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2009/10 Postponements-End of season

Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held at Cooper Avon Sports Club on Monday 18th May 2009

Present:  E.C.Tayler (Secretary & Fixture Secretary)

               S.A.Poynton (Chairman & Treasurer)

                C.Gingell (President)

And the following members: D.Newth;G.Jones;P.Osborne;A.Summers;T.Laver;A.Sketchley;A.Harlow;M.Lewis;

R.Collins;S.Tayler;P.Hayward;M.Mence;C.Rees;M.Skuse;J.Roach;S.Closon;A.Dyer;

D.Mence;M.Phillips;A.Kerr;M.Cashnella;R.Broom;P.Davis;G.Paget;I.Griffiths;

M.Gingell;R.Wellon;T.White;D.Ash;C.Bayley.

Apologies: K.Bray

Minutes of last Meeting.

The Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on Mon 19th May 2008  were read and signed as a true record.

Matters Arising

                There were no matters arising.

Secretarys/ Fixture Secretary’s Report

                Congratulations to all Winners/Runners Up in both League & KO competitions.

                Div 1& 2 went right to the last game for the final placings to be decided. Most KO

                Finals featured familiar faces but the Divisional Singles threw up a couple of new

                names on the trophies. The Open draw method passed at last year’s AGM worked

                pretty well.

               No late card penalties this season! However we had many more postponements. The

               Secretary will look to fix dates for teams who don’t rearrange within a month of the

               original match date.  

               Many thanks to Andy Harlow of Cooper Avon A for his work on the League website,

               and to all Reps for helping this season go without too many major hitches.

Chairman/Treasurers Report

             The Balance Sheet was circulated & discussed. League fees will remain at £60 per

              team per season as before. Could teams please pay by cheque in future as this makes

              tracing the details of who has paid & who hasn’t, much simpler.

Election of Officers

              No proposals had been received. The existing Officers were happy to continue.            

Honoraria

     The Officers left the room & on their return the Treasurer’s amount was unchanged.

     The Secretary was awarded an additional £50 & was warmly applauded for his

     efforts over the season. He thanked the meeting for their kind comments.

Proposals

                A proposal from Gladstone to bring the start time for matches forward to 7.15pm

                was defeated.

                The proposal from Gladstone regarding the policy on the ‘Miss Rule’ was debated

                at length. Eventually the Melk Cons Rep proposed we ignore the Rule for the lower

                Division(s) and apply it in matches involving Divn1 players, using common sense,

                taking into account the ability of the player involved. Seconded M.Phillips.  Passed.

                The Secretary proposed we disband the 3^rd division as we had insufficient teams to

                make it sustainable. This was also discussed in full and it was agreed to play 09/10

                with two larger Divisions. However, we will look at our options before the next AGM

                and may revert to 3 smaller Divisions (say 12/12/14) depending on likely entries.

                Teams will be made aware of any amendments to the promotion/relegation details

                currently in the Rules as early as possible so that everyone knows the situation.

               The Secretary withdrew his proposal to drastically reform the make up of the

               Management Committee, however he asked that we consider changes to the way we

               administer the League and perhaps bring something forward for next year’s AGM.

 Registrations 2009/10 Season.

Entry forms from Clubs in attendance were accepted and some monies were paid on the night. 38 teams were registered.

Melksham Liberal were not in attendance. Their arrears for 07/08 and 08/09 meant

their registration would have been denied anyway. Clubs should remember that players from Melk Liberal A canot play in the League until their share of the debt has been cleared.

 The transfer of Gloucester Road B to Corsham Club D was agreed.

 The transfer of Chipp Royale G to Gladstone Liberal A was agreed.

 There were new teams from Devizes Lit Inst and Cooper Avon. Both were accepted.

                  Chipp Royale L had disbanded but new players had taken over. Again this was

                  agreed.

 Following the discussions earlier, the Secretary said that no teams would be

 relegated from Divn1. The 2 promoted teams gives us 18 teams for 09/10.

 Merging the lower Divisions and adding 2 new teams gives 20 for next season.

                  The meeting was closed at 9.00pm.

Presentation of Trophies

                 Chris Gingell (Pres) then presented Trophies to players who were in attendance.

                 ( It is disappointing when a significant number of people fail to claim their trophies

                  and/or certificates. The League will retain those not collected.)

                 Fixture books/ Scorecards/ KO competition entry forms will be distributed  on

                 MONDAY 17^th AUGUST 2009 at Melksham House (7.30pm).

                 Club Reps please attend or send a deputy. Clubs not represented will be fined.

2007/8 AGM Minutes

Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held at Cooper Avon Sports Club on Monday 19th May 2008

Present:  E.C.Tayler (Secretary & Fixture Secretary)

               S.A.Poynton (Chairman & Treasurer)

                M.Gingell (President)

And the following members:

S.Carter; G.Wakefield; J.Garner; O.Ballinger; S.Tayler; J.White; G.Jones; M.Gainey; R.Turley; P.Chorley; S.Hatfield; R.Wellon; D.Ash; J.Haines; G.Paget; D.Jones; P.Jones; A.Morrison; E.Hook; M.Phillips; R.Carfrae; A.Jones; C.Williams; M.Mence;

J.Knight; M.Lewington; S.Flavin; D.Newth; G.Newman; S.Purnell; A.Kerr; K.Green;

M.Cashnella; N.Lawes.

Apologies: A.Harlow; P.Hayward; J.Wiltshire; M.Wiltshire; J.D.Wiltshire; D.Mence; R.Broom;

                   J.Andrews; J.Iles; P.Davis

Minutes of last Meeting.

The Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on Mon 14th May 2007  were read and signed as a true record.

Matters Arising

                There were no matters arising.

Secretarys/ Fixture Secretary’s Report

                A very competitive season throughout. Cooper Avon N ended Melk Cons C’s long

                sequence of wins in Div1. They also won the Div1 KO and were Runners up in the

                Webb Trophy. Chipp Royale E were successful in the latter with the G team Runners

                Up in the Div KO. Four teams battled right to the last week in Div2, with Corsham

                Club B pipping Devizes Lit Inst A to the top spot. Cooper Avon P & B missed out on

                promotion by a handful of points. The B team beat Devizes in the Div2 Final to soften

                the blow for them. Melk Liberal A were runaway winners in Div3 and won the Div3

                KO too. Chipp Cons B & Cooper Avon J secured the other promotion places.

                Rob Wellon won the Div1 Singles beating Mark Hodder. Mark Wiltshire beat his Dad

                John in Div2 and in another all Cooper Avon Final in Div3, Dave Jones retained his

                title beating Shaun Carter. Andy Kerr of Cooper Avon N beat Luke Stoneham in the

                Open Singles and with Martin Cashnella  beat Luke & Mark Hodder in the Pairs.

               Martin Phillips beat Phil Instone in the Over 50s final. Phil Davis beat Martin in the

               Billiards Singles, & with his son Matt defeated Jason Andrews & Ted Tayler in the

               Team Billiards. The Handicap Billiards was won by Martin Phillips, who beat Phil

               Davis. Finally, congratulations to Andy Kerr who recorded the highest breaks in both

               Div1 & the KO competitions.

               Thanks to all the Captains who got scorecards to me promptly. Late card penalties

               were the lowest since I took over. Sadly, postponements were more frequent &

               teams are not doing enough themselves to get matches fixed up & played.

               Two teams dropped out during the season. Yet again we managed to put teams

               together to take their place. Even if it takes teams time to adjust to competitive

               snooker, the teams who don’t have to put up with an extra 2 free weeks benefit.

               Attendances at League meetings were poor & Clubs should consider carefully who

               they elect to be their Rep. All the main points which arose during the season have

               been targeted by the Rules proposals for consideration later in the evening.

               Many thanks to Andy Harlow of Cooper Avon A for his work on the League website.

               We have more & more information for members to view, & within reason we can add

               features, if enough people make a case for them.

               While on the subject of the internet, it would speed things up tremendously & reduce

               costs for the League if Club Reps could be contacted by e-mail rather than by letter.

               Chipp Cons & Melk Cons were already up to speed & Chipp Cons B & Melk Cons B

               send their scorecards via the same link. Savings per season of at least £7 per team.

               If these innovations mean we have a central e-mail contact per Club in addition to a

               Club Rep (who actually attends meetings) then we should use the technology & put

               the additional details into the Handbook.

Chairman/Treasurers Report

              Another good season. Controversial at times. Congratulations to the winners. A

              special ‘well done’ to Chipp Cons B on their promotion after many years in the

              bottom division.

              The Balance Sheet was circulated & discussed. Savings on trophies have helped

              tremendously. League fees will remain at £60 per team per season as before.

Election of Officers

             Two items had been received. One proposed the existing Officers continue provided

              they were prepared to stand. Proposed P.Hayward. Seconded D.Wilkie. The other

              from Chipp Royale proposed Gaye Jones as Hon Sec/ Fixture Sec. The

              Chairman/Treasurer to continue as before.  

             The candidates left the room while a discussion took place. As we had someone

             willing to stand it was suggested the Hon Sec/Fixture Sec roles be split. As the work

             on the Hon Sec side was minimal, this was not practical.  The vote decided in favour

             of ‘no change’ and the existing Officers will continue in their present roles.

             The President had been approached by his brother Chris (one of our existing VP’s)

             offering to get more involved in the League again. Mike was happy to stand down

             after several 3-year terms as President & Chris Gingell will be invited to accept the

             role of President. (Since the AGM Chris has accepted & we look forward to his input

             over his 3 year term. Particularly regarding the re-introduction of a Presentation Night)

             The Secretary asked for a vote of thanks for Mike & this was agreed followed by warm

             applause.

Honoraria

     No change due to the League’s financial situation.

Proposals

                Items proposed by the Management Committee:

                Teams refusing promotion or dropping down a Division (by moving Clubs) would

                be excluded from ALL KO Competitions for the following season.               Passed

                An item covering eligibility for Cup games in the 2^nd half of the season was

                incorporated into a proposal from Chipp Royale, while one regarding postponed

                matches & penalties for failing to play them was withdrawn.

                Items proposed by Chipp Cons:

                Section D Rule 1: The existing wording is to be amended to read ‘ Having played

                once for a team in any Division a player is tied to that team for the duration of that

                season unless a transfer is applied for (See Section E). Players are not allowed to

                play for any other team from their registered Club in the same Division.’    Passed

                Section D Rule 2: The first sentence is amended to read ‘A player may make a total

                of 10 appearances as a substitute in a higher division team from any Club provided

                he also holds an annual membership of that Club.’ (The existing situation was felt to

                be biased in favour of the 2 major Clubs & smaller Clubs would now have access to

                more substitutes thus assisting teams to continue playing.)                           Passed

                Items proposed by Chipp Royale:

                Teams may not register new players after Dec 31^st unless their intention is notified in

                writing to the Management Committee & approved. Players should not play in Webb

                or Div KO matches after Dec 31^st unless they have already played in a League/KO

                game during the first half of the season.                                                             Passed

                If a team wants to drop out of the League, the Captain must notify the Management

                Committee in writing. A period of 4 weeks will then be allowed for players to be

                found who are willing to play, before the team is removed from the League. If the

                offending team wish to be reinstated in a future season, they must rejoin in the

                lowest Division.                                                                                                      Passed

                Draws for all KO competiotions will be made at the October meeting & will be

                circulated to all Clubs. The draw format will then be followed through to the Final

                & no further draws will be made in any round.                                                   Passed

                Named Captains in the Handbook must be actively involved in matches for that team

                unless they are specifically stated as non-playing Captain.                                Passed

                Section C Rule 2: Amended to ‘All registered players shall be annual/life members

                of their Club. Players signed in to a Club as a day member will not be eligible play in

                League or Cup matches.                                                                                          Passed   

                Items regarding the make-up of new teams & a variation on the first Royale proposal

                were withdrawn.

 Registrations 2008/2009 Season.

Entry forms from Clubs in attendance were accepted and some monies were paid on the night. 28 teams were registered. Reps were asked to check on any possible

extra teams and given a 14 day extension from the AGM to finalise the numbers.

No Registrations were received on the night from Chipp Royale although 9 entries

were expected. Neither Gladstone or Rudloe were represented. Melk Cons A were

reported as having decided not to continue.

 The transfer of Cooper Avon N to Gloucester Road Club, Trowbridge was agreed.

 The transfer of Rudloe A to Corsham Club A in Div2 was agreed.

 The transfer of Chipp Royale F  to Cooper Avon S in Div3 was agreed.

(With the 14 day deadline having expired we now have 38 teams. The 3 Divisions will

consist of 16/14 & 8 with the latter playing each other on 4 occasions. West End C were relegated from Div1. Chipp Royale F were relegated from Div2. No other relegations were enforced due to the drop in the number of entries.)

                 There are concerns for the future. Div3 is looking more precarious with less

                  teams than last season.  For your information, we have been contacted by the West

                  Wilts League who are also facing diminishing numbers and they are keen to start a

                  dialogue with us regarding a merger of the two Leagues. There would be a lot of

                  problems to iron out & nothing will happen until the 2009 AGM, at least, but if we

                  are  to develop as a League, rather than continually try to finance the season from a

                  smaller pot, this may be the way  forward.

                 The meeting was closed at 9.45pm.

Presentation of Trophies

                 Several members had requested we revert to the Presentation Evening in some

                 form or other. The new Management Committee were asked to look at this as a

                 matter of urgency at their next meeting. (The new President will be attending)

                 Mike Gingell (Pres) then presented Trophies to players or their representatives.

                 Fixture books/ Scorecards/ KO competition entry forms will be distributed  on

                 MONDAY 11^th AUGUST 2008 at Melksham House (7.30pm).

                 Club Reps please attend or send a deputy. Clubs not represented will be fined.

Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held at Cooper Avon Sports Club on Monday 14th May 2007

Present:  E.C.Tayler (Secretary & Fixture Secretary)

               S.A.Poynton (Chairman & Treasurer)

                M.Gingell (President)

And the following members:

R.Wellon; M.Phillips; S.Hatfield; G.Jones; D.Mence; S.Winter; W.Kneblewski;

C.Williams; P.Mence; M.Mence; J.Iles; S.Carter; J.Garland; R.Morris; R.Broom;

G.Paget; T.Walker; I.Griffiths; N.Pothecary; J.Balecke; D.Heathcote; M.Drury;

M.Binns; S.Hartley; D.Jones; P.Jones; D.Ash; J.Haines; C.Bayley.

Apologies: K.Bray; A.Harlow; K.Williams; D.Newth; K.Gingell; A.Morrison; J.White.

Minutes of last Meeting.

The Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on Mon 15th May 2006  were read and signed as a true record.

Matters Arising

                There were no matters arising.

Secretarys/ Fixture Secretary’s Report

Melk Cons C made it 12 wins in a row in Div1. There were close finishes in both   Div2 & 3 this year. Overall the League and Cup matches went much better this season thanks to the changes made at last year’s AGM. Many thanks to Devizes

Lit Inst who had joined just after the start of the season bringing a new Club into

the League. Sadly we had now lost Corsham Legion who had been with us on and off since 1969. The Secretary wanted to record a particular vote of thanks to Paul Wimble and Viv Gough who had been Reps at the Legion and Chipp Cons and had put in many years of service to the League.     

There had also been a lot of positive feedback from players regarding the website. The Secretary thanked Andy Harlow of Cooper Avon A and his son Richard for their

efforts in providing updated information as quickly as they do.

Congratulations again to the winners & good luck to all players next season.

Chairman/Treasurers Report

The Chairman echoed the Secretary’s comments. She too was pleased with the way the season had gone and looked forward to the coming season with renewed confidence. The Balance Sheet was circulated and accepted unanimously.

Election of Officers

No new nominations. The 2 Officers were happy  to continue & were re-elected.

A brief discussion on the lack of new Vice Presidents took place. We will need to

consider a change in the Rules as we have only had 2 Officers for the past decade

or so and until they retire or are replaced we are short of candidates to replace the

existing President. Mike was happy to continue in the short term.

Honoraria

       No change due to the League’s financial situation.

Proposals

There was only one submitted by the Management Committee. As the attendances at the meetings were so low, partly because of KO matches arranged on the dates set In the Handbook, it was proposed to dispense with all but the August and April meetings. We would meet in January for the payment of monies for the second half

of the season and this would be on the 2^nd Monday. Any extra meetings would be called if the need arose to discuss a problem and these too would be on the 2^nd Monday of a month and Reps would be contacted as required.

 Registrations 2007/2008 Season.

Entry forms from Clubs in attendance were accepted and some monies were paid on the night. 40 teams were registered. Reps were asked to check on any possible

extra teams and given a 14 day extension from the AGM to finalise the numbers.

 The transfer of Gladstone B from Div2 to Melk Liberal in Div3 was agreed.

 Corsham Club C declined the promotion to Div2 due to transport problems on

 Wednesday evenings.

                 The meeting was closed at 8.00pm.

Presentation of Trophies

                 Mike Gingell (Pres) then presented Trophies to players or their representatives.

                 Fixture books/ Scorecards/ KO competition entry forms will be distributed  on

                 MONDAY 13^th AUGUST 2007 at Melksham House (7.30pm).

                 Club Reps please attend or send a deputy. Clubs not represented will be fined.