CHAIRMAN'S REPORT - 2000-2001
This year has seen a number of steps taken to shape the Association for the 21st century. A new name, London Metropolitan Bridge Association was adopted as a truer reflection of the Association’s role in bridge in the home counties. You will have seen the logo designed to go with that new name on the last newsletter and we hope that the whole will present a more obviously marketable image to potential sponsors. Our web-site became fully operational and contains a wealth of information. It is well worth a visit.
A great sadness was the death of Freddie Della-Porta, OBE, a vice president of the Association and of the EBU. Freddie served the Association both on and of the committee for many years but perhaps his greatest contribution was the creation of the London Trophy – bridge for non-bridge clubs – in the late 1970s. The event continues successfully to this day and, in future, the trophy will carry his name.
Turning to the game itself, I have to report that our team did rather better in the Tollemache Cup this year than in the previous two years, getting through the qualifying stage in some comfort and finishing fifth in the final when only 4 vps separated the top five teams. I have hopes that we shall return to our rightful place in the coming season. On an even more positive note, we maintained our unbeaten record against the Surrey committee in the annual teams of twelve match. In addition, individual members, too numerous to list, have had success in national competitions or been selected to represent their country. Indeed, our members’ contribution to the international scene continues at a high level – no fewer than five of the six members of the England team that reached the semi-finals of the Olympiad were members of the Association. The same players contributed to England’s success in the Camrose Trophy and have been selected for the 2001 European championship.
The London Trophy continued without sponsorship. Despite the efforts of Roger Morton, entries were again slightly down on the previous year but the event still attracted over 120 teams and remains the premier event of its type. We continued to invite those clubs still involved at the quarter-final stage to offer us a venue for the final and, through the good offices of David Sellman, captain of the MCC team, we were able to secure the use of Queens Club. Unless and until the event attracts a new sponsor, a venue for the final will continue to be an issue.
Initial promising developments on staging another pro-celebrity tournament in aid of charity (but this time without the EBU) seemed to slow down towards the end of the year but we have hopes that this will prove to be but a temporary hiatus.
Membership and Finance
Membership overall has remained fairly stable and the decline in junior membership seems to have stopped but it remains a matter of concern. We shall continue to provide financial support for juniors. "Bridge for All" membership continues to grow and London had over 150 "Bridge for All" members by the end of the year.
The underlying financial position remained sound and, with the London Trophy continuing to break even, and a levelling out in the decline in popularity of one-day green-pointed events at a level that still gives us a small profit, the outlook is encouraging. The rate of annual subscription was maintained and we do not envisage changing it this year. However, the level of reserves remains lower than I should wish and does not provide any real scope to invest in our future.
Sponsorship continues to be an important part of the county's finances and our thanks go to our president, Bernard Teltscher and to the Young Chelsea Bridge Club for their continued support of the Lederer Memorial Trophy and to Queens Club for providing a venue for the London Trophy final.
People
Christine Duckworth, secretary, still shoulders the bulk of the "everyday" work, without which we should grind to a halt, and Cecil Leighton continues to provide sterling service as membership secretary and organiser of the London Trophy. Roger Morton has put a mountain of effort into organising the one-day green-pointed event and developing the web-site, whilst soliciting entries for the London Trophy in his spare time and Gerald James has continued to provide and develop new ideas, including short news-sheets for distribution at competitions. James Smith and Kit Jackson have continued to work tirelessly on sponsorship, publicity and the Association’s image without as much visible success as they deserve. I still hope that the enhanced image available from our new name and logo will finally enable them to acquire new sponsorship. Finally, David Muller has injected new life into all aspects of junior bridge since his return and David Martin has continued to provide a valuable interchange with the EBU via his roles as an EBU delegate and a member of the EBU board.
The Future
It is difficult to envisage any dramatic developments in the present climate. Even the campaign to have bridge recognised as a sport of the mind seems to have reached a plateau and we have yet to see whether "Bridge for All" will deliver the hoped for boost to membership in the longer term. I see the immediate future very much as a time of consolidation, albeit something in which the Association has a major role.
M. R. D. Hill
June, 2001