1. The organiser shall draw up a list of handicap rankings based on merit table data compiled for the previous club operating year¹⁾.
2. The handicap will be based on the average percentage result achieved in the previous operating year.
3. Partnerships with an average in excess of 50% will have the difference between their average and 50% subtracted from any future result.
4. Partnerships with an average less than 50% will have the difference between their average and 50% added to any future result.
5. All handicaps will be expressed as a percentage (either positive or negative).
6. The list will be published in advance of the competition. The means of publication will be at the discretion of the event organiser.
7. The minimum number of results used to compile a handicap will be 5 in the course of an operating year.
8. The competition will be a one-winner event with a minimum of 24 boards played.
9. Immediately before the event starts the handicap will be converted to a number either subtracted from or added to the end total achieved by the partnership.
10. At the end of the event two results will be published:
    1. "Merit Result" will be a list in merit order and will contribute to the annual merit table in the usual way.
    2. "Handicap Result" will add the handicap awarded to the "Merit Result" and this will be the one on which prizes are awarded.
11. The Club Constitution prohibits non-members from winning the Handicap Pairs and the Annual Plate Championship. The Phil Laycock Handicap Pairs Trophy will be awarded to the highest ranked partnership eligible under the Constitution.
12. The Winners of the "Handicap Result" will receive an engraved glass each as a permanent memento in addition to the Trophy.
13. The Runners Up of the "Handicap Result" will receive an engraved glass each as a permanent memento.
    

1) The operating year is defined as starting on April 1st and finishing the following March 31st

The Plate competition is open to any pair who failed to gain a place in the "Championship Pairs" and takes place on the same day as the "Championship Pairs" final during December.

The qualification criteria are:

• Last year‘s winners automatically qualify.
• The qualifying partnership must have played at least 25% of available weekly events during the calendar year.
• They must either be the current holders or fill one of the top 14 places in the printed merit table.
• Occasionally an individual will qualify with two partners. It is up to that individual to nominate their chosen partnership for the tournament.
• Where a qualifying partnership is unable to compete on the night of the championship, their place will be taken from a published qualifying reserve list.
• The Pairs Championship is played as a single session 7 table Howell movement the first or second Tuesday in December.