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The MSO WorldWide Bridge Gossip
Column
By Mark
Horton
The English team managed to
blot their copy book in no uncertain style when they missed the
Opening Ceremony of the European Schools Championship in
Antalya,Turkey. When they were called to step forward, only their
embarrassed Captain, Phil King, was in the room.
Quo
Vadis EBU? England have made
an inauspicious start to International competition as a separate entity.
Their players arrived only 24 hours before the start of play in the
Junior European Championships in Antalya, Turkey, and promptly
lost their opening match against Poland 22-8VP.
That was by no means the only black
cloud to hang over the team. They were late submitting their
systems, and might well have been fined. The Welsh
and Scottish Bridge Federations had provided elegant team uniforms
for their players, but that was beyond the imagination of the English
Bridge Union. Even more damming is the fact that whilst Wales and
Scotland have appointed National Junior Officials, the EBU have
neither done so or responded to correspondence from the European
Bridge League.
The venue for the 2001 European
Championships may be changed from Madrid because of problems regarding
the lack of hotels close to the playing area. The event is likely
to be relocated to one of the Spanish Islands.
Another event with problems is the
European Pairs Championship scheduled for Jerusalem next
March. The contract has not yet been signed, and once again, the
problem is related to hotels: this time to ones that promised free
rooms, but have now changed their minds. If the event has to be
moved then it will probably be to Menton in the South of France.
The English Bridge Union, having
laboured for years to be recognised as a separate entity in Europe,
is now complaining about the levy of One Swiss France per registered
player that it is due to pay to the EBL. Have they remembered
they have to pay the World Bridge Federation a levy of US$1 per player?
They are not the only country to be unhappy - the powerful Dutch
Federation have more than 100,000 members, and they too are concerned
about the amounts they have to pay.
The President of the EBL, Gianarrigo
Rona, will be in Warsaw in November to make a keynote speech to the
delegates of the IOC. The Polish Bridge Federation are planning
a major bridge event to coincide with the IOC gathering.
All time Italian superstar Pietro
Forquet proved once again that age is no barrier to success, when
he reached the finals of the Italian National Championships.
It made headlines in the leading newspaper Il Messaggero,
because the 75 year old Forquet became the oldest player to be tested
for drugs under the rules that make bridge an Olympic sport. The
tests are designed to detect prohibited substances, including stimulants,
narcotics, anabolic steroids, and perhaps more seriously in this particular
case, drugs used by the elderly to 'aid bodily functions'. The
mind boggles! The results are still awaited, but meanwhile
Forquet is maintaining a discreet silence.
Italy's Alfredo Versace wore
a big smile at the prizegiving ceremony of the Fifth Generali World
Masters, despite the fact that he finished only twenty-third.
The reason?
He had agreed to divide any prize with his fellow countryman Antonio
Sementa. That meant Versace, who won US$500, had to give Sementa
US$250. On the other hand, Sementa, who won the tournament to become
the new World Individual Champion, had to hand over US$5,000!
England's plans for the Olympiad in
Maastricht are not exactly running on oiled wheels. Reigning European
Champions Sandra Landy & Abbey Walker were unhappy with the idea of
a trial taking place early in June, and withdrew.
Instead of taking the logical step of exempting them - after all they
are the only pair left from the Championship winning team - the EBU
Selectors have exempted the new pairing of Nicola Smith & Heather
Dhondy, and left four other pairs to play a trial.
It is rumoured that the Selectors then offered Sandra the job of Captain
of the English Open team - you can probably guess her response!
On top of that, comes news that the
EBU have not reserved rooms for their players and officials yet. The
town was almost booked out several weeks ago, so perhaps the players
will be sleeping in tents.
The EBU produces a series of books
for beginners under the label 'Really Easy'. They
are still considering my suggestion for the next title in the series,
'Really Easy Shuffling'.
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