B.S.H.C AGM
6th May 2010
Meeting commenced at 20:15
Present
Simon Murphy Liz Webster Andy Webster Peter Smith
Gill Hodder Pippa Bull Karen Jones Sharon Rayner
Sally Powell Katherine Roach Tiffany Rowlands Elizabeth Reay
Laura Tyler Lexie Guthrie Paula Frenzel Jemma Smith
Gary Jones John Shepherd David Wilde Richard Harrison
Martin Gay Vernon Brown Philip Mathison Gregg Pettit
Ben Thompson Richard Temple Ronan Wade David Earl
Richard Owen Gary Griffiths Colin Harker Andy Stothard
Julie McRann Graeme Smith Matthew Sharman Natalie Welsh
Phil Hammond Teresa Stickland Duncan Smart Bernie Cotton
Mark Shillito Neall Range James Brock Sandra Tuner
Lynn Gurnett Jo Newman Camilla Sinnott Ed Bull
Marcus Taylor Tony Penman Craig Smith Ronnie Stott
Alex Dias Lisa Wright Victoria Morphew David Welsh
Charlotte Dale Philip Rowley
______
Apologies
Helen Perry Tim Smith Mark Surridge Dave Butcher
Suzi Kitrell Amanda Smart Helen Perry Ollie Bull
Ben Bull F Ramuz ______
ITEM MATTERS DISCUSSED
1.0 Minutes of the previous meeting
1.1 The minutes of the previous meeting (23/04/09) were accepted as read.
2.0 Matters Arising
2.1 There were no matters arising that were not covered in the agenda.
3.0 Chairman’s Report
3.1 This is my first speech as Chairman of B.S.H.C. and i must thank the former chairman for leaving me such a great relationship with all the local residents on Barrells Down Road.
It has been a mixed season on the pitch which Peter and Pippa will talk about in more detail later. The Junior Section has continued to go from strength to strength, many thanks to Gill and her helpers. Gill is stepping down this year and I would like to thank her again for all of her efforts in running the junior section, I would also like to wish Jemma all the best for the future, and from what I have heard so far she is a fine replacement for Gill. The social side has had mixed success this year, but with a superbly organised Dinner Dace at the end of the season we should have made a healthy profit. Well done to Stuart for putting together a good team, but I feel special thanks should go to Camilla and Tubby for all they put into organising it. As always a big thank you to Paul and his bar staff who have yet again done an excellent job this year. Well done and keep up the good work.
Unfortunately there are a few key members who are stepping down from their official roles this year. Peter has again run the men’s section superbly and he will most defiantly be missed though I am sure never too far away. Gill as I have already mentioned is stepping down but has offered Jemma all the support she will need, Andy Webster has run the Web site and the Members section for a couple of years and has done a great job, without his input I don’t think the club would run as smoothly as it does. Martin Gay is resigning from the Trust but I’m sure with the introduction of an opinionated Scots man to help me the trust will go from strength to strength.
A big thank you to Colin Barber for all his work at Hockerill. He is the vital link between the Club and school and has ensured everything has run smoothly this year.
Thanks to all of the captains, umpires and members of the many many committees for giving up their time to help ensure our Club continues to thrive.
4.0 Pitch Report
4.1 Appendix 1.
5.0 Ladies Report
6.0 Men’s Report
6.1 The 2009/ 2010 season was full of achievement and at the outset I would like to thank all those on the Playing Committee that made it possible. We welcomed a large number of new players into the club as a result of the demise of some local Clubs, and our recruitment drive in the Summer league. The influx of players was a major factor in our overall success last season.
The selection Committee was very well Chaired by John Shepherd. He has my heartfelt thanks.
The First team
The first team finished 5th which was the highest league position achieved since 2002 There were a number of talented young players in the team, including at times 4 under the age of 18 which bodes well for the future.
We were fortunate to have an excellent overseas player in Tyson Schubert who contributed 29 Goals. Thanks must go to Andy Stothard in his first year as Captain, and John Shepherd who did a great job as manager, instilling some real belief and discipline into the team.
As usual the majority of the points (21) came in the Second half of the season. We must hit the ground running for the next campaign to avoid the annual pressure, to avoid relegation. We can only speculate as to what might have been achieved if the first half of the season mirrored the performance after Christmas.
The Second team
With the addition of some good new players and under the inspiring captaincy of David Wilde, the Second team recorded their best league result for a number of years and were within an ace of promotion. We now need to consolidate and build from this position, so that we have far more competition for First Team places. Ideally the Second team should only be one League away from the first Team.
The Third Team
I would like to thank Martin Gay for all the hard work he has put into the Third team in spite of suffering a debilitating injury last year. He did not walk away from responsibility after the injury, but managed the side from the side line. So it was with great sadness to see him give up the captaincy for personal reasons near the end of the season. We hope he will be back either in a playing or administrative capacity very soon. Thanks should go to Alex Tabor for stepping into the breach.
The Team held its own in their league and a number of young players like Alex Teale, Ollie Bull, Tom and Adam Frenzel thrived in this team, and should be moving up the sides next season.
The Fourth Team.
Ronan wade led his team to the championship with a very experienced side and he is to be congratulated. The task for next season and for the 5th team is to consolidate the team in the higher division which is never an easy task, when we are playing other sides at third or even Second team level
The Fifth Team
Gary Jones (Clubman of the year) helped his team to promotion. This was a dramatic turn around after the 5th team’s performance last season. Gary’s levels of organisation and thought for other members in the Club, is an example to us all.
The Sixth Team
They were relegated and suffered because we did not really define their role. Was it a development side or a Veterans side?? As a consequence the sixth team fell between two stools.
We must get this right for next season.
Indoor
We entered the indoor arena for the first time for many years and under Phil Mathison’s enthusiastic captaincy, the team won the Second Division of the Essex League.
Indoor Hockey is Crucial to the development of young players and we were pleased to see so many excellent young players in Phil’s side. We hope that indoor hockey will now go from strength to strength at BSHC under Phil’s directio
Summer League.
As a result of Gary Jones’s initiative, we entered two Mens teams in the summer league at Broxbourne and one Mixed team. I am sure that Pippa will comment on the very successful ladies side.
Summer League Hockey is very important in keeping fitness levels up. St Albans used this to excellent effect and the result showed in their performance in winning Premier A this season.
I am firmly of the view that the more side leagues and tournaments we enter, we increase our exposure in the hockey playing community which aids recruitment. So it has proved.
We thank Gary for all his hard work.
We are pleased to see that the Men,s team has made a winning start to this season’s Summer campaign.
Mixed League.
Richard Temple as well as being a fantastic League Liaison Officer and Fixture Secretary organised and captained a successful Team in the Essex Mixed league and they came second.
Mixed hockey is vital to the social side of the Club so it is fantastic news that it is back up and running at BSHC.
The mixed team also helps the integration of the Mens and ladies section, so that we have one Club.
I know Richard is keen on entering a side in the National Cup Competition and they are going to a tournament in May at Harleston.
Youth Hockey
Despite the best efforts of Phil Mathison and Dave Butcher we are struggling to put an effective youth League/Fixture list together mainly because of the Junior Academies set up by England Hockey as part of the Single System. We are looking at plans for next year which include arranging local fixtures possibly as a development side played on Sundays.
I have asked Dave Butcher and Jemma Smith to look at ways of improving the links between the Junior and Senior sections of the Club.
The benefit of running a development side for the last two years is there for all to see in the number of good young players now playing high up the club.
Training
The arrangements for training and coaching this year under the enthusiastic leadership of Mark Surridge and John Shepherd, were probably the best we have ever had. They fully deserve our thanks.
It is to be regretted that the main body of the Club generally do not take up the excellent training that is on offer and this problem needs addressing. The numbers were good at the outset but fell away as the season progressed. We need to find out why??
However there were a large number of Juniors at each session, and excellent support from the First Team
I would like to congratulate Phil Mathison and Stewart Smith who became level one coaches.
The Training Academy started this month and runs for 8 weeks under the Direction of Mark Surridge and 30 girls and boys have signed up for the training. The coaching staff are Mark, Phil Mathison, Kieran Greig, Ben Bull and Jemma Smith
The Academy now in its 4th year and we are being successful in attracting young players from Saffron Walden, Dunmow, and Braintree. Gill Hodder has done a fantastic job in organising the Academy.
Veterans
The over 40’s reached the last eight of the Masters cup losing on flicks. We have the opportunity to go all the way next year if we can get the full side out in every round. Thank you to David Welsh for running the side with all his usual enthusiasm.
It is very regrettable, that a Club of our size does not now have a regular vets side and we should do all we can to resurrect it.
Website
The selection process on the website has revolutionised the job of Captain and if the arrangements for the subs and Match fees are adopted by the AGM, then the burden on captains will be further reduced and more people will be happy to take on the roles and concentrate on the playing side rather than being embroiled in Admin. Well done Andy Webster.
Umpires
We added to the pool of umpires who are now qualified. Ben Bull. Ronnie Stott and Tony Penman became level one Umpires and I believe our umpiring strength at Level one at least is now second to none.
Thank you to all the umpires who gave up their valuable time to support the League programme.
I would like to say in closing that the Club is in very good hands. When I took over as Club Captain, I was to a degree cocooned in the world of the Vets and the first team. The rest of the Club was a bit of a closed book.
I was amazed with what I found. I was immediately impressed with the many characters within the club, showing extraordinary levels of goodwill, dedication, and commitment. This is why the club deserves all the success that comes its way.
I leave with one final thought for the future. Bishops Stortford has a great catchment area for new talent with all the Schools that we have around us, some of which have either just started or are starting up hockey which means we can in time decrease our reliance on the College.
We are only scratching the surface of the talent that is out there. If we can continually improve our training programmes and become known as a training hub for the area, our future is assured and we can take the club too much higher levels.
However training comes at a price which is why we need to get behind David Welsh’s splendid initiative in producing the BSHC Sponsorhip brochure. We now need to get Sponsors to fund an excellent training provision.
You will have seen the questionnaire that has reached you via the Website. I should be grateful if you will all reply, as your views are very valuable indeed.
7.0 Juniors Report
7.1 I would like to thank the coaches for all their efforts on Sunday mornings. Please can first and second team players come down on Sunday mornings to assist? The numbers are still high for juniors but have dropped slightly due to the new method that England Hockey have adopted. Next year there will be an age group system change. The U14s will have issues as they will be able to go up to senior hockey then.
The Clubs First re-accreditation is due for the next three years. I am standing down and Jemma Smith will be taking over the junior section. The junior section is vibrant and thank you to all who have contributed.
7.2 AW asked whether training at county level is beneficial to the Club. GH responded that parents see that county level is right and that EHB won’t look at players who haven’t been through the system. JS commented that coaching standards outside the club are not good. GH responded that the juniors have to be in the system. JS asked whether we had registered our disquiet? GH confirmed we had.