CONTRACT BRIDGE ASSOCIATION of IRELAND Annual General Meeting Saturday 7Th July 2012 at 2.00 P.M
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CONTRACT BRIDGE ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND Annual General Meeting Saturday 7th July 2012 at 2.00 p.m. The 75th Annual General Meeting of the Contract Bridge Association of Ireland was held in The Raheen Woods Hotel, Athenry, on Saturday 7th July at 2.00 p.m. Attended: 80 persons attended. Apologies: 7 Apologies. The President welcomed all to the A.G.M. 1. The Minutes of the AGM of 2nd July 2011 were taken as read and adopted on the proposal of Barry Hogsett, seconded by Kay Molloy. 2. Matters Arising: None. 3. Report from General Secretary: Membership 2011/12 The membership figure this year again shows a substantial gain - this time 693 additional affiliations. This represents a gain of 2.27% in affiliated members - we are almost 1000 ahead of the 2010 figure, so good work everyone. One new Grand Master this year - Donal Garvey - congratulations to him! We caught him with the presentation when his NPC Gay Keaveney, presented it to him at the Seniors Camrose match in Scotland. Coming down the track are Michael McGloughlin, Karel de Raeymaeker & Tommy Garvey. Karel is making the pace and although lying in second place in this race, he has been racking up 70+ National Points over the past few years; so if anyone is opening a book on the next Grand Master that's where my money would go! To give us another problem - what will we call "Double" Grand Masters - "Great", "Superb", "Glorious"? Gay Keaveney heads the list with 1952 National Points and Tom Hanlon holds 1944. Both are likely to top the 2000 mark during this coming season - a subject for another day, perhaps! Club & Regional Information We lost 5 clubs permanently, gained 15 new clubs and welcomed back one. AND for next year - we have at least 3 new clubs set up to affiliate in September - along with three more clubs who have been on the "being stalked" list for a few years. There remain a number of clubs whom we know are not properly affiliating all their members - we hope to initiate action that will prompt clubs to review their affiliation "Policy" to reflect their correct membership during the coming year. The Club Master Point returns are coming in reasonably well - we have approximately 55% in and processing by the inch at this stage - we will again cut at end of July this year; thereafter automatic allocations will be made. Once again this year, the automatic allocations are 400 for a factor 4 Club, 500 for a factor 5 Club & 600 for a factor 6 Club. NB We will again make the draw for those Clubs who have submitted before the end of June under AOB later! 1 1 Governing Council and Management Committee Meetings There were three Governing Council and five Management Meetings since last AGM - all valuable and well attended. I would again encourage Regions to ensure that where the delegates are unable to attend meetings, substitutes should be identified that could attend if called upon. Items can crop up that need to be attended to quickly. Sub-committees operated in the following areas: Teaching A "New" teacher's course was held in April in Templeogue from which 22 new teachers were qualified. The next new teachers' course will not be held until 2013-14 to allow demand to build up again. Master Classes for existing teachers will be organised for next season. Work is continuing on reordering the content of the Teaching Manuals with Helen Holman putting in the main effort. It is hoped that Seamus Dowling's input can move this project forward over the next few months. As comprehensive a list of classes as possible is published in our September Newsletter and uploaded on to our website. We would ask for everyone's help in getting that information collected and collated - CDOs and Regional Officers please help. Our thanks to the Teaching Committee, Pat Carr, Helen Holman, Maire O'Keeffe, Anne Doyle, Maureen Meade, Roisin Troy, Michael O'Loughlin, Thomas MacCormac and Fionuala Gill, with advisor Seamus Dowling. Youth The two schools competitions were organised without Gay Keaveney this season- the Pairs in Limerick and Teams in Galway. Thomas MacCormac and Eamon Galligan, aided and abetted by Diarmuid Reddan, took on the task and seem to have coped manfully. I know that Thomas has proposed some slight changes to the structure which have been relatively well received, but he has mostly adhered to the tried and trusted Thank you to Thomas & Eamon. We are again hoping to present bridge at "Freshers Week" in 3rd level institutions in September to attempt to retain some of our schools experts - Richard Boyd will be looking after that. If any of you have any contacts that could be mobilised in this area please let me know. Our youth committee, with some changes in personnel, is beavering away ort behalf of our young players. As yet, there are no plans for a Golf Outing, but that may change. Other fund raising efforts were held in the past year and the raffle was very successful. We have a pair in Vejle in Denmark this week, Richard Boyd & Kelan O'Connor. Finishing just yesterday evening, the lads finished in 10th place in the President's Cup - a very respectable result. Again I would ask, if any of you know of young people anywhere in the country who are interested in bridge, the Committee would like to hear of them. Thanks to Martin Brady, Ann Fitzmaurice, Karel de Raeymaeker, Michelle Murray, Richard Boyd, Thomas MacCormac, Aoife MacHale and John Murchan. Michelle has just retired and her position as Treasurer is to be taken by Aoife. John Comyn has also retired and we thank him for all his efforts. 2 Tournament & Play Committee The Committee met on a number of occasions during the year when the need arose. Two of our Assistant National Tournament Directors, Bernard Higgins & Michael O'Malley, have put together a Club level Tournament Directors Course, which they have delivered in various venues across the country. Some of you may be thinking of organising such a course for your own areas during next season - don't put it off - have material, will travel!! Thanks to Convenor Fearghal O'Boyle, Tom Hanlon, Tomas Roche, Joe Murray, Gordon Lessells, Brian Lawlor and Diarmuid Reddan. Finance The finance committee is comprised of relatively local members who are always available to meet (usually at short notice) to review our financial progress and plans. There are still only 5 of the 13 Regions who remit Affiliation Fees directly to HQ to help with our cash flow. We would really appreciate it if others could follow that pattern. We did need to take up the offers of cash assistance in the late Autumn from various sources, but only for a short period of time - many thanks to those who helped. My thanks to Hon Treasurer, Freda Fitzgerald, Neil Burke and Fran Swift, and our Auditor - Joe Bevan. Competitions A number of our original Competitions Committee abandoned ship last year and we recruited a number of new members …. but we have yet to meet! Circumstances overtook us during this year and "normal" activities were suspended. Thanks in advance to Barbara Burke, Freda Fitzgerald, Brendan Martin, Damien Nee and Margaret Walshe. The competitions held during the year were in the main very successful with the unavoidable change in venue for our National Pairs Championships - to this hotel, being the only time when criticisms were levelled. The venue here is just marginally too tight for the 60 tables required, resulting in some of the Inter B tables locating in the foyer. The hotel did everything right and we are very grateful for their prompt response to the situation that developed when the Shannon Oaks Hotel was damaged. Our switch of the National Mens & Womens Pairs & Teams Championships to Westmanstown was warmly received - once the travellers found the venue! Entries in our 2012 Simultaneous Pairs Week Competition grew again and we hope the new prize structure - which included nightly prizes for Intermediate A, B & Novices, was well received. Our commentaries received general praise but the odd complaint crept in when Enda Murphy's "political" asides did not meet with approval- my hands are up - the Editor's fault! Our thanks to commentators Tommy Garvey, Enda Murphy, Derek O'Gorman & Terry Walsh, Lucy & John Phelan & Thomas MacCormac & Peter Pigot. Please encourage more of your clubs to get involved - next year's will run from 4 - 8 February 2013. The Marie Cummins Trophy was won this year by the South Eastern Region. It is presented to the Region with the best overall performance from all three national team events. The Intermediate B competition received only 13 entries - up from 9 last year but still far short of the 28 teams possible!! The Northern Region was loath to relinquish the magnificent Trophy as they had held it for the past two years, but we have prised it from their grasp and I would ask President Sheila to present it to a member of the South Eastern Regional Committee - to be dusted until next April! The “4Fun” teams event, played in early June was the now customary success. The Frank & Brenda Kelly Trophy was presented this year to Roscommon who shone in a field of 60 teams, one up on last year. The Trophy was there - carefully wrapped up - so it was not presented on the day. Please step up Larry Shine to receive it now!! (I have had time to get it engraved as well!) Because of a clash with another event, the photographers were missing from the day so if any counties had their own publicity machine there on the day - we would love to get some photos of the teams, particularly the prizewinners and of course the Best Dressed 3 Team where I believe Louth retained its title.