tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26667161083089160712024-03-13T23:40:31.120+00:00EBU Staff BlogThe EBU office staff chat from time to time about what they're up to.EBUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05012492040340807726noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666716108308916071.post-41119407557312205262015-07-10T14:10:00.000+01:002015-07-10T14:14:10.412+01:00New League Management System goes liveToday we're going live with the new League Management System, which has received a large overhaul from the previous version. It incorporates a lot of suggestions we've received over the last few years and should be much nicer to use. To get there you must use the new <a href="https://www.ebu.co.uk/members/v2">My EBU</a>, which is the updated version of the Members Area. Log in to there with your usual username and password and you'll find the Leagues section under Utilities.
<img style="display: block; margin: 10px auto; border:1px solid #aaa;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K-LmaLbzmV4/VZ-lJJ97PxI/AAAAAAAAQPg/-eBKtEkAhlg/s1600/1.png" />
Much of the functionality should be familiar, with a new presentation, so we hope it will be intuitive and self-explanatory for users of the old LMS. This post will go through a few of the changes, and in the next few weeks we'll release some more detailed notes for users new to the system. The changes are listed below.
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<strong>1.</strong> You can now have more than one captain of a team. Captains have all the usual powers to submit scores, add players and remove players but only the league organiser can add and remove captains.
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<strong>2.</strong> League organisers can now set up triple and quadruple round-robins.
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<strong>3.</strong> Adjustments/penalties can now be applied to a team as a whole, not just to a specific match. Click the edit icon (the pencil and paper one) by the team name to find this.
<img style="display: block; margin: 10px auto; border:1px solid #aaa;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qC3OQ14xctk/VZ-sHLSycuI/AAAAAAAAQPw/N7rWbVjqMk4/s1600/2.png" />
<strong>4.</strong> League titles are now split between the title bit and the date bit, to make it easier to group similar leagues together in the results pages. See the image above. While transferring the data from the old system, I tried to split the titles where possible, but league organisers may want to check their settings to make sure that it's all correct. I suggest you use the format above e.g. "2014-15" with a hyphen, to keep things consistent. You will find this setting by clicking the edit icon by the appropriate league in the list of leagues. The division title can be changed in the individual division page.
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<strong>5.</strong> You will also see three new options in the screenshot above. <em>Show match line-ups in public results</em> means that the public results pages show who played in each match (by clicking on the match result in the grid). We think this is a nice feature and so encourage league organisers to check this box, but realise that some will want to keep this private so have disabled it by default.
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<strong>6.</strong> You can now prevent the registration of players in more than one team, either for just that one division or for the entire league. This won't retrospectively remove players already registered in more than one team - just prevent further registrations.
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<strong>7.</strong> You can now clear a match of a result if you made a mistake and edited the wrong one, so no longer have to mess about setting scores to 0-0.
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<strong>8.</strong> The masterpoint settings for a league can now be entered at any time - not just during finalisation. You'll find these by clicking on the edit icon by the division title in the division page.
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We've transferred over all the leagues from the old LMS to the new LMS, but there are some in there which were just test leagues and still need to be deleted. We'll be doing this as soon as we can, but if you notice any still there after a couple of weeks just let us know and we'll get rid of it.
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I hope you find the changes are an improvement and, as always, if you have any questions/problems just <a href="mailto:michael@ebu.co.uk">contact me</a> or leave a comment.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05069974021105412585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666716108308916071.post-50401373454711957902015-06-25T17:57:00.000+01:002015-06-25T18:10:23.670+01:00Beta release of My EBUToday we're pleased to release a sneak preview of our new members area, now renamed <a href="https://www.ebu.co.uk/members/v2/">My EBU</a>. It's not finished and there are still some missing features, but we wanted to share some of the new things with everyone, particular those involving the NGS. This blog post will go through a few of the details.
<img style="display: block; margin: 10px auto; border:1px solid #aaa;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jpIUQAKps0s/VYwpieilmGI/AAAAAAAAQFU/N_us9M15-dc/s1600/2.PNG" />
<h3>Navigation</h3>
The first thing you'll notice is that <em>My EBU</em> looks quite different from the old Members Area. We're using more modern tools to develop and style things, and it should hopefully function well on phones and tablets too. Navigation is done through the menu along the top of the page or, if you're on a narrow screen, through the hamburger icon in the top right. Clicking on a menu item will show that page in the main window, or drop down some more options.
<img style="display: block; margin: 20px auto; border:1px solid #aaa;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3SF8bszHy_4/VYwpieTrrtI/AAAAAAAAQFQ/dUnaUlbrBf0/s1600/3.PNG" />
<h3>Sessions</h3>
The sessions list now shows your partner's name, to help you remember which event it is, and it fixes a few issues we had with the scores from Swiss Pairs and some teams events. You can also click on the NGS par score (the +/- value) to see how many boards were played and, in the case of a teams event, what your pair scored. Clicking on the session name will bring up the results, along with the NGS changes of every pair.
<img style="display: block; margin: 20px auto; border:1px solid #aaa;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-la8dnVCFMmw/VYwsKCVSWtI/AAAAAAAAQFk/6zTA1WWe7wc/s1600/4.PNG" />
One big change in the results page is that for a teams event you can now click on "Show Pairs" in order to see the ranking for the pairs (usually scored by Cross-IMPs), and how their grade changed.
Finally, there's now a facility to filter the sessions list which makes it much easier to find that session you're looking for. Just type in the name of the club, or your partner, or even the session ID if you know it, and the list will show only the sessions that match the criteria.
<img style="display: block; margin: 20px auto; border:1px solid #aaa;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1E8WK3cqlj4/VYwthMAka7I/AAAAAAAAQFw/3eI-LiV2qQs/s1600/5.PNG" />
<h3>NGS</h3>
The NGS information page has also gained a lot of new information. The graph has been spruced up (try dragging your mouse over it to zoom in) and the partnership list now shows your partner's grade, to save you having to look it up in the public area.
<img style="display: block; margin: 20px auto; border:1px solid #aaa;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n0J15dycgGA/VYwthDChuXI/AAAAAAAAQF0/4UcXDE8fR0g/s1600/6.PNG" />
The <em>Latest Updates</em> table should also help answer a lot of queries we get about how your grade is changing. It could previously get a bit confusing if sessions were deleted, or rescored, or if old sessions started getting expired from three years ago. This line-by-line breakdown of what's been happening should hopefully clear up a lot of these things.
<h3>Reorganisation</h3>
A few things have moved around a bit. The electronic version of the magazine now comes under the Magazines menu and if you're looking for your account balance with the EBU, you can find this under Credit History in the Accounts menu. Oh, and if you want to log out, you can find this under the Account menu at the far right.
<img style="display: block; margin: 20px auto; border:1px solid #aaa;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XX8BUW50ON4/VYwwN8s7odI/AAAAAAAAQGE/g47T6sF1j34/s1600/7.PNG" />
<h3>Clubs</h3>
For club/county administrators, things have been similarly revamped, including the same much-improved sessions list. One notable new feature is <em>Absent Members</em> which you can find under the Reports menu. We often get clubs asking us for better ways to manage their membership list and cull lapsed members and this should provide a good way to track them down. Clubs can also now see their balance with the EBU, in the <em>Credit History</em> page via the Accounts menu.
<h3>Leagues</h3>
The League Management System that many clubs and counties use has been totally overhauled to work with the new My EBU, and we'll be making this available very soon, once we've transferred the data across.
<h3>All feedback welcome</h3>
As I said, this isn't a finished product yet and you will notice some key things missing, but these will be added in the next few months. With this "beta" release we wanted to get it out there for some member feedback, so if you find anything broken or behaving peculiarly then <a href="mailto:michael@ebu.co.uK">drop us a message</a> or leave a comment and we'll take a look. If things do go wrong, just go back to the old Members Area which will stick around until everything has moved across.
Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05069974021105412585noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666716108308916071.post-36811178013333850322014-10-22T16:55:00.000+01:002014-10-22T16:55:31.043+01:00Internet Explorer and PoodlesA few members have contacted us this week, unable to log in to the <a href="https://www.ebu.co.uk/members">Members Area</a> (and a few other pages) and we now realise what is causing this problem. Many thanks to a thoughtful member who contacted us with some helpful clues.
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Last week Google announced that there was <a href="https://blog.globalsignblog.com/blog/poodle-vulnerability-in-ssl-3.0">a vulnerability called "Poodle"</a> in the SSL 3.0 protocol for secure web pages and recommended disabling this outdated method, which we dutifully did. However, we hadn't realised that some older versions of Internet Explorer do not use the slightly newer, more secure, TLS method and therefore stopped working when trying to visit our secure pages.
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If you've run into this problem it's easy to fix. Open up Internet Options (from the Tools menu or settings button, depending on your set up), go to the Advanced tab and scroll down to the Security section. See the screenshot below:
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<img src="http://www.ebu.co.uk/images/ie.png" style="display: block; margin: 10px auto;" />
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You should have one of the TLS methods checked and it might be a good idea to uncheck SSL 3.0 too.
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<strong>Disclaimer</strong>: The EBU are not IT security experts. We hope this advice is useful to members who are having problems with Internet Explorer but take no responsibility for any problems that may result.
Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05069974021105412585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666716108308916071.post-1182627980932749322014-06-13T13:38:00.000+01:002014-06-20T18:18:43.067+01:00Bridge-based World Cup PredictionsAhead of the World Cup pundits are looking at recent matches between the teams, and trying to decide if they give a key to how the tournament will pan out. Does Brazil’s 3-0 win over Spain last year, for example, give a clue as to how the results will unfold. <br />
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But are the pundits being too short-sighted by limiting their analysis to just football results? Can you predict the World Cup scores by looking at recent bridge matches between the countries? <br />
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Each day this blog will look at a recent bridge match between two nations who are playing that day, and work out a prediction for the World Cup fixture.<br />
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<b>Friday 20th June<br /></b>
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After the failure of recent predictions it is perhaps time to concede defeat, and turn attentions to events in Croatia at the European Championships. Let's hope bridge results continue to have no relation to football results and all the England teams can actually do well...<br /><br />For those still wanting a prediction, I can recommend <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVV2H2ZInRs">Dillon the Armadillo</a> - he's been on a roll recently. <br />
<br /><b>Thursday 19th June<br />
England v Uruguay</b><br />
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Suarez and co. should be concerned, because in Sao Paulo in 2009 the England Seniors gave their Uruguayan counterparts a thumping, Firstly <a href="http://www.worldbridge.org/Repository/tourn/SaoPaulo.09/Asp/BoardAcross.asp?qboard=020.16..784">Hackett capitalised</a> on some cautious Uruguayan play, and then some good defending allowed <a href="http://www.worldbridge.org/Repository/tourn/SaoPaulo.09/Asp/BoardAcross.asp?qboard=023.16..784">Hackett to net another</a>. Uruguay pushed to get back into the match, but left themselves exposed as <a href="http://www.worldbridge.org/Repository/tourn/SaoPaulo.09/Asp/BoardAcross.asp?qboard=025.16..784">England grabbed a third</a>, and with the match beyond them they took their foot off the gas allowing <a href="http://www.worldbridge.org/Repository/tourn/SaoPaulo.09/Asp/BoardAcross.asp?qboard=029.16..784">Harper to score another</a> for the Three Lions.
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<br /><b>Bridge Result:</b> <a href="http://www.worldbridge.org/Repository/tourn/SaoPaulo.09/Asp/BoardDetails.asp?qmatchid=33063">England 67 - Uruguay 6</a><br />
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<b>World Cup Prediction: </b>England 4 - Uruguay 0<br /><br />
<b>Wednesday 18th June<br />
Chile v Spain</b><br />
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Chile and Spain played at the World Olympiad in Lille in 2012, with the Spanish eventually winning convincingly. Spain started well, with Wasik twice <a href="http://www.worldbridge.org/Repository/tourn/Lille.12/microSite/Results/BoardAcross.asp?qboard=019.12..949">being rewarded</a> for his side's<a href="http://www.worldbridge.org/Repository/tourn/Lille.12/microSite/Results/BoardAcross.asp?qboard=020.12..949"> adventurous approach</a>. The Chileans leveled things up before half-time however, with <a href="http://www.worldbridge.org/Repository/tourn/Lille.12/microSite/Results/BoardAcross.asp?qboard=022.12..949"> Caracci</a>, twice<a href="http://www.worldbridge.org/Repository/tourn/Lille.12/microSite/Results/BoardAcross.asp?qboard=023.12..949"> benefiting </a>from attacking play. This approach backfired in the second half, however, with Spain <a href="http://www.worldbridge.org/Repository/tourn/Lille.12/microSite/Results/BoardAcross.asp?qboard=027.12..949">twice scoring</a> on <a href="http://www.worldbridge.org/Repository/tourn/Lille.12/microSite/Results/BoardAcross.asp?qboard=028.12..949">the counter attack</a>. <br />
<br /><b>Bridge Result:</b> <a href="http://www.worldbridge.org/Repository/tourn/Lille.12/microSite/Results/BoardDetails.asp?qmatchid=45054">Chile 26 - Spain 58 </a><br />
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<b>World Cup Prediction: </b>Chile 2 - Spain 4<br />
<br /><b>Outcome</b>: Chile 2 - Spain 0. Well, it was half right, just a shame about Spain's contribution.<br /><br />
<b>Tuesday 17th June<br />
Mexico v Brazil</b><br />
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The sides met at the Bermuda Bowl in Sao Paulo in 2009, and on home soil the Brazilians won 3-1. Brazil netted twice in the first half, <a href="http://www.worldbridge.org/Repository/tourn/SaoPaulo.09/Asp/BoardAcross.asp?qboard=002.17..782">once after a big error by Mexicans</a>, the other after <a href="http://www.worldbridge.org/Repository/tourn/SaoPaulo.09/Asp/BoardAcross.asp?qboard=007.17..782">some bold attacking play by the Brazilians</a>. Mexico pulled one back on the stroke of half-time <a href="http://www.worldbridge.org/Repository/tourn/SaoPaulo.09/Asp/BoardAcross.asp?qboard=008.17..782">after misjudgements in both attack and defence by Brazil</a>, but they failed to make further inroads and <a href="http://www.worldbridge.org/Repository/tourn/SaoPaulo.09/Asp/BoardAcross.asp?qboard=016.17..782">Brazil finished them off on the stroke of full time.</a><br />
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<b>Bridge Result:</b> <a href="http://www.worldbridge.org/Repository/tourn/SaoPaulo.09/Asp/BoardDetails.asp?qmatchid=32571" target="_blank">Mexico 22 - Brazil 56 </a><br />
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<b>World Cup Prediction: </b>Mexico 1 - Brazil 3<br />
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<b>Outcome: </b>Mexico 0 - Brazil 0. <br />
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<br /><b>Monday 16th June</b><br />
Unfortunately there are no recent bridge matches on a world stage on which to base predictions for today's matches. Germany and Portugal have been in different groups stages at World Olympiads, and Portugal haven't qualified for recent Bermuda Bowls. They did play in the European Championships in 2012, but that finished in the equivalent of a <a href="http://www.eurobridge.org/Repository/competitions/12Dublin/microSite/Asp/BoardDetails.asp?qmatchid=40954" target="_blank">5-1 win for Germany</a>, and that would be a foolish prediction as results like that, between two powers of European football, never happen at the World Cup... <b> </b> <br /><br /><b>Outcome:</b> Turns out the bridge results are a good indication, as Germany won by four goals after all.<br />
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<b>Saturday 14th June</b><br />
<b>England v Italy</b><br />
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The two nations played in the fourth match of the Bermuda Bowl in Bali in 2013. Italy won and went on to win the whole competition, with England bowing out at the quarter final stage. An omen for the World Cup?<br />
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The two teams traded blows throughout a frenetic first half, including an <a href="http://www.worldbridge.org/repository/tourn/bali.13/microsite/Asp/PlayDetails.asp?qboard=022.04..980&qtournid=980&qmatchid=11259" target="_blank">audacious effort from David Gold</a>, and it was 2-2 at the break. The match was much tighter in the second half, but Italy <a href="http://www.worldbridge.org/repository/tourn/bali.13/microsite/Asp/PlayDetails.asp?qboard=029.04..980&qtournid=980&qmatchid=11259" target="_blank">bagged the winner</a> midway the period. Mickie 'Motson' Melanderr was reporting from pitchside and you can read his summary <a href="http://www.worldbridge.org/repository/tourn/bali.13/microsite/bulletins/Bul_03.pdf#page15" target="_blank">here.</a><br />
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<b>Bridge Result:</b> <a href="http://www.worldbridge.org/repository/tourn/bali.13/microsite/Asp/BoardDetails.asp?qmatchid=11259" target="_blank">England 32 - Italy 43 </a><br />
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<b>World Cup Prediction: </b>England 2 - Italy 3<br />
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<b>Outcome: </b>England 1 - Italy 2. Obviously bridge players are better at taking chances than football players. <br />
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<b>Friday 13th June</b><br />
<b>Spain v Netherlands</b><br />
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The last meeting between the two countries was in the World Olympiad in Lille in 2012. Spain started well but the Dutch struck the first blow midway through the first half, when <a href="http://www.worldbridge.org/Repository/tourn/Lille.12/microSite/Results/PlayDetails.asp?qboard=005.15..949&qtournid=949&qmatchid=43255">Van Prooijen neatly found his way through the Spanish defense</a>. A relative stalemate followed, before Spain scored twice in quick succession midway through the second half. Firstly <a href="http://www.worldbridge.org/Repository/tourn/Lille.12/microSite/Results/PlayDetails.asp?qboard=011.15..949&qtournid=949&qmatchid=43255">Lantaron and Goded dealt admirably</a> with the long ball tactics employed by the Dutch to level things up, and then <a href="http://www.worldbridge.org/Repository/tourn/Lille.12/microSite/Results/PlayDetails.asp?qboard=012.15..949&qtournid=949&qmatchid=43255">Goded added a second</a> immediately after. The Netherlands had chances as the match continued, but the Spanish held on to win.<br />
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<b>Bridge Result: </b><a href="http://www.worldbridge.org/Repository/tourn/Lille.12/microSite/Results/BoardDetails.asp?qmatchid=43255" target="_blank">Spain 34imps – Netherlands 21imps</a><br />
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<b>World Cup Prediction: </b>Spain 2 – Netherlands 1<br />
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<b>Outcome: </b>Spain 1 - Netherlands 5. I don't think anyone in the world predicted that outcome, so maybe the bridge tea leaves can be excused. <br />
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<b>Thursday 12th June</b><br />
<b>Brazil v Croatia</b><br />
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The two sides met in Shanghai in the Venice Cup in 2007, but unlike in Sao Paulo, this wasn’t the opening fixture of the competition. It was the penultimate match, and only time will tell whether the fatigue the teams were undoubtedly feeling will be more or less important than the opening match nerves and rustiness likely to be seen in the Arena de Sao Paulo. <br />
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Brazil scored twice in quick succession in the opening quarter of the match. First <a href="http://www.worldbridge.org/Repository/tourn/Shanghai.07/Asp/PlayDetails.asp?qboard=002.20..608&qtournid=608&qmatchid=23476" target="_blank">Pacheco and Pain combined</a> to put Brazil in front, then a defensive error from the Croatian duo of Petrovic and Muller allowed <a href="http://www.worldbridge.org/Repository/tourn/Shanghai.07/Asp/PlayDetails.asp?qboard=003.20..608&qtournid=608&qmatchid=23476" target="_blank">De Mello to sneak in another</a>. Croatia came back into the game as the half ended, but failed to make an impression on the Brazilian lead. In the second half both teams had a few half-chances but neither could take advantage, until in the final moments when Croatia pushed too much trying to get back into the match, and <a href="http://www.worldbridge.org/Repository/tourn/Shanghai.07/Asp/PlayDetails.asp?qboard=015.20..608&qtournid=608&qmatchid=23476" target="_blank">Brazil collected a third</a>.<br />
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<b>Bridge Result: </b><a href="http://www.worldbridge.org/Repository/tourn/Shanghai.07/Asp/BoardDetails.asp?qmatchid=23476" target="_blank">Brazil 49imps – Croatia 12imps</a><br />
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<b>World Cup Prediction: </b>Brazil 3 – Croatia 0<br />
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<b>Outcome:</b> Brazil 3 - Croatia 1.
Foiled by an own-goal. I'm not certain what the equivalent of an own-goal is in bridge. A revoke which means a contract makes, perhaps? Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03965582835525310047noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666716108308916071.post-15397778410426381252013-09-04T14:54:00.001+01:002013-09-04T14:54:07.772+01:00League Management System UpdateThe League Management System has been running successfully for about a year now and many organisers will be about to launch into a new season so today we released some updates which should hopefully simplify this process a little.
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It was hoped that we'd be able to handle the full promotion and relegation of teams, but unfortunately this proved a little too complex, with a myriad of different scenarios - split divisions, withdrawn teams, incomplete leagues - to cater for. So you'll have to handle this yourself, but we've tried to make it easy.
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To advance your league to a new season, follow these steps.
<h2>1. Copy the league</h2>
The first step is to make an exact copy of the league. Select any division from the league (doesn't matter which) and you'll see a new copy icon, as in the image below.
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cNH07JTm39s/Uic12s2lwOI/AAAAAAAADqE/NnnwoJk1MTc/s1600/1.jpg"/></div>
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If you click this button and confirm that you want to proceed, you'll be given another league. This league will have the same division names, the same team names, the same captains and the same players. It won't copy the match data.
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You may wish to rename the divisions if you want to add a reference to the year. We do intend to implement a way of archiving old leagues that have been completed.
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<h2>2. Put the teams in the right place</h2>
If you have promotion/relegation in your league the teams will now be in the wrong division and you'll need to sort that out. To do so, select the team you want to move and you'll find three new buttons.
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dbhl_qLdYjQ/Uic3Eve4kII/AAAAAAAADqM/XUpHfZqeK84/s1600/2.jpg"/></div>
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The red cross will delete the team (maybe a team has withdrawn or you're resizing your league). The thumbs up will promote the team to the next highest (lower numbered) division and the thumbs down will relegate them to the next lowest (higher numbered) division. It's important to note that for leagues with unusual division configurations e.g. a "Division 2 North" and a "Division 2 South" you might need to promote a team more than once to get it into the right place. If you make a mistake or misclick just go to the place where the team has just moved and move them back in the other direction.
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You can also add new teams just like before.
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<h2>3. Create matches</h2>
This is the same as before. When you're happy that all the divisions have the correct teams you may go ahead and create the matches by pressing the 'Create League Matches' button. <b>Important</b>: once you've done this you cannot add new teams, delete teams or promote/relegate teams.
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And then you're good to go. You can, as always, still change team names, team captains and add or remove players.
And that should be all. As always, if you have any questions please <a href="mailto:michael@ebu.co.uk">email</a> or leave a comment.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05069974021105412585noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666716108308916071.post-22884184419926580132013-01-22T15:38:00.000+00:002013-01-22T15:40:22.087+00:00EBU Discussion GroupWe have set up a Brighton Discussion Group, so you can find a bridge partner; provide tips on where to park or stay; recommend your favourite restaurant; or tell everyone about your favourite Brighton event. Join us below and please help other players enjoy Brighton as much as they can.<br />
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<li><span style="color: #46828d; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 19.484375px;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/communities/102615647639742420287?hl=en" target="_blank">Discussion group</a></span></span></li>
</ul>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666716108308916071.post-60770303145914845762012-06-27T16:47:00.001+01:002012-06-28T16:33:20.546+01:00New League Management SystemToday we're pleased to announce that the new <i>League Management System</i> is live and available for all clubs, counties and districts to use. We hope that this will greatly simplify the administration of league events, including dealing with team personnel, master points and pay-to-play charges. Some organisers already have very good systems in place to do this so we're not forcing anybody to switch, but we hope this service will be of some value.
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The LMS works within our <a href="https://www.ebu.co.uk/members">online members area</a>, so you'll need a user name and password in order to use it. Clubs and counties have this already (if you don't, please check with the treasurer or scorer). What used to be called Districts, i.e. entities which run leagues but which are not affiliated clubs or counties, will need to request a user name and password from the EBU.
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Once you're logged in you should now see an additional 'Leagues' tab in your members area. If you don't see it then you may still be looking at the old version of our members area and will need to <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Clear-Your-Browser's-Cache">clear your browser cache</a>.
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-166Z2EdHXzw/T-sI6Lf8lxI/AAAAAAAABYE/8UdIRffH7W8/s1600/1.jpg"/></div>
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To create a new league, click the green plus icon and you'll be presented with some options.
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1dN5-GXC20Q/T-sKQDVAq3I/AAAAAAAABYQ/tqa-_1tO2BU/s1600/2.jpg"/></div>
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Enter the league title, the number of divisions in the league and the promotion/relegation criteria and then click 'Submit'. Wait a few seconds and you should see something like this:
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_cKDxfSHnvA/T-sK3ZQpfcI/AAAAAAAABYc/IQ4QBk4D9Z0/s1600/3.jpg"/></div>
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With the league set up, we now have to look at the individual divisions. To manage a division of a league, click on the line you're interested in. In this case, we'll click on Example League Division 1, which gets us here:
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fk-WPP9f6IQ/T-sL7csCtiI/AAAAAAAABYo/carwEO-fRiA/s1600/4.jpg"/></div>
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There are no teams in the league yet, so click on the green plus icon to add one:
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x7R-Bv-xe30/T-sMfObLGXI/AAAAAAAABY0/itp2O4hlsq0/s1600/5.jpg"/></div>
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Enter the team name and the captain's EBU number. You can also optionally enter a suffix, for example in a club league you could have Aylesbury A and Aylesbury B - 'A' and 'B' are the suffixes. Let's add some more:
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MY9BajdZsPw/T-sPRqCdbyI/AAAAAAAABZE/QWa9umC1TKY/s1600/6.jpg"/></div>
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When you're finished adding teams to the division, it's time to create some matches.
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<b>Important:</b> make sure you've added all the teams before you create the matches. Once the matches are created you won't be able to add more teams.
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Clicking the 'Create League Matches' button asks you if it's a single- or double- round robin i.e. if each team plays each other team once or twice. Submit your preference, wait a few seconds and the matches will be ready.
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In an ideal world this is where the league administrator's involvement ends, at least until the end of the season. The team captains that you have designated are now able to log into their own Members Area to update their team information and submit match results. Of course, some captains will be either unable or unwilling to do this so there may be a need for some further intervention. The rest of our instructions are from a team captain's point of view, but the functionality is identical for the league administrator.
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When a player logs on to their Members Area they'll see a button on the right-hand side if they're a part of any league:
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--gSeQnWUEdg/T-sac7NB67I/AAAAAAAABZ4/StNCkTUJF3E/s1600/10.jpg"/></div>
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Clicking this will bring up a table like this:
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OrZDFnossJc/T-sa7o7recI/AAAAAAAABaE/Hu_8azjb1Hg/s1600/11.jpg"/></div>
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This shows the team name, the league it's a part of, whether or not you're the captain of the team and finally a shortcut to the league results table. If you're the captain you can click on the line to bring up some information about your team.
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3rMoAKDpZL0/T-sRDAes2pI/AAAAAAAABZQ/H43f1715pLQ/s1600/7.jpg"/></div>
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Under 'Player Roster' you can see the list of all the players registered for this team. You have been included by default, but if you're of the non-playing variety of captain you can remove yourself by clicking the small cross by your name. Under 'Matches' you can see a list of all the matches for this team for the season.
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To add a player to the roster, click the green plus icon.
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sGGDdI21LkU/T-sR9ElWwiI/AAAAAAAABZc/w0A1nAj0jVk/s1600/8.jpg"/></div>
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To amend the details of a match, click the appropriate line in the match list:
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ab80jBSMTk/T-sSt-PcoFI/AAAAAAAABZo/SuyRUkG8qYg/s1600/9.jpg"/></div>
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Enter as much information as you can and then check the boxes of the players who played for your team. This isn't final - you'll be able to go back and correct any mistakes or add some data which you left out.
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Both captains will be able to amend the match data, but the team lineups can only be entered or changed by the captain of that team - after all, they're the ones who should know best who played!
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Once a few results are in the table might look like this:
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PX6PBqEOXhI/T-sehbFwiyI/AAAAAAAABaU/pcZIMTtXhSM/s1600/12.jpg"/></div>
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We can now see how this will look in the public results table:
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PhBfDz0t-Qs/T-sfsAIoU7I/AAAAAAAABag/sjqoGIC1ogc/s1600/13.jpg"/></div>
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This gets updated as soon as the results are in and will reconfigure itself according to the new ranking. You can see the real version <a href="http://www.ebu.co.uk/leagues/?id=00431222-000001-01">here</a>.
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<h4>I don't see a feature I need!</h4>
There are dozens of different sorts of leagues being run across the country and I'm sure there's something you do which we can't do. If so, please <a href="mailto:michael@ebu.co.uk">let us know</a>. We should be able to deal with most peculiarities, although some might be more work than others.
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<h4>What about teams-of-eight leagues?</h4>
We don't enforce any limits on the number of players per team and it will work the same way for teams of four/six/eight/twelve/thiry-one! At the end of the season you'll be charged based on the number of people that play in the matches, so it's important that you record this correctly after every match.
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<h4>What about knockout events?</h4>
These are on their way and will be available as another type of event when you use the 'Create New League' function.
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<h4>There's no way I'll be able to get my captains to use your Members Area!</h4>
That's a shame. You could just make them do it, or make them pass the captaincy onto someone who's willing. It's really not very difficult once you've used it once. If they're steadfast in their refusal, though, then don't worry - the league administrator has the same abilities as the team captains. In the teams list page (where you see the 'Create League Matches' button) you can click on the team in question and then you'll be able to amend their players list and match results just as if you were them.
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<h4>I have a question that's not covered!</h4>
Sigh... <a href="mailto:michael@ebu.co.uk">Drop us a line</a> and we'll see if we can help you!
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<h4>Your new system is a load of rubbish!</h4>
Perhaps it is! Let us know about it, though, and we might be able to do something. We're always keen to get feedback on new features like this.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05069974021105412585noreply@blogger.com56tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666716108308916071.post-16175455523880994842012-03-01T23:56:00.000+00:002012-03-01T23:56:40.184+00:00National Grading SchemeThe National Grading Scheme (NGS) has just gone live and there have been some significant updates to the members area. Also, there is now <a href="https://www.ebu.co.uk/ngs">a new NGS Rankings page</a> which you can visit to see the highest graded players and partnerships in the country, search for your friends and see some statistics about how the players are distributed amongst the various grades.
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<img style="border: 1px solid black; margin: 5px; text-align: center;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yNx9VLFaXQo/T1AELMCiSjI/AAAAAAAABJw/4ZzvVechzg0/s1600/ngs1.jpg">
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Here you can see the top players. The navigation links in the top left take you forward and backwards through the list and the 'Hide Evolving Grades' link will remove the players who haven't yet played 1000 boards (shown with a grey background with an 'E' icon on the right).
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Search is simple - just type the surname of the person you're interested in in the box at the top right and hit enter. If you're searching for a common name it can get a bit slow, so you can add a comma after the surname and then the first few letters of the first name to narrow it down further. For example, try "Smith, P".
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<img style="border: 1px solid black; margin: 5px; text-align: center;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FTFYkhv7S3o/T1AGbi4e2AI/AAAAAAAABJ8/lR1tmARtHDc/s1600/ngs2.jpg">
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<h4>Members Area</h4>
In the <a href="https://www.ebu.co.uk/members">members area</a> you'll see three new columns in your sessions list. These are:
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Sopp - the strength of your opponents in that session<br/>
Par - your percentage score compared with 'par' for that session<br/>
Grade - your resulting grade after that session<br/>
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If you don't see these values for a given session it means it hasn't been processed by the NGS. This could be for a number of reasons, including: it's too recent (so wait a few more days), it's a teams event, it's a Sim Pairs result (only the local club heats are counted) or something went wrong.
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As with many of the tables in the members area, you can click on the headings to sort them. So you can easily check just when it was that your grade was at its highest!
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On the right you'll see a new button called 'NGS Info', under 'Change Password'. Click this to get up a new page which shows you information about your grade and your partnership history. You'll see all of your partnerships listed, but there will only be grades for the ones where you've played 300 boards or more.
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<h4>Club Area</h4>
Club administrators will now also see some new features. The Members List will include a Grade column, with an icon indicating their Grade Band. Again, you can click on the header to sort it and find out who the best player in your club really is. The sessions list also includes a new column.
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<img style="border: 1px solid black; margin: 5px; text-align: center;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EmLF0oKgW1E/T1AJ9_-8GKI/AAAAAAAABKI/uGJHW2StVsg/s1600/ngs3.jpg"/>
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Here you can see the new NGS column, which will show the Strength Of Field for that session when it has been processed by the NGS (you can sort on this field too). The egg-timer icon indicates that the session is too recent to be processed. A red cross will indicate that it couldn't be processed for some reason. Hover your mouse over the icon and it will give you a description of why this happened.
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<h4>Further Information</h4>
This was just a quick walk through the new features. For a more in-depth look at how the NGS works, take a look at <a href="http://www.ebu.co.uk/documents/EBU-NGS-Fullguide-V12-final.pdf">the Full Guide</a>, which includes comprehensive FAQs. Further queries can be addressed by email to <a href="mailto:ngsqueries@ebu.co.uk">ngsqueries@ebu.co.uk</a>. Please note that we may not respond to your query directly but your email will be read and you'll be included in any bulk responses we send out in future.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05069974021105412585noreply@blogger.com107tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666716108308916071.post-25148531447756941872011-12-06T10:56:00.001+00:002011-12-06T19:56:11.079+00:00EBU Test Sim PairsToday we're running a test of our new Sim Pairs software. We think the submissions process is very simple for clubs to use, but here are some short instructions just in case.
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When you've scored your event and gone to our website to submit the P2P file as you usually do for a club session, you'll see a message appear in a yellow box:
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<div style="border: 0 auto; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-okenuqtAhj4/Tt32Q_jKhvI/AAAAAAAABGQ/b8a1rt3hq3U/s400/screen.jpg" /></div>
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This will only appear if a) you've registered for the Sim Pairs event via the members area (and so appear on our list of clubs) and b) you've entered the correct date for the session. If you've done both of these things and are still not seeing the message then see below.
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If the session you're submitting is not for the Sim Pairs then uncheck the box and carry on as normal. Otherwise, leave it alone and when you submit the session (successfully) it will automatically submit it for Sim Pairs scoring too. A few minutes later you'll be able to see your club appear in the club list.
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Clubs which are running more than one Sim Pairs heat should be able to do exactly the same thing. We'll detect that you've already submitted one file and will append a "(B)" to your club name to distinguish you.
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If you wish to delete the session you'll be able to do so as normal but currently this won't delete the Sim Pairs entry. That's something we need to fix for the future. For now, please <a href="mailto:michael@ebu.co.uk">email us</a> with your club number and we'll delete it for you.
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Clearing your cache</h4>
If you've logged in to the members area recently it may be the case that your computer will remember the old version of the web page in an effort to speed up the page load. This will mean you won't see the Sim Pairs updates we made live last night. To get round this you need to tell your web browser that you want to clear the old pages. Instructions for all the web browsers can be found on <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Clear-Your-Browser's-Cache">this page</a>.<br/>
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Finally: if anything does go wrong please be patient with us - we've never run anything of this size before so there could be several unforeseen problems. We should be able to recover from most situations without you having to resubmit, though. If your session isn't listed and you're sure that you submitted it correctly then please don't continue to submit it again and again - we may have deleted it to correct some mistake. Send us an email if you're not sure.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05069974021105412585noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666716108308916071.post-34552710832088213922011-07-18T16:00:00.000+01:002011-07-18T16:09:39.877+01:00New P2P Charge RatesOn July 1st we started using a slightly different system of P2P Charge Rates for our submission files so that we can cope with licensed events and differentiate between some of the zero-rated events. Don't worry — for the majority of club sessions this will make no difference at all. The old '1' rate is now renamed '10', but if you do submit a '1' we'll convert it for you.<br /><br />The difference will be when you submit a zero-rated session. Instead of a blanket '0' rate, we now need to know <i>why</i> the session is free. For example, if it's your annual free session (for a summer party, say) then it would have rate '03'. If it's a teaching session with up to 16 boards then it would have rate '04'.<br /><br />We've published full details of all the charge rates on our website:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.ebu.co.uk/pay2play/P2P%20Charge%20Rates%20Clubs.pdf">Abridged list, for club users</a></li><li><a href="http://www.ebu.co.uk/pay2play/P2P%20Charge%20Rates%20Full.pdf">Full list, for counties and licensed event operators</a></li></ul> The major scoring systems should now support these new charge rates, though you may have to update them to the latest version. You can also select the charge rate when you submit the file — you'll see a drop-down menu like this:<br /><br /><img style="display:block; margin: 0 auto; text-align: center; border: 1px solid black;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AV_DXHsuZbU/TiBucAovWiI/AAAAAAAAAeU/6kQ869jdfUI/s400/club4.jpg"/><br /><br />Just choose the rate that matches the session and it will be accounted for correctly.<br /><br />Clubs which have been submitting licensed novice sessions at half-rate can now just use code '22' and we'll add it to their next P2P statement correctly.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05069974021105412585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666716108308916071.post-88622188733072128432011-07-18T15:15:00.001+01:002011-07-19T15:16:46.005+01:00New Club Members AreaToday we're updating the members area for club users, tidying up the layout a bit and streamlining a few of the functions. The first thing you'll notice is that the list of members has moved from the right panel to its own tab. Instead, you'll see a summary of recent activity on the right.<br /><br />The sessions list has been updated and is now split into years, so you don't have to wade through your 2010 sessions to get to the latest ones. It will also sort with the most recent sessions at the top, or you can click on the column headers to sort it as you like. As before, clicking on the session will open up some more information about it.<br /><br /><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ag_WBxCx__Q/TiAoOjNOWXI/AAAAAAAAAd8/eCZa4PJOBO0/s400/club1.jpg" style="border: 1px solid black; margin: 0 auto; display: block;"/><br /><br />The membership management features are relatively unchanged, although they look a bit tidier in some areas. You can now sort by EBU number as well as by name and it's a little easier to copy-and-paste the membership list into a spreadsheet or other document.<br /><br />The major changes, though, are to the submission of pay-to-play files. When you submit one you'll see a screen a little like this:<br /><br /><img style="border: 1px solid black; margin: 0 auto; display: block;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9tF0RZYzSeE/TiBfxWHzZyI/AAAAAAAAAeE/-SNNATmmJXg/s400/club2.jpg"/><br /><br />Instead of showing the full ranking list, we're showing only the important bits — the people who mismatch and need to be resolved. This puts them all in one place and for large clubs with several visitors it should save a lot of scrolling. If you want to see the whole list you can click on 'Show all participants' and it will offer you the usual view.<br /><br />As before, you click on the red cross to sort out any problems, although there is now an added 'Guest' button to quickly choose that option (the green question mark next to the red cross). The red cross takes you to a page like this:<br /><br /><img style="border: 1px solid black; margin: 0 auto; display: block;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7z2oLxsBLhc/TiBi4JMUjgI/AAAAAAAAAeM/3Hq2J3jJZmE/s400/club3.jpg"/><br /><br />This gives you the same options as before but all on one page so if your choice doesn't work out you don't have to go back to the beginning again. In the middle (3) you can select them as a guest or create a new record for them. At the top you can search by name (1) or EBU number (2). Search results will appear at the bottom (4) and you simply click the 'Select' button by the correct record. To save you a bit of time, the system will automatically search your membership list for anyone with the same surname and present them to you as an option.<br /><br />We've tried to listen to the many helpful suggestions we've had over the past year and we hope these changes are positive ones. If you do find anything not working as it should or you have any further suggestions then please <a href="mailto:michael@ebu.co.uk">send us an email</a> or leave a comment. And if things are really broken for you then you can still go back to our <a href="https://www.ebu.co.uk/members_1.0/">old members area</a> for the time being.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05069974021105412585noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666716108308916071.post-52017008241164698742011-06-22T10:26:00.006+01:002011-06-22T11:02:33.293+01:00EBU credits now in Members AreaAs Barry <a href="http://englishbridgeunion.blogspot.com/2011/06/blog-50-technical-update.html">announced yesterday</a>, online booking is now available in the <a href="https://www.ebu.co.uk/members_1.1b_beta/">EBU Members Area</a> but that update also added support for showing EBU credits.<br /><br />If you won a prize at the recent Cheltenham Midweek Congress, for example, you'll now see something like this in your members area, in the panel on the right:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qx9-D86SDx4/TgG3JHr2ArI/AAAAAAAAAdk/z9eKhO4xmx0/s400/transactions.jpg"/></div><br /><br />We hope this will be useful for people who want to keep track of their prize credits.<br /><br />Last year's P2P Rebates are also now displayed in this table, for those people who played more than 150 sessions up to the end of March.<br /><br />If you notice any problems with this or the online booking, or have any suggestions, leave a comment or <a href="mailto:michael@ebu.co.uk">email me</a>. If you have any queries about your prize credits or current balance, contact the <a href="mailto:comps@ebu.co.uk">Competitions Department</a>.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05069974021105412585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666716108308916071.post-42591747863582255932011-05-23T13:45:00.003+01:002011-05-23T14:21:24.115+01:00Happy Birthday<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6oLMllOMsaw/Tdpb6l6B-JI/AAAAAAAAHi8/YsnUWURJ_Js/s1600/DSCF1894.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 114px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609897348009425042" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6oLMllOMsaw/Tdpb6l6B-JI/AAAAAAAAHi8/YsnUWURJ_Js/s200/DSCF1894.JPG" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5CTiNLO9gaY/TdpZOfYCVhI/AAAAAAAAHi0/PcUKnDFaOUQ/s1600/DSCF1885.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609894391318730258" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5CTiNLO9gaY/TdpZOfYCVhI/AAAAAAAAHi0/PcUKnDFaOUQ/s200/DSCF1885.JPG" /></a>Happy Birthday to all our members! The EBU is 75 years old today, and the staff at EBU HQ had a little celebratory lunch to raise a toast to this special day. John & Gill Pain made the sandwiches and the special 75th Birthday cake over the weekend, and others organised the room, so we could all celebrate in style. Happy Birthday to everyone!<br /><br />Click on the photos to make them larger, or look <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/englishbridgeunion/Happy75thBirthday#">here</a> for more photos.<br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><ul><br /><br /><li><a href="http://www.ebu.co.uk/75/">Our dedicated 75th Anniversary area of the website</a></li></ul></div>EBUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05012492040340807726noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666716108308916071.post-41947381642663870612011-03-15T11:00:00.000+00:002011-06-22T10:26:18.175+01:00New Members AreaThe current <a href="https://www.ebu.co.uk/members">EBU members area</a> is almost a year old now and we've had a lot of feedback in that time on how we might improve things. Last week we made live an updated version which has incorporated a few of the ideas and you can view it by <a href="https://www.ebu.co.uk/members_1.1_beta/">clicking here</a> (or following the link from the existing page).<br /><br />The first thing you'll notice is the list of sessions on the right-hand side has been moved to its own tab and in its place is a summary of your latest sessions and master point credits. We've also moved the 'log out' button up here so that it's a bit more obvious.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hFvZZGsUBdQ/TX9Ekd4xE5I/AAAAAAAAAcw/YeSJvL17ayc/s400/1.jpg" /></div><br /><br />Hover your mouse over an entry to see some more information about it.<br /><br />The other major change is the sessions list.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DUL8xdzplZg/TX9GNL3EU4I/AAAAAAAAAc4/VGhnQC49I7Y/s400/2.jpg"/></div><br /><br />We realised that the old list was rather basic and was getting a little too long for some people. It's now been tidied up and for those who have played a lot it will split itself into separate years, which should hopefully make it load up quicker too. The default view is by date played in reverse order, so the most recent session is at the top, but you can click the column headers to sort it however you like. As before, clicking a session will open up the full information about that session.<br /><br />The other changes are mostly behind the scenes to make it load a bit faster. There's also an option to remember your login so that if you shut down the browser without clicking the 'Log Out' button you will stay logged in when you next visit the members area — useful for frequent visitors.<br /><br />There's more to come in this area as we'll be adding master point promotions and National Grading Scheme information here too, but we'll announce those when they're ready.<br /><br />For club administrators, the club counterpart to the members area is not available yet in this new version but should be ready soon. For now you'll have to stick with the old version.<br /><br />If anyone has any suggestions or notices a problem, you can <a href="mailto:michael@ebu.co.uk">email me</a> or leave a comment.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05069974021105412585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666716108308916071.post-53404246425526051612011-01-25T08:18:00.003+00:002011-01-25T11:28:01.043+00:00CCPR - new nameThe EBU is pleased to advise that the CCPR has changed its name to the Sport and Recreation Alliance, so more people can understand their work. The EBU will continue to be a member of this organisation for national governing and representative bodies for sports and recreation.<br /><br /><strong><em>From the Sport and Recreation Alliance:</em></strong><br /><br />January marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for our organisation. Following a long process of consultation and implementation, today is the day on which we unveil our new identity to the world – as the Sport and Recreation Alliance.<br /><br />We continue to be the same organisation, with the same good people, doing the same good work on behalf of our members but we have taken the momentous decision to change our name so that more people can understand what we are doing.<br /><br /><em>Why has CCPR changed its name?</em><br /><br />After 66 years under the name CCPR (which stood for Central Council of Physical Recreation, since you ask), it was time for change. Many people new to our organisation and its work didn’t understand our name. We would have to spend valuable time in snatched conversations to give people a clue about what our role was. People told us it was a barrier to a wider understanding of sport and recreation and the valuable function we perform for the sector.<br /><br />Our new name – the Sport and Recreation Alliance – tells people much more about the organisation and its work. We are an alliance of sport and recreation organisations – the governing and representative bodies in the sector – and we work collaboratively to put forward the views of our members and provide them with the services they need.<br /><br /><em>What does the new name and brand say about us?</em><br /><br />We hope that the new name and brand give people much more of an idea about the kind of work we do. For starters, it tells you we work in sport and recreation, which is an immediate improvement on the old name. It reflects the breadth of our membership – it’s not just sports governing bodies we work for, but also organisations such as the English Bridge Union and the British Wheel of Yoga. And it tells you we all work together for the good of our sector and our members.<br /><br />We hope our new visual identity reflects some of our core values – dynamism, collaboration, authority, trustworthiness, unity. And that you like it. You can’t please all of the people all of the time but we’ve worked hard to create something which we hope will mean more to more people.<br /><br />View their website here: <a href="http://www.sportandrecreation.org.uk/">http://www.sportandrecreation.org.uk/</a>EBUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05012492040340807726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666716108308916071.post-65679199354103750752010-11-16T10:23:00.002+00:002010-11-16T10:36:48.660+00:00House of Lords visit<div align="justify">History was made last week when 16 pupils from Pembury School, Tunbridge Wells, visited the Houses of Parliament to play a game of Minibridge with peers from the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Development of Bridge. The children were treated to orange squash and chocolate biscuits by the Lord Speaker of the House of Lords, Baroness Hayman and then to a grand tour of the Houses of Parliament conducted by Lord Skelmersdale.<br /><br />This was followed by a Minibridge match in the River Room which the Lord Speaker had graciously made available for the event. The players representing the All Party Parliamentary Group were Lord Baker of Dorking, Lord Brougham and Vaux, Baroness Gardner of Parkes, Lord Hamilton of Epsom, Lord Harrison of Chester, Baroness Howe of Idlicote, Lord Skelmersdale, Baroness Henig of Lancaster and her husband Jack. After 8 boards of Minibridge had been played, it was announced by the Tournament Director John Pain, that the pupils had won the day.<br /><br />The EBU extend their heartfelt thanks to Baroness Henig, Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group for organising this event. We would also like to thank the teachers, Cindy Cole, Hilary White and Head Teacher Jane Gardner and all the pupils from Pembury School for demonstrating how Minibridge is a great way of learning maths and logic whilst having fun.</div><ul><li><div align="justify"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/englishbridgeunion/PemburySchoolVisitTheHouseOfLords">Photos from the visit</a></div></li><li><a href="http://www.ebu.co.uk/minibridge/Introduction.htm">About Minibridge</a> </li></ul><br /><br /><div align="center"><embed height="192" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" width="288" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fenglishbridgeunion%2Falbumid%2F5538635203342258897%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US"></embed></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666716108308916071.post-79867718986139799682010-10-13T11:26:00.002+01:002010-10-13T11:28:30.270+01:00Max Bavin<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_X5nrgW3rTrM/TLWJhZIK4QI/AAAAAAAAHVQ/kkg-nq69mEk/s1600/maxbavin.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 160px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527475324440994050" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_X5nrgW3rTrM/TLWJhZIK4QI/AAAAAAAAHVQ/kkg-nq69mEk/s320/maxbavin.jpg" /></a> Our Chief Tournament Director, Max Bavin, holds the same position with the World Bridge Federation. Max now wants to slightly reduce his commitments and move from five days a week with the EBU to four.<br /><br />Max fulfils two quite different roles with the EBU - those of Chief Tournament Director and Chief Tournament Manager. The second of these involving:<br /><ul><li>managing all EBU Competitions </li><li>having overall responsibility for the regulation of P2P, Licensing and Masterpoints </li><li>advising and supporting the Tournament Committee </li><li>advising and supporting the Selection Committee </li></ul><p>This requires significantly more time than the first. Accordingly we are very pleased to announce that from 1 April 2011, Gordon Rainsford will be joining the EBU on a 1-day a week basis as Assistant Chief Tournament Director. Max will, for the time being, formally retain the position of Chief Tournament Director and Gordon will report to him. </p><p>Barry Capal<br />General Manager</p>EBUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05012492040340807726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666716108308916071.post-78765719895943465192010-09-15T10:21:00.004+01:002010-09-15T10:30:14.094+01:00Minibridge initiativeAs 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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />The EBU has a funded scheme (at no cost to the schools) to teach Primary School teachers the game.<br /><br />Further information:<br /><br /><li><a href="http://www.ebu.co.uk/minibridge/Introduction.htm">See introduction</a></li><li><a href="http://www.ebu.co.uk/minibridge/Funding.htm">Funding arrangements</a></li><li><a href="http://www.ebu.co.uk/minibridge/Educationalimplications.htm">Educational implications</a></li><p>If you would be interested in hosting an event at your primary school, please <a href="http://www.ebu.co.uk/minibridge/contact.htm">contact Matt Betts</a> here.</p>EBUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05012492040340807726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666716108308916071.post-3022837012909499222010-08-12T00:06:00.001+01:002010-08-12T00:08:02.815+01:00Brighton Focus 2010If 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: <a href="mailto:BrightonFocus@ebu.co.uk">BrightonFocus@ebu.co.uk</a><br /><br />Thanks<br />MattAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666716108308916071.post-55269003494434851282010-07-22T14:58:00.001+01:002010-07-22T15:00:00.980+01:00Brighton Focus AdvertisingWe are looking for companies, bridge clubs, etc, who would like to advertise in Brighton Focus. For more information, please email us <a href="mailto:brightonfocus@ebu.co.uk">ASAP</a>.EBUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05012492040340807726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666716108308916071.post-24319866766987186302010-06-25T12:59:00.005+01:002010-06-30T16:08:12.175+01:00Updated Master Point InformationSince the introduction of Pay To Play it's become apparent that we needed an overhaul of the <i>Check Points Online</i> 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.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://www.ebu.co.uk/images/blogger/new_tab.jpg" /></div><br />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.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://www.ebu.co.uk/images/blogger/mp_page.jpg" /></div><br />To see the date when an entry was credited, hover your mouse over the line and it will pop up with this information.<br /><br />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.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://www.ebu.co.uk/images/blogger/mp_line.jpg" /></div><br />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 <a href="mailto:michael@ebu.co.uk">contact us</a>.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05069974021105412585noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666716108308916071.post-71007710235302682692010-04-01T15:37:00.000+01:002010-09-15T10:21:32.645+01:00P2P Club Help<p>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. </p><ul><li><a href="http://www.ebu.co.uk/pay2play/club_help.htm">P2P Club Help</a></li></ul>EBUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05012492040340807726noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666716108308916071.post-78028606700800250262010-03-31T11:57:00.005+01:002010-03-31T14:06:56.090+01:00Eileen Retires<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_X5nrgW3rTrM/S7NHt-je7KI/AAAAAAAAG8w/Pv8zyRjYWFs/s1600/eileen.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 273px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_X5nrgW3rTrM/S7NHt-je7KI/AAAAAAAAG8w/Pv8zyRjYWFs/s320/eileen.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454782428887313570" /></a><br /><br /><br />Eileen Maunder will be leaving the EBU after over 36 years of service on 31 March 2010. We asked her a few questions:<br /><br /><ol><li><b>What have your roles been at the EBU?</b> 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.</li><li><b>Do you play bridge?</b> 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.</li><li><b>What do you do outside the EBU?</b> 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!</li><li><b>What are you going to do once you retire?</b> 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.</li><li><b>What will you miss about the EBU?</b> The thing I will miss most about the EBU is the people – colleagues past and present, all the county membership secretaries that I have<br />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.</li></ol><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_X5nrgW3rTrM/S7NH1RoCs9I/AAAAAAAAG84/kDkcCtaHtC4/s1600/eileen2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 253px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_X5nrgW3rTrM/S7NH1RoCs9I/AAAAAAAAG84/kDkcCtaHtC4/s320/eileen2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454782554265793490" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_X5nrgW3rTrM/S7NH-mMQVpI/AAAAAAAAG9A/F3r4x0thQos/s1600/eileen3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_X5nrgW3rTrM/S7NH-mMQVpI/AAAAAAAAG9A/F3r4x0thQos/s320/eileen3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454782714405213842" /></a>EBUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05012492040340807726noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666716108308916071.post-8575436180596795612010-03-16T15:13:00.004+00:002010-03-16T16:02:55.695+00:00Staff BowlingFor 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!<br /><br />We drew lots for teams and the rivalry was high even before we left the office. This is how the players lined up:<br /><br />Team 1: Colin G, Clare, Barry and Michael<br />Team 2: Colin P, Lisa, Ian and Gail<br />Team 3: Karen, Kay, Sue, Eileen and Peter<br /><br />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?<br /><br />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?<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br /><table><tr><td>Pos</td><td/><td>Game One</td><td>Game Two</td><td>Total</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>Gail</td><td>130</td><td>153</td><td>283</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Colin P</td><td>119</td><td>153</td><td>272</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Barry</td><td>107</td><td>135</td><td>242</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>Karen</td><td>104</td><td>113</td><td>217</td></tr><tr><td>=</td><td>Michael</td><td>99</td><td>118</td><td>217</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>Ian</td><td>108</td><td>101</td><td>209</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>Lisa</td><td>72</td><td>122</td><td>194</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>Colin G</td><td>92</td><td>90</td><td>182</td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td>Clare</td><td>72</td><td>107</td><td>179</td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>Sue</td><td>77</td><td>94</td><td>171</td></tr><tr><td>11</td><td>Peter</td><td>101</td><td>69</td><td>170</td></tr><tr><td>12</td><td>Kay</td><td>59</td><td>108</td><td>167</td></tr><tr><td>13</td><td>Eileen</td><td>51</td><td>66</td><td>117</td></tr></table><br /><br />In the team stakes, Team 2 were victorious with 858 points, 16 ahead of Team 3.EBUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05012492040340807726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666716108308916071.post-73681729814073240112010-03-16T14:45:00.004+00:002010-03-16T15:13:21.222+00:00Colin Retires<div align="center"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_X5nrgW3rTrM/S5-e5DFmRwI/AAAAAAAAG78/nCWRJxA-AUs/s288/colin.jpg"/></div><br />Today Colin Porch is leaving the EBU after over 15 years of service. We asked him a few questions:<br /><br /><ol><li><b>What have you done at the EBU? Your various jobs, etc!</b> Before coming to work full time at the EBU, I ran the "beginners" events at the Brighton meeting each weekend. I was also heavily involved in writing a computer program for "Current Assignment" Swiss Pairs which was used for the "Great Northern" event for many years. My first job as a full time employee was as Bridge Shop Manager. After some stressful years in that job, I moved on to the Master Points department in 2001.</li><li><b>How long have you worked at the EBU?</b> I joined the full time staff in May 1994.</li><li><b>Any funny stories of your time here?</b> During the first of my "Beginner's Weekends" at the Brighton meeting, a few expected players had failed to arrive by the appointed time, and my assistant went off to see if she could find them. We were not in the most accessible part of the Grand Hotel, and it was quite likely that they had gone astray. She eventually found a gentleman who appeared to be lost, and enquired if he was, in fact, looking for the beginner's event. Upon being told that he was, and sensing a certain nervousness, she attempted to put him at his ease and assured him that he would enjoy the experience. I was suitably embarrassed when she brought him in, and asked where he should sit. It was actually Gerard Faulkner, the then EBU Chairman, who had simply wanted to see the beginners settled in and enjoying themselves, although, bless him, he laughed along with everybody else.</li><li><b>Do you play bridge?</b> Whilst not the total addict that I used to be, I still play regularly, and thoroughly enjoy it.</li><li><b>What do you do outside the EBU?</b> I play golf (badly) and have just accepted the vice-captaincy of my local club. I still keep my hand in writing computer programs, usually on behalf of the same golf club to score events like their Charity Day, etc.</li><li><b>What are you going to do once you retire?</b> Former colleagues have pressed me to complete a computer game that I started nearly 20 years ago, and, if I can still remember how to use the equipment, (currently gathering dust in the attic) I shall give that a go.</li><li><b>How would you encourage more people to take up bridge?</b><br />It has always been a mystery to me why those who take up bridge don’t make the effort to become really good players. Most are quite happy with whatever standard they happen to be, and display little interest in improving themselves. Trying to explain the "buzz" they would get if they planned, and executed, a double squeeze seems to fall on deaf ears. I have always equated Bridge with Chess. If you like Chess then you will like Bridge. Both are easy games to play, but both are extremely difficult to play WELL.</li><li><b>What are your other hobbies/interests?</b> I am a self-taught organist, and can spend hours at a time playing. Luckily, I can use ear-phones so the neighbours don’t tend to complain. I usually start practicing Christmas Carols about September of each year. I enjoy reading, (thrillers mostly) and Agatha Christie and Desmond Bagley are among my favourite authors. I tackle the Times Crossword and Sudoku every day, play Bridge usually twice a week and represent the County against other counties.</li><li><b>What is your favourite CD/music/band of the moment?</b> I’m afraid that my music tastes are fixed in the 60s and 70s. Today’s music leaves me cold. Favourites include The Hollies, Abba, Simon and Garfunkle and Queen.</li><li><b>What are your favourite films?</b> Top place has to go to <i>The Sting</i> with <i>Capricorn One</i> close behind. I enjoyed the Indiana Jones movies, but don’t feel the urge to keep watching them.</li><li><b>What are you reading?</b> <i>The Money Changers</i> by Arthur Hailey. I’ve read it several times before, but I do tend to re-read books that I like.</li></ol><br /><div align="center"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_X5nrgW3rTrM/S5-e5f9o0FI/AAAAAAAAG8A/-z-iMl_r4AI/s288/DSCF1751.JPG"/><br /><br/><br /><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_X5nrgW3rTrM/S5-e5XQ689I/AAAAAAAAG8E/CkPk6ke9gzE/s288/DSCF1753.JPG"/></div>EBUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05012492040340807726noreply@blogger.com7