Octopus Cricket Club

Annual General Meeting 8^th October 2008

Selected Minute Highlilghts

The meeting began on time at 19:00 in a secluded corner of the first floor dining area of The Clarence Pub, Dover Street, W1 with G Marsh, last to arrive, hovering in ear shot at the bar.

1. Present – A James (AJ – Chairman); S Satterly (SS – Treasurer); S Ogilvie (SO – Fixtures Secretary); P Hayward (PH – Press & Records); S Ingram (SI – PR & Coms); A Winter (AW); G Marsh (GM)

Apologies: S & H Molson (Presidents); I Hill (Secretary); H Joshi (Captain); R Bisht (Vice Captain); S Knowles; S Reid and A Hough.

2. Minutes – with the exception of an apology to SI that his election last year to PR & Comms Officer had not been officially recorded, the previous minutes were duly agreed.

3. Matters Arising

• It was agreed that communication of the new subs and fees systems had been poor. That is to say non-existent. Subs were therefore to be discussed in more detail later.
• A suitable venue for pre-season nets had not been found in time. Paddington Rec had subsequently proved an excellent mid-season choice and was proposed for 2009.

- 2009 pre-season nets to begin 6 weeks before start of the season

- SI to canvass team opinion on Sunday or midweek and reserve accordingly

- SI & SS to discuss payment through club funds

• All CCC payments are up to date, though club details need updated. SS to ask I Hill.

4. Secretary’s Report – SS reported that the Secretary had reported that there was no Secretary’s Report. For the second year running, this brevity was well received.

5. Captain’s Report – the skipper was regrettably absent from proceedings, however SO relayed news of “a whirl of Harshness” passing through The Clarence Public House some 90 minutes earlier, resplendent in immaculate tuxedo and looking like an Indian James Bond. He had promised to return after 22:00 hours to deliver his final thoughts on the season.

6. Treasurer’s Report – The Treasurer was in buoyant mood and reported confidently on the club’s positive financial health.

· Total cash carried forward had increased by £250 on last year.

· Increase driven by more games, more players and thus more match subs

· Extra income from sales of club merchandise and a refund cheque from Enfield council for overpayment of yesteryear pitch hire.

· New kit items donated not charged and 2007 net charges not sought after 18 months

· Accounts reflect club’s forecast “true position” once the remaining half of pitch hire had been paid to Hornsey (Creditor) and remaining annual subs and shirt payments had been collected (Debtors).

The following points were duly agreed in the discussion that followed:

· Subs remain unchanged for 2009 at £8 a game, £40 annual.

· Annual subs remain payable after three games; £10 “cash-back” after 8 games

· Website to carry details of the above to provide transparency for new players

· Price of OCC shirt set at £15 – all to pay asap. SS to check costs with R Bisht.

Kit was discussed. It was agreed that AW should source his own wicket-keeping helmet for comfort and best-fit and the club would reimburse him accordingly.

· The accounts were signed and accepted at 19:39

· SO proposed a vote of thanks, PH seconded and a warm round of applause followed, saluting another 12 month’s excellent book-keeping from the heroic SS

7. Fixture’s Secretary Report – SO proudly and authoritively reported the following:

· The club fulfilled all its fixtures in season extended by 1 fixture, to a scheduled 21

· Number of games played (14) was pleasing, bearing in mind the piss-poor summer

· Fixture arranging had started earlier this year and gone very smoothly

· Fixtures vs this year’s new opponents went well and would be sought in 2009

· 2009 Tour to Bristol: 23^rd/24^th May suggested to coincide with Sri Lanka ODI

· Thrashing of HOB at home to be arranged for later in the year.

· Home fixtures likely to follow the same date pattern in 2009 as 2008

· Cost of ground increasing next year but excellent location is worth it

· Hornsey have acknowledged complaint about the pitch and have promised improvement. Terrible April weather this year hindered pre-season prep.

· A request for a marked boundary has been made and will be pursued by SO

· An inquiry into sight screens has been made but costs are likely to prove prohibitive

A unanimous and rapturous vote of thanks was passed to once again recognise SO’s splendid fixture-related efforts and much appreciated weekly XI organising.

8. Election of Officers – the meeting resumed at 20:04 with news that no resignations had been received from the following luminaries, all of whom remain in their posts:

· Joint Presidents: Steve Molson and Helen Molson

· Chairman: AJ

· Secretary: Ian Hill

· Treasurer: SS

· Fixtures Secretary: SO

· Captain: Harsh Joshi

· Vice Captain: Rohit Bisht and SO

· Press & Records Officer: PH

· PR & Communications Officer: SI

9. Press & Record Officer’s Report – PH was unprepared for his moment to shine and gushed incoherently about how much he had enjoyed the post. A gracious vote of thanks was passed, appreciation that suitably refuelled PH’s enthusiasm for 2009.

10. PR & Communications Officer’s Report – in contrast SI was well prepared and unfurled a piece of paper containing or inspiring discussion on the following points re the new website:

· Match fee & subs details to be added, plus other bits and pieces (e.g.: archive)

· OCC email addresses have now been sorted out for the Contacts section

· Conversion to HTML has now made the site easy to update, which is pleasing

· It was agreed there would be no personal profiles as they look shabby and fall out of date too quickly. More team photos would be nice though.

It was unflinchingly agreed that SI had done a fantastic job, with Calthorpe agreeing to the last fixture as a direct result of the club’s online PR and AW citing his parents’ eagerness for updates from as far south as New Zealand.

11. Playing Awards – before voting commenced the AGM was reminded that (proxy votes) were accepted from subs-payers only, a resolution passed the previous year.

· Batting: PH, H Joshi & R Bisht were proposed. R Bisht won a close vote. A special mention for Will Hodge was requested by SO for his excellent contribution.

· Bowling: R Bisht, SO & S Reid were proposed. R Bisht won a narrow vote. A special mention for GM was requested by AW for his excellent leg spinning.

· Fielding (Alex Lamb Trophy): AW and SI were proposed. AW won and gave a short, humble acceptance speech, citing his delight at joining the Octopi fold.

· Players’ Player of the Year: This was a secret ballot and SO deservedly won a tight vote. Votes for PH and R Bisht had also been received.

· Clubman of the Year (Jack Younie Trophy): SI, SS and SO were proposed. SI won by a moderate margin, a consensus reached thanks to his dedication to the website and his “have bat-will travel” commitment to playing.

· The Captain’s Cup (awarded for new or emerging talent): AW won the nomination.

· The Duck Trophy: after a short debate it was agreed to uphold the points system agreed at the start of the season. Thus SI, GM and A Baury share the 2008 trophy.

12. AOB

Trophies – these had not been engraved or handed out for five years. It was agreed the club would pay to get engraving up-to-date. SS kindly offered to sort this out but suggested a minimum 2 week window between voting and presentation next year.

Pre-Season Meeting (PSM) – SO offered to organise the week before the first game of the season, assuming net arrangements had already been seen to [see Matters Arising]

Tea and Tea Duties - AW suggested an “Idiot’s Guide to Providing a Cricket Tea” be compiled and made available on the website to make the task less daunting for tea virgins.

· SS and AJ agreed to compile this guide, while SO will provide a tea rota with the fixtures. Those charged with catering duties must swap weekends if not available.

· Catering duties on match days to include organising the 20-over drinks and ensuring the kitchen is clean and tidy at the day’s end.

The Octettes/Fan Base – AW suggested nominating “marquee fixtures” for next season, when we all make an effort to invite friends and family. It was agreed to consider this at the PSM.

Post Match Drinking Options – GM deplored the public house options available to OCC

· Buying in crates of beers is one option and it was agreed to discuss at the PSM.

Earlier Start Time – it was agreed this was not an option for several reasons.

The meeting was declared suspended at 21:50, pending the late delivery of the Captain’s Report. A vote of thanks for the venue was passed, a message relayed to the staff by PH shortly afterwards and greeted with underwhelmed indifference.

23:02 – with trains to catch and the skipper hors de contact, the meeting was declared closed and everyone went home. The Captain’s Report will follow separately in an Appendix and online.