Qualifier: 11th – 12th November 2023, RealBridge | Final: 17th – 18th February 2024, Coventry BC
The EBU Tollemache Cup
- the inter-county championships for teams of eight!
Qualifier: 11th – 12th November 2023, RealBridge
Final: 17th – 18th February 2024, Coventry BC
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 03/11/2023 – revised draw
For the qualifier and the final, teams are limited to 12 playing members. 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. 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
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 Congress 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 will all be halved to support counties who may have reduced income from no longer running online one-day green-pointed events.
Holders
2023
Manchester: Alan Mould, Andrew Woodcock, Catherine Draper, Michael Byrne, Tom Slater, Alec Smalley, John Hassett, John Holland (NPC Rhona Goldenfield) (picture)
| 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 | ||
| 11th - 12th November 2023 | 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 | ||
| 17th - 18th February 2024 | Saturday | ||
| From 12 noon | Draw for team number | ||
| 1:30pm - 3:20pm | Match 1 (14 boards) | ||
| 3:40pm - 5:30pm | Match 2 (14 boards) | ||
| 7:20pm - 9:10pm | Match 3 (14 boards) | ||
| 9:20pm - 11:10pm | 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) |
| 2023/24 |
|---|
| £190 per team |
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 Coventry BC
Previous Results
Final Results
2022/23 results
2021/22 results
2020/21 results
2019/20 results
2018/19 results
2017/18 results
2016/17 results
2015/16 results
2014/15 results
2013/14 results
2012/13 results
2011/12 results
2010/11 results
2009/10 results
2008/09 results
2007/08 results
2006/07 results
Qualifier Results
2022/23 results
2021/22 results
2020/21 results
2019/20 results
2018/19 results
2017/18 results
2016/17 results
2015/16 results
2014/15 results
2013/14 results
2012/13 results
2011/12 results
2010/11 results
2009/10 results
2008/09 results
2007/08 results
The Tollemache Cup - a history