Welcome Letter to New Members
On behalf of the Committee, I welcome you as a member of the MCC Bridge Club, where we play competitive bridge in a spirit of friendship and generosity.
Our club was formed in 2008 as a Special Interest Group within the Melbourne Cricket Club, and we now have more than 130 members. Our website at www.bridgewebs.com/mccbridge provides full details of our activities.
Membership
The club is affiliated with both the Australian Bridge Federation (ABF) and Victorian Bridge Association (VBA). All members are required to have an ABF number, which is entered into the computer system before each of our Thursday duplicate sessions.
If you have not previously received an ABF number via another club, this will be organised as soon as you become a member.
Initial payment (currently $45) is based on full year membership and ABF affiliation fees being paid via the club. If either of these are not the case, there will be an adjustment to your subscription for the following year.
Duplicate Sessions
Duplicate bridge sessions start at 12.30pm for 1pm each Thursday between late January and mid December in the Hans Ebeling Room on Level 2 of the Ponsford Stand at the MCG. Finish time is around 4pm. Table fees for each session are currently $10 for members and $15 for guests. Sue Kelso is our Director, and results/hand records are posted on the website shortly after completion of play. The first Thursday of each month is generally a Red Point event. Lunch can be purchased at the Hugh Trumble Cafe on Level 1. It is an expectation of the club that each player maintains “a courteous attitude at all times and carefully avoid any remark or action that might cause annoyance or embarrassment to another player or might interfere with the enjoyment of the game” (from Law 74 of the 2007 Laws of Duplicate Bridge).
You are welcome to bring a guest as your playing partner. This is on the understanding that you are responsible for their conduct, and that you will accompany them at all times within the MCG. MCC staff member Greer Dutton sends out a monthly email requesting nominations for Thursday duplicate sessions in the following month. The preferred method for making or changing bookings is by emailing Greer at specialinterestgroups@mcc.org.au. If you do not have access to email or are looking for a partner, you should call 0437 248 367 and leave a message for Linda Willersdorf (or in her absence another Committee member). In any event, we need to know whether you and your partner will be playing by 5pm on the Tuesday before each duplicate session. This is required to provide an accurate list of names to MCC Security, and also to organise the required number of tables.
The dress code for our Thursday bridge sessions is neat casual. By way of example, this includes neat designer jeans but excludes shorts, unpresentable “tatty” jeans, thongs and sport shoes. You will note that this is higher standard than currently prescribed by the MCC for entry to theMembers Reserve. A nametag will be obtained for you and retained on a magnetic board for you to collect before each Thursday session. The MCC makes parking available on the basis of one parking space for every two players, so please make arrangements to come with your partner and/or other participants.
Interclub Events
In addition to Thursday duplicate sessions, we also play about eight teams matches each year against other clubs, with scheduled events being referenced in the website calendar. For home matches, bridge is either followed by lunch or preceded by dinner at the MCG, with dress code
being jacket and tie.
Committee
The Committee of the MCC Bridge Club is:
Chris Nixon – Chairman
Linda Willersdorf – Treasurer
Rick Gaylard – Secretary
Angus Graham
Margrett Hardie
Brian Hassett
Rob Nurse
Contacts
Angus Graham is the primary Committee contact for new members. Please do not hesitate to contact Angus (ayhkg6@bigpond.com or 0428 516 413) if you require any additional information.
Chris Nixon, Chairman, MCC Bridge Club
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