NOTES OF IBM HURSLEY CRICKET CLUB ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
HELD ON MONDAY 7th NOVEMBER 2016 IN THE OSMAN ROOM, IBM HURSLEY CLUB
In attendance:
Mike PollardMahadevan Ramanan
Tony AdamsAndy Moger
Graham MeechJim Stewart
Iain RobbinsJeff Yarney
Shirley RobbinsDan Rides
Neil MoringKrishnan Kundu
Andy CockingBob Elliott
Nagu SittampalamNick Wood
Apologies were received from:
Mike GilliesTony Portelli
Emma and P CowdrillShameel Naqvi
Brendan Bennett
The meeting was opened by Graham Meech, Chairman, at 7.30 pm.
1. Minutes of 2015 AGM
The minutes of the 2015 AGM held on Monday 9th November 2015 were read by those present, agreed and signed as a true record.
2. Matters arising from 2015 AGM minutes
Graham Meech wished to place on record his thanks to Andy Moger for the work he had undertaken during the year on the Club website.
3. Chairman's opening remarks
Graham Meech outlined the success of the Club in 2016. The goals that we had set ourselves – to consolidate the position for the First XI, to gain promotion for Second XI, to get the first win for the Third XI and for all three teams to win on the same day – had all been achieved.
The Colts had enjoyed similar success with the U15's retaining the Millard Plate for the 2nd year in succession. More and more colts are breaking through into adult cricket and making a positive impact. This was not without a huge amount of input from coaches, team managers and parents and they were thanked for their help and support. The Club is proud of its Colts who are held with great respect in the area.
Graham thanked the Committee members, the staff of the IBM Club, the groundsmen and scorers and umpires, without who the Club could not operate.
Graham also thanked the skippers for ensuring that we fielded teams every Saturday in the season and their support in setting a good example for our juniors.
Finally, a thank you was noted on the record to Portmore for their generous sporting grant.
4. First XI Captain's report
Dan Rides reported that the First XI had missed promotion by just a few points, despite this not being a goal for them in 2016 as it had been the Club's aim to consolidate. Fielding had been disappointing at times and a lack of batting strength was noted – although it had been great to see Rob Pfeiffer joining the Club and adding some batting strength. Batting still needs to be worked on. It was also hoped that Colts would continue to develop and push for First XI selection in 2017.
5. 2nd XI Captain's report
Tony Adams confirmed that the Second XI had finished champions of their league and had been promoted with only one loss all season. The bowling had been the clear strength in the Second XI this season, having achieved maximum bowling points in all matches and fielding had been outstanding. Tony agreed that batting remains the weakness of the Club.
Tony wished to place on record his thanks to Tony Portelli for standing in as Skipper when Tony was injured at the end of the season.
6. 3rd XI Captain's report
Andy Cocking confirmed that the goals set for the Third XI had been achieved in 2016 and the team had finished 6th in their league (compared to bottom of the league in 2015). More consistency in players had definitely helped this season and the team had established a core of players to enable the skipper to understand their relative strengths.
He praised the quality of the junior players, without whom the matches would not be as enjoyable as they had been in 2016.
Andy also wished to formally thank Jeff Yarney for stepping in as Skipper during his absences in 2016.
7. Sunday Captain's report
Not many matches had been played in 2016, with opposition withdrawing due to lack of players and weather being the main reasons. The Club would aim to arrange more games for 2017 to allow those who do not get selected for HCL Saturday league matches to continue to play cricket for the Club.
8. Midweek Captain's report
Tony Portelli gave a written report in his absence from the meeting. The team had won more matches than they lost and finished 3rd in their league.
He thanked Tony Adams for his support with umpiring duties and Shirley Robbins for scoring and all adults and Colts who played this season.
10. Colts report
Shirley Robbins gave a verbal report. It had been another successful year for the Colts with the U11's and U13's both finishing winners in their respective leagues and the U15's retaining the Millard Plate for the second year. Our U9's had also won the Plate in the U9 tournament that we ran in May.
Following a question, it was confirmed that the Club was seeking to establish more formal links with Knightwood Primary School on the back of some very successful coaching that Shameel and Ram had been providing there, and possibly with Thornden/Toynbee Secondary Schools through the “Chance to Shine” Programme.
11. Treasurer's report
Tony Adams presented a financial summary of the year (attached to these minutes). It showed that the Club was in good shape and Tony confirmed that the Club continues to be self-sufficient.
Based on the financial position, it was the Committee's recommendation to the AGM that fees and memberships remain the same in 2017 with one minor exception (noted below under item no. 15.
A question was asked as to whether the Club could obtain grant funding and it was confirmed that we had applied for grants in the past and had received some funding which had paid for our nets and bowling machine.
12. Secretary's report
Shirley Robbins reported that all administrative tasks had been completed on time for the year and HCL subscriptions had just been sent to HCL for 2017. The club had not received any fines for non-return/late return of information etc to the League.
13. Amendment to the Club Constitution
Following the introduction of the post of Club Captain, it was proposed that the Constitution be amended to read as follows:-
The IHCC shall be controlled by a committee consisting of 4 officers, viz the Chairman, the Club Captain, the Secretary, the Treasurer plus 5 additional members.
This motion was proposed by Nick Wood, seconded by Jim Stewart and accepted by those present.
14. Election of Officers
The following Club Officers were proposed, seconded and agreed for the next year:-
Chairman
Graham Meech – proposed by Mahadevan Ramanan and seconded by Jeff Yarney.
Club Captain
Mike Pollard – proposed by Graham Meech and seconded by Nick Wood.
First XI Captain
Dan Rides – proposed by Shirley Robbins and seconded by Mike Pollard.
Second XI Captain
Tony Adams - proposed by Krishnan Kundu and seconded by Jim Stewart.
Third XI Captain
Andy Cocking – proposed by Iain Robbins and seconded by Mahadevan Ramanan.
Sunday Captain
It was agreed that this role would be rotated as it was in 2016 and would continue to be ideal to give more experienced Colts experience of being skipper on match days. It was noted however that adult members of the Club would be responsible for team selection and communication with players prior to the matches.
Midweek Captain
Tony Portelli - proposed by Graham Meech and seconded by Andy Moger.
Treasurer
Tony Adams – proposed by Andy Cocking and seconded by Andy Moger.
Secretary
Shirley Robbins – proposed by Mike Pollard and seconded by Nagu Sittampalam.
Fixtures Secretary
Nick Wood – proposed by Graham Meech and seconded by Tony Adams.
Committee Members
It was agreed that the Committee for 2016 would be composed of the following members:
Chairman
Club Captain
First XI Captain
Second XI Captain
Third XI Captain
Midweek Captain
Treasurer
Secretary – also Colts Co-ordinator
Fixtures Secretary
Website Officer – seconded on to the Committee whilst work in progress on the site
15. Membership and match fees for 2016
Adult membership of cricket section - £30 (same as in 2016).
Colts membership
£20 if member of the Labs Club/£30 if not a member of Labs Club (as in 2016).
Match fees 2017
The following match fees will apply:-
Midweek - £2
Saturday League First, Second and Third XI - £5 for all (including Colts)*
Sunday friendlies - £5 for all (including Colts)
* This reflects one change from 2016 when Colts playing in the Third XI paid £3. It was now felt the right time to bring this into line with all other teams.
Proposed by Nagu Sittampalam and seconded by Jeff Yarney. All agreed.
16 Any other business
(i) Pitch for Third XI
Shirley Robbins outlined the contents of a meeting she had attended recently with Mike Pollard for users of Wide Lane cricket pitches. It was noted that the University were keen to get more use from the cricket pitches but in doing so recognised that they need to improve what was on offer.
As a result, it was proposed that we agree to commit to using the “island” pitch at Wide Lane for the Third XI for the next 3 years if the proposed redevelopment of the “island pitch” facilities was undertaken, as planned. We would then be offered use of the “island pitch” as our home pitch for all matches which would be shared on alternate weeks with Sporting Wessex CC. We would make contact with Sporting Wessex to forge an alliance to assist in the redevelopment of the facilities on the “island” and to make contact with HCL to ensure our fixtures alternate with Sporting Wessex.
(ii) New HCL League Structure
Following the HCL restructure, for 2017, our teams would be in the following leagues:-
First XI – County Division 4 North
Second XI – Regional Division 1 North West
Third XI – Regional Division 3 North East
This was considered by most to be positive for us, as travel had presented some issues in the 2016 season.
(iii) Targets for the Club in 2017
This would be discussed and targets set at the next Committee meeting.
(iv) Cricket Tour in 2017
Mike Pollard advised that consideration was being given to a tour in Devon in April 2017 and that any players interested in taking part should contact him. An email would be sent to all players in the near future with further details.
(v) Colts moving to adult cricket
A question was asked as to whether we feel as a Club we could offer sufficient match experience to all the Colts coming through into adult cricket. It was noted that each year there were only a very small number of players who would realistically be able to play in HCL adult cricket and that others could be given opportunity to develop through playing Sunday friendly matches.
It was agreed that this matter needed some further discussion at a Committee meeting and the Club's Selection Policy revisited to ensure that it continued to meet the Club's needs and reflects our practice in team selection.
As part of this process, we also needed to identify those Colts who may potentially be ready to play adult cricket in 2017.
(vi) Club objectives
A question was asked what our objective was as a Club – to give everyone a fair chance to play or to seek to be the best and field the best players to try to achieve promotion.
Similar to the discussion on Team Selection, it was agreed that the Committee need to see what players we could potentially have available in 2017 and decide our objectives on the basis of what is achievable.
It was agreed that we need a Development Plan so that members know the direction the Club is heading and both our long and short term goals.
(vii) Abuse of umpires
Following a nationwide report that had been made public on the day of the AGM, it was a useful reminder that Skippers have a responsibility within the Club to ensure players adhere to the spirit of cricket.
(viii) Proposals for changes at HCL
A question was asked whether we had any views as a Club on any of the proposals that may be put to the HCL for consideration at its AGM in early 2017. Whilst we were aware of some possible proposals (eg to the starting time for HCL matches), we would not be aware of all proposals until nearer the time of the AGM when they would be circulated to Clubs.
It was agreed that any proposals would need to be communicated to Club players for them to comment on.
(ix) Batting Development
A question was asked whether we are planning as a Club to offer any additional coaching for batting, since we have recognised it as a weakness in the Club. It was highlighted that one of the main issues was the condition of our wicket and that this needs to be improved for us to work on batting improvements. There is opportunity at the adult nets sessions in both the winter and outdoors to practice batting against a bowling machine.
(x) Website
Andy Moger was thanked for his work so far on the website. He reported that there was still some work to be done, particularly with archives and historical records.
Andy was happy to receive any comments and suggestions regarding content of the website.
The meeting closed at 9.39 pm.
Minutes taken by Shirley Robbins
Captain's Report: 2nd XI (2015)
The second XI had 17 games scheduled of which 15 were played, 1 was not completed due to the weather and 1 was cancelled due to a wet pitch. The season started with a losing streak of 5 matches, most of which the team was capable of winning but a more successful 2nd half saw us finish with 7 losses and 8 wins. We finished 8th in the table despite a charge at the backend of the season to try and get us into the top 6 to secure promotion under the league restructuring. Selection was very difficult in the early part of the season with widespread unavailability of players. We had some bad luck on the way with Totton & Eling fielding a Southern Premier League batter wanting some match practise and he score a century. We lost the toss to Overton II on a day when the ball was swinging massively and their opening bowler skittled the top order finishing with figures of 6 for 16.
Bowling was once again the strength of the team. We bowled out 6 sides in 15 matches and we emerged victorious in 5 of those fixtures.
Didn't once score maximum points. Got to 23 points on 3 occasions. We only got onto the “honours” sheet 3 times this year and all 3 were for bowlers. They were Reuben with 6/27 against Knights Valley, Foddy with 5/19 against Thruxton and Krishnan with 5/39 against Hursley Park. The leading bowler for the season was Neil Moring taking 19 wickets.
Our batting was weak and the reason we did not get into the top 6. Not one person scored a 50 this season. Hardeep got closest with a 49 against Totton & Eling. We only got past 150 runs on 3 occasions and were all out on 8 occasions. We also failed to get to 3 figures as a team on 3 occasions. The leading batter was Hardeep who scored 257 runs through the season at an average of 25.7.
We were blessed with an umpire and scorer at most games and I cannot emphasise how much pressure that takes off the captain so a massive thank you to Shirley, Bob, Guy and Graham who performed those duties for us. A special thank you to Shirley as well for processing and posting the results sheets off for me.
I don't want to highlight any negatives in the season but I do want to talk about selection as it probably caused me the most personal stress through the season. The team used 36 players during the season which is too many. I feel that the selection process should be revisited by the club and a squad model considered where, if a higher league player is available to play in a week then a lower league player should not automatically forfeit their place in the lower league side to ensure a game for the higher league player.
I am really pleased with the way that some of the younger guys developed this season, in particular Cain, Josh and Matt and the most memorable moment for me was batting with Cain against Andover. I had a lot of off field distractions this year which usually meant I wasn't in the best frame of mind to captain a cricket team on most Saturday afternoons but I am pleased I did it and would like to thank everyone for their support through the season. I believe that the club has sufficient strength for the 2nd XI to gain automatic promotion and I wish the team the best of luck in achieving that next season.
Graeme McRobert
Captain, 2nd XI