NWFCC AGM – 21 November 2015 at Culcheth – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Chairman Garry Wilson welcomed 29 members to the 2015 AGM at Culcheth. Secretary Liz Wilson paid a tribute to three valued members who have passed away this year – John Saxby, Christine Irwin and Geoff Young. Treasurer Bob Connop presented a healthy set of Accounts.

Peter Wilson (CA representative) described an initiative the CA are pursuing to raise awareness of players who have Colour Vision Deficiency, The north west fed have led the way in this area. The CA are also evaluating software systems in readiness for the changes to the membership structure. Club Secretaries will have a vital role in the new procedure.

League Manager Tony Thomas reported on a hectic season of 177 matches with some very close finishes in some of the leagues. Postponement of matches had reached an alarming rate in the early part of the season such that some captains and clubs now take a ‘hard line’ and will claim the match if postponed rather than negotiate a new date. The issue of Bonus Point became contentious and there is a proposal later in the meeting to address this.

The Festival of Croquet was reported as a success by Manager Keith Roberts and it was later agreed by the meeting that ½ point would in future be awarded for drawn Golf games and clocks could be stopped in a double banked Golf game if a hoop is blocked.

Paul Rigge sent a report to the Meeting explaining how the difficulties of finding players to participate in the Pennine Cup had proved time consuming, frustrating and disappointing. It was embarrassing to this Federation to being forced into cancelling the annual tournament against the North East. Chairman Garry Wilson is currently discussing the future of this event with the North East.

There was a detailed discussion about Bonus Points in the two Advanced Leagues and the meeting decided to abandon Bonus Points in the A League but retain them in the B League. However, Bonus Points are now limited to a maximum of two per match and can only be awarded to a losing team.

There was further discussion about the criteria for players in the B League – currently they must have a minimum handicap of 1 – it was agreed Tony Thomas would co-ordinate the wishes of clubs on this and whether it would be useful to instigate a minimum total handicap for a B Level team.

Highlights from Club Reports include:

Bowdon – May be losing access to their Car Park but will be hosting GB v USA match next year. Beginners are catered for by weekly tuition, a monthly Sunday competition and a novices Tournament at the end of the season. Bury are continuing the development of their new venue at Whitehead Park involving clubhouse and lawn developments. Chester have had a very active season, hosting their first national tournament and visited by international groups from both Russia and Switzerland. Craig y Don have been awarded a grant of about #8500 from the Peoples Health Trust to expand their clubhouse facilities. Culcheth have increased membership and are developing strong links with the community – U3A, Brownies, Lions, Rotary, etc and are starting a regular Newsletter in the near future. Fylde have increased membership and had a very successful season winning three league titles.

Liverpool has had a flurry of recruitment and increased lawn maintenance and hopes are now very high for future development. Llanfairfechan have continued their charity events and were also featured in a two minute item on Welsh TV about Croquet – you casn see the item on their Facebook page. Nannerch have sadly resigned from the Federation. Pendle are continuing their lawn development and about to purchase a sit-on lawn mower. Penrith entered a national competition for the first time – All England Handicap. Southport have constructed a new path to the clubhouse and there has been extensive maintenance to the lawns. The club hosted the CA Chairmans Eight tournam and received plaudits about the quality of the lawns. Westmorland stated that rumours about their eminent departure from Levens Hall are exaggerated and they maintain good relationship with the owners.

Trophies were awarded to the 2015 Winning league teams – Pendle (Advanced); Fylde (B Level, Handicap and Midweek); Bury (Short); Bowdon Bandits (Level Play Golf); Southport (Golf). Officers were elected for 2016 (see website Who’s Who) and dates were notified for a wide range of tournaments (see Google calendar on website).

The next meeting will take place at Culcheth on 5^th March 2016.