LEAMINGTON CRICKET CLUB
110thAnnual General Meeting
Friday 13th November 2009
at 7.30pm
The Pavilion, Arlington Avenue, Leamington
AGENDA
1.Apologies for absence
2.Minutes of AGM Friday 14th November 2008
3.Matters arising
4.Annual report
5.Election of officers
6.Presentation of accounts
7.Appointment of auditors
8.Annual subscriptions
9.Any other business
Apologies; Rob Wollaston, Richard Swan, Nick Southorn, Dan McCarthy, Ben Ashmore, Mike Cheslin
Present: As in attendance book.
Written reports were presented from the Club Chairman, Chairman of Cricket, Youth Organiser, and the club’s accounts were also provided to the membership present.
Chairman reported, in addition, that committee member Roger Draper, was seriously ill and he recorded the club’s thanks for Roger’s services to the club. The club has been extending the use of the clubhouse for income generation with darts and pool and a TV, donated by Neil Smith, to be supplied with SKY coverage in a 12 month contract.
Neela Mann was thanked having served on the committee for many years in several capacities and she retired this year. He announced the award to her of Life Membership for all her valuable work.
Cricket Report
Clive Antrobus reported on cricket referring to how much we had missed Francois Klopper. However the club survived in the Premier League and with 6 or 7 more points would have been half way up the league. A very young team had recovered from a poor start. The 1st team had won the Coventry & District KO cup and the Fair Play award.
The 2nds had not done too well. The balance of the team was not right. The 3rds had been relegated with a weaker side than last year, on occasions with too many younger players. It is intended to recruit more players with two already on board. Jack Hawkes is already running nets at Princethorpe school.
On Sunday the 1st team was joint top and the second team won the cup. Clive thanked scorers Neela and Gerry.
Damian Dixon reported on youth cricket. We have one of the best junior clubs in the county. A highlight was in finishing third out of 800 in the country. 100 youngsters signed up for coaching which provides players for the club.
Elections
Of the existing officers of the club all existing officers except for the membership secretary are prepared to carry on and, with no other proposals, it was agreed that they be re-elected. On the resignation of Rob Wollaston as membership secretary, David Vaughan was proposed and was duly elected.
The chairman of cricket and the captains were re-elected with the exception of the second team captain, the position remaining vacant.
Financial Report
In the absence of Mike Cheslin Tom Grant presented the accounts commenting that the club was grateful to the treasurer for sorting out the issues with the Inland Revenue. A potential liability of £15-20000 was settled for £2500 to £3000. The club had a deficit of about £3000.
Tom Grant mentioned that subs were down £2.5k. We had 27 full playing members and about 96 youth members. We perhaps need to increase the contribution of the youth players. The lunch club has contributed a useful £400. The flat income was down due it being empty for several months. The cost of bar staff was offset by function room letting fees.
The secretary reported that the club would be applying for a premises licence to avoid the possibility of breaking the law under the current club licence. It was requested from the floor to know where the Arnold Lodge income appeared in the accounts. This is shown under ‘third party income’.
John Carrington commented that the Arnold Lodge income should be shown honestly and transparently and that the accounts showed the lowest ever profit in the bar. He asked where the new seating, paving and landscaping costs appeared in the accounts. In reply he was advised that the landscaping was shown as capitalised as is the climate cover. The Arnold Lodge money is correctly shown.
D Secher wanted to know about the security of the Arnold Lodge money. In reply he was told that we have tried to get them to sign a formal agreement for 18 months but they have not yet done so, but they will stay until at least the summer of 2009. We do not know what will happen after this. In response to question about membership fee reduction he was advised that we had 27 senior playing members 114 juniors, 52 senior social members, 27 sponsor members and 43 student members.
There has not been any planning for the departure of Arnold Lodge and ground redevelopment is in abeyance.
Jim Rushton said that it is in the Club’s constitution to have ‘audited’ accounts by auditors elected annually and this was not being done. The president that other auditors than Baldwins should be appointed. Chris Clarke said he might know someone who may do them.
On subscriptions D Secher noted that no increase was proposed for next year and considered this was wrong and we should increase these, if only to avoid a large increase in future. Jim Rushton proposed a 5% increase to reflect inflation and after discussion it was agreed the next years subs would be:
- £100 for full playing members
- £50 for juniors
- £35 for social members
- £15 for senior members
Any Other Business
John Carrington asked for financial papers to be made available before the meeting and Chris Clarke said there were members willing to deliver these.
Rob Wollaston said we should be better at getting information to members.
Gwilym Jones referred to a note he had sent round with suggestions on income streams.
John Carrington referred to insurance matters but was asked to speak to secretary after meeting
Minutes of the 109th Annual General Meeting
14th November 2008
16th November 2007
16th November 2007
Chairman’s Report
This is my last Chairman’s report as I have decided to stand down after three years in the position.
It was my aim, when I became Chairman, to expand the social activities of the Club beyond the Cricket facilities. With excellent support from the Committee, more opportunities have been introduced to enjoy the use of the Clubhouse.
There is no doubt that the Club needs to generate more income from the Clubhouse and Bar to be able to finance the maintenance of the magnificent cricket ground. We are grateful for the assistance given by our various Sponsors in what is a difficult economic time, and this has resulted in the loss of our major Sponsor.
We are justifiably proud of the talented cricketers at Leamington, but I am equally proud and appreciative of a very strong team off the field. Many people have readily given their time and skills to help in various ways so the Players can enjoy playing on one of the finest grounds in the County.
I wish to make special mention of Roger Draper who sadly passed away during the Club year. Roger loved Leamington Cricket Club, and his wife, Pam, was able to hand over donations received in his memory. This money was used to meet one of Roger’s wishes—the purchase of a new cooker which was installed before the start of the season. The Club was also able to purchase a new dishwasher. These two items helped our Ladies Catering Team to provide a variety of fundraising opportunities, as a result of which the cost of the dishwasher has been more than repaid. I wish to thank them all for their many hours of hard work.
Special thanks also go to Maria and her girls for the reliable and friendly manner in providing teas throughout the season. Many thanks also to Gary for managing the bar.
I also wish to place on record my thanks to David Vaughan for all his help not only on the ground, but also for taking on the responsibilities of Membership and Fixture Secretaries.
Whilst looking back over the past three years with some satisfaction, there remains one major disappointment. We still fail to persuade members of the Town’s general public to come through the gates and enjoy the superb grounds and facilities.
Nevertheless, the future of the Club is sound both on the playing side and back-up support, and I will continue to help in whatever way I can.
Tom Grant
Chairman
Report from Chairman of Cricket
The 2009 season was one of mixed fortunes for the Club but enables us to see where our strengths and weaknesses lie.the 1st XI were relegated from the Premier Division despite an excellent victory over Kidderminster in the last game.We certainly were not one of the worst two sides in the League but too many games were lost where we picked up virtually no points.Overall the batting and the bowling lacked consistency and with the talent available this was most
disappointing.However there were some highlights in particular from the younger players who with an extra year experience should have the ability to take us back to our rightful position.
The 2nd XI after a poor start played some decent cricket and finished in the top half of the League.The beauty is that we have several players in the team who have and will play 1st Team cricket.Once again the junior members of the side showed flashes ofwhich if combined with consistency holds us in good for future seasons.
The senior cricket highlight was the promotion of the 3rd X1 in the Cotswolds Hills League.The side played well together and eventually had a reasonable amount of youngsters in the team.Whilst very pleased with the success I am of the opinion that the 3rd X1 is a grounding area for players to progress into the 2nds, which I think we lost sight of on certain occasions. Hopefully, if we can start next season with a 4th XIthere will be ample opportunity for all.
The youth programme was again a great success with all sides from under 9 upwards performing with terrific enthusiasm and skill.All Managers and Parents deserve congratulations for organising and encouraging these efforts.The cricket committee will continue to work hard and I would like to thank Rob Williams, Gwilym Jones, Matt Dale, Damian Dixon, Dave Vaughan andparticular Gerry Bailey for their continued hard work.
My thanks also to other people who make cricket games possible namely Neela Mann, Peter Dale, John Hallett and other scorers together withRushton and Steve Baldwin for umpiring and Maria and the girls for servingteas each week-end.The bar is always an essential part of the club and I would like to thank Gary Bradleyworking so hard to keep the players nourished.
Indoor nets are planned for the winter which I hope will be put to goodplus a pre-season 'bonding' week-end at Hampstead Cricket Club prior to the first league matches.
Lets make the 2010 season a successful one and one to remember.
Clive Antrobus
Chairman of Cricket
First XI : 2009
Headlines for the 2009 season will show an 11th place finish and relegation for our ever developing first XI. There were many similarities to the 2005 season including overseas issues and some misfortune with the toss. We should not however look to blame ‘Lady luck’ in a season where we did not compete in enough of the games. The loss of 13 out of the last 14 tosses certainly did not aid our quest to stay in the premiership, especially considering the British weather meant batting first on a number a very damp wickets likely to improve during the game. Our true failing in these games was not being able to post anything like a competitive score, making it too easy for our opponents to score and at no stage being able to compete and apply pressure in the match.
Flamboyance we have in bundles, however we need to show a greater understanding of the game, scoring runs under pressure, building an innings and how to apply pressure to the opposition when bowling. Despite our lack of consistency there were some particularly notably performances including magnificent hundreds for Tom Lewis against Himley and Luke Radford against Kidderminster. Alex Phillips applied himself well in his new wicketkeeping role and continued to impress opening the batting.
Our cup ambitions were ended by a ridiculous situation of sun stopping play at Moseley, giving Moseley a much simpler target than what had been set.
The playing squad was strengthened with Tom Warner joining Leamington from Norton Lindsey and he proved what a good young cricketer he is and with his good attitude and appetite will continue to significantly progress as he has this season.
Initial discussions suggest the majority of the squad will be available next year, which is imperative if we are to target promotion for 2010.
After 4 years, it is sad that Faisal will not be coming back to play next year. He has made a great impact both on and off the field and is a true gentleman. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Faisal on behalf of the club for his huge endeavours both on and off the field, he will be missed by all and I will miss him as a true friend.
Once again I am indebted to the help and support of those around the first XI and extra special thanks to Neela who again provides her time and scoring expertise for the price of a cheese sandwich and cup of tea.
Rob Williams
Captain of First Team
Second XI : 2009
This was always going to be a tough year following Monty’s retirement at the end of the 2008 season, but despite fielding 32 different players ranging from 14 year-olds to a Warwickshire over-50s player; this was ultimately a successful season.
The season was really a tale of two halves. Due to an early-season injury crisis and delayed-arrival of Faisal, added to the already big loss of both Monty and Ross Antrobus, the 2nd XI fielded some of its weakest sides in the club’s history…..or so I was told by Tom!! However, the biggest positive of the season for me was the spirit and togetherness that the team showed throughout the year, culminating in only 5 losses – the joint lowest along with League champions Walsall.
The true potential of the team was shown in the second half of the season, (when I was able to pick a more settled side), with my highlights coming in the 2 away fixtures over the August Bank Holiday…..perhaps it had something to do with my birthday!! Firstly, the thrashing of 2nd place Moseley by 79 runs, with big contributions from at least 7 of the side, then the game at Walsall which we came so close to winning in a superb team effort. It was after this match, that we were told that we were comfortably the best side they had played all season. I also have to mention the fact that we beat the Wardens twice…..and that they were relegated!
There were numerous individual highlights, too many to mention them all! With the bat: Swanny’s 2 hundreds; Simon Magill’s hundred; Dave Hawkes’ rapid hundred coming mainly in boundaries; and the performances of Mark Best who showed what an excellent player he is. With the ball: Tom Warner’s 5 for 57 at Walsall; Tim Westwood’s 4 for 73 against Harborne and 3 for 31 at Walmley; Jack Hawkes’ 4 for 77 against Walmley and excellent 1 for 39 off 17 overs at Walsall, Chris Cheslin’s 4 for 53 against Attock; Gus Grieve’s 4 for 44 at Kenilworth; and Zac Grant’s 4 for 67 against K&D. Behind the stumps George Tedstone showed lots of promise with 10 catches and 5 stumpings, whilst in the field the highlight was undoubtedly Lee Hopkins’ 2 outstanding catches at home against Harborne.
I would like to say a big thank you to a few people who have really helped me throughout my first season as captain here at Leamington. Scorer Gerry Bailey, who contributes so much to the club, Andy Goddard for umpiring, and also to John Hallett who ably filled in for Gerry and Andy when they weren’t available. I would also like to thank James Uddin, who captained the side in my absence, and has taken the pre-match warm-ups...which have definitely helped to improve our catching!
In summary, a good season with some notable performances from talented youngsters, combined with good displays from the older members of the team. I am already looking forward to next season when hopefully a slightly more settled side will have the opportunity to improve on this year’s 6th place.
Gwilym Jones
Captain of Second Team
Third XI : 2009
A second promotion in 3 years (with a relegation sandwiched in-between) saw Leamington 3rds XI finish 2nd in the Cotswold Hills Division II behind league winners Moreton in Marsh.
Once again a mixture of experience and youth was blended together to create a solid team base with notable consistent performances from the Grant family with Rob winning the league bowling averages and being ably supported by sons Connor (Colin to his friends) and Zac, who also performed well for the 2nds in the early part of the season. Young off spinner Nick Couzens played the last dozen games and bowled with good maturity and took wickets on every occasion, he was also supported by his dad, Bob, for the last game (who took a smart slip catch, much to Nick’s surprise). All rounder Mark Davison was also prominent in the bowling averages taking 22 wickets, along with Paul ‘’Moon Man’’ Smith and no season could can go by with out the ever green Mark Ryan who chipped in with 13 wickets at an average of 9.85.