On 12 April 2008 the Management Board considered an appeal from the Cwmbran club against a penalty ruling against them by the WCPL Controller for fielding an ineligible player in their match with Cardigan early in the season. The effect of the ruling was that the result of the match became a win for Cardigan rather than Cwmbran. The Board upheld the Controller's interpretation of the provision in question. Later in the month Cardiff played Cwmbran in the last round of the competition. On the basis of the Board’s decision, it appeared that Cwmbran needed to win the match in order to join Nidum as one of the two Welsh entrants in the 2008 Welsh Club Cup. Any other result would mean that Cardiff would qualify instead of Cwmbran. The match was drawn 3-3. Subsequently, Cwmbran further appealed against the Board's decision, under a provision of the WCU’s constitution which had never previously been invoked, to the President and Zonal Vice-Presidents. A hearing was arranged at the end of June by the President, newly elected at the WCU’s AGM earlier in the month, to hear the representations of Cwmbran and the League Controller. The hearing upheld Cwmbran’s appeal. Under the WCU Constitution this decision was final so that it was Nidum and Cwmbran who represented the Union in the 2008 European Club Cup. The Cardiff club subsequently raised a number of concerns with the Management Board to which the Board responded as follows in October 2008: This letter on behalf of the Management Board of the WCU is in response to your submission of 17th July. We are sorry that it has taken so long to respond. First, taking a step back, let me first say that we are grateful for the measured tone of the submission and of course are wholly with you in seeking to ensure that further damage is not done to Welsh chess as a result of this affair. Causing the resignation of the President of the WCU and the Director of the WCPL, both of whom were serving the Union admirably, is quite enough in that respect. Secondly, looking more generally at the sequence of events which gave rise to the appeal hearing, we accept unequivocally that Cardiff had every reason to feel deeply disappointed when the place they, and very many others involved in the WCPL, considered they had secured in the European Club Cup, was later taken away from them. It would not be appropriate for the Management Board, whose decision was itself the subject of the further appeal hearing, to comment on that hearing beyond making it clear that Charles Morris has our full support in his work on our behalf and on behalf of all the Welsh Chess Union’s members. But otherwise we accept that the Management Board quickly found itself on a steep learning curve as the issues developed and in a very difficult position. Though we trust you will accept that all those involved on behalf of the WCU acted throughout in the best of faith, devoting large amounts of time to the issues, it remains fair to say that there are a number of points where, with the wisdom of hindsight, we should have acted differently. We sincerely regret the position in which you have been placed and we are doing all we can to ensure that situations of this kind do not arise in future. | 
