March 2011
It is hard to believe that I am putting together the fourth Newsletter. So far it has been a very interesting and rewarding task with so many members contributing and making encouraging comments. Thank you all very much. This edition is full of important and interesting features, so read on…… First of all, business matters- 2011 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The AGM will take place on Tuesday, 19th April 2011, at the Sacred Heart Church Hall, Bilton, at 7.00 p.m. There are important topics to discuss and it is hoped that there will be a large attendance at the meeting where there will be a vote taken on item 6. The Agenda is below: 1. Chairman’s Report. 2. Financial Director’s Report. 3. Saturday morning Report. 4. RBCL Strategy Report. 5. League Teams – RBCL Captains to report. 6. EBU affiliation and P2P. 7. Development – Search for premises. 8. Presentation of Prizes. 9. Any other business. Bridge will follow the AGM. EBU AND P2P We will be having a vote after discussion at the AGM on this issue. Proxy votes will be allowed, so if you will be unable to attend the AGM but wish to use a proxy vote, please complete the slip at the end of this Newsletter and send it to Chris Cooper. No proxy votes will be allowed without the signed authorisation. PAY TO PLAY At the 2010 AGM the vote against joining the EBU was 76 to 22. A commitment was made to review the position at the 2011 AGM. The following sets out the main arguments which the Directors of Rugby Bridge Club see in favour of and against joining the scheme, in order to help members decide. Case Against Rugby Bridge Club would be required to pay some £2,000 to the EBU under the scheme, compared with £24 under the previous scheme. The EBU spends too much of its money promoting elite competitions and financing England international teams. It is too bureaucratic and it appears undemocratic, with shareholders voting on any issues rather than there being one vote per member. It levies a fee on all club participants on a pay-to-play basis and the fee is likely to rise at a rate faster than inflation. There is no opt out for individuals. The club voted overwhelmingly to opt out last year. The EBU are too inflexible regarding non-members. Rugby Bridge Club will have to increase table money by 50p for each session. For 2011 the total pay-to-play fee will be 38p per session (i.e. 31p for the EBU and 7p to Warwickshire). (The surplus would be paid into the Club’s general fund to help fund any future rise in the cost of hiring our venues.) Case in Favour The EBU is the governing body for bridge in the UK. It provides training courses for Teachers and Tournament Directors. Most clubs of our size are in the EBU. It provides advice on matters of law and etiquette. Difficult decisions to be made by Club TDs in the case of appeals can be sorted out by the EBU. It provides cheaper insurance than other providers – in our case, this would be approximately £430 cheaper with better cover. It provides a bi-monthly magazine to all members, provided they play at least 12 times a year, although this can also be received via individual membership. Voting will take place at the AGM after discussion. EVENTS Several events are scheduled for the summer and we hope that members will become involved in as many as possible. One of our most significant events is the Julia Mills Trophy day. Have you bought your tickets yet? IN PRAISE OF THE JULIA MILLS TROPHY by Peter Langley “On Sunday 10th April, Rugby Bridge Club will again mount its one-day pairs event for the coveted Julia Mills Trophy. Julie was a friend and fellow team member – one of the nicest people I have ever known. Whenever I play in the annual pairs competition I think of her fondly and imagine how much she would be enjoying it if she was still around. To me, this annual event is the highlight and culmination of our bridge year. It gives me a real buzz to be playing alongside far more people than at any of our other events. They are a stimulating mixture of familiar and unfamiliar faces, and they play at all standards from very good to ‘improving’. There is nothing to fear: in my experience, people are almost invariably courteous and positive, whatever their standard of play. It is not given to all of us to challenge for the trophy itself. There would after all be only a 1 in 30 or 1 in 40 chance of winning even if all pairs were of equal standard. But in an event of this nature, there are all sorts of fascinating contests within the overall competition. For some it may be being the highest placed Rugby pair, for others getting at least 50%, for others again beating another pair of similar standard to themselves. It’s great to set yourselves a target at the outset and see whether you can achieve it. Some people seem to be put off by the length of the event, but that isn’t as much of a problem as you might expect. Each of the two sessions (afternoon and evening) is similar in length to the bridge sessions we are all used to week in, week out, and there is a generous interval between them. During this, there is an excellent meal (including chips to die for !) and plenty of time to get a breath of fresh air, catch up on the football results, have a quiet drink or buy raffle tickets. Because of this interval, it is a very sociable event – far more so in my experience than weekly bridge. So if you are one of those who have always fought shy of playing in the One Day Event, why not give it a go this year? You won’t regret it – that’s a promise! Sadly and ironically, because of an unexpected change of holiday dates entirely outside our control, I won’t be there this year, but I shall be thinking of you all having a great time. Remember – this is the pinnacle of your life as a member of Rugby Bridge Club.” We are looking for raffle prizes for this event and would be grateful for any donations. Please bring them along to one of the sessions so we can collate them. Remember, it is in a good cause! Help with the catering would be most welcome. We require helpers to set out and serve the food and to clear up afterwards. Please help if you can! Please give your name to either Wendy Pattinson or Chris Cooper by 8th April. The menu comprises different cold meats, pork pie, quiches, with a variety of salads, chips (to die for), cheese and biscuits and various desserts. A veritable feast! If you would like to volunteer to help/make some of the dishes, please see Christine or Wendy. Various salads, quiches, gateaux will be most welcome. Please note that you will be reimbursed for any expense. We are particularly looking forward to one or more of Ken’s famous chocolate cakes. Expect to be bullied over the next week! RUBBER BRIDGE COMPETITION If you would like to take part in this competition, which will be starting at the end of May, please let Terry Bradbury know. His e-mail address is: winesof.quality@virgin.net. Entry is £5 per pair, but every penny will go to the Rugby Myton Hospice – again, a very good cause. Please send him your name by 29th April. MATCH BETWEEN RUGBY BRIDGE CLUB AND LUTTERWORTH BRIDGE CLUB This will be taking place at Cotesbach Village Hall on Monday, 13th June. We will be looking for eight pairs to take part in this annual competition. RUGBY and DISTRICT BRIDGE LEAGUE This is the first season that the League has been running a website [http://www.bridgewebs.com/rugbyleague/] to keep everyone up to date with teams, calendars and news. There are not many match or team stories coming through yet but I hope that this will develop in the coming seasons. We are also reporting a summary to the local papers on a weekly basis and you can see this in the Rugby Advertiser and Rugby Observer bridge section. All teams now have a designated team captain, a list of players and a logo. The latest news on all four competitions can be seen under the ‘Competitions’ tabs. For Division 1 - Graham’s Gambits lead and Rugby YoYos trail having won only one match so far this season and are looking set to be relegated again. In second place lies Rugby ‘Eroes just ahead of Rugby Cavaliers and Rugby Discards. For Division 2 - new team, Daventry Dragons, have stormed into the lead and U3A Jokers are having a poor season at the bottom of the league. JCBC Lutterworth are in second place and Rugby Lambs are in third place. In the Handicap Cup, Rugby Discards have already won their place through to the final when they will play the Rugby All Stars. The Knockout Cup, which started later, is still in the earlier rounds. The Committee meets quarterly so if anyone wishes to raise any issues or raise any correspondence please email Cassie Shaw on cassie.shaw@uk.vwr.com. Our next meeting is on 23rd May. Dates for your diary include the AGM which has been set for Monday, 11th July and it will be held at the Ex-Serviceman’s Club in Hillmorton and is expected to start at 19:00 to allow time for a free bridge evening starting somewhere between 19:30 and 20:00. We are also planning an afternoon/early evening Summer Event at the Ex-Servicemen’s Club on Sunday, 24th July. A Sunday lunch is available at the Club and a high tea will be provided later in the session. More details will be published later. VENUE CHANGE There will be a change of venue for the Wednesday evening session. From the 6th April it will move to the Ex-Servicemens’ Club, Hillmorton. In addition we are commencing an afternoon session at the Clifton Townsend Memorial Hall on Monday, 4th April, 1.30pm start. NEW MEMBERS Our membership continues to increase and we welcome Peter and Alison Crowhurst, Debbie Welch, Roy Deacon, David and Jane Reed - enjoy your bridge. This is in part due to our increased publicity through the Rugby Advertiser and Rugby Observer (have you read our weekly column?), and the ‘About Rugby’ magazine. BRIDGE HOLIDAYS Several of our members have been on bridge holidays and Anne Carrington and Cassie Shaw have put their experiences in print for your delight. Have you ever thought of going on a Bridge Holiday? Perhaps it is something that has never crossed your mind? Imagine going on holiday and pursuing your interests in the day, and playing bridge at night. Bridge holidays can be very flexible. I have tried various ones from two day weekends with Mr Bridge, which are very educational, and topics vary from to Avoidance to Overcalls, and include learning sessions most of the day and playing at night, to five day Bridge Holidays which include half board and accommodation. Bridge sessions are often in the mornings, and evenings, usually pairs or teams events. These can be very enjoyable as you get to know the other players, as you are all in the same hotel. I have been as a single player, and with a partner. So how about giving it a go? Anne Carrington Festival at Cannes - Bridge not Film! Club members, Phil, Sue, Petr and Cassie, went to Cannes for bridge and some sunshine and found both, but we were glad that we took our coats too! Glamorous Cannes with its boutiques, restaurants and yachts and the venue for the event, the Palace des Festivals immortalised in film festivals for years, certainly lived up to all our expectations. As to the bridge, the first day’s play - after a four o’clock in the morning start to catch the plane - was demanding as we grappled with French convention cards, having to alert standard ACOL bids because they were not part of recognised French conventions, calling for cards by French numbers and ‘couleurs’, dealing with cards marked 1 for Aces and remembering to count them as ‘4’, recognising that the Roi is our King, Dame is our Queen and Valet our knave also led to some confusion. We came 87th and 89th out of 106. The French kept very civilised hours for the festival, starting at 15:00 to allow time for a good lunch and a period of digestion and finishing around seven in time for aperitifs! However, civilised was not the word for the Gallic temperament we experienced when they started getting emotional with their partners’ over bids and play. Not behaviour that would be accepted normally at the English bridge table where we are all more reserved!! How did we do? Well, we did not cover ourselves with glory and come home with any cash prizes but we finished in the middle of the field by the end of day five out of 150 pairs. We had to concentrate a bit harder than we would have done at an equivalent English tournament but could all hold our heads up high. We met a lot of interesting people, learned a lot of French bridge terms [including ‘arbitre’ for Tournament Director!] and will feel much braver in taking part in other International Congresses in the future. Is anyone interested in joining us? Cassie Shaw AN INTERESTING EVENING Power cut match - Clifton Clubs v Daventry Dragons The home bridge league match was proceeding along as usual, when suddenly all the lights went out and we sat in complete darkness. After the initial shock, a lighter lit the room. This galvanised us into action. The gas cooker was lit, and candles were sought. We resumed playing with 3 candles in one room, and 2 candles and a torch in the other. (Not fork handles?) Fortunately, the power resumed after 30 minutes, which was as much as our strained eyes could stand. It made no difference to the score – we lost. LETTERS to the EDITOR Dear Editor In Newsletter No 3, under the heading ‘Our Roving Reporter’, a critical comment was made about oldies not putting anything back into the game. In any club or organisation throughout the country there are activists and non-activists who could be of any age. Specifically to highlight the non active oldies without mentioning the others is a biased and unfair approach. Club members with less than 10 years membership would be well advised to consider how the Club reached its position before they joined if it was not for the work put in by those who are now oldies. Another factor which younger members will find is that, when they are old, their energy levels will drop. When I reached my eighties I took a positive decision to withdraw from putting things back into the game so that I would not block younger members with fresh ideas from taking over. Subsequently to be specifically castigated for doing so is both inaccurate and unjust. Malcolm Taylor Dear Editor I have been playing bridge for 25 years and am still enjoying the game. In fact my enjoyment has been enhanced by the computer dealt hands. No longer do I drive home thinking that was a boring evening, with hardly a hand to think about. We now have a number of exciting hands every sessions. The hand outs are also a bonus allowing me to study the hands with my legs at 90 degrees. I would also like to thank our excellent committee and in particular to those who have brought in the bridgemates with all the organisation they involve. Rugby Bridge Club is developing from strength to strength due to the hard work put in by a large number of members. I hope this continues and also that it becomes a proper bridge club by joining the EBU. Best wishes to you all, Val Wormleighton COMPUTER DEALT HANDS By coincidence, the subject of computer dealt hands was discussed in Mr Bridge this month, The question asked was are they different from ‘normally dealt hands?’ Mr Bridge’s reply was that the hands are truly random, and he went on to describe the benefits of computer dealt hands. Mr Bridge Page 28, April 2011. If any of you do not receive the Mr Bridge magazine please see Wendy who will put you on their mailing list. It is FREE and full of interesting and useful information. DIRECTOR’S CORNER POST MORTEMS Post-Mortems are an integral part of Bridge and should be used to improve one’s game but please do not: a) Use it to criticise one’s partner who, after all, is a part of the team and is usually well aware when a mistake has occurred. Criticism of your partner is usually viewed unfavourably by your opponents. b) Continue it when meeting new opponents. c) Allow it to be overheard at other tables. d) Start it until you have finished playing all boards in the current round as you could be holding up the overall movement. ROVING REPORTER In our series of finding out a little more about some of the prominent members our Roving Reporter next tackled our hardworking secretary Chris Cooper – Where on earth does she find time to look after us so well???? When and where did you first play bridge and what were your first impressions of the game? I first played about 1969 at the Intervarsity Club in Birmingham, with very basic instructions. I had always played a lot of card games but immediately found bridge to be immensely enjoyable and by far and away the best card game. How long have you been a member of Rugby Bridge Club and why did you join? You and I joined together in 1994, starting with Thursday evenings at Ashlawn Road and then going on to Tuesdays, as we wanted to play more often than the occasional social bridge we were playing in Rugby. I seem to remember that the 7.15 p.m. start suited us better than the earlier start of other clubs in the area at that time whilst we were working. Which bidding system do you use and why do you like it? My preferred system is Benjamised Acol but am equally happy to play Basic Acol and variations on both systems. I think “Benjy” gives you more opportunity to bid (although some partners think I rarely bid anyway!). It is very effective at preventing the opposition finding their best contract. The job of Secretary is onerous at times. How do you cope with it and what satisfaction does it give you? I must first thank my husband for his tolerance and help when I seem to be busy on Club matters! The work can take anything from a couple of hours a week to two or more days per week depending on what needs to be done – such as servicing the Directors’ meetings, the AGMs and EGMs and organising the Annual Dinner. I am pleased to be part of a developing Club. You’ve had several partners. What qualities do you look for in a good partner? I’m not sure how this makes me sound as a partner myself! Looking at my present two “regular” partners, I think I have my perfect partners. They are much better players than myself and tactfully advise on how I could be a better player. (Hopefully one day this might sink in!) They are always pleasant both to the opposition and me so I can feel relaxed and enjoy the evening’s bridge. I like to feel there is a friendly atmosphere at the bridge table. What other sports or hobbies do you enjoy? I enjoy swimming but don’t get to the pool very often. My favourite past time is walking my dog, but also enjoy gardening, cooking, reading and solving codeword puzzles. Can you remember any particular triumphs at the bridge table? I seem to remember my awful disasters far more easily! However, 2010 was a particularly good year, with Chris Rowles and myself winning both the Williams Trophy and the Perrins Trophy and coming second overall on Tuesday evenings. Thank you, Chris. What do you think of the computer dealt hands we now use in most sessions? I enjoy these hands and find them interesting and challenging. For those who complain about the hands, all I can say is that we all have the same boards with the same problem distributions. It is good to have the printout of the hands afterwards, together with the detailed results immediately at the end of the evening, thanks to the Bridgemates. (Bridgemates make a big saving of TDs’ time after the session ends.) How could we make Rugby Bridge Club even more welcoming for new players? It would be much easier if we all played in the same venue and could have a large notice board with all our news and newsletters for new players to see. At the moment the start of the evening is taken up with setting up the room with the tables, when perhaps more time at the start of the evening could be given to chatting to new players when they first come to the Club. What sort of club would you like to see in ten years’ time? I hope that we will be in one venue for all our sessions. Hopefully our Summer and Christmas socials (with bridge) are going to be one way in which all our members will participate and mix and find that “Fun Bridge” is a good social event. Our annual dinners are another way for all sessions to integrate and for our non bridge playing partners to meet everyone they hear about during the year. I hope that the Club is going to continue to grow as it has done recently and that we are known as a friendly Club attracting bridge players of all levels of experience. WEBSITE A reminder that all the latest information and results for the Club can be found on our website: http://www.bridgewebs.com/rugbylimited/ FINALLY I hope you have enjoyed this Newsletter and it has encouraged members to put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard, to let us know your opinions or thoughts, and to share your experiences. My only plea is, please, submit computer composed contributions in Times New Roman font, 14pt otherwise I spend ages fiddling about with font changes. Wendy Pattinson - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - AGM 19TH APRIL 2011 PROXY VOTE FOR EBU AFFILIATION I wish to nominate …………………………………………………….. to vote on my behalf at the AGM of Rugby Bridge Club on Tuesday, 19th April 2011. Signed ……………………………………………………………………. Date ………………………………………………………………………. Please return before 15th April 2011 to: Christine Cooper, 82 Montague Road, Rugby CV22 6LU |