Regrettably the scheduled remaining rounds of the Red Drive Competition which had been re-arranged for this evening has been cancelled. The Competition had initially had attracted 10 entries and the preliminary rounds were held in early August leaving 8 teams through to the quarter finals which were to take place this evening. Originally we had hoped to complete the Competition on that initial date, but due to some lost time and prolonged games on that evening which also hosted the Team 4’s competition we were unable to complete the necessary 6 additional games needed to conclude the team 3’s competition.
So we had the challenge of finding a mutually acceptable date for the teams which were drawn from just 4 clubs. With the end of the season fast approaching Thursday August 28th was chosen. One team gave ample notice that they would be unable to make that date and withdrew. Then yesterday evening one of the remaining 7 teams withdrew and then this morning another withdrawal was advised leaving only 5 teams left to compete.
After due consideration it was felt that it was not feasible to continue so notice was given earlier today to the remaining sides that the competition would be cancelled and not held this season.
It is regrettable as we have, as a Committee maintained a determination to stage all of our Competitions although for some, entries, particularly for the team competitions has declined, in recent years.
Entries for individual and pairs competitions remains good and last weeks new pairs competition exclusively for players in the D, E and F sections attracted a brilliant 22 entries!
We, the Committee do recognise the difficulties in attracting entries anD also when and where to stage them to maximise entry levels.
We will be seeking the views and ideas from all of our member clubs through the winter months and present both any findings and suggested options/changes at the 2026 AGM when it is held early next year.
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