1.   The name of the Club shall be PETERSFIELD BRIDGE CLUB.

2.   The object of the Club shall be to provide opportunities for members for the playing of Contract Bridge and the study of the game.

3.   The clubroom ( and headquarters) of the Club shall be at the Petersfield Community Centre, Love Lane, Petersfield, GU31 4BW, or at such other address as the Club, in General Meeting, may determine.

4.   The Club shall be a members’ club and shall consist of ordinary members and country members together with such honorary members as are hereinafter mentioned.

MEMBERSHIP

5.  a)   The first ordinary members of the Club shall be those who have joined at the Inaugural Meeting of the Club in December 1969.

      b)  As from the 1^st January 1970 new members must be proposed and seconded by two ordinary members of the Club and admitted by the Committee

     c)  The Committee may reject the application of any person for membership and shall not be required to state their reason for doing so.

6.   Newly admitted ordinary members shall not be entitled to exercise their membership until their subscription has been paid.

7.   Honorary members, not liable to subscription fee may be elected by the committee.

     a)  Notice of resignation of a member should be given in writing to the honorary Secretary

COMMITTEE AND OFFICERS

8.   The affairs of the Club, except where in these rules they are reserved for the Club in General Meeting, shall be managed by a Committee of the Club.

9.   The Committee shall consist of a Chairman, an honorary Secretary, an honorary Treasurer, a Competition Secretary and two ordinary members, all to be elected by the members in General Meeting, and all to retire at each Annual General Meeting, but to be eligible for re-election except that the Chairman will not be eligible for re-election after serving a consecutive five year term.

10.  The Committee shall be entitled to co-opt not more than two additional members at their discretion.

11.  The Club in General Meeting may increase or reduce the number of members of the Committee any may create such other officers as may be thought fit.

SUBSCRIPTIONS, FINANCES AND ACCOUNTS

12.  The subscription for the year 2010 shall be £15. Thereafter subscriptions shall be such sum as members may from time to time decide.  In addition to the annual subscription, there shall be a charge of £1, or such other sum as the Committee may determine, for each player for each session. For new members, there is an entrance fee of £10.

13.  Annual subscriptions shall be payable on the 1^st January in each calendar year. Members whose subscriptions for the year have not been paid by the 31^st March shall automatically cease to be members and shall not be re-admitted except under the provisions of rules 5b) and 6.

14.  The Treasurer shall keep proper books of accounts and shall present to the members at each Annual General Meeting a Statement of Income and Expenditure of the year ending 31^st December preceding the date of the Meeting and a statement of the affairs as at that date.

15.  An auditor, or auditors, may be appointed by the members in Annual General Meeting if thought fit

MEETINGS.

16.  Meetings of the Committee shall be held from time to time as may be decided by the Committee

17.  The quorum for meetings of the Committee shall be four, or such higher number as the full Committee shall decide.

18.  The Annual General Meeting shall be held in February in each year on a date decided by the Committee. Notice of the day, place and time of the Meeting shall be notified to members at the three previous meetings of the Club.

19.  An Extraordinary General Meeting may be called by the Committee at any time, and shall be summoned within six weeks if a written request to that effect be delivered to the honorary Secretary signed by not less than twenty (20) members. Notice of such Meeting shall be given in the same way as for an Annual General Meeting.

20.  The quorum for a General Meeting shall be twenty members personally present. If at any General Meeting a quorum is not present the meeting shall stand adjourned for seven days at the same place and time when the members then present shall constitute a quorum. 

21.  The Chairman of the Committee, or such other member of the Committee as the Committee may decide, shall be the Chairman of any General Meeting.

22.  At a General Meeting each member shall have one vote and, in the case of equality of voting, the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote.

VISITORS

23.  Members may introduce visitors to the Club from time to time and shall fill out the appropriate form, provided by the Club.

24.  Visitors will be charged table money as determined by the Committee, and provided they are invited by a member, there will be no restriction on the number of visits in any given period.

25.  No person shall be introduced as a visitor if his application for membership has been rejected by the Committee under rule 5c).

CONDUCT OF MEMBERS

26.  No betting shall be allowed in the Club.

27.  No lottery shall be promoted on behalf of, or in any way connected with the Club, without  the previous written consent of the Committee.

28.  Bridge may be played for such stakes as may be from time to time fixed by the Committee, but only with the unanimous agreement of all four players at the table.

29.  The Committee may suspend membership of any member whose conduct, whether on Club premises or elsewhere, is, or has been, in the opinion of the Committee, contrary to the interest of the Club or injurious to its reputation.

    a)   Upon receipt from the Committee of notification of suspension of his membership, a member may appeal to the Club in General Meeting, and, in writing, request the Committee to summon a General Meeting for that purpose.

30.   Immediately upon the receipt of such a request as is mentioned in rule 29a), the Committee shall

    a)   Cause a General Meeting of the Club to be summoned for a day not later than one calendar month from the date of receipt of the request.

    b)   Give notice to the suspended member at his address as recorded under rule 32, of the date of the General Meeting called as above, and inform him that he may attend such meeting.

31.   At any such meeting any allegations against the suspended member shall be related ( in his presence if he attends) to the meeting by a member of the Committee, and the suspended member ( if he desires) shall be heard in reply. The decision of the Club at the said meeting, or at any adjourned meeting whether to reinstate the suspended member, or to terminate his membership, shall be taken by vote and shall be final and conclusive.

NOTICES

32.   Each member shall keep the secretary informed as to his private address, or such other address to which communications may be addressed to him. Nevertheless, it shall not be necessary to send any notice intended for members generally to any member by post, or otherwise, except in the case of the notice convening a General meeting for any of the purposes of rule 35. All other notices shall either be posted in a prominent position at the Club premises, or shall be announced to members at each of the three previous meetings of the Club.

ALTERATION OF THE RULES

33.   These rules may be revoked, added to, or altered, by a majority comprising two thirds or more of the members present and entitled to vote at any General Meeting of the Club, of which notice has been duly given, specifying the intention to propose the revocation, addition or alteration referred to.

EXCLUSION OF LIABILITIES

34.   Neither the Club, nor any officer thereof, shall be liable to any member, or guest of a member, for any loss or damage to any property occurring, from whatsoever cause, in or about the Club premises; nor for any injury  by any member, or guest, while on, or entering, or leaving the Club premises.

DISSOLUTION

35.   If the number of ordinary members at any time falls below twelve, or if at a General Meeting of members duly called for the purpose, a resolution ( in this rule called the “first resolution” ) for the dissolution of the Club shall be passed by a majority comprising two thirds or more of the members present and entitled to vote,  and if such resolution be confirmed by a simple majority of members present at a General Meeting summoned for a day 28 days after the first meeting, the Committee shall take immediate steps to convert into money all the property of the Club, with power to postpone, or delay the conversion of any particular property if the Club, in General Meeting, shall so authorise. Out of the proceeds of such conversion, the Committee shall discharge all debts and liabilities  of the Club, including the expenses of such conversion and any balance remaining in their hands shall be disposed of by them as the Club, in General Meeting, shall determine and thereupon the Club shall, for all purposes, be dissolved. Provided that, if the Club shall not, within six months of the date of the first resolution, resolve upon the disposition of any such balance , the same shall be divided equally between all persons who were ordinary members of the Club at the date of the first resolution. A copy of the notice convening any General Meeting, for the specific purposes under this rule, shall be sent by the Secretary by post to every member at his address, last notified to the Secretary under rule 32, not less than 14 days before the day appointed for the meeting; but any accidental omission to send such copy, or the non-receipt of the same, shall not invalidate any proceedings, or resolutions; and at any General Meeting convened for the specific purposes under this rule, the member, or members, present shall constitute a quorum.

Latest revision adopted by the Annual General Meeting February 1989