Tollemache Cup

Qualifier: 9th – 10th November 2024, RealBridge | Final: 1st – 2nd February 2024, hotel TBC

 

The EBU Tollemache Cup

- the inter-county championships for teams of eight!

Qualifier: 9th – 10th November 2024, RealBridge
Final: 1st – 2nd February 2025, hotel venue TBC

Entry is open only to County Associations of the EBU and District Associations of the WBU please refer to the eligibility regulations for more details.

TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR IN CHARGE (QUALIFIER): CHRIS BENNEWORTH

PROGRAMME – updated 31/01/2024

For the final, teams are limited to 12 playing members, but this restriction has now been removed for the qualifier,  starting in 2025. A team can have different players in the qualifier and the final. The qualifying event, on 11th - 12th November 2023, will be held on RealBridge with screens, using written alerting and announcing. It is likely to be played in two sections, playing a complete round-robin in each section, qualifying four teams from each section. Play will be from 11am until approximately 7pm on both days, with a break for lunch about half-way through. Exact match times will depend on the number of teams playing. We will aim to play 90-100 boards over the two days. 

The top eight teams will qualify to play in the final on 17th - 18th February 2024, at Coventry BC.

Format

In 2021 there was one group, playing 27 x 4-board rounds. This will be the format if there are 27 or 28 teams this year. It would also be possible to have one group playing 33 x 3-board rounds if there are 33 or 34 teams.

The likely format is to have two groups, qualifying 4 teams from each: 13 x 8-board rounds, 15 x 7-board rounds, 17 x 6-board rounds. 

If there are an odd number of teams in a group, each team in that group will sit out.

Timing and Schedule

There will be one more match on Saturday than Sunday. Play on Saturday will start at 11:00 and on Sunday (Remembrance Sunday) will start at 11:05. There will be a break of 45 minutes in the middle of each day.

There will be 7.5 minutes allowed for each board in a round, and 5 minutes between rounds for changes of line-up. In principle, it will be possible to change line-up after each round (If there is one group playing 3-board rounds, there may be different arrangements for change of line-up).

To enter

By entering an EBU congress or event you agree to abide by the terms and conditions set out in the Terms and Conditions document.

Entry for the 2022-23 event has now closed. For the 2023-24 event County Secretaries will be provided with an entry form by EBU staff at a suitable time ahead of the event.

Online Event Prices

Competitions are an important way of raising the money necessary for the EBU's survival, and our pricing strategy for online events reflects this rather than the lower costs involved in running such events. Our intention is that this will continue for most of our online congresses and major competitions - they will be cheaper than face-to-face equivalents but will still be priced to help support other aspects of the EBU's work. 

However, from April 2023 the entry fees for the Pachabo, Corwen and Tollemache have been halved to support counties who may have reduced income from no longer running online one-day green-pointed events.

Holders

Timetable
Day Times Description
Qualifier Timetable Qualifier Weekend (based on 13 8-board rounds, with 5 minutes between rounds)
15-Team Group (Red/Green) 7 Board Matches
9th - 10th November 2024 Saturday A slightly delayed start to observe Remembrance Day
Session 1 11:05 - 12:00 Match 1
12:05 - 13:00 Match 2
13:05 - 14:00 Match 3
14:05 - 15:00 Match 4
Break
Session 2 15:40 - 16:35 Match 5
16:40 - 17:35 Match 6
17:40 - 18:35 Match 7
18:40 - 19:35 Match 8
Sunday A slightly delayed start to observe Remembrance Sunday
Session 3 11:05 - 12:00 Match 9
12:05 - 13:00 Match 10
13:05 - 14:00 Match 11
Break
Session 4 14:45 - 15:40 Match 12
15:45 - 16:40 Match 13
16:45 - 17:40 Match 14
17:45 - 18:40 Match 15
Final Timetable Final Weekend
1st - 2nd February 2025 Saturday
From 11:30am Draw for team number
1:00pm - 2:50pm Match 1 (14 boards)
3:00pm - 4:50pm Match 2 (14 boards)
6:50pm - 8:20pm Match 3 (14 boards)
8:30pm - 10:20pm Match 4 (14 boards)
Sunday
10:30am - 12:20pm Match 5 (14 boards)
12:40pm - 2:30pm Match 6 (14 boards)
2:40pm - 4:30pm Match 7 (14 boards)
Entry Fees
2024/25
£202 per team
Entries should be submitted only by County Associations of the EBU or District Associations of the WBU, on entry forms that will be supplied to all County Secretaries. Entries close on 27th October 2023

Master Points

Qualifier: Green Points per match won or drawn at standard EBU rate – eg 0.42 per 12 board match won, 0.21 for a draw . There are no bonus awards for overall ranking in the qualifier. Final: 1 Green Point per match won (1/2 for a draw), plus bonus ranking awards to the top four teams (6, 3, 2 & 1, respectively).

Agreements

Level 5 agreements are permitted in this event.

Venue and Tariff

Qualifier and Final

The qualifier will be played on RealBridge.

The final will be played at a hotel to be confirmed.