Prees Cricket and Recreation Club Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on Wednesday 28th of January 2015 1. Welcome Mr Vinny Lines, Club Vice President, opened the meeting and welcomed everyone to the 84th AGM. There were 33 members present with 1 apology received. The Vice President explained that he was acting President for the AGM due to the very sad loss of our President, Mr Mike Batkin. The Chairman will pay our respects in his report. Vinny reported that the Club had its most successful year ever in 2014 which will be shown in the Treasurers report. This was due to the fabulous job Gary and Jan and their team do and all the volunteers and sports coaches who give their time to the club. On behalf of the Club he expressed his thanks since without them we would not be where we are today. Our playing facilities are as good as any in the country and they are always kept neat and tidy. The people coming to the club are always made to feel welcome. 2. Members Remembrance. A period of silence was held to remember those members and ex members who had sadly died during the year. The Vice President paid tribute to Mike Batkin, Jeff Bishop, Norman Prince, Dorothy Lunt, Basil Morris and Neil Batkin who had all contributed to the success of the club over the years and will be missed and not forgotten. 3. Presentation of the Simon Lines Shield All were worthy nominations for the Simon Lines Shield but after due consideration it has been awarded to John and Sue Smith. The Vice President read the nomination to the meeting and the Shield was presented. 4. Minutes of the Last Annual General Meeting. The minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on the 29th January 2014 were circulated for people to read before they were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the chair. 5. Chairman's Report Ray Grocott spoke of the tragic loss of our long standing President, Mike Batkin. Mike had followed his grandfather and father as being a great servant to our Club. Mike worked tirelessly and uncomplaining over the years preparing cricket pitches, the football pitches, the bowls huts and many more jobs. Mike had been an outstanding cricketer and in his younger days had been a county standard batsman. Ray said that Mike s death was particularly hard for himself as they had grown up together and played sport together and were extremely close friends even to the extent that Ray had given Mike a few tips prior to him getting married. Ray said Mike was a wonderful man whose death was a tragedy particularly for his family and the grandchildren. He is sorely missed. Mr Ray Grocott presented the following report: The Club has had a fantastic 2014 and he wanted to thank everybody involved for their efforts. Ray thanked Gary and Jan Dawson for the outstanding job they do in managing the club. He said they could not work any harder if they had owned the Club themselves. Ray said what great funding we have received and also thanked the Treasurer for keeping us right with the finances. He thanked Kevin Moult for his work on the bowls greens, John Gleave and Joe Whelan for their H & S work, Phil Hodges for the work he does on the building work, Lawrence Allen for the great job he has done as the Membership Secretary and Ian Stevenson for taking the job on from Lawrence, Maggie Allen for the great entertainment she organises, Mike and Angela Walmsley for looking after the greens and all the other jobs they do behind the scenes and Emma for the Children s Holiday Club. Ray also thanked all the sports coaches and managers for all the work they do for the club and its members. We will be holding the Floodlit Doubles again this year and also the Jack and Jean Isherwood veterans competition will be held. here on July 1st Ray said he was proud to be part of the team and that we have had a brilliant year. Page 1 of 5
The President thanked the Chairman for his 39th Chairman's Report and for his commitment and all the work he does for the club. Lawrence Allen asked if there were any plans for some memorial item to be dedicated to Mike Batkin. Ray said this was under discussion and it was difficult to decide just what form a memorial should take but something will be done. 6. Treasurer's Report Mr Paul Prince presented the 2014 set of accounts and printed copies were circulated. He went through each line of the income and expenditure account and the balance. The following points were highlighted: Bar sales at 185,112 were a record by some margin. 2013 was 165,000 and 2012 was 149,000. This produced a gross profit of 96,072 which compared with 89,000 in 2013 and 79,000 in 2012. The price increase had some impact but in no way fully accounted for the improvement. Paul thanked Gary Dawson and all his staff for a tremendous effort. It shows that if we get the bar right we are half way there. Sports Development and Childcare Activities was slightly down on 2013 largely due to Emma s absence on maternity leave. Membership at 4355 was down on 2013 but Paul said this needed investigating as he suspected all membership payments may not have been shown as membership monies. Sports sections income was 12,779 which came from match fees for football, bowls cricket etc. Income from the hire of facilities for sports and football plus room hire at 16,913 compared with 10,638 in 2013. Wages at 87,433 were down on 2013 which were 89,986. Paul reiterated that as long as the bar taking exceed wages it generally means we are in good shape Entertainment and fundraising income was 3,504. Costs were 5,490 which included the SKY TV costs, the PPL licence and artists fees. This figure does not reflect the increased bar takings as a result of these events. Maintenance costs were 17,320 which covered grounds, repairs and renewals and maintenance of club equipment. There was surplus of 10,906 income over expenditure. The total capital and reserves stands at 781,416 which is the net worth of the Club. Paul said that four things contribute to the Clubs success: 1. Our fantastic facilities attract people. 2. All visitors are made to feel welcome and involved by Gary and Jan and their team. 3. We are continually maintaining and enhancing the Club to attract people to hold their functions here and also attend entertainment evenings. 4. We don t rest on our laurels with Gary and Jan and Maggie continually inventing new ideas to improve our income. Paul thanked all the members for attending the AGM which may be boring but is essential, along with the monthly committee meetings, to make sure everything is monitored and we do not go the same way as the other club in Prees. The President thanked the Treasurer, on behalf of the Members, for his professionalism and the work he does for the Club which earned a round of applause. Brian Hughes informed the meeting that we have been awarded 22,600 by Veolia for equipment to maintain the 3G pitch and also to drill a bore hole and irrigation for our greens and pitches. This will hopefully reduce our water rates. 7. Sporting Section Reports BOWLS Sue Taylor was unable to attend the meeting due to the Market Drayton Bowls AGM being on the same night but provided the following report which was presented by Brian Hughes: First of all I would like to express my gratitude to the captains, Tom Cooper who led his A team to second place in Division 1, just missing out on being League Champions by only a few points. John Cooper for leading his Whitchurch League B team to first place and will, therefore, be playing their 2015 bowls in Division 2. My thanks also to Dave Price, Page 2 of 5
Jan Brain, Nigel Davies, Pete Grocott, and the two husband and wife teams Stan and Audrey Richards, plus John and Sue Smith who ably led the Market Drayton C team to the final of the League Consolation Doubles. Audrey also leads the Market Drayton League Seniors team, and Angela Walmsley captains the Barlows Senior team. A lot of unseen work goes on pre bowls night, during bowls night and post bowls night. Captains have to make tough decisions, run their phone bill up, and try to keep calm. They carry out an important role, and being a captain myself I know to the letter what it takes. It is that commitment, which needs to be commended, and I thank, in advance, the existing captains who have once again signed on the dotted line for the 2015 season, plus our three new captains: Charlie Brookes, Jason Davies and John Taylor. Brian Hickson has agreed to continue to monitor the bowls money income and I sincerely thank Paul Prince for paying our invoices on time, which mean no fines are imposed. Pete Batkin organised our club Competitions and our Presentation Night and I am more than grateful to him for not only doing this but also taking on the same role for the coming season. Alan Smith and Jan Brain should be proud of themselves for running the Floodlight Doubles and my thanks go to anyone who supported the competition in any way, especially Sue Smith who managed to mark cards and raise money for the bowls section at the same time. At this point I would like to thank those bowlers, and non bowlers who supported our fund raising Bingo in November. This will happen again in 2015, but to maintain the greens, pay subscriptions to our affiliated leagues and support the general upkeep of our club, it was decided at our own AGM that every league bowler would pay 5 extra per year on top of our club membership and playing fees. The 2015 bowling season will soon be upon us. I know that the commitment of each and every bowler to have a successful year will be evident. None of us go on the green to lose, but all of us should be going on the green to enjoy the game, and when not on the green, enjoy each others company and the support of one another. FOOTBALL Prees Men s Football: There was no representation from the Men s management team. Prees Junior Boys Football Report Mark Perkins (Chairman) We now have all our coaches in place for 2015 We plan to resurrect the girl s teams and hope to have 3 teams next season if there is enough support. A lot of our coaches have now achieved level 1 and level 2 coaching standards which is probably better than any other local club. The standard of our coaching and players is reflected in the fact that several of our youngsters are attending trials at clubs like Stoke, Manchester United and Shrewsbury Town. The President thanked all the coaches and volunteers for their efforts in making the football section so successful. CRICKET Peter Richards of the cricket section provided the following report: The cricket team had a very successful 2014 season gaining promotion to Division 3 for next season. This is the 5 th year in succession that we have gained promotion. We have a great team spirit in the team and have some good young lads coming through. Last season we had a free overseas player who scored the highest number of runs in the Shropshire League. Next season we will not have an overseas player so it will be tougher. Steve Williams is the 2015 team captain. Peter thanked John Groom for all his work with Duncan preparing the pitch. We are still in need of more players but more of the boys will be coming through soon. DARTS AND DOMINOES Dave Price gave a report on the Darts and Dominoes teams: At last years AGM I reported that the darts team were 6 th in the league but they finished 7 th. At the end of last season Matt Watkins stood down as darts captain and we lost a lot of players. However, Peter Grocott took over for 2014-15 season and got a new team together. Peter has done an excellent job and after 14 games they are lying 5 th in the league and in the semi-final of the consolation cup. Page 3 of 5
Also at last year s AGM I reported that the dominoes team were lying 2 nd in the league and in the quarter finals of the cup. At the end of the season we won the league and lost 5 4 in the final of the cup. Last year I reported that John Smith had most wins but that was in the Prees team. This year Sue Smith had the most wins in the whole Wem dominoes league making this a good year for the Smiths. ANGLING Duncan Austin presented the report for the Angling Section. The following points were noted: Angling Section membership in 2014 was 50-60 members. The Angling Section still have 2 rented waters available for members to fish. These are Coton and Sandford. In 2014 the winner of the Sunday league was Richard Woodrow and the winner of the Friday night league was Richard Batte. Duncan said that the Angling Section would like to thank the Committee for their support during the year and to John, Sue and Alan Smith for helping the Angling section funds with the bingo. 8. Childcare and Sports Development Emma Burrell presented the following report: Generally 2104 has been a quiet year. I have spent most of the year off on maternity leave and therefore kept activities simple whilst off. I would like to thank all my staff and Gary and Jan Dawson for holding the fort and supporting me and the children s club whilst I have been away. Income for 2014 has been down but so too has expenditure. In 2013 school coaching was operating at 3 4 sessions per week whereas 2014 I finished working in the schools in March and restarted once a week in November. Also, my being away from schools means less promotion of the club as parents usually see me at the schools and approach me. That is how we get a lot of holiday club business. I am back in schools now twice a week. I would like to thank John, Sue and Alan Smith for all their hard work with raising money for us at the bingo. 9. Election of President, Vice Presidents and Trustees. Trustees: R Grocott, Mrs A Walmsley, Paul Prince, Mike McGee, Phil Hodges Rep from Prees Parish Council Mr Joe Whelan The following nominations were proposed and seconded and were approved by the Members. Post Nomination Proposed by Seconded by President Mr V Lines Ray Grocott Peter Richards Vice Presidents Mrs A Walmsley, Mr R Chambers, Mr J Gleave, Mr R Grocott, Mr A Hocknell, Mr D Smout, Mr J Taylor, Mr M Walmsley Mike McGee Phil Hodges 10. Election of Officers and Committee All existing committee members were happy to stand with the exception of Don Ross. Post Nomination Proposed By Seconded by Chairman Mr Ray Grocott Vinny Lines Phil Hodges Vice Chairman Mr Mike McGee Jan Dawson Dave Price Treasurer Mr Paul Prince Ray Grocott Joe Whelan Secretary Mr Brian Hughes Ray Grocott Richard Sadler Club Premises Chair Mr Phil Hodges Ray Grocott Mike McGee Club Grounds Chair Mr Mike Walmsley Vinny Lines Mike McGee Health and Safety Chair Mr John Gleave Ray Grocott Mike McGee General Representative Mr Alan Smith Ray Grocott Vinny Lines General Representative Mr John Taylor Ray Grocott Vinny Lines Page 4 of 5
General Representative Mrs Sarah Stevenson Ray Grocott Vinny Lines General Representative Mr Ian Stevenson Ray Grocott Vinny Lines The secretary advised that the following ex officio members will also serve on the committee: Ex Officio Member Mrs Emma Burrell Mr Ian Stevenson Mr Brian Hughes Mr Lawrence Allen Mr Joe Whelan Mrs Maggie Allen Mrs Sue Taylor Mr Peter Richards Mr Dave Price Mr Mark Perkins Mr Andy Hewitt Mr Duncan Austin Role Childcare and Sports development Membership Secretary Website Function Support Prees Parish Council nominated representative Entertainment Bowls Section Secretary Cricket Section Darts and Dominoes Section Football - Junior Boys Section Football - Adult Men s Section Angling Section. 9. Subscriptions and Membership Lawrence Allen provided the following report: During the year of 2014, the membership records were converted from a purely paper form into a computer database using up to date data submitted by members. A copy of each undated members form has been provided to the Club Manager to facilitate contact with the relatives of a member should an emergency situation arise. The statistics for 2014 are: Total of 677 unique members were listed ranging in age from 90+ to just a few months old. The average age of membership as a whole is around 40 years. 64 Family Membership applications were received comprising of around 250 members. (3.9 per family). In total around 350 adult membership applications were received as were 250 junior memberships. The main places of residence of members were (in descending order) Prees around 250, Whitchurch 80, Wem 75, Higher Heath 70, Whixall 30, Coton 20, Tilstock 15 and Edstaston, Hodnet, Market Drayton and Shrewsbury 10 each. From everywhere else (i.e. other parts of N Shropshire, S Shropshire, Cheshire, Staffordshire etc.) around 150. Interest declared by members, on the 2014 application forms, came out as follows (several stated multiple interests and several were only interested as spectators. So these figures exceed the numbers of unique members): Angling 50, Bowls 120, Cricket - 45, Darts 30 and dominoes 20. Football (adults) around 35, boys football 180, Girls football 40 and children s club 90. Social only were 275. As some will know, I have a very busy couple of years ahead of me in respect of other activities in which I am involved hence my need to relinquish my office of Membership Secretary but I am delighted that a willing and very capable successor (Ian Stevenson) has put himself forward for election to the office. I have no doubt that Ian s computer skills will enable him to make more effective use of the database than I have been able to achieve and will in due time take the role to a higher level, as we have already seen with the new style membership cards. I thank everyone for their support during the past two years. 9. Any Other Business Paul Prince said that the Committee had discussed membership fees and were recommending that they should remain unchanged for 2016. Acceptance of this was proposed by Vinny Lines and seconded by Lawrence Allen and was accepted by the meeting. Paul also gave thanks to the bowls section for their spontaneous decision to increase their fees this shows that they have the Club at heart. Kevin Moult drew attention to the edging board on the large green and pegs that need replacing. A stray one has already caused 180 worth of damage to a mower. The next AGM was scheduled for Wednesday the 29th January 2016 starting at 1930 hrs. Minutes accepted as a true record...chair...date. Page 5 of 5