12 Oct HALF-YEARLY GENERAL MEETING – THE HIGHLIGHTS

Today, 12 October 2021, was the first opportunity for the Huddersfield Veterans Bowling League to have a half-yearly Council meeting since our Golden Jubilee meeting in February 2021. The meeting came at the end of what has been a very successful bowling season will all teams completing a full-season where promotion and relegation were very much to the fore and team competitions given priority over individual or pairs competitions.

The meeting was part business and part celebration for teams that ended up at the top of the pile.

The meeting was chaired by our retiring President, Mr Alan Sharpe. Alan welcomed club reps, trophy winners and Alan Singleton representing Linthwaite Hall Bowling Club who are re-entering the association for the 2022 season.

Alan Stephenson, the association Treasurer reported on the current financial situation which had worked out approximately £400 better than forecast due to more generous sponsors and the Inter-District team winning the Hickson Trophy. On the assumption that we would have the same number of teams in 2022 and paying out the same prizes he recommended that subscriptions for 2022 would remain the same as those for the 2019 season. This was agreed with no dissenting voices.

David Sykes in his role as the association League and Competition Secretary reported on what had been a very successful season with 61 x 10-man teams and 28 x 6-man teams. All fixtures had been completed with very few postponements. Due to the normal 6 month season being telescoped into 5 months the fixture list was very congested which hadn’t allowed for the normal individual and pairs competitions. The only individual comps held were the Over 80’s which had been won by Frank Greenwood and the inaugural John Hoyle Memorial Trophy. The latter trophy has been presented by the family of the late John Hoyle and was won by an emotional Mick Cox who said how proud he was to win the trophy named after someone who had contributed so much to our association and to Inter-District bowling.

A regular feature of the October half-yearly meeting is the often heated discussion on the Bye Laws. Two proposals had been received from the clubs but the first had been withdrawn by the proposers the day before. A general discussion was had about the problems faced by teams this year and the General Secretary outlined his thoughts on the current season and what was planned for future seasons. The second proposal aimed at making more players available for the 6-man league and lower division trophies was discussed but on a vote of club reps the proposal failed to obtain the two thirds vote required.

Richard Armitage, the General Secretary went through a 7 page document that incorporated additions and deletions to the current Bye Laws proposed by the Management Committee. He said the salient points were:

• the addition of bye law 3 stating that ‘The Association will encourage and offer help and guidance to member clubs to increase bowling membership and participation in the leagues and competitions.’
• clarification of the league structures for both the 10-man Tuesday league and the 6-man Monday league. The archaic reference to Sections was being dropped for a more commonly understood Divisions numbered from 1 through to 5
• the dropping of match results being submitted by scorecards posted to the secretary instead deadlines were set for inputting data on Bowlsnet.
• all individual and team handicaps were maintained with the exception of the 6-man league where handicaps had been reduced to Scr, 4, 8 and 12.

There was a general discussion about the changes and the document was accepted in its entirety.

A raffle was held that raised £64.01 which would be added to the money raised at the John Hoyle Memorial Trophy comp and a sum of over £500 would be donated to Kirkwood Hospice.

Winners and runners-up for the leagues and team competitions were: