An Overview of Special Events at MBC
Updated for 2027 Calendar. Costs are agreed for 2027 calendar year.
The special events at the clubhouse can be mostly broken down into four categories: club managed special events, regional, state, and national events. These special events are highlighted in the calendar: MBC managed special events are blue, regional events are purple, state events are red and national events are gold. Some additional regional events are included in our calendar for information only, these are shown as grey. Typically February and March are our busiest months for event at th clubhouse
Club Special Events
Red (B4c) Masterpoint Events
Each year, Bridge NSW (BNSW) allocates us a number of red masterpoints which we can use for special events. (refer secion 2.6 of the ABF Masterpoint manual). In 2027, we were allocated red masterpoints for thirteen sessions (Refer ABF club allocations). It is completely at our discretion how we will use these masterpoints, though the sessions may not be advertised beyond the clubrooms. These are described in more detail below.
Club Championships (Red MPs)
In October we run the club championships for Open, Intermediate (<300MPs) and Novice (<50MPs) divisions - with MPs as determined at the end of the prior month. These championships are run over four sessions, with the winner in each division being the eligible pair with the highest aggregate score over the four sessions. You are allowed two substitutes per pair. These are played as matchpoint events and the winners are determined by the aggregated % score for each pair. We usually celebrate division winners with drinks and nibbles after the last event. In 2027 we will be running these club championship games as Red (B4c) masterpoint events
Cost: table money only.
Club Championships - Rookies (Green MPs)
Our Rookies get two bites of the cherry, as, in addition to being eligible to compete in October Club Champs, we also run a separate event in November just for our Rookie players (<10MPs). This event is usually played on a Saturday in parallel with the regular Saturday session. This competition commenced in 2023.
Cost: table money only. Registration required.
Seasonal Events (Red MPs)
We usually run four Red B4c quarterly events. These may be one or two session events. You dont need to play both sessions of an event, though you may be eligible for additional MPs if you do.
Cost: table money only.
President's Trophy (Green MPs)
This event is usually scheduled in March, and is by invitation only. The ten pairs with the highest winning percentage in a club game in the previous year are invited to compete for the trophy. Only scores from matchpoint sessions with at least five tables are eligible for consideration. Pro-Am style events are excluded from consideration. Played in parallel with the regular club saturday session. Matchpoint scoring.
Cost: table money only.
Ros Simpson Trophy (Green MPs)
Usually played in November, players are assigned partners on the day, with less experienced players being partnered with the more experienced. A standard system card is provided as also is lunch :) You DO need to register for this event. This proved to be one of the most successful events in the 2023 calendar and as such ...
Cost: table money only. Registration required for catering purposes
Dianne and Bill Samuel Trophy Swiss Pairs (Red MPs)
Usually played in November. This is played as a two session Swiss Pairs event played over two consecutive weeks. Scoring is IMPs to VPs
Cost: table money only. Registration required.
Pro-Am Events (Green MPs)
In 2024 we introduced a new event, the Pro-Am. The format is exactly the same as the Ros Simpson Trophy - without the trophy. Two or three of these events are run throughout the year.
Cost: table money only.
Regional Events
InterClub Swiss Pairs (Red (B5i) MPs)
There are two interclub swiss pairs with the first being played at Batemans Bay and the second played here at Mollymook. Batemans Bay, Moruya, Malua Bay and Milton clubs are all invited to send players to compete. These are all day events with lunch provided.
Cost: Usually $10 or $15 per player. You need to register to play in these events.
Ruth Lumbers Trophy (Red MPs)
A Swiss Pairs event. Players from Nowra, Moruya, Batemans Bay and Mollymook are invited to compete. Winning club is determined by the aggregated VP score of the top three pairs from each club. Winning club to be inscribed on the honour board.
Cost: no cost for home club members
Other Regional Events
Mollymook can nominate to be involved in five regional red point (B5i) events. Usually these are comprised of Ruth Lumbers, Two Interclub events, and the Alan Booker and Keith Herron events hosted by Nowra
State Events
State Teams Championship Selection (Red MPs)
This event is run over four sessions, usually in Feb/Mar. As with all of the selection events - everyone is welcome to play regardless of whether you are trying to qualify for the championship or not and you can play in as few or as many sessions as you wish. The format is different to most other events as the movement is similar to a Swiss Pairs event. In 2026 BNSW changed the format for this event, such that it was run in three divisions based on MP rankings of players. Nice concept, terrible execution. It is unknown what the plan is for 2027. See State Championships Teams Selection Events.pdf for more information
Cost: table money only. No registration required.
State Pairs Championship Selection (Red MPs)
Everyone is welcome to play regardless of whether you are trying to qualify for the championship or not, and you can play in as few or as many sessions as you wish. This event is run over four sesions, usually in June. In 2026 BNSW changed the format for this event, such that it was run in three divisions based on MP rankings of players. Nice concept, terrible execution. It is unknown what the plan is for 2027. See State Championships Pairs Selection Events.pdf for more information
Cost: table money only. No registration required.
State Mixed Pairs Selection (Red MPs)
Everyone is welcome to play regardless of whether you are trying to qualify for the championship or not, and you can play in as few or as many sessions as you wish. This event is run over four sesions, usually in April. Wherever possible, it would be great to see people competing as mixed pairs - we know that this is not possible given that about two-thirds of the club are women - but please try. It is unclear what BNSW plans to do with this event in 2027.
Cost: table money only. No registration required.
State Wide Pairs (Green MPs)
The State Wide Pairs is usually played early August. This is a state managed competition where every competing NSW club plays the same hands and the results are compared state wide. The organisers charge a cost per player to compete in this event, but this additional cost is covered by MBC.
Cost: table money only. No registration required.
National Events
Grand National Open Teams Selection (Gold MPs)
This is the only national level event which is run as a club event. As with all of the qualifying events - everyone is welcome to play regardless of whether you are trying to qualify for the championship or not and you can play in as few or as many sessions as you wish. This event is run over five sessions, usually in April. The format is identical to the State (Country) Teams with the movement being similar to a Swiss Pairs event. Selection process for team to be sponsored to regional or zonal championships is as per selection process for State Championships Teams (see above), with the slight difference that the scoring is based on the best four of five results.
Cost: table money only. No registration required.
Australia-Wide Pairs
Similar to the State Wide Pairs, the Australian Bridge magazine hosts three Australia-Wide Pairs events each year. Mollymook competes in the Australia-Wide Novice Pairs (< 100MPs - May) and the Australia-Wide Open Pairs (August). There is also an Australia-Wide Restricted Pairs (< 300 MPs) but this is usually run in October which is a busy month event wise. MBC covers the additional cost of $5 entry per player to this event.
Cost: table money only. No registration required.
Registration
For some events you are required to register in order to play in the event. There are a few reasons why we might need people to register:
- Because we need to make sure that we have an even number of pairs (eg Swiss Pairs events)
- For catering purposes (eg Ros Simpson)
- To assist the director in setting up the event (eg Club Classic and Rookie Pairs)
- To provide numbers to other clubs who are hosting interclub events (eg Interclub with Batemans Bay)
All events which require registration will have a sign up sheet on the notice board at the clubhouse. To register you can either email the MBC Event coordinator, or you can enter your pair or team members names on the sign-up sheet.
NOTE: in the event overviews below, unless stated otherwise you do NOT need to register for an event.
Honour Boards
Excluding the club presidents, there are ten honour boards adorning the walls of the clubhouse. With the exception of the Ruth Lumbers Trophy, the honour boards are inscribed with the names of the winning pair for that event each year. The history of each honour board, and the names of all recipients can be found on our website
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