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Address of this website

www.claygate.club

President — Mary Blundell

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Your Committee

Chairman — Gavin Wilson 

Treasurer — Rowena Austin 📧 rowena@claygate.club

Secretary — Fay D'Abo

Membership — Pauline Harris 📧 pauline@claygate.club

Refreshments  Julie Minards 📧 juliem@claygate.club

Refreshments  Vicky Bevan 📧 vicky@claygate.club

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The Director team

The Director team comprises:

  • Rowena Austin
  • John Murtagh
  • Gavin Wilson
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The Scorer team

The Scoring Team comprises:

  • Gavin Wilson

Claygate now uses a wireless scoring system called BridgePal, which runs on smartphones and tablets.  Further information about BridgePal can be found here.

AGM 10th March 1980
Minutes of Annual General Meeting, held on 10th March 1980

CLAYGATE BRIDGE CLUB

Minutes of Annual General Meeting, held on 10th March 1980


Thirty-one Members (including Officers and Committee) attended. Apologies for absence were received from:

  • Mrs. Buckland
  • Mr. H. Franks
  • Mr. & Mrs. Lloyd
  • Mrs. Martin
  • Mrs. Morgan
  • Mrs. Morris
  • Mrs. Symes.

1. Chairman's address

Mrs. Melliar-Smith outlined the club's development from its origins as a fund-raising whist club in aid of the Conservative party to a club where rubber bridge was taught and played, and finally to its present phase of playing duplicate pairs. She thanked various officers and Members for voluntary efforts on behalf of the club, particularly Mrs. Crew for taking charge of the club's finances and negotiating the hire of the Church hall, Miss Royle for her work as Hon. Secretary, Mr. Russell for directing, Mrs. Rhodes for organising refreshments and Mr. Stevens for auditing the accounts. A small presentation was made to Mr. Stevens.

2. Hon. Secretary's report

After mentioning the important step taken by the club in becoming affiliated to the Surrey Association and the English Bridge Union, with the consequent incentive to win master points and advance in rank, Miss Royle reviewed the club's activities and the achievements of some Members during the past year.

The team of eight entered in the Surrey Knock-out had lost to Farnham in the first round. In the Thames Valley Knock-out, Miss Royle's team had reached the quarter-finals, while Mrs. Melliar-Smith's team had been knocked out in the first round.

In the Thames Valley League competition, the results of the four teams entered had been as follows:

Team 1 (Captain, Mr. Russell) - six matches played, 1 won, 2 lost, 3 drawn, with 1 still to play.
Team 2 (Captain, Mrs. Hill) - seven matches played, 3 won, 4 lost.
Team 3 (Captain, Mrs. Melliar-Smith) five matches played, 1 won, 3 lost, 1 drawn, 1 TO PLAY.
Team 4 (Captain, Mr. Shuter) - seven matches played, 4 won, 3 lost.

Mr. & Mrs. Russell, after winning the Club championship for the second year in succession, had gained third place in the Nary Edwards Cup; Mrs. Samuelson and Mr. Stevens, teamed with Mr. & Mrs. Russell, had reached the finals of the Kortright Cup, and in the Thames Valley championship, seven pairs from Claygate played, five reaching the finals, in which Mrs. Raymond and Mrs. Jones Came fifth.

The Christmas Party had been enjoyed by about 30 Members.

3. Hon. Treasurer's report.

The audited accounts were circulated, showing a balance in hand of £60.80 at 31st. December 1979. Since then, in accordance with views expressed at a well-attended duplicate evening in August, 1979, donations of £25 each had been made to the Conservative Party and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (chosen by lot from one of several charities suggested by Members). A letter of thanks from the R.N.L.I. was read to the meeting. (The other donation had not been acknowledged). The sum of £10.80 remained in hand. The cost of hiring the hall would remain unchanged until August, but would increase thereafter.

Mrs. Melliar-Smith pointed out that costs of hiring the hall and other expenses were increasing, and the Committee were therefore recommending an increase in the annual subscrption to £2.

4. Election of Officers, Committee and Hon. Auditor.

No other nominations having been received, the existing Officers and Committee and tha Hon. Auditor were re-elected, viz.:

  • Chairman Mrs. Melliar-Smith
    • Proposed by Mrs. Samuelson, seconded by Mrs. Minto
  • Hon. Secretary Miss Royle
    • proposed by Mrs. Melliar-Smith, seconded by Mrs. Pickard
  • Hon. Treasurer Mrs. Crew
    • proposed by Mr. Russell, seconded by
  • Hon. Auditor Mr. Stevens
    • proposed by Mrs. Crew, seconded by Mrs. Samuelson.
  • The Committee (Mr. Hill, Mrs. Hudson, Mr. Russell and Mrs. Samuelson) were re-elected en bloc.
    • Proposed by Mrs Hill, seconded by Mrs Pickard.

5. Other Business

(a)

Mr. Scantlin, seconded by Mrs. Scantlin, proposed that play should begin promptly at 7.45 p.m. and no later, late arrivers being barred from play; and that persistently slow pairs shpuld be penalised.

Mr. Russell, whilst favouring a punctual start in principle, argued that some latitude should be allowed in Cases where one member of a pair arrived and was able to assert that the other, though delayed, was confidently to be expected. As for slow play, it was far from easy to pin responsibility for delay on one pair at a table.

Mr. Shuter suggested that slow play should be discouraged (not penalised), and that inquests should not be held.

This appeared to meet general approval.

(b)

Mrs. Day, seconded by Mrs. Jones, proposed that play in the club should at all times adhere to the international code, Laws of Duplicate Bridge (1975) - from which she quoted - and that the director should impose the appropriate penalties.

Mr. Russell pointed out that, without having any previous experience of, or qualifications for, directing duplicate bridge, he had done so to the utmost of his ability; he hoped to find an opportunity of acquiring some formal training under the auspices of the Surrey Association.

If any other member would volunteer to take on this function, either permanently or as an occasional relief, he would be more than pleased to concentrate on play, without interruption. He did not, however, favour the invariable and rigid application of the rules in friendly contests.

The point was not pursued.

(c)

Mr. Fisher, seconded by Mr. Scantlin, proposed that no donations should be made to charity or other recipients, from any surplus funds. It was particularly inappropriate to give away a useful surplus and at the same time increase subscriptions to cover rising costs. Political allegiance had no part to play in a bridge club, unless, of course, in a political club, where no rent need be paid for the use of premises.

Mr. Melliar-Smith pointed out that the club owed its inception, indeed its existence, to fund-raising efforts on behalf of the Conservative party, and urged that this link should not be broken.

The Chairman pointed out that, even with the small increase now recommended, the annual subscrition would be very modest.

Mr. Russell reminded the meeting that the Membership had been consulted about the disposal of the surplus on a well-attended duplicate evening last summer. A majority had favoured continuation of the existing practice of handing over the surplus to the Conservative party, but a substantial minority preferred a donation to a selected charity. Thus, the present compromise of a 50-50 allocation had been adopted as a compromise which gave full weight to the minority view.

The chairman suggested that the issue should be determined by a ballot of the total membership.

Mr. Scantlin expressed the view that this annual general meeting must be competent to decide this issue.

Mr. Russell seconded the Chairman's proposal, which was carried.

(d)

The Chairman asked whether, in order to save time, Members would prefer to dispense with refreshments. This proposal found no support, but attract ea signs of dissent.

Miss Royle suggested, as an alternative, that when refreshments were ready, dummy at each table should collect them, thus avoiding a simultaneous move to the service hatch, with consequent queuing and delay. The alternative method worked very satisfactorily at another club.

Mr. Fisher and Mr. Hill confirmed this, and the suggestion was adopted.

The meeting closed at 7.35 p.m.