reported at the next available General Meeting.

16 ALTERATIONS TO THE RULES
16.1 No alterations shall be made to the Rules except at a General Meeting of the Section.
16.2 In order for a resolution to alter these Rules to be affected at least two thirds of the votes cast on the resolution must be in favour, all amendments to be ratified by the General Committee of Broughton & District Club.

17 INTERPRETATION OF THE RULES AND MISCELLANEOUS
17.1 In these Rules where the context so admits the singular number shall include the plural and vice versa and the masculine gender shall include the feminine gender and vice versa.
17.2 These Rules should be read in conjunction with those of Broughton & District Club and in the event of any conflict the Rules of Broughton & District Club shall have precedence.
17.3 The interpretation by the General Committee of Broughton & District Club of all or any of these Rules shall be final and binding on all members.
17.4 For the purposes of these Rules, the term Contract Bridge means the game of Bridge in all its variations.
17.5 The Broughton & District Club Bridge Section follows the laws and ethics of the English Bridge Union (EBU).

(Amended 17 October 2012v5)