Mountnessing Bridge Club
Thursdays, 7.25 for prompt 7.30 start
Mountnessing Village Hall, Roman Road, Mountnessing, Essex
ABOUT THE CLUB
This page was last updated on 19/12/2009
THE CLUB'S ORIGINS
The club met for the first time on February 5th 1987, under the guidance of Lionel & Faye Wernick and Joe & Adele Smaje. It's 'unique selling point' was that it was set up as a non-smoking club - a rarity in 1987, but universal now. The results summary from the first ever meeting of the club is available through this link, and more comments about 'opening night' can be found on the News & Gossip page in a message that was updated on 20th August 2009.
After Joe Smaje sadly died, Lionel and Faye
became the club's proprietors. Alaric Cundy took over ownership of the
club from September 2006.
THE CLUB TODAY
It meets on Thursday evenings, at 7.25 for a prompt 7.30 start at Mountnessing Village Hall. There are normally 18 - 20 tables, played in two sections. Smoking is not permitted. Since September 2006, the club has no longer offered a 'host' system, but it does operate a 'find a partner' scheme. There is plenty of car parking space behind the hall.
The
club is open to both members and non-members.
Table money in 2008/9 is £2 for members and £3.50 for non-members, which includes tea / coffee and biscuits. Membership runs from April to March and the membership fee is £15 per year, though it is free to residents of Mountnessing. As well as issuing EBU Local Points, each member of the winning pair in each section is awarded a bottle of wine.
The club regularly enters teams in the NICKO competition, and also in the two Essex invitational events for clubs, the Fletcher Trophy and the Helliar Trophy. The club has represented Essex in the Garden Cities Trophy on a number of occasions.
The club runs a number of special events each year, where the playing arrangements may differ from the ordinary club nights, as described below. Higher table money is charged for these events to cover the cost of pre-dealing the boards and for the enhanced prizes.
The aim is always to run the club in two separate sections, subject to the total number of tables.
The RED SECTION attracts some of the most competitive players from around the county – with the occasional visitor from outside the county. Nearly all the movements I deploy in the RED Section involve the play of 24 boards, usually in 12 two-board rounds. I will run a separate RED SECTION with 5 tables upwards, except not with 5.5 or 6.5. With 5 tables, I deploy a 4-board per round Hesitating Mitchell movement, and with 6 or 7 tables I deploy 3-board per round Hesitating Mitchell movements. With 7.5 to 9.0 tables I usually deploy 2-board ‘3/4 Mitchell’ movements, thus ensuring that at worst players may sit out 2 boards (if there is a half-table). With 9.5 or more tables I usually deploy a Mitchell movement – using a ‘hesitating’ format, or a relay and share, as necessitated by the number of tables.
The BLUE SECTION offers a more relaxed setting, and typically attracts 10 – 12 tables. Here I give priority to using a simple movement – some version of a Mitchell - which may imply a three-board sit-out if there is a half-table.
Players do get ‘mixed up’ at the four club championship events – The Mary Rogers Trophy in January, the Ladies’ / Men's Pairs in February, the Summer Club Championship in August, and the Windmill Trophy in November. Remember that, apart from the championship events, players are free to play in either section, and there are other notable opportunities to mix, such as in one of the Simultaneous Pairs events held at the club each year, or at the Christmas Party.
CHANGES INTRODUCED FOR 2007/8 (and still apply in 2008/9 and 2009/10)
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I have switched over to a more modern scoring program – SCOREBRIDGE. There are some differences in the way the results are presented
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Automatic credits for Local Points – your ‘points’ will automatically be submitted to the EBU on your behalf once a quarter. A printed quarterly statement will be on display at the club
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Changes to the Ladder scheme. The main change is that there will be separate Red / Blue Ladders rather than the previous Ladies / Men split. There will be some changes to the Ladder rules to cope with players who sometimes ‘switch sections’ and to cope with club championship events. See the updated ladder rules here.
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I have compiled a membership list with telephone numbers, and a copy has been distributed to all members, for example, to help you to find a replacement partner. Members have had the opportunity to ‘opt out’ of the list by so marking on their membership application form.
MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL
We are now inviting membership renewal for the 2009/10 season - April to March.
A membership application form for 2009/10 can be downloaded via this link (requires ADOBE Reader or equivalent).
Benefits of Membership
Members are entitled to the following ‘perks’:
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Reduced weekly Table Money
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No Table money at all on ‘Christmas Party Night’ in December
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Eligibility to win one of the season-long ‘ladder’ awards
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Opportunity to be selected to represent the club at the major Essex invitational events – The Fletcher Trophy, the Cup for Clubs, and The Helliar Trophy (which also doubles as the Essex heat for qualification for the EBU’s Garden Cities Trophy)