R U L E S

1. The name of the club is the “Dell Bridge Club”, and shall be comprised of the duly elected and paid up members.
2. The objects of the club are the provision of opportunities for the playing of Contract Bridge and matters incidental thereto.
3. Every candidate for membership shall be proposed and seconded by members of the Club. Candidates for membership shall be elected by the committee at its sole discretion.
4. The management of the club shall be entrusted to a Committee consisting of a Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Tournament Director and five other members of the Club, all to be elected at the Annual General Meeting. The Committee Shall meet at such times as the Chairman or his appointed Deputy may direct and at all such meetings five shall form a quorum. All Committee decisions will be decided by a simple majority, with the Chairman having a casting vote.
5. The Committee shall have power at any time to co-opt any other member of the Club as a member of the Committee either to fill a vacancy or for any other reason.
6. The Tournament Director, after consultation with the committee, shall have the power to
   1. prescribe rules for the holding of Bridge contests or competitions:
   2. delegate to any other person the running of any of the Club’s Bridge events
   3. adjudicate upon matters arising out of the playing of the Clubs Bridge contests or competitions
7. Every member shall pay to the Club such entrance fee and annual subscription as determined at the preceding Annual General Meeting subject to the Committee’s discretion to accept a lesser annual subscription for a period of membership less than one year.
8. The Committee shall have the authority to apply the Club funds for the benefit of the Club as they may think fit. In particular the Committee may award prizes for Club events and pay for or contribute to the expenses of members participating in national or local Bridge tournaments. The Committee may also make donations to the English Bridge Union or a national, county or charitable body sponsoring the interests of Bridge.
9. An Annual General Meeting shall be held each year at a date to be determined by the Chairman and at this meeting the following business shall be transacted:-
   1. The presentation and, if accepted, the passing of the accounts:
   2. The election of the officers and the committee:
   3. The election of an auditor:
   4. Such other business as shall have been communicated to the Secretary 14 days before the meeting: providing that the Chairman of the meeting may, at his discretion, accept proposals from members at the meeting.
10. An Extraordinary General Meeting may be held at any time and shall convened on the request of not less than 15 members or at such times as the Committee may decide.
11. Any notices as to meetings or otherwise shall be given by placing the same on the Notice Board of the Club but may also be given orally by announcing the same at Club meetings.
12. Conduct [as per rule 26 of the EBU Model Club Constitution (version 3 – June 2002)]
    1. In the event of a complaint being made to the Committee about the conduct of a member of the Club the Committee [27] may, and if a written complaint is received signed by at least 3 members of the Club, it shall [28] investigate the complaint.
    2. On investigating such a complaint the Committee shall give the member about whose conduct the complaint has been made an opportunity to be heard.
    3. If on investigating such a complaint the Committee is of the opinion that the member has behaved in an unacceptable manner or in such a manner as to cause injury to the interests of the Club, then the Committee may reprimand the member, suspend the member from the privileges of membership for such a period as it may think fit, or expel the member from the Club.
    4. The Committee shall forthwith notify the member of any decision made on the investigation of a complaint about his conduct, and may if it thinks fit, publicise the decision by displaying a notice at the headquarters of the Club.
    5. An appeal shall lie to a General Meting of the Club against any decision to reprimand, suspend or expel a member of the Club following the investigation of a complaint about his conduct.
    6. Notice of such an appeal must be in writing and delivered to the Secretary within two weeks of the notification to the member of the decision of the Committee.
    7. In the event of an appeal being made against it, the decision of the Committee shall not be put into effect until the appeal has been determined.
    8. On the appeal being heard by a General Meeting of the Club, the General Meeting shall have power to overrule the conclusion of the Committee, or to uphold it, in which event the sanction imposed by the Committee may be confirmed or varied (to any sanction which the Committee was empowered to impose, or none).
    9. Nothing in this Constitution shall preclude the Committee from referring a matter of conduct to the Conduct Committee [29] of the [30] County Contract Bridge Association, or to the Laws & Ethics Committee of the English Bridge Union if it considers it appropriate to do so.(subject to the provisions of Clause 15).
13. Any decision of the majority of the members of the Club present at a general meeting shall be binding on all members.
14. No alteration or addition to these rules shall be made except by a resolution carried by a majority of at least two-thirds of the members present at a general meeting.
15. Any resolution for the winding up of the Club and the subsequent disposal of its assets must be carried, at a general meeting, by a majority of at least two-thirds of the total paid-up members of the Club by written vote.