Selection Committee

The Selection Committee is responsible for the selection of England teams for international events, or defining and managing the trials processes (especially the Premier League) by which teams will qualify to play for England.

Members
Name Position
David Bakhshi Chairman
Tony Russ Vice Chairman
Abbey Smith Member
Adrian Darnell Member
Alan Wilson Member
Claire Robinson Member
David Burn Member
Jeremy Willans Member
Patrick Shields Member
Paul Barden Member

U26: Michael Byrne
U26 Women: Claire Robinson
U21: Ewa Wieczorek
U16: Alan Shillitoe



The current structure of the Selection Committee is as follows:

World Championships:

  • Bermuda Bowl* (Open) and Venice Cup* (Women) - Selected
  • D’Orsi Bowl (Seniors) - Selected/Trials

World Bridge Games (formerly Olympiad):

  • Open*, Women*, Mixed, Seniors - Trials

European Championships:

  • Open*, Women* - Trials and selection
  • Mixed, Seniors - Trials

Home Nations Internationals:

  • Camrose (Open) - Primarily trials (Premier League)
  • Lady Milne (Women) - Partly trials, partly selected
  • Teltscher Trophy (Seniors) - Trials

All junior events:

  • Under 26s*, Under 26 Women*, Under 21s*, Under 16s* - Selected

Invitation events (eg: NEC, Chairman’s Cup):

  • Selected


The Selection Committee (in conjunction with the NPC) oversees the preparation of teams prior to a championship (coaching, practice matches, etc). After the events they review the Captain’s report and any players’ feedback.

The Selection Committee also provides on-going coaching for Junior squads, co-ordinated by the four squad leaders.

All these activities are managed within the budget provided by the EBU Board.

* These teams have their expenses paid from within the Selection Committee’s budget. Nearly all other events are part funded, with the players themselves, or a sponsor, making up the difference.