Latest News
The Tuesday night session brainstormed a number of ideas to generate more interest from other players in the session. After discussion, and restricted to where someone was prepared to do any coordinating work, the session decided (with the Committee's concurrence) to trial the following six initiatives. Hopefully one or more of these interest you - you would be very welcome to the session!
Offering transport to/from session - Offering transport to/from Tuesday (and other) night sessions for those not comfortable driving at night - see separate article.
Turning off the Bridgemate results display - Trial for a month (Tue night session only) to see if it has a good effect on timing and friendliness at the table.
At its meeting on 24 October, the Committee discussed the problems that the club and new members, particularly those in supervised sessions, face when there is a delay in their receiving ABF numbers that are then recognised in our Bridgemate devices and scoring program. Part of the delay is caused by our current new member process where an application might have to wait for up to five weeks before it is approved with this stage happening before we seek an ABF number. In part to avoid this issue, the Committee has decided to change our new member process, probably effective 10 November, to the following:
Those who complete a membership application and pay the required fee will be termed Provisional Members. We will expeditiously seek an ABF number for them if required and include them in Pianola as Provisional Members. We will accord Provisional Members the right to play at our events and sessions at member rates in the period prior to their being subsequently approved by the Committee as Members of the Club.
After spending some time investigating our budget options for 2019, the Committee is pleased to advise that its does not currently see a need to change table and membership fees. As you know the Concession membership category was removed in January 2018.
As promised in May, we have successfully identified some additional cost savings, such as arranging for discounts on our electricity bills, waiving of bank fees, lower cost purchasing arrangements for kitchen supplies, as well as incorporating other suggestions made by members throughout the year.
About a dozen Peninsula members played in the weekend events (20-21 Oct) at the Sydney Spring Nationals. The best success was achieved by Heidi Colenbrander and Ray Hurst who came third in the Restricted Pairs category (<300MP). Annegrete Kolding and Sandie Rooke came 5th in the Novice Pairs. Congratulations to both pairs.
Our Peninsula expeditionary group included a range of our players from an enthusiastic rookie (learned only a couple of months ago) to those with a fair bit more experience. Most of the pairs in the open competition experienced doses of humility while enjoying some challenging boards. The weekend events were Swiss matchpoint pairs - the rest of the Spring Nationals is teams-based and some of our members are playing there as well. Anne Small and Hans van Weeren did well coming 18th in the open teams. You can see all the Spring National results. Thanks to Annegrete Kolding for the photo.
Six members received ABF Rank promotions on one day when photographer Annegrete Kolding was able to capture them.
The early rank promotions can be very significant for newer players and there were a number of these in the six.
The recipients were Brigitte Grover, Patricia Whicker, Farzi Sayfi, Sandy Carter, Yvonne Edwards and Maria Witeski.
Tuesday night numbers have eased a little compared with the same time last year. While this can probably be attributed to the 2017 program of external expert teacher-directors, we are trying to consider what we can do to increase numbers.
Interested members who play at the session have been contributing and brainstorming different ideas. We had a face-to-face discussion in mid August and have another planned for 6.15pm on Tuesday 9 September to identify a few of these ideas to trial at the Tuesday night session during the rest of 2018. If you can see yourself playing at this session you are very welcome to join us.
If you have ideas about how to improve another session you play in, chat to your fellow players and send your thoughts into the Committee.
Two Peninsula teams made the top five places in a good field of 23 teams at the Trumps Spring Teams on 23 September.
Runners-up on the day were Jocelyn Bertram, David Farmer, Lyn Smith and Catherine Whiddon, with only one loss to the winning Trumps team including Derrick Browne.
Coming fifth were Gerard Hardy, Anne Small, Derek Tyms and Hans van Weeren. Full results are available on the Trumps website.
Gerard De Jong is one of our unsung volunteers, who you can sometimes catch emptying the club's garbage bins.
When I caught him in the act last week and thanked him, he made just one request - could we ask members to take more care in putting the right materials in the right bin? He finds it very annoying, and disappointing, when he finds food scraps in one of the recycling bins.
So "please be careful".
