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OUTWOOD CRICKET CLUB www.outwoodcricketclub.co.ukNewsletter & AGM Notice January 2004
Dates For Your Diary Annual General Meeting
Indoor Nets
Pre-Season Working Party
First Matches
Annual Supper 2004
Do we have your e-mail address? Have any of your contact details changed?
Would you, or someone you know, like the opportunity to advertise in our new larger format Fixture Card?
IS OUR CLUB IN FINANCIAL PARADISE? IF YOU THINK WE ARE, PERHAPS IT'S JUST AS WELL!
You may have taken only a passing interest in the Club's finances over the years. There has never been great reason to do otherwise. The financial viability of the Club has never really been in question.
Even very long-standing members who can recall gas lights in the pavilion would find it hard to remember when the Club has actively needed to raise significant additional funds. The last and perhaps only occasion was probably in the 1970s when the rear extension was added to the pavilion to provide the shower area, beer store and storage for our ground equipment. Faced with the need for funds, members underwrote a loan from the bank. The loan was soon repaid by the Club so members were fortunately not called to account by the bank! In those days we had no bar but essential fund-raising events, including the then Annual Dinner Dance and our Annual Supper, enabled us to keep afloat.
Although we always seem to have been financially stable, for many years our balances were modest despite the welcome arrival of our bar (which, of course, cost money to build)! In more recent times our funds have increased and we have seemed to be relatively well off despite expenditure on significant items over the years. A front extension to the pavilion, a new roof (with some help from the Foundation for Sport and the Arts), a roller, a tractor, sight screens, the kitchen, a patio, new perimeter fencing and a mobile net are examples of costly improvements over the years. Starting, and being able to sustain an additional team (the Saturday 2nd XI) each week has been a great boost to our annual funds, as have our 'corporate' matches and sponsorships.
Our annual subscription has not been increased for some years, although we have made increases to our match fees and charge for teas. But here we are today with funds of around £15,000. Perhaps we really are in financial paradise?!
Some have regularly questioned why we have increased our bar prices, match fees or Annual Supper ticket prices, for example, at fairly regular intervals. What is the point of continuing to accumulate money just for the sake of it? Well, quite apart from annual maintenance and the regular improvements to our facilities over the years, there comes a point when the rainy day arrives. Are there a few spits in the air ………. or perhaps even storms on the horizon?!
Growing concerns about the pavilion floor promoted investigations at the end of the season. Tony Reason takes up the story ……….. "Over recent years the columns to the original frontage of the pavilion - now just inside the building - have noticeably moved out of plumb. This has been particularly apparent during the very dry summer of 2003. We opened up the flooring in October and noticed that there was some movement on the sole plate on which the columns rested. After some debate, we engaged a Structural Surveyor to inspect and provide a report. His opinion was that there was settlement to the rear of the building and that with the weight and construction of the roof, that this had caused the front columns to 'pitch' out. Evidence of this is the very pronounced slope of the floor, front to back.Insurance policies now checked, we have lodged a claim for subsidence with the insurers and an inspection by Loss Adjusters will take place in mid February. Meanwhile, and at the recommendation of the Structural Engineer, some temporary but very professional shoring up has taken place to the front columns, courtesy of the (hitherto) hidden talents of Master Craftsman Mike Cleaver., ably assisted by Messrs. Beach and Cutter, with Liz Cutter on liquid refreshment duties. The likely resultant works could be extensive - underpinning and structural steel framing, but that is some way off. Firstly, we have to convince the Insurers that it is an insurable cause.Watch this space. "
So, it seems that the storms on the horizon may have actually arrived! But will the umbrella of our insurance policy keep us largely dry or will we be faced with a huge bill that we are currently unable to fully cover? Perhaps 'financial paradise' is no more than prudent financial management ……. but have we been prudent enough?
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2004
NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF OUTWOOD CRICKET CLUB TO BE HELD at the Lloyd Hall, Outwood - 8.00 P.m. FRIDAY 27 FEBRUARY 2004
AGENDA 1. Election of Chairman of the Meeting 2. Apologies for Absence 3. Minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting held on Friday 21 February 2003 (see back page) 4. Chairman's Report
a) President (ex officio) b) Chairman c) Hon. Secretary d) Hon. Treasurer e) Hon. Fixture Secretary f) Club Captain g) Committee Members (maximum of 4)
YOUR ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING …… YOUR CHANCE TO AIR YOUR VIEWS AND TO VOTE FOR YOUR COMMITTEE, CAPTAINS, ETC. ……. AND YOUR CHANCE TO OFFER YOUR SERVICES EITHER ON OR OFF THE FIELD. CAN YOU GIVE SOME OF YOUR TIME? SOME OF US NEED TO! PLEASE MAKE A BIG EFFORT TO COME ALONG. THE MEETING IS TYPICALLY VERY SHORT, THE BEER AFTERWARDS TYPICALLY (AND THANKFULLY) TAKES MUCH LONGER!
CHAIRMAN'S REPORT This year has been a very successful one for Outwood Cricket Club and I would like to commend both our league sides for performing so well in their respective competitions. I am afraid that a winners’ medal continues to elude us which is obviously disappointing for all concerned. However, this should in no way detract from our overall success in both competitions, with particular congratulations going to the ‘Soops’, runners-up, who were bested by a club with no top flight representative. Issues about the efficacy of team selection still remain and we should all bear in mind Martin’s comments at the club supper, that we need to strengthen our player base with more good players, if we are ever going to win things.(Geoff Miller was visibly impressed by our man’s perspicacity on this point)
The Sunday side had its usual ups and downs and for a while had a problem with team selection, both finding players to select in the first place and someone to do the selecting! A workable solution was found by your Chairman, taking on the role of Sunday Team Secretary himself and delegating it to her indoors!
On a serious note, it seems to be getting more difficult for captains to confirm their sides in good time for the weekend. This gives them unnecessary stress and is often a cause of friction between their club counterparts, when they start nicking players. It is a difficult job being a cricket captain and players should recognise this, making themselves available in good time if they want to play at the weekend
This is my first year as Chairman and I would like to thank everybody who has contributed to the club and made my job that bit easier. Thus, in no particular order my thanks go to.
For some years now we have benefited from the support of our Sponsors, LA Fitness, Business Essentials and the Environment Agency and I would like to thank Jeremy Taylor, our new Lord of the Manor and Steve East for the continuing to support us in this way.
My special thanks go to Bernard Wright, our Grounds man. He really is the unsung hero at this club. He does a fantastic job, despite all that the weather, the players and sadly these days, the local vandals, can throw at him.
At the time of writing, it appears that the pavilion is in need of substantial structural repair as a result of differential settlement taking place over the years (no it wasn’t your imagination; that bump in the floor really has been getting worse over the past few seasons!) My thanks go to Tony Reason, Malcolm Cutter and Mike Cleaver for the works they have carried out in effecting temporary repairs and investigating the possible solutions to the problem.
Clearly, the club is about to face a major new challenge and considerable expense. Your Committee will be looking to you, as perhaps never before, to assist in the fund-raising drive which will inevitably loom.
I hope everybody is wintering well.
We are all pleased that Betty is on the mend
See you at this month’s AGM and best wishes for the coming season. George Beach
Outwood Cricket May Stop During the Winter But The Work of Vandals and Your Fellow Club Members Does Not
Late one December evening, about ten days before Christmas, the fence to the right of the gated entrance at the top of the ground was removed and one or more delightful characters chose to drive a four wheeled vehicle on to the ground. The headlights and engine noise generated by the multiple circuits of the ground and square surprised a local neighbour who was exercising the dogs. The police attended the scene after the event. The good news, if there is such a thing as good news associated with such events, is that there was a frost so the ground was hard and the damage could have been far worse. It was also fortunate that the worst of the damage seems to have occurred off the square as Outwood's very own Schumacher demonstrated his technique.
Tony Reason takes up the story …… "Following the recent mindless vandalism to the pitch and square carried out by a car which broke down the top fence before being driven over the area, a meeting has been held with the National Trust (our Landlords) and the Police over what further measures we can take to limit the risk of more vandalism. The meeting proved positive and a number of measures are in hand to provide additional security to the ground.With such a remote location, we have been relatively lucky that we have not suffered more over the years, especially to the Pavilion.
Work On The Ground "On Saturday 24th January, we brought in some heavy machinery in the form of a solid tining machine. Under Bernard's watchful eye, the contractor spent some six hours going to and fro, puncturing the outfield. Bernard guarded his square assiduously. Holes some 13" deep and 1" diameter at 4" centres now cover the entire ground.The net benefits were in breaking up the compaction of the subsoil, improving drainage and thereby helping to rid the ground of moss and to encourage the grass to grow. It can only be good for the playing area.In two weeks we hope to have the square spiked again. Meanwhile, we are looking at watering systems! Once again, watch this space. "Tony Reason Geoff Miller Brings Great Entertainment To The Annual Club Supper
Our very own Reverend Ian Brothwood proved to be an excellent MC of another great evening - he is clearly a natural for the role! Combining this new role with both Grace and the cracking joke, he maintained his typically deft control over his congregation. Martin Cass proposed the toast to our Guests, celebrating our teams' successes during the year and outlining his blueprint for future Club success and announcing Neal Stevens as this year's 1st XI Player of the Year. Geoff Miller replied, demonstrating precisely why he is regarded as one of the very best cricketing after-dinner speakers. All 89 tickets had been sold and the full house were royally entertained by his highly polished, animated and hilarious speech (or do I mean act?). It is no surprise that it is how he makes his living these days, a living that fortunately allows him to make time available for watching plenty of professional cricket! Geoff's final act was to auction two limited edition prints of England and Australian star players over the years; he donated a second copy of each print to the Club and they will be put on display in the pavilion. He must have been good - even Mike Cleaver stayed awake throughout! The Dinner is the occasion when our annual awards are made for performances on and off the field: the Gotts Cup, for services to the Club, was awarded to Monique Hill for her terrific work during the season as Team Secretary for the Sunday XI; the other Player of the Year Cups went to Adrian Christie (2nd XI) and Paul Slaughter (Sunday XI) - what a shame that only one of the cups made it to the Dinner to be presented! The infamous Bendalls Adema Shield went to sleepy interior decorator Rip Van Linda Barker, alias Mike Cleaver, for his memorable (to us but not to him) performance at the 2002 Annual Dinner, with runner-up Ian Milton receiving the new Freddie Forbes Cup (for engineering the Tour match against Bells Yew Green .......... although we're still not sure what result he engineered!). Jake Endersby took first prize in this year's True or False with Jack Massey (Clive Greig's guest) taking the 2nd prize (an autographed copy of Bob 'the Cat' Bevan's latest publication). We look forward to our Annual Dinner 2004 when we hope to bring another star speaker, hopefully Robin Smith, to entertain members and their guests. Note that it will be a week earlier this year! GREEN JACKET IMPROVES WINNER'S APPEARANCE IN GOLF DAY 2003 Friday 5th December dawned and the weather was benign. Dry and chill and just a bit cloudy. 34 Members and Guests were ready to tear apart the Bletchingley Golf Course after having endured a suitably disabling Full English Breakfast. But fate intervened and a serious accident on the M25 and the ensuing tail back of some 13 miles delayed a number of the participants. Bravely they fought their way through and had to curtail the hour or so they would normally have allowed themselves on the practice area. Which brings me to why and how we have a new winner of the Green Jacket and how it enhanced his appearance. Meanwhile the other dedicated souls did their very best on difficult greens and the scores were, well, varied. Nearest the pin – we never did find out how close – but we do know he missed the putt – went to our friend from over the Pond, Bill Thompson. The Longest Drive was truly outrageous. Tom Waller, he of the willowy swing, hit uphill and into the wind, and it must have measured 280 yards. But then he is almost a full time Golfer, inasmuch as he works at Royal Ashdown. Give up cooking, Tom, stardom awaits. A contrived Team Prize went to Outwood CC gaining 138 points against Thornton Heath CC’s score of 133. Best front nine went to Sam Waller with 21 and best back nine to Fred Potter with 20. The 1st and 2nd prize for Guests went to Geoff Pride (39 off 18) and Graham Ritchie (37 off 12). Which nicely leads me onto the Members. In 2nd place was Tom Waller with 37 off 14. So you see that so far all the top spots went not only to relatively low handicap golfers but also those who knew what to wear at a Golf Club. And the Winner for 2003, in jeans and an open necked shirt, wearing trainers, red socks and playing off a lot and scoring 39 points was ………… yes, you’ve got it …………a past Club Captain of OCC and particularly noted for his sartorial taste …… RICHARD TEDDER! The Green Jacket was duly placed upon his very broad shoulders by the previous Winner, Mike Cleaver. Whatever happened, Richard, to that much lauded and televised slimming campaign? Well done Richard…. And now try winning it back to back in 2004! All enjoyed a fine Christmas lunch and the prizes - including many from our generous friends, Norman File, LA Fitness (Jeremy Taylor), Business Essentials (Roger Cook) and the Millfield Partnership (Mike Cleaver) - concluded the proceedings. Thanks are due to all for making it such a good day and to Ken Bolitho who collated all the scores and masterminded the final positions. Sandy Driver Kent County Village League Annual Awards Dinner
10 good Outwood men and true attended the League Dinner 14 November. Chris Middleton played a blinder, driving most of the party in his people carrier. Cook's navigation to the venue was amusing and, as the start time approached, more than a little concerning. There was plenty of food for everyone, even enough to allow Barham to hoover up for a long time after others had had their fill ......... and he still found time to talk incessantly for the duration. Chairman Pike made his speech, presented the cups and shields to the winning Captains - David Rose was suitably 'umble when receiving the 2nd XI Runners-Up shield and a bag of solid gold smaller shields for his triumphant men. The individual awards went to: 1st XI Batting - James Ashdown (Eynsford) 1st XI Bowling - Roger Poulson (Bidborough) 2nd XI Batting - Keith Exton (Fordcombe) 2nd XI Bowling - Adrian Christie (who?) Someone else's navigation on the return journey was (I think) much better. The journey seemed to go in a flash - I wonder why?
Cricket 2004 National Village Championship
Believe it or not the First Round of the 33rd NVC takes place on 18th April! The good news is that we have a bye in the 1st Round - we play Dormansland at Home in the 2nd Round on Sunday 2nd May, the winners having a Home tie against either Harting or Alfriston as their reward. Fletching may be waiting in the semi-final of the Sussex Group. The Lord's Final is scheduled for August 22. It is interesting to see how few of the teams we regularly play against enter the NVC these days. We can only find Capel and Limpsfield Chart in the Surrey section, Leigh, Shipbourne, Eynsford and Crockham Hill in the Kent section and Flimwell and Dormansland with us in the Sussex section.
Sussex Group Draw
Kent County Village League
There are two changes to the 1st XI League for next year with Pembury being replaced by Withyham and Fordcombe being promoted from the 2nd XI Division. Withyham will also replace Pembury in the 2nd XI Division, with Chiddingstone replacing promoted Fordcombe.
Help Recruit New Playing Members We would benefit from a few more players (and some umpiring assistance) across our three teams. But don't sit back and wait for this to happen - this is something we can all contribute to. Keeps your eyes and ears open for new playing and umpiring talent. Don't leave it to everyone else! Personal contact, of one form or another, has always been our best source for new players and umpires over the years but we will supplement this with a more direct recruitment campaign. Do you have any ideas on the approach and how and where we can advertise locally? Do you or yours know anyone who works in or is associated with local companies or organisations, particularly sizeable ones, who might be willing to allow us to Place an A4 sized advert on their notice board? Do you have contacts in local sports clubs, sports centres, senior schools, etc.? What Can YOU Do To Help?
Editor: Adrian Christie Tel: 01342 712358 adrian.christie@jamjac.comMINUTES OF THE OUTWOOD CRICKET CLUB ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING HELD AT THE LLOYD HALL, OUTWOOD ON FRIDAY 21ST FEBRUARY 2003.
THOSE PRESENT: Mrs.B.Gotts, L.K.Barham, G.Beach, I, Brothwood, A.J.Christie, M.Cleaver, R.Cook, M.Cutter, B Dunnett, I.Frow, J. Kershaw, J. Mills, A.C.Reason,D.J.Rose, P Spragg, R.Waller.
1.APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE K.J.Christie,T.Cilliers, A.Cook, A.Hemming, G.Last, M.Mcleod, P Murray, W.Siegle, D Treacher, S Waller,T.Waller,B.Wright, A.Young.
2.MINUTES OF PREVIOUS A.G.M. These had been distributed with the notice of the meeting. P.Spragg asked what results had been achieved in receiving subscriptions for those who had neglected to pay. The treasurer reported that letters and personal contact had proved successful in retrieving most the monies due.
3.CHAIRMAN`S REPORT The Chairman referred to his report distributed at the meeting. There were no matters arising.
4. TREASURER`S REPORT The accounts were distributed at the meeting. The treasurer admitted that the format of the report does not always give a true reflection of the success of corporate events as the profits are invariably included in the bar profits. The treasurer would look at future reports with special events given greater detail.
5.CHANGES TO RULES It was put to the meeting that match day subscriptions be increased as follows; Full playing member £5 Student member £3 Junior member £2.50 L.K.Barham proposed and I.Brothwood seconded the full playing and student members increase which was agreed by the meeting. The junior members subcription remains at £2.
6. ELECTION OF CLUB PRESIDENT A.C. Reason was re-elected, proposed by R.Waller, seconded by M.Cutter.
7.ELECTION OF CLUB OFFICERS Office Elected Proposed Seconded Chairman G. Beach M. Cutter A.C. Reason Hon. Secretary D. Rose R.Cook R.Waller Hon. Treasurer M. Cutter I.Brothwood Mrs.B. Gotts Hon Fixture Secretary L.K. Barham M. Cutter R.Cook Club Captain N. Stevens R.Cook R.Waller Sunday Captain Committee to appoint a suitable member. 2nd.XI Captain D.Rose I.Brothwood A.J.Christie Vice Captains: Saturday 1st XI M. Cass A.C.Reason M.Cleaver Saturday 2nd XI M.Cleaver D.Rose R.Waller Sunday S.East G.Beach A.C.Reason Committee: I.Brothwood R.Cook R.Waller J.Mills A.C.Reason M.Cutter New committee to appoint fourth committee member.
8.APPOINTMENT OF AUDITORS The following Hon. Auditors were elected: P.Spragg} B.Dunnett} Proposed by A.J.Christie, seconded by M.Cutter.
9.ANY OTHER BUSINESS P.Spragg asked what is the likelihood of further sponsorship from the likes of L.A. Fitness as they gave considerable funds for the shirts. The new committee would investigate further sponsorships. R.Cook as tour manager reported that the programme at present comprises two cricket games and two rounds of golf in the Tunbridge Wells area. A.C. Reason would like it recorded his thanks to the retiring Chairman.
The meeting closed at 9.01pm.
END OF NEWSLETTER & AGM NOTICE
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