As the new MCBA Chairman, I must first pay tribute to our previous Chairman Eve Lighthill who served the County well over a 5 year term and her work will no doubt have helped to make my job somewhat easier. The establishment of the annual Manchester Congress and the success of the Commonwealth Bridge Festival are a tribute to her efforts, and in her new role as President, we can expect her to keep a watchful eye on proceedings. I must also thank Henry Huggill who after many many years as President has decided to stand down. As a long standing officer, his presence has been most influential in the Association. Thanks also to Nicki Marks for her work as secretary over the last year.

I must welcome Gordon Rice on board as our new Secretary – I hope his Scottish blood and ancestry will contribute and enrich our Committee discussions. Also our new Vice Chairman Caryl Bloch whose invaluable knowledge and efficiency served us so well as Secretary over a long period, and also our new Life Vice President Sid Travers who along with Henry was one of our longest standing Officers and he will no doubt contribute his wisdom in his inimitable way. Indeed, I look forward to working in harmony with all the Association officers in the future.

One issue raised at the recent AGM was the perception that Manchester CBA and Manchester Bridge club were somehow synonymous. I must stress that the County Association comprises 27 clubs in the area and administers the whole area as one of the 39 constituent Counties in the EBU. Since Manchester BC has the largest floor area, and is located centrally for easy access,  we hold most meetings and events at that venue so perhaps that is why this view has been somehow perpetuated. We welcome delegates from all clubs to attend our meetings and are always happy to involve member clubs in our plans and deliberations.

I hope that when browsing through the Calendar, you will find plenty of opportunities to support not only MCBA competitions, but also the Manchester congress, which continues to retain its appeal, along with other bridge events within neighbouring areas. For the moment our programme of events supervised by our excellent  Tournament Secretary Pat Buxton remains largely unchanged. I should make particular mention of the Cantor Cup which has been well supported in the last year.

The popularity of the Manchester League under League Secretary Bob Cooke continues unabated with this last season seeing 107 teams along with 9 teams in the Newcomers Division. We have recently produced some new in-house software to make the administration of the League/Cup/Plate a lot easier to maintain.

Do visit our excellent website which contains a vast amount of information in all areas relating to Manchester bridge. Our webmaster, Rodney Lighton, is always happy to receive results and details of forthcoming club events along with other achievements and information.

May I take this opportunity to thank every official in the area for the time they give and the work they do at both county and club level to ensure the game continues to thrive in Manchester. I personally want to be an approachable Chairman and will be happy for members to raise any issues with me so that they can be dealt with as appropriate.

Best wishes for the coming season.
Jeff Smith