AGM 2018 minutes
Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of the Boules in Gwent (BIG) Friendly League held at Greenlawn on Tuesday 20 March 2018
Minutes of last meeting held at Panteg on Monday 20 March 2017 at 7.30 pm
These were read and approved.
Election of officers
The following Committee officers were reappointed unopposed:
John Price Chairman
Robin Matthews Secretary
Structure of the League
The overall number of teams for the 2018 season increased to a record 42, covering 4 divisions. The following changes were agreed:
Two new teams were elected to the League – Greenlawn B and Crown, Varteg (both in Div 4).
Founding club Panteg (Div 1) withdrew from the League.
One venue change for the 2017 season – Ponthir Stars relocating from Ponthir back to the Star.
The promotion and relegation changes are as follows:
Due to withdrawal of Panteg, only Wheatsheaf Falcons relegated to Div 2;
Pontir House and Red Lion promoted to Div 1;
Monmouth PC and Halfway Allstars promoted to Div 2;
Wheatsheaf Harriers relegated to Div 3;
Greenlawn A and Aber Golds promoted to Div 3;
ROF Exiles relegated to Div 4.
Chairman’s Report
John Price, Chairman, introduced his summary of the season.
Key points were as follows:
Thanks to teams for a largely disruption-free season with most games played to schedule.
Welcome to two new teams – Greenlawn B and Crown,Varteg.
Disappointment at withdrawal of Panteg, one of the founder members.
Very competitive season, particularly in Div 2 with 2 points covering 8 teams on the last day of the season.
Excellent support from the BIG League to the annual WPA v BIG Challenge Cup in July, with 12 teams participating in Cardiff: narrow defeat for the BIG League.
Impressive turnout again for the annual presentation evening (Ponthir Village Hall) with over 100 representatives. Good value of £10 per head for live band and hog roast. Money raised on the night, via a raffle, donated to the Poppy Appeal. Thanks to Caerleon club and other helpers for setting up the hall and clearing up afterwards.
Thanks for support during the season from Steve Morgan, Paul Macer-Wright and Wilf Hall (facebook and web management), as well as Kon (fixture compilation) and Robin (secretary/treasurer).
Web Management Report
Wilf Hall reported that the BIG website continued to operate via the web-hosting company Spanglefish and payments have been made for the annual charge and domain name.
The web site contains fixture lists, match results and details of clubs and events. Club-related items should be sent to web manager in the form of text or pictures, using new email address of bigleague@boulesingwent.com
Competitions
All current competitions to be retained for 2017.
The league season will run from 9 April (Div 3 and 4 only) until 3 September.
Cup/plate finals and Champion of Champions will take place on 8 September and 7 October respectively.
Several members had raised the possibility of a separate competition for Div 3 and 4 only. The meeting agreed that this was unnecessary.
Financial Report/Subscriptions
The financial report was accepted as a true record. Expenditure was exceeded by income. There was a drop of almost 50% in net income and the lowest for over a decade. The Secretary highlighted that this was consistent with the planned use of surplus funds as recorded at the previous AGM – reflecting the purchase of a PA system and a contribution from the League towards the costs of the annual presentation evening.
The meeting agreed that the subscription level should revert back to £20 per team from the 2017 level of £15. This would maintain a healthy surplus for future expenditure, and support potential contingency costs, such as public liability insurance for officers of the League.
Rules of Engagement/Constitution
There were no rule changes proposed. The meeting agreed that the rules of engagement were clear and in a stable state of development.
.
Robin Matthews
League Secretary