Welcome to the Bracknell Bridge League.  

We have been been running a teams-of-four Bridge league in the Bracknell, Wokingham, Crowthorne, Camberley and Yateley area for more than 50 years and currently have three divisions in the League as well as a knockout handicap/pivot competition. New teams are welcome to join. Team members do not need to be EBU members, or members of a local club, to play in the league.  You do need a minimum of four players (preferably 5 or 6 to provide reserves), and a venue where you can host your home matches. Please contact info.bbl@bridgewebs.com for more information, or if you wish to register interest in entering a team in the 2019/20 season.  Entries close on the 17th July 2019.

2019-2020 Season

We are now accepting League and Pivot/Handicap Cup entries for the 2019/2020 season. 
The costs are unchanged from last season at £10.00 per team for the League, and £7.00 per team for the Pivot/Handicap Cup. The preferred method of payment is by Bank Transfer (BACS), although cash will also be accepted.
Existing Club contacts should have already received an e-mail from Ian Adnams, the League Secretary, regarding this and including bank details for payment.  Club or Team contacts who have not received the e-mail but who wish to enter a team should advise Ian by e-mail to sec.bbl@bridgewebs.com of the number of teams to be entered for each competition by 17th July 2019.
Any changes to teams’ details – contacts, venue, home nights etc. - should be notified at the same time.  New teams will always be welcome – please e-mail Ian at the above address for further information
The rules on playing for different clubs trialled last season has now been formally adopted. The detail of the relevant rules may be found on the website (insert link), but in summary players may play for a team from a second club, provided that the teams are in different divisions.  The total number of matches an individual may play in a season has been modified to enable all players to play the same number of matches if they so wish.  The limit is defined by the total number of matches played by a team in the division with largest number of teams. Currently, the largest division has 7 teams, so an individual may play up to 12 matches, irrespective of the division in which they play. The league has always had an unwritten understanding that established partnerships should not play in a division that is much lower than their usual standing. This has now been formalised in the rules, limiting ‘playing down’ to just one division. Thus a pair who normally play in division one cannot play in division three, etc. 
Of course, the rules on player eligibility can be waived by the Committee in exceptional circumstances and teams should write to the League Secretary detailing the circumstances if they wish to seek an exemption at any stage. 
Both league fixtures and the draw for the Pivot should be available on the website by early August. In the meantime a provisional list of proposed playing weeks for the league schedule is available now (insert link) – this should help teams plan ahead if they partake in other leagues etc. Clubs are also reminded that, provided both team captains agree, matches may be played on any day and at any time, not just Monday to Thursday evenings defined in the published schedule.  Any changes to match dates can be made by captains in LMS without the need to notify the fixture secretary.

End of Season Pairs 2018/19

Well done Jennie & Bruce!!!

For Photos of the Season's winners, click HERE

The league held its AGM on 25th April – minutes of the meeting and those of the Committee meeting that preceded the AGM are now uploaded to the Minutes Page (under League Governance).  The Chairman, Bill Barclay, has resigned following his recent move out of the area, with Dave Lee replacing Bill as Chair. All other Committee members will remain in post for the new season. We all wish Bill and his family the very best for the future and thank him for his short but very successful tenure in which he did much to promote the league and ensure its well-being. At the AGM it was confirmed that the rules which allow players to represent a second club will be formally adopted following a successful trial last season. The detail of the rules governing the changes will be published on the website over the next few weeks once they are ratified by the Committee. The league has also announced its intention to rotate the day of the week on which the EOSP takes place from the end of next season.

2018 / 2019 Season

The BBL League fixtures and first round Pivot Draw are now live to view on LMS.

As a result of our recent survey we are in the process of making some some changes to the League Rules, which will be updated on the Web Site shortly.  A brief summary follows below: 

First, the rule on playing for different clubs has been relaxed slightly.  For the next season, we will be trialling a regime where players may play for teams from different clubs, provided that the teams are in different divisions, and no player may play in more matches than those that are available to a team playing in the lowest division in which he or she plays.  It will also be emphasised in the new version of the rules that, provided both team captains agree, matches may be played on any day and at any time, not just Monday to Thursday evenings.   Finally, the amended rules will emphasise that the normal method of reporting results is through the EBU LMS system.  

There are also some relaxations to the Pivot rules that will be processed shortly.  First, although players in the Pivot may only play for one team competing in the Pivot, teams may be drawn from more than one club.  Secondly, although teams are asked to adhere strictly to the deadlines for rounds being played, teams having difficulty doing so should not withdraw from the competition without consulting the Committee first.  Finally, Pivot Team Captains should be reminded that, unlike the league where the responsibility for notifying the results sits with the home team captain, in the Pivot competition, it is the responsibility of the winning captain to upload the results using the EBU Knockout system (or notify the Pivot Secretary) within 48 hours of the match being played.  

Leagues & Pivot

We are now accepting League and Pivot/Handicap Cup entries for the 2018/2019 season.

The costs are unchanged from last season at  £10.00 per team for the League, and £7.00 per team for the Pivot/Handicap Cup.  The preferred method of payment is by Bank Transfer (BACS), although cash will also be accepted.

Existing Club contacts should have already received an email from Ian Adnams, the League Secretary, regarding this including bank details for payment.  Club or Team contacts who have not received the email but who wish to enter a team should advise Ian by email to  sec.bbl@bridgewebs.com of the number of Teams to be entered for each competition by 25 July 2018.

Any changes to Teams’ details – contacts, venue, home nights etc. - should be notified at the same time.  New teams will always be welcome – please email Ian at the above address for further information.

BBL Minutes

Committee and AGM Minutes now uploaded to the Minutes page (under League Governance)

BBL End of Season Pairs

A total of 30 Pairs played in the End of Season Pairs event and results can be seen on this website

Well done to Marcelli & Bill for winning and to all those who took part.

Photo's have been uploaded and these are within the history tab

BBL Survey April/May 18

A total of 67 individuals responded to the survey:  50 answered the survey for current players and 17 responded to the non-current player survey.  The Committee would like to thank all those who took the time and trouble to complete either survey.  A summary of the responses is on the League Survey page (also accessible from the menu on the left). 

The results were discussed at the AGM.  Following this, the Committee does not propose to make any significant changes in the structure of the League, the playing season or policies regarding where and when matches are to be played.  Greater freedom will be given to teams who wish to organise their matches during the day – but this must be with the express consent of both teams. Although the majority of responses indicated that players are satisfied that the current number of matches is ‘about right’, it is likely that the number of teams wishing to play in the league next season will naturally result in a slight reduction in the number of matches to be played, and the Committee will review this when the applications from teams wishing to play in the next season have been received.

End of Season Pairs 2017/18. The annual End of Season Pairs competition will take place on Thursday 31 May 2018 at Finchampstead Memorial Hall, The Village, Finchampstead RG40 4JU.  The cost of entry will again be £6.00 per pair, payable on the day.  Entry is open to all players, not just those who took part in the League or Pivot Handicap Cup.  Player registration starts at 7pm and the presentation of trophies for the League and Handicap/Pivot competitions will take place at 7:15pm.  

Pairs wishing to enter the competition are asked to complete the form on the EOSP page (also available through the main left menu) as soon as possible.  

There is a downloadable poster here which is available for display in clubs.

Bracknell Bridge League Privacy Policy. The League has produced a Privacy Policy in anticipation of the implementation of the EU General Data Protection Regulation, which comes into effect on 25 May 2018.  A copy of the Policy is available to view here, and it can also be found under the League Governance menu above. 

There was a Committee Meeting held on 8 February.  A copy of the Minutes is available to view here. 

A NEW BRIDGE MAGAZINE is a new, completely FREE, on-line magazine edited by Mark Horton. Contributors include: David Bird, Alan Mould, Larry Cohen, Alex Adamson & Harry Smith, Sally Brock, Julian Pottage, Liz McGowan and Kit Woolsey. It has been recently added to our links page or you can click: www.newbridgemag.com.

There was a Committee Meeting held on 12 October.  A copy of the Minutes is available to view here.