County representation is an honour and for many players represents the pinnacle of their achievement in Bridge. The County expects that players value their place in the squad, will support the prevailing selection policies and conduct themselves in an appropriate manner. In addition to conforming to existing general EBU and ECBA standards the County requires all representative players to adhere to, or make note of as appropriate, these specific points:
1. To take every reasonable step to arrive at matches in good time ie. at least 20 minutes before the scheduled start at venues and at least 10 minutes before the start of on-line matches.
2. To ensure they have a contact phone number and have provided their team captain with their own number. This is particularly important for advising of delayed arrival at matches.
3. At face-to-face matches, to stay at the venue during breaks and be sure of being ready for restarts. It is not acceptable for players to absent themselves during breaks for the purpose of socialising away from the venue. Likewise, players should remain at the venue at the end of the match until all formalities are complete.
4. To treat each match not only as a competition but also as a social occasion and to behave in a cordial manner to opponents and team-mates alike.
5. To encourage team spirit and avoid any action which may damage team morale.
6. All players must have a convention card which conforms to prevailing EBU regulations. For on-line matches system cards must be lodged with the EBU and the link made available to opponents.
7. At the table:
a. To introduce themselves to the opponents (first names need only be stated and is the accepted norm).
b. To behave in a civil manner at all times, including in the event of the need for a director’s ruling.
c. In the event of a situation that a player believes has been dealt with unsatisfactorily by the director he/she should report the circumstances to their team captain at the next interval. Players should not enter into dispute with officials or opponents in an attempt to seek redress.
8. Players are not permitted to make player substitutions on their own initiative. In the event that a selected player is unable to attend at very short notice the match-day captain (or if not available a member of the Selection Committee) must be informed. In these circumstances then normally either a pre-nominated partner for the remaining player, or the pre-nominated reserve pair from the next lower division match, will be asked to play. Any other substitution is at the discretion of the match-day captain or, if he/she is unavailable, any member of the Selection Committee.
9. Players who fail to give at least 7 days’ notice of withdrawing from any match for non-urgent reasons may be subject to a sanction of losing selection for the next three matches where they are available or for 6 months, whichever is the longer. The selection Committee’s discretion will be final in these matters.
10. The ECBA operates a “one squad” policy. Players are not pre-designated to individual divisions. The selectors name from the whole squad what is, in their opinion, the best team for each match. This means that occasionally a player, or a pair, may be named for a higher or a lower division match than previously. A player who declines to play in a lower division than they would like to play in, will subsequently only be considered as a reserve for a higher division during that current season. If a player declines likewise in a subsequent season, they will be considered by the selectors to have put themselves out of the squad and thereby not available for selection.
ECBA Selection Committee
April 2024
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