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Assuming 64 runners in the main event and 16 in the ladies event the breakdown will be as follows:-

Main Event
Winner ?320
Runner Up ?150
Semis ?75 x 2
Quarters ?25 x 4

Plate
Winner ?100
Runner Up ?50
Semis ?25 x 2

Ladies
Winner ?100
Runner Up ?50
Semis ?25

If the main event is fully subscribed we will allow reserves in on the day if there are any no shows and their entry money will boost the payout in the main event.

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Taking the ladies event aside (as I dont know how much it costs/and how many people will be there), 64 people will be entering a comp paying ?15. The payout is ?240 less than the total entry fee, and thats not including any sponseship from the venue, and or potential rebuys.

I cant honestly see how you can promote this as a free plate when in reality ?3.75 of your everyones entry is put aside to subsidise the plate. As in reality half of the field will not have the chance to utilise this in my opinion the event doesnt offer the greatest value for money.

Dont get me wrong I will still be there, but the move from ?10 to ?15 is making no difference at all to the prize fund for the major event, which the majority are actually going for.

This is clearly just an opinion of mine, and as I dont organise it I dont expect this to make any difference. Just an observation thats all.

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The first time I read your post I thought you were saying that we were taking ?240 out of the prize fund. That's not the case at all. I just want to say that in case anyone else interprets it that way initially.

The reasons for combining the plate entry are two fold:-

Firstly administration - if we know that the players who lose in round one are automatically to be entered in the plate then we don't have to run around finding them, collecting money etc. We're aiming to run 3 comps and I could potentially be playing in all of them so anything that helps us out.

Secondly, the club provides free tables and food. They clearly want to see some money cross the bar and this is one way of keeping 'bums on seats' as it were.

Last year was the first time we tried pre-payment. It turned out to be the way forward. This time we're trying something else. If it turns out to be universally unpopular then we won't do it again.

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To some extent I am Sass. Clearly not for personal gain but to suppliment other competitions that are advertised as free entry. The bottom line is you are a gentleman who wins one match in the main event, your ?15 buys you entry to one competion and part of your entry fee is actually going into a competiton prize fund that you cannot enter.

To me a free plate is a prize fund generated by other means ie rebuys (like the Surrey Singles) and or in sponsership form the venue or external csource.

The increase of 50% in entry fee has resulted in 75% of the additional revenue redistributed into other comps. I am sure the event will be extremely successful however you choose to run it.

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What you say is fair comment. I've explained the reasons why we've done it this way so won't go into them again. This is partly why I have gone public with the prize fund details at this early stage. We want to promote the plate as we didn't actually have one last year and several people commented on it afterwards.
People can make their own decisions on whether they want to enter based on the facts.

It might be worth pointing out that if you win your second match in the main event then you will get ?25 back. That is actually an increase on last year where we only paid down to the semis. We listened to the feedback and made an adjustment.

Should we start changing things now? I'm not sure it's appropriate but we will certainly give it some thought.

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The ladies prize payout was based on the original 16 runners. Since it is now 8 the breakdown will be as follows:-

Winner ?50 plus trophy
Runner Up ?30
Semis ?10

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Slight upwards adjustment to the prize fund for the Open . . .

Main Event
Winner ?320 plus trophy
Runner Up ?160
Semis ?80 x 2
Quarters ?25 x 4