Minutes of the Sixty-First Annual General Meeting of Reed Cricket Club held in the Pavilion on 23rd November 2017 starting at 2007hrs.

Present:
Andrew Emms, (Club President), Chairman of AGM, Peter Baker, (Minute Taker), Marcus Baker, Roger Bowcock, Clive Collins, Keith Collins, Jonathan Fynn, Tom Greaves, Peter Lawrence, Peter McMeekin, Cilla Robertson, Richard Robertson, Bethan Smith, Graham Smith, Stuart Smith, Sam Summers, Peter Tidey, Tim Tidey, Peter Wholley.

Apologies for absence:
Chris Baker, Matt Bowles, Lloyd Bowman, Mitchell Cooper, Michael Curtis, Steve Dunn, Toby Fynn, Paul Garrott, Chris Jackson, Richard Johnson, Neil Haslam, James Heslam, John Heslam, William Heslam, Jack Tidey, Sean Tidey, Paul Watts.

1. To approve the Minutes of the AGM held on 24th November 2016.
Minutes had been previously circulated and published on the RCC Website.
Approval was proposed by Marcus Baker, seconded by Cilla Robertson, unanimously agreed and signed by the
President.

2. Matters Arising from the Minutes of the previous AGM on 24th November 2016.
There had been one Action from the 2016 AGM: Cilla Robertson to contact newly elected Captains & Officials to instruct them how to apply for DBS Certification.
The Action had been completed and Certificates issued.

3. To receive the Honorary Secretary’s Report.
Peter Baker’s Report had been previously circulated and published on the RCC Website.
Receipt of the Hon. Secretary’s Report was proposed by Tom Greaves, seconded by Peter McMeekin and accepted unanimously.

4. To receive the Annual Accounts.
Annual Account: The Honorary Treasurer, Bethan Smith, presented financial data to the year ending 30th September 2017.

The Annual Accounts had yet to be audited by Jonathan Fynn and John Heslam but would be completed by the time of the next Committee Meeting. The Closing Balance at 30/9/17 was lower than is had been in 2016, but nevertheless stood at a comfortable £15,649.45p.

Jonathan Fynn queried why the Bar Licence fee appears in the Main Accounts and not the Bar Account statement. Bethan explained that it has been an historic payment from before her time as Treasurer. Ultimately, Bar Account money is transferred into the Main Account anyway so effectively it would be paid from the same source.

Bethan also pointed-out that some Bank Refunds had been received from mis-payments.

Richard Robertson wondered about the difference in the amounts shown under “Soil Receipts” between 2016 and 2017. Bethan replied that the payments for 2015/6 had not been received until November 2016 then the 2016/7 payment was received in September 2017. Therefore, it meant that two years’ worth of payments had been received in just the one Financial Year.

Receipt of the Annual Accounts was proposed by Tom Greaves, seconded by Cilla Robertson and accepted unanimously.

Bar Account: Bar Committee Chairman, Peter McMeekin, presented Accounts relating to the Bar for the year ending 30th September 2017. He gave a breakdown of significant events that had affected the Bar’s income particularly when compared to the previous year.

Profit for the period was £10,834.71p and the Balance carried forward was £2,209.19p.

Peter referred to a more detailed report he had previously provided the General Committee in which he had highlighted the best profit-making events. It had been a record-breaking year in terms of sales and profit helped significantly by the takings of £2,975 at the National Village Cup Semi-Final in August.

Jonathan Fynn asked Peter his views on the installation of a Credit Card Terminal and whether it had made a difference to the sales. Peter thought that the convenience of a card reader gave more options for customers to make purchases whereas they perhaps would not buy anything if they had no or insufficient cash on them. That would have helped the improvement in sales.

Receipt of the Bar Account was proposed by Tom Greaves, seconded by Marcus Baker and accepted unanimously.

100 Club Account: Peter McMeekin then also presented Accounts relating to the 100 Club that he had audited stating that Profits this year were £1,320. This is a constant cash generator but there are concerns about the lack of numbers. The General Committee had already discussed this and Stuart Smith wished to fill vacancies by encouraging playing members to join. (Only 12 players participate currently.)

Receipt of the 100 Club Account was proposed by Jonathan Fynn, seconded by Peter Tidey and accepted unanimously.

5. To consider and vote on proposed Rule Changes in the Club Constitution:
Proposals to two Rules had been widely circulated and published prior to the AGM. Peter Baker explained the proposed changes.
A. To create the General Committee role of Facility Manager thus separating some of the responsibilities of the Ground Manager leaving him / her to concentrate solely on the Ground. Richard Robertson had described how, since John Heslam had left the Committee, more time-consuming maintenance tasks relating to the Clubhouse had come his way and thought this diverted him away from his primary role.

The change to Rule 12 was proposed by Tom Greaves, seconded by Peter McMeekin and accepted unanimously without amendment. (Change in BOLD type.)

Rule 12. A General Committee consisting of the members of the EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, PRESIDENT, 2ND XI CAPTAIN, SUNDAY CAPTAIN, SOCIAL SECRETARY, FIXTURES’ SECRETARY, FACILITY MANAGER, COLTS’ LIAISON OFFICER, UNDER 25 REPRESENTATIVE, FUNDRAISING OFFICER, COACHING COORDINATOR and up to FOUR other members of the Club elected at the Annual General Meeting.

B. To clarify the responsibility of the Chairman of the AGM or EGM when having to make a casting vote if the ballot for Captains and Vice-Captains is tied. Currently Rule 21b precludes a Non-Playing Member voting at all for those roles.

The changes to Rules 21b and 22 were proposed by Richard Robertson, seconded by Peter McMeekin and accepted unanimously without amendment. (Change in BOLD type.)

Rule 21b. Non-Playing Members and Playing Members under 16 years of age may not vote on the election of the Team Captains, Vice-Captains and Playing Sub-Committee, (except in the circumstances described below in Rule 22).
Rule 22. Voting at General Meetings shall be by a show of hands, or if requested, by a ballot. The Chairman of the particular Meeting shall have a casting vote in the event of a tied vote even if that person, (usually the President at a General Meeting), is a Non-Playing Member (see Rule 21b). Unless stated otherwise, all voting will be on a simple majority basis.

6. To consider and ratify or amend rates of Subscription and Match Fees.
Peter Baker explained that the General Committee had discussed Subscriptions and Match Fees at their latest meeting. They had been increased in the two previous years. Consequently, the Committee recommended no changes to ALL Membership Subscriptions and Players’ Match Fees in 2018.

Cilla Robertson had reported that the incentive of Adults and Juniors paying a reduced fee by the 1st May had worked well for two years and would apply again in 2018 if paid prior to the 1st May, (see below for details).

The Committee recommendations were:

Subscriptions:

Full Playing Members: £85 NO CHANGE

Full Playing Members – if payment made by 1st May: £70 NO CHANGE

Junior Playing Members: £35 NO CHANGE
(aged 16 and above in full-time education.)
Junior Playing Members – if payment made by 1st May: £25 NO CHANGE

Non-Playing Members: £25 NO CHANGE

Colts Members: £50 NO CHANGE

Match Fees & Teas (Afternoon Matches): NO CHANGE
Adult: £10
Junior / Colt: £8
(in Open-Age matches, i.e., not Colts’ fixtures.)

Matches Fees on Sundays are reduced by 50% if players have played on both Saturday & Sunday of that weekend: NO CHANGE
(Applicable only when the Full Subscription has been received.)
Adults: £5
Junior / Colt: £4

Match Fees (Evening fixtures): NO CHANGE
Midweek Adult: £2
Midweek Junior / Colt: £1
(in Open-Age matches, i.e., not Colts’ fixtures.)

N.B. There are no match fees for Colts playing in Colts’ fixtures.

Acceptance of the Committee’s recommendations was proposed by Graham Smith, seconded by Tom Greaves and accepted unanimously.

Members were encouraged to pay subscriptions early with on-line banking transfer being the preferred method.

7. To elect Officers for the coming year.
According to the Club Constitution there being no alternative nomination received in the requisite time, ANDREW EMMS remained Club President.

No nominations for new Vice-Presidents or Life Members had been received in the requisite time.
Peter Baker said that Vice-President Peter Wilson had died in October.

ELECTIONS:

Cilla Robertson proposed that all Existing Vice-Presidents be re-elected. Seconded by Roger Bowcock. Carried.

Peter Baker referred to the Voting Rules in the Constitution. Rule 19 states that a quorum at a General Meeting shall be 10 persons or one-fifth of the members eligible to vote, which ever is the most. Rules 21a, 21b and 22 require only Players to vote for Team captains, Vice-Captains and Members of the Playing Sub-Committee. At tonight’s AGM, only 6 active players were present and therefore, according to the Rules, a quorum had not been reached. PGB proposed that in order to expedite this AGM, a Status Quo relating to the current Captains, Vice-Captains and PS-C Members remaining in post then, if necessary, any further discussion be made at the next General Committee Meeting. This proposal was seconded by Bethan Smith and the members present agreed to this course of action.

Voting for other Committee and Official positions and on the previous items on the Agenda regarding Acceptance of Reports & Accounts, Subscriptions and Constitutional Changes would be unaffected as there was an overall quorum in attendance.

In addition to the Club President, the following comprise the Club General Committee:
Club Chairman – Stuart Smith. Proposed by Richard Robertson and Seconded by Marcus Baker.
Honorary Secretary – Peter Baker. Proposed by Stuart Smith and Seconded by Peter Tidey.
Honorary Treasurer – Bethan Smith. Proposed by Cilla Robertson and Seconded by Jonathan Fynn.
Playing Committee Chairman – Matt Bowles. Proposed by Tom Greaves and Seconded by Marcus Baker.
Bar Committee Chairman – Peter McMeekin. Proposed by Graham Smith and Seconded by Jonathan Fynn.
Ground Committee Chairman – Richard Robertson. Proposed by Stuart Smith and Seconded by Peter Baker.
Membership Secretary – Cilla Robertson. Proposed by Graham Smith and Seconded by Peter McMeekin.
Welfare Officer – Cilla Robertson. Proposed by Marcus Baker and Seconded by Tom Greaves.
Fixtures Secretary – Peter Wholley. Proposed by Richard Robertson and Seconded by Stuart Smith.
Coaches’ Coordinator – Richard Barlow. Proposed by Tom Greaves and Seconded by Marcus Baker.
Fundraising Officer – James Heslam. Proposed by Stuart Smith and Seconded by Peter Tidey.
Social Secretary – Sam Summers. Proposed by Cilla Robertson and Seconded by Peter Baker.
Colts Liaison Officer – Cilla Robertson. Proposed by Peter Baker and Seconded by Peter Wholley.
Under 25 Representative – There were no nominees and the position remained vacant. Referred to the General Committee.
Club Captain – Tom Greaves. Status quo. Referred to the General Committee.
Second XI Captain – Phil Frenay. Status quo. Referred to the General Committee.
Sunday Captain – Rob Lankester. Proposed by Marcus Baker, Seconded by Stuart Smith. Referred to the General Committee.
Facility Manager – Bill Mansfield. Proposed by Peter Baker and Seconded by Richard Robertson.
General Committee Members –
Sean Tidey. Proposed by Tim Tidey and Seconded by Stuart Smith.
Peter Tidey. Proposed by Bethan Smith and Seconded by Graham Smith.
Paul Garrott. Proposed by Bethan Smith and Seconded by Peter Baker.
Michael Robertson. Proposed by Tom Greaves and Seconded by Peter Tidey.
Karl Ward. Proposed by Peter Baker and Seconded by Marcus Baker.

The above Captains, Committee Members and Officers were elected without need of a Vote.

The following post-holders remain in Non-Committee roles:
1st XI Vice-Captain – Jack Tidey. Status quo. Referred to the General Committee.
2nd XI Vice-Captain – Karl Ward. Status quo. Referred to the General Committee.
3rd XI Captain – Marcus Baker. Status quo. Referred to the General Committee.

N.B. 4th XI Captain – Because of the withdrawal from the SHPCL, no Fixtures have been made and the position remained vacant.
Mid-Week Captain – Because there are no planned Fixtures, this position remained vacant.
Sunday 2nd XI Captain – Because of the structure of the Fixture list on Sundays, this specific position remained vacant.

The following remain Members of the Playing Sub-Committee, (in addition to its Chairman, Weekend Captains and Vice-Captains):
Paul Garrott. Status quo. Referred to the General Committee.
Stuart Smith. Status quo. Referred to the General Committee.

The following were elected as Honorary Auditors without need of a Vote:
Jonathan Fynn. Proposed by Bethan Smith and Seconded by Peter McMeekin.
John Heslam. Proposed by Bethan Smith and Seconded by Stuart Smith.

Trustees: For the record, Peter Baker had confirmed with Steve Dunn, Peter Lawrence and Richard Robertson that they agree to continue as Trustees of the Club. After Howard Marshall’s death, the General Committee had appointed Stuart Smith as the fourth Trustee.

During the election process, Votes of Thanks were proposed and unanimously given by all members present to the following Club Officials for their particular hard work, successes and contributions:

John Heslam – Maintaining the infrastructure of the Clubhouse. Proposed by Richard Robertson, Seconded by Peter Baker.

Marcus Baker – Resigning as Sunday Captain and Committee Member. Proposed by Stuart Smith, Seconded by Peter Baker.

Peter McMeekin – For his sterling work as Bar Committee Chairman overseeing the installation of the Credit Card terminal and managing record-breaking sales during the year. Proposed by Andrew Emms, Seconded by Bethan Smith.
In turn, Peter thanked a group of club stalwarts who had helped at the busy events.

Peter Baker – For taking the administrative lead in Club business and coordinating actions relating to the National Village Cup campaign. Proposed by Bethan Smith, Seconded by Andrew Emms.

9. Any Other Business.
– Peter Baker had received a message from Lloyd Bowman asking about the situation regarding the 4th XI. He repeated that because of the withdrawal from the SHPCL, no Fixtures have been made for 2018. We hope that we manage to attract sufficient numbers to be able to provide cricket and run the Fourth XI on a non-league basis with perhaps a rotation of “match managers” to organise them. He pointed-out that it wasn’t necessarily 4th XI standard players that had been unavailable, as many players representing the Second and Third Teams were arguably playing above their comfortable standard. It was a across the board. Richard Robertson desired the positive outlook that RCC would run games if enough players were available. Tim Tidey asked how we could attract more mature and social players. Stuart Smith assured everyone that this was a concern for the General Committee and hoped that at the next meeting a strategy would be formed.

– Cilla Robertson mentioned that the Kit & Equipment suppliers have been changed to Tyler’s Ltd. She is in the process of arranging with Michael Curtis to update the website links to reflect this. The packages are being put together. Richard described the kit as being better quality and less expensive. Additionally, the company operates from Welwyn Garden City and therefore, orders could be collected if required quickly.

– Andrew Emms informed us that Father Christmas was scheduled to fly into Reed for a jolly time on Sunday 17th December this year. Could names of children be sent to Andrew beforehand.

– Peter McMeekin displayed the latest edition of the Reed Parish News that had photographs and an article about the victory in the National Village Cup.

– For the benefit of non-Committee members, Andrew explained that an award has been organised for John Heslam in acknowledgement of his 35 years involvement in the Club’s management. However, the presentation of this award has been delayed because of John’s absence at the Dinner and at this AGM but Andrew was hopeful he would be able to arrange a suitable occasion soon.

– Peter Baker voiced his disappointment at the poor turn-out at this AGM (see Elections above). To have a total of 19 Club members, and only 6 of them active players, was a sad indictment on the attitude of some members. True, 17 members (12 of them players) had been courteous enough to send him their apologies for absence for a variety of reasons, but that left approximately 50 members who had not responded.
Stuart Smith was equally concerned and wished to discuss how we could change attitudes within the Club. Richard Robertson commented that whilst there would always be a group of responsible people who magically take-on and complete tasks, those sitting on the side would continue to do so and not commit to anything but just expect everything to be laid on a plate for them.

The Meeting closed at 2110hrs.

Minutes compiled by:-

Peter G. Baker,
Honorary Secretary,
Reed Cricket Club.
23rd November 2017.

Signed as a true and accurate record: Unsigned until accepted at the 2018 AGM.