Minibridge initiative

As the Christmas Term starts, the EBU are looking for more primary schools who would like to be involved in our Minibridge initiative: Minibridge 5 to 9. Minibridge has been proven to help children in their Maths, English and much more.

Minibridge 5 to 9 is aimed at children in years 5 to 9 and sometimes below (i.e. those aged from 9 to 13 years, but also age 7-8). The beauty of the game is that it can be taught by teachers who are non-bridge experts (and in many instances are new to the game themselves) following some in-service training and by using the easy-to-use instructional CD provided.

The EBU has a funded scheme (at no cost to the schools) to teach Primary School teachers the game.

Further information:

See introduction

Funding arrangements

Educational implications

If you would be interested in hosting an event at your primary school, please contact Matt Betts here.

Brighton Focus 2010

If you are in Brighton this year, please note that contributions to Brighton Focus are always welcome, and we have a contribution form available in the Durham Room for any interesting hands. We also welcome any letters or comments to the team. Simply put them in the colourful contribution box in the Durham Room. Alternatively, you can email us at: BrightonFocus@ebu.co.uk

Thanks
Matt

Brighton Focus Advertising

We are looking for companies, bridge clubs, etc, who would like to advertise in Brighton Focus. For more information, please email us ASAP.

Updated Master Point Information

Since the introduction of Pay To Play it's become apparent that we needed an overhaul of the Check Points Online web page which has been used for several years. It couldn't cope with the new information and was in need of a cosmetic make-over. So today we're launching an update which you should find the next time you log on to your personal members area.

A new tab is now available called 'Master Points'. If you select it you'll find a list of all the master points that have been credited to your account. Rather than one long list stretching back years, it breaks down into Master Point Year. On the default page you'll see all the 2010 points and to select other years you just click on the year in the menu above.

To see the date when an entry was credited, hover your mouse over the line and it will pop up with this information.

Finally, note that points credited under the P2P system will be credited monthly and amalgamated by club. The entry now tells you which club and which month it was for.

This new feature is available now and the existing page will be retired. If you notice any problems or have any suggestions, leave a comment or contact us.

P2P Club Help

We've put together a help page and some tutorial videos for club administrators who are looking for a bit of help in using our online Club Management System. As time goes by we'll add common questions to this page and hope it will provide a useful resource.

• P2P Club Help

Eileen Retires

Eileen Maunder will be leaving the EBU after over 36 years of service on 31 March 2010. We asked her a few questions:

1. What have your roles been at the EBU? I have worked at the EBU for 36 years and 8 months. I was originally ‘head-hunted’ for the job of Membership Secretary in 1972 but turned it down. A year later I came as a temp for a month while I looked for another job, was again offered the job, which I don’t ever remember accepting, but have been here ever since. Although it is the same job it has changed so much over the years so it has not been boring. Back in 1973 all the records were kept on index cards - some even filed in shoe boxes under the stairs. It now seems hard to believe there was always excitement when the one phone rang occasionally! We had out first computer system in 1981 and things have just progressed from there. In 1973 the annual subscription was 25p, for the 2009/10 year it was £18, the same amount I was paid per week in 1973! I was employed as the Membership Secretary and to be in charge of the office when Anne and Stuart Staveley were away. Additionally over the years I have been involved with Master Points, hand dealing, making up boards, washing table cloths and in the early days of the computer being responsible for daily/weekly back-ups etc. In 1984 I got involved with our National Events as a computer scoring operator, which I enjoyed for 25 years until the arrival of Bridgemates.
2. Do you play bridge? No I do not play Bridge - having started working at bridge events I thought I ought to learn something about the game, so I did have a some lessons, played a few times before deciding it was not for me. The high point of my bridge career was winning 1 Green Point at Portsmouth Guildhall in 1987. The fact that I don’t play bridge has not really affected my work as it has been purely administration.
3. What do you do outside the EBU? I am a Church Warden and Lay Chairman of the P.C.C. which keeps me busy. This may sound grand but it really means I have the privilege of putting out the wheelie bin and sweeping the path! I have organised the odd Safari Supper, Barn Dance, Beetle Drive etc., besides making sure each week we have readers and coffee makers for Sunday morning. I belong to the W.I. and have been the Treasurer for many years also I am a Trustee of both a local Charity and the Village Hall. My life revolves around the village - I know the kitchens in the Village Hall and Church very well!
4. What are you going to do once you retire? I have not yet made any great plans for retirement, I intend to spend some time relaxing and catching up with things like decorating my cottage and spending more time in the garden but eventually would like to do some kind voluntary work.
5. What will you miss about the EBU? The thing I will miss most about the EBU is the people – colleagues past and present, all the county membership secretaries that I have
   worked with over the years, the T.D.’s that I have worked with at events and all the members I have got to know. Thank you all for your friendship – I will really miss you.

Staff Bowling

For Colin's last day, we all went to the local bowling alley at lunch and had a couple of games of bowling. It may have been for Colin's retirement but that doesn't mean we were going to let him win!

We drew lots for teams and the rivalry was high even before we left the office. This is how the players lined up:

Team 1: Colin G, Clare, Barry and Michael
Team 2: Colin P, Lisa, Ian and Gail
Team 3: Karen, Kay, Sue, Eileen and Peter

Team 2 looked the strongest on paper - featuring Ian Mitchell, the winner of the last staff bowling outing - but would Team 3's extra player prove to be too big an advantage?

The first game started poorly for a certain webmaster as Michael sent two balls straight down the gutter. In fact, all of the pre-match favourites - Barry, Colin P and Ian - were having a tough time and had to sit back and watch as Gail stormed to a first-half lead with a score of 130. She had a lead of 11 points over Colin but would that be enough?

Colin's response was impressive as he started off game two with three strikes in a row - a turkey in pro-bowler parlance. Barry was also firing as he knocked off a couple of strikes. Gail was less spectacular but was very consistent and kept the spares coming to stay in touch.

Colin's great start petered out a little towards the end but his final score of 153 would be very tough to beat. Barry needed 166 to overtake him but could only manage 135. Gail needed 143: she got the much needed strike in the 9th frame and followed it up with a spare to tie game two on 153. With the advantage from game one, Gail had won!

Pos		Game One	Game Two	Total
1	Gail	130	153	283
2	Colin P	119	153	272
3	Barry	107	135	242
4	Karen	104	113	217
=	Michael	99	118	217
6	Ian	108	101	209
7	Lisa	72	122	194
8	Colin G	92	90	182
9	Clare	72	107	179
10	Sue	77	94	171
11	Peter	101	69	170
12	Kay	59	108	167
13	Eileen	51	66	117

In the team stakes, Team 2 were victorious with 858 points, 16 ahead of Team 3.