Clubs represented at meeting;
Amber, Darsham, Knodishall A, Knodishall B, St Margarets FC, Saxmundham, Riverside, Orford, Wenhaston, Reydon, Sizewell A, Sizewell B.

The Chairman opened the meeting at 7.30pm and welcomed those present, thanking them for attending.

1) Apologies;
Terry and Ann Davis, Hilda Woodhead, Marg Brenham, Valerie Game, David Hambling.

2) Minutes of the last meeting;
Minutes of the last meeting were read and agreed as a true copy.

3) Matters Arising from the Minutes;
None

4) Correspondence;
A letter had been received from Saxmundham advising the league Frances Maynard had taken over as club captain.

5) Chairman's Report;
The chairman advised that Wenhaston B had withdrawn from the league before the 2009/10 season started, but the league still ran very well. He asked clubs to continue to encourage members to attend the tournaments throughout the year, especially new members. The chairman thought the presentation evening was a worthwhile event to acknowledge achievements of individuals and teams. He offered his thanks to the committee, and Kay and Peter Masters for organising the draws at tournaments.

6) Treasurers Report;
A statement of accounts was made available for all attendees at the meeting.
Balance of Account; £2026.38
Expenditure for 09/10; £3623.46
Income for 09/10; £4360.39

The Treasurer explained the income from draws was included in the total income from tournaments. He offered thanks to Kay and Peter Masters for running the draws and selecting the prizes to support the income. He also thanked Cedric Bennett for checking the accounts. Questions were invited.

Rita Daniels asked about the £58 on trophies. It was explained the 2010 prizes were not included in the figures as these had not been finalised. It was expected the cost would be approximately £800. Cash prizes were given this year which has increased the expenditure.

The accounts were adopted as true.
Proposed by Chris Seale, 2nd by Kay Masters.

7) Fixtures Secretary Report;
The Fixtures Secretary advised some result sheets had been slow in being returned, and advised they can be faxed or emailed. Details are available on the website. He also asked that postponed games are notified so he knows when not to expect result sheets. Dave Cask advised it should be the secretary of the clubs that notify the Fixtures Secretary of any postponed games.

8) Election of Officers;
Chairman; Chris Tilbrook, Treasurer; Herbert Block,
Proposed by Matthew Crane Proposed by Billy Thurston
Seconded by Colin Flaxman Seconded by Shirley Tilbrook
There were no other nominations. There were no other nominations.

Fixtures Secretary; Paul Daniels Secretary; Matthew Crane,
Proposed by Dave Cask, Proposed by Carole Saxby,
Seconded by Colin Flaxman, Seconded by Kay Masters,
There were no other nominations. There were no other nominations.

Vice Chairman; Peter Masters
Proposed by Billy Thurston,
Seconded by Shirley Tilbrook,
There were no other nominations.

9) Tournaments and Running Procedures;
The Chairman asked if the existing committee was willing to continue. All except Rita Daniels were willing to stand. The committee was therefore re-elected on block.
Proposed by Dougie Adams
2nd by Colin Flaxman.

Billy Thurston proposed John Whiting join the tournament committee. This was 2nd by Dougie Adams. John agreed to stand.

League Structure - Division 1 and 2
The Chairman explained there is now 18 teams in the league, 10 in Division 1 and 8 in Division 2. A letter was sent from the league to all clubs to consider whether the leagues should be made equal in numbers.

The Secretary read two correspondence.

Riverside - Suggested 3 teams should be relegated and only 2 promoted.
Paul Daniels - Leave it at 3 up and 3 down and decide at the AGM what should happen at the end of next year. Consider having a play-off between 7th position in Division 1 and 3rd in Division 2.

The Chairman asked the meeting if they wanted the leagues to be equal. A vote was taken with the majority wanting 9 teams in each division.

Rita Daniels explained she felt it was unfair on clubs expecting to be promoted not to be, and also on the team who had secured their position in Division 1 (7th) to be relegated.

Proposals;
A) Saxmundham proposed 3 teams are relegated and only 2 promoted. This was 2nd by Margaret Branton.
B) Peter Masters proposed 4 teams are relegated and only 3 promoted. This was 2nd by Matthew Crane.

A vote was taken on the two proposals. The majority voted for A, 3 teams relegated and 2 promoted for this season only. The league will revert to 3 up and 3 down next year.

Dave Cask raised that he felt it was "disgusting" that not all clubs were represented at the AGM to contribute to discussions.

Presentation Evening
Dave Cask asked what thought had gone into the presentation evening. He felt the league needed to cater more for the older audience.

The chairman explained numbers attending the presentation had reduced. He asked the league if they wanted to continue having the presentation evening. A vote was taken with a majority in favour of continuing with the presentation evening.

Matthew Crane suggested the league undertake a survey to obtain feedback from all clubs on what format/entertainment they would like to see at the presentation evening. This was agreed, and Matthew volunteered to create the survey and issue during the 2010/11 season.

Tournaments and Running Procedures
The chairman asked for any comments/thoughts on the running of tournaments.

Steve Smith made comment that they were run very well.

Dave Cask offered thanks to the tournament committee for their hard work throughout the year to make the events successful.

10) Any Other Business;
a) Rita Daniels asked if thought had been given to Charity the league will support during the 2010/11 season. She suggested the Tree House Appeal for the Children's Hospice. This was 2nd by Dougie Adams. The chairman asked the meeting to vote on this proposal. This was agreed.
Dave Cask suggested involving Radio Suffolk to promote activities.
b) Saxmundham club explained some of their members had found when visiting other clubs some of the halls were very cold. They asked that consideration is given to this as some members were quite elderly.
c) John Whiting asked consideration was given to the rule on visiting the head during games. A discussion was held as it was considered some clubs were doing this excessively. As it was within the rules it was not felt appropriate to set any restrictions. Clubs are asked to be mindful of slow play caused by visiting the head.
d) Bob Last mentioned he felt it was disappointing that not all clubs had attended the AGM. A discussion was held by the meeting and suggestions were made for next year to allocate points to each club represented at the meeting, clubs who are not represented would therefore start the season at a disadvantage. Rita Daniels said she felt it would be sad for the league to take this approach, as points should be achieved through matches. It was also suggested that the teams not represented at the AGM should be fined. The meeting decided this was not appropriate. It was decided no action should be taken by the minutes should be noted to reflect the discussion. Invitation to the 2011 AGM will include a statement requesting all Clubs are represented. The Chairman asked that a letter be issued to the clubs not represented this year to remind them that they are expected to send someone. This was agreed by the meeting.
e) Michael Easy asked if anything could be done to prevent clubs cancelling games. A discussion was held and clubs are asked to forward plan, considering when they have members going on holiday to identify which games need to be re-arranged.
f) Clint Watling suggested promoting the league in local media to encourage new members. Paul Daniels volunteered to regularly publish the league table in the local paper.

Date of Next Meeting
A committee meeting will be held at Knodishall Village hall on 9th August at 7.30pm. Fixtures will be issued at this meeting.

The Chairman thanked everybody for attending the meeting.

Meeting closed 9.00pm.

Clubs Represented:
Knodishall A, Kelsale, Knodishall B, Sizewell B, Wenhaston A, Orford, Sizewell A, Darsham, Reydon, Leiston St Margerets FC, Wenhaston B, Saxmundham and Amber.

Apologies:
Peter Masters and David Hambling.

Treasurers update:
Account Balance = £1700.76
League subs have been received from all Clubs for 09/10 season.

Knock Out Cup Draw:
It was agreed by attendees at the meeting that the Preliminary and First Round of the Knock Out Cup should be drawn at this meeting, but the Second round should be drawn at a later date.

Stan Littlechild from Amber bowls club was invited to draw the Preliminary and First round of the Knock Out Cup.

Preliminary Round:
Game 1 Knodishall B v Wissett
Game 2 Yoxford v Snape
Game 3 Riverside v Knodishall A

First Round:
Middleton v Walpole and Cookley
Kelsale v Preliminary Game 1
Preliminary Game 2 v Saxmundham
Sizewell A v Wenhaston B
Reydon v Preliminary Game 3
Darsham v Wenhaston A
Orford v Sizewell B
Amber v St Margarets FC

Chosen Charity:
At the AGM it was suggested Help for Heroes should be the Leagues chosen charity for 09/10 season. Ann Davis has provided the Chairman with information and it was agreed by the meeting to support this charity.

Rules:
Full Carpet Bowls Rules are available via the English Carpet Bowls website or from the Suffolk League. Paul Daniels will add a link to the rules on the Heritage Coast Carpet Bowls League website.

Presentation evening:
Presentation evening has been booked at Sizewell Sports and Social club for Saturday 15th May 2010.

Correspondence:
Reydon and Sizewell advised they had not received the AGM minutes and updated contact lists. Matthew agreed to resend this information to these clubs.

Due to the cost of sending correspondence to clubs Matthew asked if clubs would be willing to receive this information electronically via email. Some clubs expressed an interest in this and provided email address'.

Please can any clubs willing to receive future correspondence electronically email Matthew on crane.matt@btopenworld.com so they can be added to the distribution list.

Clubs represented at meeting;
Knodishall A, Kelsale, Knodishall B, Sizewell B, Wenhaston A, Orford, Sizewell A, Darsham, Reydon, Wissett, Leiston St Margarets FC, Riverside, Yoxford, Wenhaston B, Saxmundham, and Amber.

The Chairman opened the meeting at 7.30pm and welcomed those present, thanking them for attending.

1) Apologies;
Clint Watling, James Rous, John Threadkell, and Rita Daniels.

2) Minutes of the last meeting;
Minutes of the last meeting were read and agreed as a true copy.

3) Matters Arising from the Minutes;
The Chairman explained that Pat Chapman had resigned from her position as League Secretary due to her ill health, and that there had been no committee meetings throughout the year. The constitution was changed at the last AGM so meetings were not required unless there were particular issues to discuss.

4) Correspondence;
There was no correspondence.

5) Chairman's Report;
The Chairman offered his congratulations to all winners and runner-ups of the League, Knock-Out Cup, Chairman's Plate, and Tournaments. He made special reference to Paul, Mike and Rita Daniels who won the Suffolk Triples and recently become Eastern Counties champions.
The Chairman explained during the year Pat Chapman sadly had to resign from position of Secretary due to ill health. On behalf of the league the Chairman offered best wishes to Pat, and hoped she would soon return to bowling. The Chairman thanked Shirley Tilbrook and Rita Daniels for the work they had undertaken to cover the Secretarial role.
The Chairman advised that no Committee Meetings had been held throughout the year as there had been no issues to discuss, and this had subsequently saved the Secretary and other Committee members a lot of work.
The Chairman offered thanks to the Committee and Tournament Committee for their work throughout the year, keeping the league running to such a high standard.

6) Treasurers Report;
A statement of accounts was made available for all attendees at the meeting.
Balance of Account; £1289.45
Expenditure for 08/09; £4914.49
Income for 08/09; £4521.78

The Treasurer made reference to the rising costs of some expenditures which had resulted in a loss over the year. He suggested an increase of £10.00 to club affiliation fees may need to be considered.

Jane Evans raised a query over the donation made to Marion Brown. The minutes of the AGM 08/09 recorded an agreed donation of £50.00, but the statement of accounts showed a payment of £55.00. The Treasurer confirmed a payment of £55.00 had been made.
Dave Cask proposed an amendment to the minutes to reflect a payment of £55.00, this was seconded by Jane Evans. The Chairman amended the minutes accordingly.

7) Fixtures Secretary Report;
The Fixtures Secretary had no report but encouraged questions from the floor. There were no questions, but thanks were offered for all his hard work and for continuing to maintain the website.

8) Election of Officers;
Chairman; Chris Tilbrook, Treasurer; Herbert Block,
Proposed by David Hambling Proposed by Michael Easy
Seconded by Bob Last Seconded by Cedric Bennett
There were no other nominations. There were no other nominations.

Fixtures Secretary; Paul Daniels Secretary; Matthew Crane,
Proposed by Dave Cask, Proposed by Carole Saxby,
Seconded by David Hambling, Seconded by Barbara Baldry,
There were no other nominations. There were no other nominations.

Vice Chairman; Peter Masters
Proposed by Dave Cask,
Seconded by David Hambling,
There were no other nominations.

9) Tournaments and Running Procedures;
The Chairman asked the meeting for opinions on the need of a Tournament Committee. Michael Easy explained that he and Judy would be resigning. Jane Evans told the meeting that all the current members of the Tournament Committee would like to resign. Dave Cask explained that accusations had been made by an individual about the fairness of Tournament Draws undertaken by the Tournament Committee, and that this was a contributing factor for the resignations.
A discussion was held and it was agreed that a Tournament Committee was required. The Chairman thanked last years Tournament Committee for their contribution, and encouraged those who wanted to stand again to put themselves forward. The Chairman asked for volunteers and a new Tournament Committee was formed with the following members;
Shirley Tilbrook, Michael Shipp, Billy Thurston, Rita Daniels, David Hambling, Kay Masters, and Peter Masters.

Kay and Peter Masters volunteered to organise Draw Prizes for the tournaments, and David Hambling agreed to have tournament entry forms returned to him. Rita Daniels will continue sending entry forms to each club.
It was agreed tournament fixtures would be drawn at a league/cup match, and that details of where the draw is being made will be included on the entry form, giving opportunity for all to attend.

The Chairman asked clubs who hire mats for use at the tournaments to support with the setting up and packing away on the day.

10) Any Other Business;
a) Contact list: The contacts for each club were updated at the meeting.
b) League Constitution: A revised copy of the Constitution was available at the meeting should any club like a copy.
c) Affiliation Fees: Herbert Block as Treasurer proposed an increase in affiliation fees to £35.00 per club. This was seconded by Michael Easy. Vote taken, proposal Carried.
d) Presentation Evening 2009: Richard Cook of Reydon raised that the Presentation Evening had been re-arranged for a Holiday Weekend, meaning many people could not attend. He requested that Holiday weekends be avoided when planning dates for future Presentation Evenings. Richard also explained that some people felt the draw was too late in the evening, and requested consideration is also given to this in future.
e) Date for 2010 Presentation Evening: Saturday was agreed by the meeting as being the preferred night. Saturday 8th May 2010 was agreed as a suitable date as this avoids the holiday weekends.
f) Tournament Dates: The Chairman explained that consideration had been given to tournament dates throughout the year, and full details will be provided at a Committee Meeting prior to the start of the season.
g) Attendance at Tournaments; The Chairman asked Clubs to encourage their members to attend the various tournaments throughout the year.
h) Nominated Charity: Michael Easy of Knodishall asked if a decision had been made on the nominated Charity for the year. Colin Flaxman of Wisset proposed the Soldiers Hero Charity. There were no other suggestions. Vote taken, proposal carried. Ann Davis of Sizewell agreed to investigate if a local branch of the charity existed.
i) Bowl Storage Trays at Tournaments: Barbara Baldry of Knodishall asked if trays could be provided to store bowls during tournaments at the Leisure Centre as loose bowls were considered a tripping hazard. As trays are not included as part of the equipment, public liability insurance would not cover a claim as a result of injury caused by a tray. It was agreed trays would therefore not be used.
j) Heating at Tournaments: Cedric Bennett of Knodishall asked if more heating could be provided at tournaments in the Leisure Centre. The Lesiure Centre has previously advised the heating was considered sufficient. The league will consider bringing additional heating to tournaments.
k) League Games - 7 Ends: Michael Easy of Knodishall proposed league games be changed to seven ends from the current 6. This was seconded by Dave Cask. Vote taken, proposal not carried.
l) Knock-Out Cup Games - 6 Ends: Colin Flaxman of Wisset proposed Knock-Out Cup games be reduced to 6 ends. This was seconded by Billy Thurston. Vote taken, proposal not carried.
m) Summer Friendly Games: Matthew Crane of Sizewell asked clubs wishing to play in friendly games throughout the summer to give their contact details to the League Secretary. Information will then be sent out with the AGM minutes.

The Chairman thanks everybody for attending the meeting.

Meeting closed 8.45pm.