Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of HHCC held on Wednesday 7th December 2016 at Hampton Hill Cricket Club
Present: 24 voting members of the club
1Apologies for absence
Apologies were received from Nigel Coates, Helen Dapre, Peter Dapre, Tom Coates, Tony Caley, Harry Coates, Dave Castor, Chris Warrens, Kevin Rice, Jamie Sones, Ollie Fallows, James Robottom, Paul Thornley, Paul Metcalfe.
2President’s opening remarks
Dave Mackinney addressed the meeting and welcomed everyone. He said that 2016 had been a fantastic year for the club with two teams becoming Champions of their leagues, winning the Nelson Trophy and success at junior level with more and more colts joining the club. The club is going from strength to strength and it is hard to think that it is only six years ago that the club was brought to its knees by the fire of 2010. To be where we are now is amazing and it is due in no small part to everyone here, all the other members of the club and especially the Committee. He thanked them all then handed over to Steve Fidler as Chairman, to chair the meeting.
3Minutes of the 2015 AGM
Nally Fernando pointed out that minutes referred to having accepted the minutes of the 2012 meeting, not the 2014. He also pointed out that the meeting had elected a Club Captain, as it had been him. With these changes noted, the minutes of the 2015 AGM were accepted.
Proposed: Nally Fernando; Seconded: Mike Day Vote: unanimous
4Report by the Honorary Secretary
Gill Coates reported as follows:
Membership of the club in 2016 was made up as follows:
Membership category / 2016 / 2015Life / 10 / 10
Playing / 87 / 68 (12 unpaid)
Vic Presidents (incl Hon) / 38 / 36 (5 unpaid)
Associates (now closed) / 18 / 18
Colts (incl Kwik cricketers) / 184 / 132 (10 unpaid)
Club members / 140 / 104 (7 unpaid)
The committee met 9 times during the year, one less than normal due to availability issues.
The committee is responsible for managing the club and delivering senior and junior cricket at all levels. In pursuit of this we have discussed numerous topics including:
The continuing saga of the development of the compound (still a case of watch this space); issues of tidiness of the compound - mainly due to HYFC ); Sponsorship of senior sides - successful - and junior sides - not achieved this year; lettings; the purchase of a small store shed (done but not yet erected); whether or not to introduce a ‘bogof’ deal over bar (no); the running of a colts summer camp (achieved); the safe use of our new bowling machine (achieved); whether or not we should have a defibrillator (yes in principle, but still assessing the options) and the replacement of the artificial pitches (due to happen before next season.)
We have also ensured first aid training is up to date and arranged for a number of colts parents to do coaching courses over the winter.
We had to address a disciplinary issue during the season, following an unpleasant match at Whiteley Village, which resulted in both clubs making complaints to the league. This is outlined further in the Welfare Officer’s Report. Unfortunately this resulted in both Nally and myself resigning our positions on the Committee. We have since revised the Disciplinary Procedure to clarify the misunderstandings that arose and these are being put before the meeting for adoption later on the agenda.
Outside of cricket, it has been a quiet year for the club - some may say too quiet. We held only one event - a quiz night - and the big end of season event ( a repeat of last year’s Cabaret Night) had to be cancelled due to lack of support. There was also no tour this year, because no-one was available to organise it. This highlights a continuing problem for the club. We continue to garner success on the field, but increasingly players are failing to recognise that the delivery of cricket relies on us having a viable club, and that means getting involved off the pitch and giving us your support.
As there is no other place to make a formal record for the long term history of the club, I would like to take this opportunity to record our thanks to Barbara Gould and Angela Carr for their donations to the club in memory of Roger and Bill. Roger left the club £2000 and Barbara has also bought the bell which now hangs on the balcony in Roger’s memory. The Carr family donated the bench, which has been enjoyed by many spectators already this season and will continue to be enjoyed for years to come. It is also perhaps pertinent here to record the recent loss of Mike Falkner who was a long-time supporter of the club, mainly through his association with the Crane family.
Finally, I would like to thank my fellow Committee members for all their hard work throughout the year. I came on to the Committee in 2010 after the fire that destroyed our pavilion, so that I could help ensure that the club that my husband and sons loved so much would not fold but would stand defiantly and come back stronger than before. I am proud to have helped achieve that goal, but as I hinted earlier I feel very strongly that it is time for playing members to play their part and I hope that when it comes to voting later in the meeting we will find a new Secretary from amongst our membership who is keen to take the club forward as we embark on a new era in the Surrey Championship for the twos and a charge by the Ones to join them there.”
SF thanked GC for her report. As there were no questions, he moved on to the next item.
5Report by the Honorary Treasurer
(The Accounts and Balance Sheet are attached at the end of these minutes)
Dave Mackinney reported as follows:
“The Financial Statements have been drawn up from 1st October 2015 to 30 September 2016, and have been audited by David Glynne of Accounting Function Ltd.
I am pleased to report we have had a fantastic year financially, matching the exploits of our membership on the field, with an Operating Profit of just under £11,500 compared to the loss of £7,000 the previous year
As you will see from the accounts attached, this is mainly due to a 46% increase in Income, although we have also managed to reduce our overheads by 6%.
The big numbers from an income perspective are the Bar Takings, reaching a record £41,000, up nearly 30% from last year, and the membership totals, another record for the Club.
The amazing influx of KWIKs and juniors, up 40%, accounts for a large proportion of that, with the parents also adding to the figures. A big thanks to Ian Exworth and the coaches who work tirelessly on Sunday mornings and the environment they set encourages new members to join.
A big thanks to Derek and his staff for the increased Bar takings and Management. Also thanks to Lisa for the increase in Functions Income to almost £5,000. A great effort by all involved
The Phoenix Fund does include a donation from the Estate of Roger Gould and our thanks go to Barbara for this kind gesture. There were also donations from Bob and Barbara Head and Gareth Parry, along with those who participate in the monthly draw, the 100 Club. At only £2 per month, this is a great way of raising funds for the club, with the possibility of a nice prize each month. Please let me know if you are interested in joining.
We would like to thank Astound for sponsorship of £2,000 for Senior Cricket as detailed in the accounts. Usually we would offset this against the purchase of shirts, but as this was the second year, no new shirts were required. Match fees were up as more games were played this year, and with the increase in playing members, more adults were paying the full match fee.
As mentioned, we also managed to reduce our expenditure this year by 6%. The big savings were in the Rent/ Rates and Electricity where a new contract with a smart meter meant that our electricity bills fell by 30% this year. This also included a refund of £500 that we had overpaid with our previous supplier.
We did have some increases though, with Subscriptions / Licenses almost doubled. This is due to the fact we have paid for 4 of our Junior coaches to go on the ECB Level 2 courses to improve the standard of Junior Cricket even more. These courses are £375 each, but it is an investment in our members that we are happy to make. We hope to add to this number next year. Administrative Expenses were also up, as a consequence of the increase in bar takings and Functions, although thanks to Irene and Tony Caley’s professionalism and commitment the cleaning expense has reduced. We have paid off another £6,000 of our Loan from the ECB, and only have 7 more quarterly payments to complete.
The Committee has decided that with the surplus funds, we will refurbish both the artificial playing surface on the square and the strip in the net area, as we felt that as the majority of the income has come from the junior membership it would be appropriate for them to benefit from the investment.
Thanks to all of you, as it is you who have put us in this healthy position, but we must not rest on our laurels, we must continue to improve and grow the club, whilst keeping that family environment that is so important to encouraging new members to our fantastic home.”
SF commented that in view of the loss made last year, the turnaround has been unbelievable. There being no more questions or comments, the Accounts were approved.
Proposed: Keith Edwards; Seconded:Ollie Hampton. Vote: unanimous
6Report by the General Manager
Steve Fidler reported as follows:
“This report will attempt to sum up the club’s non-cricket operations. Some of these are seen, but many go on in the background but nevertheless are vitally important to the club.
It’s been a very busy year and I’d like to start by thanking Derek Powell and his team of bar staff. They have broken all records this year, with sales in excess of £40,000 at a gross profit approaching 50%. Sales are now some 60% higher than our first year in the new pavilion and it is one of the main reasons for such a healthy financial position, as stated in the Treasurer’s Report. The challenge now is to find ways to continue that growth.
Another important income stream, and closely related to the record bar takings, is our lettings operation. It, too, has seen a dramatic increase on last year. Lisa Fullicks has carried out the crucial role of lettings manager for many years now and needed all her experience at times this year, such was the frequency of bookings. During the year we formed a lettings sub-committee to try to lighten Lisa’s workload. We have separated the cricket and non-cricket bookings and will be appointing a separate community liaison officer. We hope this will help the club continue to grow this important area.
Tony and Irene Caley continue to look after the fabric of the pavilion, keeping everywhere spotlessly clean and in good working order.
Outside, the ground is looked after by Sean Cummins and myself. Sean, along with Warren Carr, has been shortlisted for a prestigious national award from the Institute of Groundsmanship for their work at NPL Sports Club. Tom Hampton has taken on full responsibility for Carlisle Park this year and continues to make improvements to the pitches there. The committee has identified two artificial surfaces as a priority for improvement and to that end I have placed an order with Club Surfaces Ltd to refurbish and replace both of the non-turf pitches. The match pitch and batting and bowling ends of the practice pitch will be extended to the new ECB standard length. The work will take place in the spring, in time for the 2017 season.”
There being no questions, the meeting moved on.
7Report by the Welfare Officer
Nally Fernando reported as follows:
“During the year we had to deal with a disciplinary issue which came about as a result of a 2nd XI league match, which we initially reported to the League following the unreasonable behaviour of the opposition’s captain. Unfortunately, the person in question retaliated with a number of his own accusations which the League asked us to investigate. We were never in any doubt that our members were provoked beyond measure by the opposing captain, however it is also undeniable that their response violated some of the League’s rules and our own Code of Conduct.
As Chairman of the Disciplinary sub-committee, I convened the group consisting of myself, the Honorary Secretary and one other Committee member. Because of the circumstances outlined above, we did not enact the full Disciplinary Procedure (ie with a Disciplinary Hearing) but acted within its spirit, so as to be seen to be doing something, as expected by the League. Unfortunately our handling of the matter, involving report gathering and informal discussions, led to some misunderstandings and both myself and our Honorary Secretary found our positions untenable and tendered our resignations (mine with immediate effect.)
Although I appreciate that our Disciplinary Procedure may need to be looked at as a result of this issue, I feel that the main principles (which were adopted at the 2010 AGM as part of the measures we introduced to meet ClubMark standards) remain sound and I believe strongly that it is the duty of all club officials to ensure that the adopted procedure is followed to the letter if the process is to continue to carry any weight in future.”
SF added that the Disciplinary Procedure has been tweaked to help ensure any future breaches can be dealt with without problem. It was a great shame the club had lost two valued committee members as a result, especially when it had all stemmed from the unreasonable behaviour of an opposing team’s captain.
8Report by the Club Captain and Season Review
TEAM / PLAYED / WON / DREW / LOST / ABANDONEDSAT 1ST XI / 21 / 16 / 1 / 4 / 1
SAT 2ND XI / 18 / 10 / 2 plus 1 tie / 5 / 2
SAT 3RD XI / 17 / 7 / 1 / 9 / 1
SAT 4th XI / 4 / 2 / - / 2 / -
SUN HOME / 19 / 4 / 3 / 12 / 1
SUN AWAY / 8 / 1 / 2 / 5 / 2
Ollie Hampton, Cricket Development Officer, reported as follows:
“Is this season history making? To have 1st and 2nd teams both division champions? To get 11 new players - a whole side - joining the club?
The 1st XI season went right down to the wire and was nip and tuck with Long Ditton all the way right until the very last game, with HHCC winning the league by just 5 points. In addition, Tom Hampton and James Robottom both got picked by the FBSCL to play in their representative side.
The 2nd XI season also went to the last weekend. With five games left HHCC were still in touch but it seemed that the gap was just too big on the last weekend. And then we saw the weather forecast. The Hill had to win quickly and hope other games went the right way. And they did, with HHCC winning the league by just 2 points after Merrow and Merton both had their games abandoned due to the weather. Winning the Premier Division means that the 2nd XI will be playing in the Surrey Championship next year.
The 3rd XI had a great first half to the season, winning 7 of the first 10 games only to struggle in the second half with selection. However a mid-table finish, and some added experience playing in the Surrey Championship will help the club to compete next season with a large amount of HHCC colts coming through the ranks. Special thanks to David Coates who took on the Captaincy during the season.
Moving onto Sundays the club had their best ever league cup run, losing to eventual finalists Southern Railway & Kenley in the 3rd round. HHCC won the inaugural Bushy Park T20 league beating Teddington Town, NPL and Hampton Wick to pick up the trophy.
The Sunday 1st XI won the Nelson Stanley Trophy against our old foes Teddington Town but unfortunately the 2nd XI was unable to pick up the Anil Patel Cup. We also enjoyed a great 6-a-side competition at the end of the season, organised by Rob Fullicks.
With all this success to live up to next year, we have got to make use of our training opportunities. At the moment, sessions are not well attended and we need to improve that next year. We are installing new artificial pitches and we now have a bowling machine, so we need to make use of the investment the club is making.”
Dave Mackinney added that winter nets are well-attended so we should push the need for in-season training at those sessions.
OH added that player availability needs to be tightened up. This year we moved to an email system and players should be reminded it is their own responsibility to let Rob Fullicks know by lunchtime on Monday if they are available at the weekend; they are not going to be chased and no-one is going to assume they are available.
Rob Fullicks added that he is organising a tour in 2017 and will need 18 people to make it viable.