YORKSHIRE CONTRACT BRIDGE ASSOCIATION

Minutes of a meeting of the Council of the Yorkshire Contract Bridge Association
held on Friday 15 June 2007 at Bradford Bridge Club

Present: P. G. Mason (Chair); G W Jepson (Vice Chair); J Latham (Secretary); R Turner (Assistant Secretary)
Delegates and observers from the following clubs were present: Barr-None; Bradford; Bramhope; Brighouse; Doncaster;
Halifax; Harrogate; Huddersfield; Hull; Ilkley; Keighley; Malton; Olicana; Sheffield; Wakefield and York

Apologies for absence were received from the Bridlington, Garforth and Thirsk clubs

Minutes of the Council meeting held on 24th November 2006
The minutes of the previous meeting were approved and signed.

Matters arising
It was recognised that the experiment of holding a daytime meeting had not proved successful as the attendance level proved too low.

YCBA Programme of events 2007/8 and distribution of Yorkshire League fixtures
Copies of the programme of events along with the Yorkshire League fixture list for the forthcoming season were circulated on the
basis of one copy per club. Those clubs not represented will receive their copies by mail.
Action: P Mason

Report on Northern Bridge League
The advent of the Northern Bridge League in 2006 proved to be successful. Yorkshire performed well finishing second,
first and second in the A, B and C sections respectively.
Graham Jepson reported that he had managed to arrange a play-off for winners of the various regional county leagues
and he was warmly congratulated on this accomplishment.

Report on EBU matters
The Chair outlined a number of radical changes, with an implementation target date of 2010, currently set out on the EBU website
as part of a major consultation process. The changes include:
*The abolition of the annual EBU subscription.
*A one-off £5.00 joining fee for active previous non-members at the point of the changeover.
*The compensatory revenue to be levied via increased table money (expected to be a small amount
per session) collected by and through affiliated clubs.
*An increase in the Club affiliation fee with improved support and benefits being developed.
*Master points to be free with comprehensive direct credit.

Peter Stocken explained the underlying rationale in terms of the EBU:
*Aiming to modernise its membership structure with universal membership for all affiliated club participants.
*Improved value for money.
*Better services to members.

The EBU website encourages feedback and questions while providing its responses to what it anticipates to be frequently
asked questions (FAQ).

The brief discussion reflected generally positive attitudes to the principles though Peter Stocken acknowledged that
considerable work on the detail remains necessary.

Matters arising from Management Committee Meetings
A number of points and ideas regarding developments in the organisation of the Yorkshire League were outlined.

7.1 The consequence of three teams withdrawing from the league has led to some additional promotions
and to Division 11 being organised as a single larger division rather than being split into A and B sections.

7.2 A proposal that Division 1, and possibly Division 2, fixtures should be condensed into two full weekends.
This was discussed with conflicting views expressed. The Chair had summarised his opinion in a paper which argued
that the likely disadvantages outweigh the possible advantages. The matter was unresolved and it was agreed that the
Chair’s paper should be placed on the website allowing further views to be sought.
Please click here to view the paper

7.3 It had been agreed that Duplimated Boards will be used in Division 1 matches so that all teams play the same
Boards on each match date. Further views on this development are to be sought via the website.
Action: Rob Turner

7.4 The notion of 2 points for a win rather than the use of a Victory Point scale had been proposed.
This was discussed and while the overall view was unsupportive of the idea it was agreed that views be sought via the website.
This matter was also referred to in the Chair's paper.
Please click here to view the paper

Date and venue of next meeting
It was agreed that the next Council meeting will be held on 30 November 2007 at Bradford Bridge Club.

Any other business
9.1 It was agreed that in 2007/2008 the Yorkshire Individual and the Yorkshire Mixed Pairs competitions will be
organised on a limited number “open-entry” basis, though clubs wishing to organise their own events with the “prize” of
qualification can do so by reserving up to 2 places in advance.
Action: Stuart Davies

9.2 It was agreed that all YCBA finals and events will comprise of at least 40 Boards.
Action: All Tournament Directors

9.3 A letter from Chris Close, a Keighley member, requesting that the categories Yorkshire Master Pairs be re-classified.
The matter was referred to the Management Committee for further consideration.
Action: Management Committee

9.4 Thanks were expressed to Bradford Bridge Club for hosting this meeting and for providing excellent hospitality.

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