Competition Rules, 2010-2011

Summary

The club runs a Pairs and a Teams competition annually. A prize is also awarded for the highest percentage score at any Pairs session between 1 May and 31 March (The Hutton Trophy).  Additionally, new this year, a 'roving' prize will be awarded to a pair that is the only one to bid and make a Grand Slam on a Monday or Thursday evening and are the holders on 31 March.  An internal club Winter Teams League competition is held from September to March and prizes are awarded to the winning team. All these prizes are presented at the Bridge Section AGM in April.

The detailed Rules for each of these competitions are below.

Please note that this year the Chairman's Cup will be awarded as a trophy to the winners of the Teams competition, and that the previous award of the Cup, to the player with the most improved percentage score over the year, has been discontinued.

Club Championship Pairs (The Nancy Beament Trophy) 2010-2011

The Nancy Beament Trophy is a small, inscribed sterling silver salver, presented to the winning pair at the AGM and held for a year. Nancy Beament was a long standing member of the Bourne Club who played tennis and bridge. She died in 1998. In her Will she left a small legacy to the Club, and the Trophy was bought with part of this.

The winners of the Club Championship Pairs competition will be decided by a pair's average placing.  Pair's results from 1 May 2010 to 31 March 2011 will be taken into the average. If there are less than 10 full tables at any of these sessions, the result for that session will not count. In the event of a tie in placing, the winners will be decided by their highest average percentages over the period.  Each partnership pair, both players to be Bourne Bridge Club members, must play together at least eight times on Monday or Thursday evenings to qualify. Off-peak members or pairings are excluded.

The winning pair will be presented with the trophy at the Bridge Section AGM, and will represent the Bourne Club at the SCBA event for Club Championship Pairs, the Mary Edwards Cup, normally held in May. If that pair is unavailable to play on the day, the SCBA rules will be applied in selecting a reserve pair.

Chairman’s Cup for Championship Team 2010-2011

The Club Championship Teams Competition will be played on a multiple teams format with a Qualifying round to select four teams to go forward to a Final round.

The qualifying round of the Teams Championship will be held on Thursday 31 March 2011. 

All players must be full members of the Bourne Club bridge section. Off-peak members are not eligible. Each team should consist of four players. If 17 or more teams compete, the qualifying round will be divided into two sections.

In the event of a tie for fourth place, the team that won the individual match against the team with whom it tied will go through to the final. If both teams also tied in that match, or have not played each other, they should arrange to have a 24-board match play-off on a mutually convenient date.

After the qualifying round, the top four teams will go forward, (or the top two from each section, if divided) to a play-off in the bridge room on the evening of Monday 11^th.  April 2011.

A reserve may replace one member of a team in the Final, but that person must also be a full member of the Bourne Club bridge section and must not have played previously in any other team in the qualifying round. If two members of a team are unavailable to play in the Final, that team will be replaced by the fifth team from the qualifying round, and so on.

In the event of a tie, the team that won the individual match against the team with whom it tied will be declared the winner. If both teams also tied in that match, then they should arrange a further 24-board match play-off between themselves, as soon as possible, on a mutually convenient date.

The Chairman's Cup will be presented to the winning team at the Bridge Section AGM.

The winning team will represent the Bourne Club at the SCBA event for club championship teams, the Wanborough Cup, normally held in June. If that team is unavailable to play on the day, the second placed team will represent the Club in accordance with the SCBA  rules.

The Hutton Trophy

The Hutton Shield is awarded to the pair who attain the highest percentage score on Monday or Thursday duplicate pairs evenings in the period 1 May to 31 March annually. Both players must be full members of the Bourne Club bridge section; off peak members and guests are not eligible. In the event of a tie, the trophy will be shared by the winners for an equal period until next awarded. The trophy will be presented to the winning pair at the Bridge Section AGM.

Grand Slam Prize

This award, introduced this year, and intended for fun, will be a 'roving' prize, running from 1 May to 31 March.  Both players must be full members of the Bourne Club bridge section; off peak members and guests are not eligible.  Entitlement to the award of the prize will be held by the only pair to bid and make a Grand Slam at any Monday or Thursday session, until succeeded by another pair at a subsequent session, and so on.  The pair who are entitled to the award on 31 March will win the prize, and will be presented with it at the Bridge Section AGM in April. A notice will be placed on the Club Notice Board identifying the entitled pair, until they are superseded.

Club Internal Winter League for Teams of Six,  2010-2011

This is an informal, sociable competition with matches played mainly in players’ homes at mutually convenient times. It is open to both full and off-peak members and affords a good opportunity for the two groups to mix and get to know each other. Matches are played on average once a month and timed to finish before the AGM in April.

The Winter League will resume on 1 September 2010 and will be run on the same format as in previous years.  Further detail will be issued in July and entries must be received by 20 August 2010. The winning team will receive their prize at the Bridge Section AGM in April 2011.