WECU Jamboree

Some news to report on this traditional pre-season event. After many years of excellent work, Bob Jones has stepped down as organiser of the WECU Jamboree, and I've stepped up in his place.

This is the email I sent out to county captains a few days ago:

Dear all,

As of a few days ago I was confirmed as organiser for the WECU Jamboree for September. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Bob Jones for the great efforts he's put in to organising the Jamboree over the years, and for offering to help me with any initial problems I may have (which hopefully will be few.)

I'll send out exact details shortly, but for now I want to gauge opinions on the Jamboree. There are a few points I'd like to specifically focus on, although feel free to comment on other aspects.

Firstly, the grading limited section. Last season was a bit of a transitional season, with the adjustments to reflect the grading inflation. The rules were as follows: "...a team's total grade must not exceed 1700. Ungraded players deemed to be 140. Grades u100 deemed to be 100." Were people happy with this, or would they like to see any adjustments made?

Secondly, Bob brought along a lot of the sets needed personally, and I have nowhere near enough to replace him in that respect. Would teams be happy to bring along 6 boards, sets etc per team?

Thirdly, would people like to see this as an inter-county event, or a jamboree open to all teams? Over the last couple of years the Torbay League and Exeter & District League have entered teams in the graded section. I have no problem in the slightest with this, but if it is run as a jamboree open to all, then I'll try to encourage clubs or leagues (I'm thinking maybe the Bristol League here) to enter teams. In that case it may also be worth removing the Inter-County part from the name to avoid any confusion, and referring to it as Open and Graded sections.