Below is your monthly update from the EBU. All previous updates are available on the EBU Updates page.
This poster shows the upcoming EBU events. Please consider adding this to your club/county website and encourage your members to enter online via My EBU.
Competitions Working Group
The Spring Fours in Bristol (2-6 May) this year will have an earlier start time (15:30 on the Friday, avoiding the midnight finish). This year, in memory of Jeffrey Allerton who was a regular participant (and winner in 2015 and 2022) before he died in 2024, there will be some extra prizes aimed at less experienced teams, caddies and free tea and coffee throughout. There will also be four different sets of boards, so you will never be playing the same boards as any adjacent table, to help reduce the likelihood of overhearing things from nearby tables. The Spring Fours continues to be an event in the WBF’s World Tour.
As a reminder, the entries are now open for the following County representative events:
- Garden Cities Trophy: Regional Finals 10th May at Richmond, Sheffield, Bristol & Leicester. Final held 7th June at West Midlands Bridge Club. Entries close 18th April
- Corwen Trophy: Held 31st May – 1st June on RealBridge. Entries close 16th May
- Nine-High Corwen: Held 31st May on RealBridge or BBO. Entries close 16th May
- Pachabo Cup: 14th – 15th June at Kent Hills Park, Milton Keynes. Entries close 30th May
Spring Clean Your Club's Membership Data
“Spring Clean” for all club’s membership data. Why you ask! You might have people in your membership lists that have not been seen for a while, are they ok? Someone might have moved away or quit bridge (ghastly thought!) but you still have them listed as club members. You might have people missing from the membership list who have joined the club. Adding new members to the membership list is important so they are recognised as EBU members and receive the full benefits of EBU membership.
In your club’s My EBU, under the ‘Members’ tab you can see everyone listed as current members of your club. We have created several reports to help you review/tidy up your membership list. You can run reports on:
| Absent Members | This report lists the members of the club who have not played in over a year, along with their last attendance date. Clubs may wish to use this to remove people who are no longer members of the club. |
| Non-Member Players | This report lists those who have played at the club in the past 12 months but who are not currently members of the club. Maybe the people with high session counts should be? |
| Guest | This report lists all the guests who have played at the club in the past 12 months, along with the name supplied. If a name appears multiple times on this list it is likely that they are registered as a guest incorrectly and you should consider making them a member of the club, or a potential member. |
| Created as Contacts | This report lists the people created by the club in the past year who are not currently members of the club. These may include provisional members. This may be useful for tracking down the EBU numbers of newcomers to your club who wish to collect masterpoints but don't wish to join immediately. |
If you would like a refresher on how to add or remove members, help is available online via the EBU Members Area Wiki. You can also contact the Karen Durrell karend@ebu.co.uk 01296 317201 or Jonathan Lillycrop jonathan@ebu.co.uk 01296 317206 and they will be happy to guide you through the process.
Please remember, if someone sadly passes away, email karend@ebu.co.uk with the members details.
Bridge Warehouse Offers!
NEW PRICE LIST OUT NOW - OVER 75% OF 2024 PRICES HELD - full list here.
Bidding Cards still on offer while stocks last normally £21.00 now only £17.50 per set of 4 plus postage. Order online here.
Visit the Bridge Warehouse website for all the latest offers and newest items in stock. We always match prices where possible.
Running Tournaments on BridgeBase Online (BBO)
BridgeBase Online (BBO) now have a dedicated member of staff called Eugen Manoli to help clubs with running tournaments on BBO. Eugen would like to help clubs who are currently running games on BBO but also clubs who have never run games on BBO and would like assistance to try. Advice is also available on new features that clubs may not be aware of.
Updates from EBED
Club Director Training
Keep up to date with the courses on offer and even register your interest on the TD Course Calendar.
Train to become a bridge teacher!
Have you or any of your club members ever thought about becoming a bridge teacher? Why not join one of the upcoming Club Teacher Training courses run by English Bridge Education & Development (EBED).
Teacher Workshops and Clusters
Our new Teacher Essentials Workshops have now started, you can keep up to date with the courses on offer and even register your interest on the Club Teacher Training page.
EBED recently were involved with a meeting of Teachers from Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. You can read the short news article here. If you would be interested in attending a similar event in your area please email Clive Turner - clive@ededcio.org.uk.
With our Teaching Hub being a year old why not try to make the most of it by attending a free online orientation session. To check the dates and register visit the Teaching Hub.
Youth Bridge
Your junior members may be interested in the following events taking place soon:
The National Junior Pairs Bridge Championships 2025, will take place at Oxford Bridge Club from 10am - 3.30pm on Sat 12 April at Oxford Bridge Club. Free Entry!
Also supporting youth bridge, we have free weekly games for under 18s and our free monthly Generation Game. Contact Joan Bennett on joan@ebedcio.org.uk or 07548 782538 for details.
Advertise your Congress Online with the EBU
The EBU home page is a great place to promote your next congress or for clubs/counties to publicise their next big events.
Could your event benefit from last minute advertising to bring in extra players? Well the best place to do this is the Home page of the EBU website.
The advert could be live today!
An advert on the Carousel at the top of the EBU home page is as little as £75 per month for CBA’s and Clubs. Want to give your event a boost, contact Danby Advertising on 01603 898678 or email adsales@ebu.co.uk.
Calling clubs and county associations – tell us your news!
We are featuring club and county news in our blog. If you have any news to share please do let us know, preferably with a picture or two to go with it! Contact sam@ebu.co.uk.
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