The Hampshire Cricket Members Committee Annual General Meeting. Wednesday 29 th March The Robin Smith Suite of the Ageas Bowl MINUTES

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1 The Robin Smith Suite of the Ageas Bowl MINUTES 1. President Nick Pocock opened the Apologies Nigel Atkinson, Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire Ian Balding Mike Barnard Liam Botham Nigel Brading Richard Buckle Peter Came Alan Castell Mr Collingwood Mrs Collingwood Terry Crump Adrian Curtis Mr S Dacombe Jim Davidson Terry Dawson John Docker Brian Ford Mr D Grover Peter Hartley Jennie Hartnell Les Hawkins Keith Holland Ian Jeffery Mr Line The President particularly noted the apologies of Vice President & former Chair, Terry Crump, following the passing of his mother. The thoughts of all those present were with Terry and his family at this time. 3. Approve the minutes of the 2016 AGM Proposer: Michael Pain Second: Roger Treherne None against, the minutes were duly signed by The President 4. Matters Arising There were no matters arising 5. Chairman s Address 6. Election of Vice President s (en bloc) Proposer: Roger Treherne Second: Richard Priestly All Vice President were duly re-elected Page 1 of 5

2 7. Election of President Proposer: Alan Head Second: Simon Young Nick Pocock was duly re-elected 8. The Olive Ford Award This award is presented to the Most Promising Uncapped Player from the previous season. The 2016 winner: Lewis McManus Lewis was presented with a tankard by Roger Treherne on behalf of Mr Brian Ford. 9. Committee Election Mr Brian Hallett was duly elected to serve on the committee 10. Ageas Bowl Update 1 David Mann, Chief Executive Officer Ground 10.1 Parking a further 20 acres of land has been acquired which will enhance parking options with space for 1,500 vehicles and direct access onto the M27. This will take a couple of years to bring to full development and will offset the loss of land opposite the ground currently used for parking which is being developed for housing East Gate there is now a full gate in place 10.3 Remedial work is taking place on the Roof Terrace to repair the glass which had become worn 10.4 Pipeline Works It is proposed that the hotel will see two new developments on the east and west sides. The east will see a Golf Members Bar which will also be open for those at the northern end of the ground. The west will see a new toilet block built reducing the need for temporary toilet facilities on major matchdays. Both of these projects are currently uncosted, so there is no definitive timescale for completion as yet Golf Course the course will open in mid July and with the acquisition of the additional land (see 10.1), two new holes will be built which will replace two of the easier holes currently on the course Beefy s Restaurant this has now re-opened following significant refurbishment. Commercial 10.7 Turnover for 2016 was 17m, with a forecast of 20m for 2017 and 25m for Hampshire Cricket s turnover was 7m which showed a small Page 2 of 5

3 profit 10.9 The board have been working hard on refinancing which will bring down the existing borrowing costs Cricket International matches for the period will be announced towards the end of There is a greater collaborative approach to the allocation process now A lot of media attention has focused on the proposed new T20 tournament, scheduled to start in Although there is a long way to go on this, particularly in the choosing of host venues, we have a very valuable asset at the Ageas Bowl and we need to maximise that. The new format of the game will be a huge benefit to the whole cricketing structure. Club This is probably the strongest squad that we have had in the past 10 years, and everything is looking well set for the season ahead There is no beneficiary this year, instead the focus will be on Hampshire Cricket in the Community and more specifically engaging young people to become active in sport. Closing On behalf of the PLC, would like to thank Nick Pocock (President), Neil Trestrail (Chair) and the whole committee for the work that they do and the way in which positive engagement continues to benefit everyone associated with the club. 11. Ageas Bowl Update 2 Stuart Robertson, Commercial Director 12. Any Other Business 12.1 Neil Trestrail explained that Dr David Allen had stood down from the heritage role, and thanked him for his dedicated work. This work will now be overseen and continued by a committee chaired by Bob Murrell Approachability of the Players and Staff a member explained how he and his wife had holidayed in Barbados during the clubs preseason tour, and would like to place on record how fortunate we are as a club to have such an approachable and friendly squad of players and staff who continually make supporters feel welcome and a part of the team Question: How will the new T20 format bidding process take place? Reply by DM The ECB are currently taking advice on both Page 3 of 5

4 infrastructure and demographics to ensure that the new format maximises the potential of family and young people being involved. Although we don t yet know what the criteria will be, we are well placed to present a case to the independent assessors for a franchise being based at the Ageas Bowl. The ECB articles of association are currently being changed, which should be completed by July 2017, following which the process of more definitive work can begin. NT reiterated that should a team be based at the Ageas Bowl, which we all hope, this team will NOT be a Hampshire Cricket team, but like the Southern Vipers who were so successful in their opening season would be a separate business Question: How will players be chosen for the new T20 format? Reply by DM It is envisaged that there will be a draft process, similar to that seen in the NFL. With the Women s Super League, there is a General Manager for each franchise, with all available players placed into salary bands and each team competes on a level playing field ensuring players from across each band. However, this has not yet been decided upon. More will become known following the change of articles (post July 2017) Question: Does the acquisition of land mean that there will be a permanent exit through the ground to Moorhill Road? Reply by DM Yes, this is currently in the process of completion, allowing for traffic leave through the golf course, onto Moorhill Road thereby accessing roads to Southampton, the A27 and M Question: The wickets at the entrance to the ground are looking untidy. They are an iconic element of the ground, will they be kept in good condition? Reply by SR This is owned by Eastleigh Borough Council with whom Stuart is meeting next week and where he will raise this with them, but agrees this is important to the whole presentation of the area Question: What is the proposed duration of the new T20 tournament and when will it take place? Reply by DM It is proposed to be scheduled for 35 days at the end of July and into August. Reply from SR The objective is to maximise the appeal and opportunity for young people and families especially Question: We have a good screen above the scoreboard but it is rarely used, could it be put to use to provide more information during the game such as bowler s figures, especially as the scoreboard itself can be difficult to read at times? Reply by SR This work is in the development plans and there is a constant list of work to be undertaken across the whole ground. The Page 4 of 5

5 recent finance discussions have included the scoreboard / screen integration, but there is no timescale on this specific project as yet Question: Won t the new T20 prejudice Hampshire s own chances of success if Hampshire contracted players are drafted to the new franchises? Reply by DM Neither the County Championship nor the existing county T20 tournament (which will continue) will be affected by the new tournament as the proposal is for the 50 Over tournament to take place during the new T20 tournament. The county T20 tournament will take place in the window prior to the new tournament (roughly where is currently sits) and for the County Championship to be the sole focus at the start and end of the season. If we don t do this, there would be no county championship in 5 10 years with so many of the counties struggling financially Question: Whilst understanding the commercial aspects and needs for concerts, the exit from Rod Stewart last year was appalling, taking over two hours to get out of the car park. What was the outcome? Reply by DM The club was not pleased at all by the situation at the Rod Stewart concert and it came down to one gate not being opened which then caused a knock on effect of trouble. The club have looked again at all procedures, discussing with all local parties (police, fire, ambulance, council) to ensure compliance and have also now appointed a new stewarding firm. There were 27,000 people in the ground for the concert which, following the review has now been capped at 20,000 for this year to ensure that the new processes are satisfactory Question: Are there any more plans to get more results from the four day game? Reply by NT The optional removal of the toss last season (where the away captain now has the opportunity to put the home side into bat) has helped the game move forward towards a results orientated environment. The President closed the meeting at Page 5 of 5