The Devon Knock-Out Teams of Four Championship for the Western Morning News Trophy 2025-26

The Devon Teams of Four Championship for the Western Morning News Trophy 2024/25

Due to insufficient interest, there is no Championship competition running for the 2024/25 season.

Entries will be open in due course for next season's knock-out competition* which will run from November 2025 to May 2026.

Matches can be played at your Bridge club, in your home, or online on RealBridge, subject to agreement between captains. The winning team will represent the County in the EBU’s Pachabo Cup.

Teams losing their first match will be entered into the Plate Competition* so that all teams are guaranteed at least two matches.

*If there are not enough entries for a full knock-out competition, the DBA reserve the right to change the format and cancel the Plate competition.

The Matches

Match Location

Matches can be played at your Bridge club, in your home, or online on RealBridge, subject to agreement between captains.
If there is no agreement, the match will be played online where the homes of the two captains are more than 20 miles apart, or where any player has good cause due to personal circumstances. If the above doesn't apply, the match must be played F2F.

The Final will be played F2F if at all possible.

The Plate Competition

If 12 or more teams enter, the teams losing their first match will be entered into the Devon Plate competition so that every team plays in at least two matches. If there are fewer than 12 teams, the DBA reserve the right to cancel this competition.

Master Points & Scoring

Scoring will be in IMPs. Green points will be awarded for wins in the main draw, local points in the Plate.

Fixing a Date

Team captains will be notified of a 'must be played by date' when they receive notification of the draw for each round.

1. The higher team in the draw is the home team, and the lower team is the away team.
2. Within seven days of the end date of the previous round (or in the case of the first round, by Sunday, 3rd November), the away team must offer at least four dates to the home team, not all in the same week. At least one of these must be on a Saturday or Sunday. Within a further seven days, the home team must accept one of these dates.
3. If the two teams fail to agree on a date to play (or in the case of any other dispute) the matter shall be referred to the TD, who may refer to the Appeals Committee, to which committee the disputants also have the right to appeal.

All matches up to and including the semi-finals should be played by the end of April, to allow the final, which will be F2F if possible, to be played by May 16, 2025.

For teams playing F2F, the home team are responsible for:

1. Organising the venue (after consultation with the away team captain).
2. Providing a playing environment (tables, boards, bidding boxes. stationery, etc.)
3. Providing refreshments and a suitable break from play in which to consume them.

For teams playing online on RealBridge, the home captain should inform the TD of the date and time chosen. Both captains will then be informed of the access arrangements.

The Tournament Director

The tournament director (TD) Jeremy Child will be on call for all matches.

Number of Boards

Teams will play 24 boards in each round except the final, which will comprise 36 boards.

Notification of the Result

Both teams must forward the result with the names of their players to the tournament administrator as soon as possible.

The Tournament Administrator

Jacqui Munns 

How to Enter

The closing date for entries tbc.
All players must have primary membership of the Devon Bridge Association.

The captain of the team should complete the entry form below and include at least four and a maximum of six players. Teams can add the final two players to their team at any time before the quarter final by contacting the tournament administrator. Only pre-registered players are eligible to compete and teams are therefore strongly advised to name six players at the earliest opportunity.

Complete the entry form below and send the entry fee by Bank Transfer to:
Account Name: Devon Bridge Association
Sort Code: 30-96-68
Account Number: 01010562
Ref: DTF plus captain's surname.

The EBU Pachabo Cup

It is a condition of entry that the winning team, or the runners-up, will represent the County in the EBU’s Pachabo Cup. The entry will be made by the DBA on behalf of the team, and the DBA will also pay the entry fees.

The Holders

2024 Winners: Warner Solomon, Alex Maddocks, Stefan Lindfors, Jim Grant, Jacek Pietrzycki

Unfortunately, Warner's team were not able to take part in the EBU Pachabo Cup and Richard Lingham's teams therefore represented Devon in this competition.