MINUTES OF 1997 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
HELD AT 7.45pm ON MONDAY 8th DECEMBER 1997
AT CONGRESBURY C.C.

Present:
Tony Willoughby (Chairman)
Robert Humphreys (Secretary)
John Waters (Junior Secretary)
Andrew Moulding (Somerset Development Office)
Pat Colbourne (Chairman Somerset Youth Committee)
Blagdon
Clevedon
Claverham
Cleeve
Clifton Flax Bourton
Congresbury
Nailsea
Lodway
Uphill Castle
Worle Airways
Wrington
Keynsham
Portishead

Apologies:
Weston-super-Mare
Wells
Wedmore
Cheddar
Imperial
Old Bristolians
Barrow Gurney

Absent:
Winscombe

1. The minutes of the previous annual general meeting were read andapproved.

2. There were no matters arising from the previous year's minutes save thatthe Chairman reported that the Ull trophy had been purchased andpresented.

3. The Treasurer reported that the finances of the League were in a healthy position. The accounts which he presented (see end) were accepted.

4. The Secretary then delivered his report. The report was accepted.

5. At the conclusion of this, Peter Rose of Portishead commented that the League had the money to run nets, along the lines which had been discussed the previous year. The Secretary replied that, although this was the case, he thought that in view of the limited number of sources from which the League received income it should be careful before committing to significant expenditure. Further, the main difficulty with nets was that they would need organising. Somebody would need to take up responsibility for this. No-one present volunteered. Further, nets were being organised by the North West Somerset Development Group and these were apparently envisaged to be run between January and March.

6. The Junior Secretary delivered his report. At the conclusion of this, he also added that he had been asked by Will Weber (WSM) to convey his apologies to the meeting for WSM's failure to perform to expectations inthe National Finals of the U13 Subaru competition. Although this was not his fault, particularly as a couple of his best players were missing in a County competition, he had clearly taken it personally. The Secretary was asked to respond to him on behalf of the meeting expressing its support for him at a time of serious illness. The Junior Secretary's report was accepted.

7. Rates of subscription and fines were determined to be unchanged for the1998 season.

8. John Waters reported on the U17 representative team. The inter-league event had been disappointing. The team had been in effect a second string and had paid for it. The League had the players but six of the County players for one reason or another were not available. Mark Hopkinson had done well. He went on to report that the Bristol & District had pulled out of a 40 over game but that a game had been played against the Indian touring side SLPT. The League fielded an under strength side and although Jason Neave (WSM)(an agreed over-age player) had scored 99, the League had finished 7 runs short. Simon Doherty (Wrington) had bowled well.

9. John Waters reported that the League was hosting this year's inter-league competition and he said he would take charge of the arrangement of a venue. Uphill Castle/WSM was suggested as a possibility.

10. Derek Blower (Nailsea) delivered a report on an U15 representative match which he had managed against the Bath & District League XI. This had been won by 76 runs. Ian Simmonds (Failand & Portbury) had scored 57.

11. The Secretary reported that Kevin Stafford (WSM) had match managed a representative game against Taunton & District League which had been lost.

12. As regards U13 and U11 representative games, the Secretary referred to his report which covered these.

13. Peter Rose (Portishead) canvassed a possible rule change for U11 s to award 2 runs for a wide but not an extra ball. This was along the lines of a rule applying in the Bristol & District League. There was some support for it but there were also objections. The Secretary observed that wides would be cut down if 19 yard pitches for U11s were played on, as the rules provide. After discussion, it was determined to leave the question of rules for U11 games to the discretion of the managers.

14. The following officers were elected:

Brian Rose (President)
Tony Willoughby (Chairman)
Robert Humphreys (Secretary)
John Waters (Junior Secretary).

The Chairman observed that he had held his position for some 5 years or so and he would like to see a volunteer from another club take it on next year.

15. The appointment of representative managers was made as follows:

U17 Pete Williams (WSM), Simon Hopkinson (Nailsea) offering to assist
U15 John Scott (WSM)
U13 Sue Edwards (Wrington), with scope for Will Weber to assist as his circumstances allowed
U11 Russ Yandell (Failand & Portbury) and John Waters (Nailsea)

16. No applications to join the League were received. The Secretary reported that he had been notified that Old Bristolians, Barrow Gurney, Wedmore and Wells would not be entering teams next year.

17. Andrew Moulding, Youth Development Officer for Somerset Cricket Board, then gave a short presentation bringing to the attention of the meeting the ECB manuals which had recently been published. He explained their contents, particularly as they applied to youth sections. He encouraged clubs to think about their own development plans, in particular encouraging young coaches to get coaching qualifications and encouraging people to go on groundsmanship courses. He pointed out that National Lottery money was still available and encouraged clubs to apply for it. He was able and willing to assist with such applications.

18. Pat Colbourne (Chairman Somerset Youth Committee) gave a short presentation. He commented that over the years very few local youngsters had come through to play professional cricket for Somerset C.C.C. The aim of the Somerset Development plan was to try to identify and push through the best young cricketers. He said that his own experience of involvement over many years with youth cricket was that it was unproductive to wait for volunteers to do things; conscription and persuasion were more effective and those conscripted were often only waiting to be asked. He confirmed that the idea of the Corner games was to have a serious of games participated in by the best players at a standard above that of ordinary school/clubs.

19. Clive Dixon (Keynsham) asked if the U17 League could be divided geographically, particularly because of the difficulties of travelling. Discussion occurred but the general view of the meeting was that a geographical split would be undesirable.

20. The Secretary explained the need for clubs to have their own insurance to cover their own players and managers. The League's insurance only covered officers of the League and managers and representative XIs.

21. John Waters reported that the 1998 Subaru U13 competition would be runon an 11-a-side basis. A discussion took place as to whether the League should run its own area qualifying competition under the new rules or should stick to the current 8-a-side rules. Very little enthusiasm for the 8-a-side rules was shown by those present and accordingly the 1998 competition would be run on an 11-a-side basis.

22. The Chairman concluded by thanking Congresbury for hosting the meeting and Portishead, Congresbury and Clifton Flax Bourton for hosting the finals of the Cup competitions.

The meeting concluded at 10.30pm approx.

Chairman............... Date......................

MINUTES OF THE 1996 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
HELD AT NAILSEA C.C.
ON 11th NOVEMBER 1996 @ 7.30PM

Present:
Claverham
Congresbury
Uphill Castle
Worle Airways
Clifton Flax Bourton
Portishead
Winscombe
Blagdon
Failand & Portbury
Nailsea
Weston-super-Mare
Cheddar
Imperial
Wells
Wrington
Clevedon

Also present:
Tony Willoughby (Chairman)
Robert Humphreys (Secretary)
John Waters (Junior Secretary)

Apologies:
Brian Rose (President)
Terry Brown (Secretary North Development Development Group)
Doug Grewcock
Keynsham
Wedmore

Absent:
Barrow Gurney
Cleeve
Lodway

1. The minutes of 1995 AGM were read and approved. There were no matters arising from those minutes.

2. The Secretary delivered a report on the U17 and U15 sections. The Junior Secretary delivered a report on the U13 and U11 sections. [SEE REPORTS]

3. The Treasurer delivered accounts for the 1996 year and these were approved and accepted. No change was made to the level of subscriptions/fines for 1997.

4. John Waters reported on the League U17 Representative XI which he had managed. Unfortunately, the inter-league competition had been rained off entirely but the XI had played a fixture against the Bristol & District League winning comfortably. Scores were NSYCL 270-6: B&DYCL 125. The team had been a credit to the League both on and off the field.

5. Simon Hopkinson (Nailsea) reported that he had managed a League Representative U15 XI which had won a close game against the Bristol & District League. Scores were: B&DYCL 180: NSYCL 181-6. It had been an excellent game. The team, which comprised players representing eight different clubs, had been a credit to the League.

6. Peter Williams (WSM) reported that the U13 and U11 representative games against Somerset S.C.A., which in recent years have been played as League fixtures, did not take place this year. Unfortunately other representative fixtures at U13 and U11 level had not in the event taken place.

7. There was discussion of the League's representative fixtures generally and the Secretary hoped to carry out more groundwork for getting fixtures at all levels early in the year so as to ensure that the games were played. The objective for representative managers was reconfirmed: the UI7 XI is selected to be the strongest available team; the teams at the remaining levels are selected so as to be sufficiently strong but to represent as far as possible the member clubs in the League.

8. A proposal, and amendments to it, to change rule 9 so as to award points in circumstances where games are not played was discussed extensively. An amendment proposed by Clifton Flax Bourton was as follows: "All games must be played on or before the due date. Where a game is not played, the team not in default shall be awarded the 2 points. In the event of a game not being played owing to weather, each team will be awarded 1 point." The Chairman put this proposed amendment to the meeting but after a vote it was not accepted.

9. The Secretary then made the following proposal: ''A team which fails to fulfil or a home team which fails to arrange a ground for a fixture or postponed fixture shall be deemed to have lost the game." The Chairman put the proposal to the meeting and, after a vote, it was not accepted.

10. A proposal by the Secretary for the following amendment to rule 10 was accepted: "A postponed fixture shall be rearranged by the Clubs involved within 7 days and for a date before 23rd August....".

11. An amendment was made to rule 12 such that the responsibility for return of a result card be that of the winning or if tied the home team.

12. The following amendment to rule 5 in respect of the U11 section was accepted: "The initial stages of the competition ... shall be run on a friendly basis with the later stages run competitively."

13. After discussion, it was agreed that a trophy should be purchased and awarded to the winner of the U11 competition and the Chairman agreed to arrange this.

14. The possibility of changing U17 games to Monday evenings was discussed but insufficient support for this was evidenced and no change was proposed or made.

15. Election of the following officers took place:

Brian Rose: President
Tony Willoughby: Chairman
Robert Humphreys: Secretary
John Waters: Junior Secretary

Tony Willoughby expressed the wish to retire from the office of Chairman for the 1998 year and hoped that a proposed replacement would emerge during the course of the year.

16. The following were elected as representative team managers:
U17 John Waters (Nailsea)
U15 John Munden (Winscombe)
U13 to be filled
U11 to be filled

17. Applications to join the League were made on behalf of Keynsham, Blagdon and Wedmore and, after consideration, these applications were accepted.

18. A short report on the activities of the North Somerset Development Group was given by Peter Williams (WSM). Grant Sheppard was a qualified coach supplied by Somerset C.A. to the Development Group so as to organise coaching and in particular winter nets at WSM.

19. The Chairman proposed a vote of thanks to WestCountry Ground Care, the League's sponsors for the last 15 years and this was passed unanimously.

20. The Chairman noted that the League's accounts showed a healthy credit balance and he expressed the view that part of these funds could be usefully be allocated to coaching. Discussion ensued and Peter Williams (WSM) and Peter Rose (Portishead) agreed to make suggestions to the Secretary with a view to initiating a League coaching programme and the meeting authorised expenditure of up to £500 for coaching.

The meeting ended at 10.30pm.

Chairman................... Date: 8th December 1997