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Moors Bar, N8

7 November 2017

Attendees
Simon Clarke, Adrian Birchall, Matthias Winter, Greg Powles, Barrie Whatley, Andy James, Aymon Spee, Anthony Jagan, James Mulligan, Eiran Reilly, Dom Ewer, Steve Bignall (and Jack Latimer, who showed up to drink after the actual AGM was done and dusted)

Get the beers in
In a rare and dangerous move, the Taverners had a bar all to themselves and used the facilities to great effect with the help of Andy.

New members
A throng of new members were unanimously voted in: Luke Allen, David Geensen, David Skinner, Dion Nortje, Rob James, James Mulligan, George Katakos, Arun Lopez, John Davis.

Captain’s Report
Eiran kicked off the reports by remarking on a good season that had yielded some good wins and memories. He feels that the team is heading in the right direction, with the influx of new talent guaranteeing a full team most weeks. Long may this trend continue!

Fixture Secretary’s Report
Barrie confirmed our worst fears by announcing that after two years of stellar service, he was to step down as fixture secretary with immediate effect. Overall, it was agreed that the fixture list is developing nicely, with new additions made each year, all of which made for enjoyable games. Efforts should be made to keep these teams and to try play them twice, home and away. A special interest was raised in playing Royal Sovereign at their illustrious home ground in London Fields as well as trying to secure a match against Picadilly Pitchers.

A vote was also taken on a few of opposition teams that had grown too strong for us. Thus it was decided by show of hands to drop fixtures against both Beamers and Haringey Libraries in future. Another assessment on Archway Ladder will be made after the 2018 season.

Match Secretary’s Report
Matthias echoed Eiran’s assessment of the season. It was nice to be able to post full teams on most occasions, with many games being oversubscribed – a much welcomed feast after the famine of recent years. A couple of spirited outings were highlighted, including a full team travelling to Richmond to entertain Cardiff School Teachers in probably the dampest match of the season. Matthias thanked his mid-week comrade Guy for his work, especially in finding and setting up the SportEasy app. A vote was taken on whether to continue using this app following their recent decision to start charging a fee of €60 per annum for their Premium version. It was agreed that we should keep using SportEasy for the time being.

Matthias apologised for the early-season confusion surrounding selection policy that should have been resolved earlier and reiterated that the existing policy will be kept, with committee members, paid up members and members (in that order) taking precedence over any other players until the deadline of Tuesday 6pm (for Sunday matches), when spaces will be opened up on a first-come-first-served basis. Interest must be registered on the SportEasy app.

Treasurer’s Report
Adrian gave a thorough and professional break-down of the club’s finances and handed out a dossier of facts and figures that summed up this season’s accounts and projected future developments. Losses were made on the Tour due to the bus being more expensive than expected and it was decided that those who want to partake in the Middlesex affiliated membership should pay an additional £10 in subs to cover club costs.

A tentative kit budget for two new bats of £400 was also discussed.

The biggest losses were made due to the price of pitches, especially at North Middlesex. With little scope to rearrange fixtures to less expensive location and raising annual subs deemed not sufficient, a vote was passed to increase match fees from £13 to £15 for home matches, with a fee of £10 for away matches.

Last but not least, a new role of match fee collector was introduced. A player will be nominated each week on a rotating basis in order to collect match fees from players and oppositions, using a template that Adrian will supply.

Get the beers in/out
Quick as a flash, Andy used a quick break to decant another consignment of barley-, grape- and apple-based beverages, egged on by the eagerly waiting assembly.

Election of Officers

The following committee officers were voted in unopposed and unanimously:

Chairman: Simon Clarke (to hold the post for one more year)

Treasurer: Adrian Birchall

Match Secretaries: Matthias Winter (weekend) and Guy Gibbs (mid-week)

Captain: Eiran Reilly

Vice Captain: Greg Powles, with Andy James to act as vice-Vice Captain

The post of fixture secretary was offered up to the congregation, who responded by looking deep into their pint glasses and keeping their peace. The existing committee is to manage the fixtures until a volunteer has been located.

Tour
Despite organising a marvellously successful trip to Bath, Greg stood down from organising duties, with Dom taking over for the 2018 leg. Everyone was happy with the fixtures, schedule and location of the tour, so the Taverners will again be travelling to Bath. It was decided that there should be at least three drivers available at any one time. Aymon offered to act as one of the drivers.

Eiran also raised the idea of a second tour in late September to take the Tavs off on a heady trip to the vineyards of Bordeaux.

Nets
Matthias will look at options to book school sports halls for winter net sessions. Failing this, the MCCC Indoor Academy will be booked when they open for bookings. Different approaches for ensuring net sessions are financially viable and fully attended were offered, including encouraging people to block-book sessions and people needing to pre-pay nets if they want to attend individual sessions. This will depend on how many people take an interest in attending the nets.
Summer nets are to take place at North Middlesex, weekly on Thursdays at 6pm.

AOB
Christmas Dinner will take place on 15^th December at Curtis Carribean on Middle Lane and will consist of three courses, priced at £25 per person

New match balls will be ordered from Somerset County Sports at £12 a unit

Several ideas were suggested to commemorate the life of Chris Brooks. AJ will look into possibilities of setting up a bench or a tree at North Middlesex. A memorial match is to be staged next season on the week of his passing, with the President’s XI game to be held in memory of all Taverners who are no longer with us.

It was agreed that we should continue visiting the Railway Tavern for post-match drinks after every home match. For this purpose, the pub should be supplied with the fixture list and given plenty of notice on the match day itself.

>Adrian suggested regular committee meetings, in no way as an excuse to grab a drink or three. These will be held in intervals of two to three months.

A first aid kit should be bought for any eventualities.

More drinks were duly quaffed to mark the end of this year’s AGM.
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Minutes by Matthias Winter