Minutes of Rugby Bridge Club 2014 Annual General Meeting held on

Tuesday 10th June 2014 at the Sacred Heart Church Hall, Lime Tree Avenue Bilton Rugby.

Rugby Bridge Club Committee

Peter Langley (Chairman)

Wendy Pattinson (Vice Chair)

Phil Shorey (Treasurer)

Chris Malthouse

Terry Bradbury

Anne Carrington

David Owen

Janet Chappell

David Hicks (General Secretary)

The following members were present:

1.             Apologies

2.                Minutes of the AGM held on the 21^st May 2013

The minutes were proposed as a true record of the meeting by Terry Bradbury, seconded by David Owen and formally approved.

3.                 Matters Arising not elsewhere on the Agenda.

(i)          Winding up of Rugby Bridge Club Limited

It was confirmed that the former Rugby Bridge Club Limited had been successfully wound up by Terry Leary, as agreed at the 2013 AGM.

4.      Chairman’s Report

In opening his report the Chairman said it had been a busy year with a mixture of highs and lows with the Club wanting to move forward, not to rest on its laurels and said he believed that overall  the Club had made progress this last year.

whilst membership was down slightly from an  all-time high a year ago and standing at 145 , whereas he could well remember the days when it was in the 90s, so considerable progress had been made since then but the club needed to maintain its efforts to retain and to increase its membership.

Attendances on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays sessions had remained roughly stable and in a typical week, 26 pairs played in those three sessions, but on the downside this meant that well over half the members did not play in a typical week.

The Club had been trying for some time to improve attendances on Wednesday evenings without success.  These sessions he said were aimed at improving player’s skills and in particular those who had come through the Saturday morning teaching sessions. A rota system was in place to ensure that help from more experienced players was always available

The Saturday morning sessions continued to have separate sessions for beginners and improvers.  The Club wanted to recruit more beginners and intended to hold another ‘Bridge in the Street Clock Towers’ sessions with that in mind, but queried whether the well of people in Rugby wanting to learn bridge might be beginning to run dry. Suggestions of new or as yet untried recruitment methods would be very welcome.

Teaching was about to be introduced for better players, using a seminar format and said the Club were very grateful to John Drake for this initiative.  An introductory session has been held and it was we hoped that this would lead on to a series of seminars on a variety of topics.

A significant step forward during the year was the teaching of bridge in Rugby schools – first at Lawrence Sheriff and then Rugby High School.  Whilst numbers had been small, the quality was high and the club felt sufficiently encouraged to continue with the initiative and it was hoped that some of the pupils would come to our sessions, but even if they did not it was viewed as an investment for the future.

The main innovation within the club had been the start of the Pairs League Graham Lightfoot was thanked for all his efforts to introduce the Club to this enjoyable new format.  Sessions took place on Monday evenings, roughly a month apart, which was not so demanding of time. All members who had not yet sampled the Pairs League were urged to do so.

It was noted that that Chris Malthouse was standing down from membership of the Committee.  Chris had been a tireless and enthusiastic member of the Club for so many years, and a former Chairman – very much the lifeblood of the Club.  It was very good news that Chris would be continuing with all the other work he did for the Club – notably Saturday morning teaching and organising the one day event, but he needed more time to do justice to another chairmanship role in Rugby. 

The Committee as a whole had been a pleasure to work with, They covered a great deal of ground not always seeing eye to eye, but showing respect for differing views and the ability to work through them.  He said he intended to continue as the Chairman for one more year, he had enjoyed the role, but did want to outstay his welcome and it was time for someone else to have a go.

Particular thanks were due David Hicks and Phil Shorey who performed their respective duties as Secretary and Treasurer with great diligence, skill and good humour.

There were two other significant changes in the forthcoming year.  Firstly Peter Iredale was stepping down as the Senior TD and he was sure that all would agree with him that Peter had performed this role with wisdom and tact and would be missed, but he believed he would be staying on as a TD and the Club were fortunate that Graham Lightfoot was willing and able to become the new senior TD.

 Secondly Phil Beagley was stepping down as the Club’s auditor.  The Club were very grateful to him for having undertaken this role and said he was delighted to say that a replacement had been found.

The big disappointment this year for him and the Club and not for the first time had been on the premises front.  First there was the unexpected collapse of the Cawston Community Centre proposal, where an internal revolution within the Parish Council had led to a breakdown in the Club’s agreement with them.  Then later on there were two more irons in the fire – a first floor suite on Somers Road and the ex-British Legion Club in Hillmorton.  The Club had made successful overtures to a bank for a loan to top up the Club’s our ‘nest egg’ of just under £120K and had been optimistic that at least one of these proposals would come to fruition.  Sadly both fell through because the Club were outbid by others.

In this respect he said he wished to make two general comments –

·         The sum of money available was not large enough and the Club’s accommodation needs were quite specialised so there was not a glut of properties to suit the Club;

·       On the other hand the Club were fortunate in that it could take its time to find the right deal and were not under any pressure to move out of the existing premises and all three of which continued to make the Club welcome. 

There were a few members who felt the Club would be better calling off the search altogether and simply staying put, but the great majority seemed to see the benefits of having a single base for all the Club’s activities, so the search would continue.

‘Is the Club a happy one’?  This was difficult to measure but he Chairman believed it was.  The Committee occasionally become aware of incidents at the table that would have been better avoided, but these seemed to be the exceptions to the normal pattern.   The Club provided excellent value for money – a very enjoyable and cheap night or afternoon out - and brought a great deal of pleasure to many people.

 At the end of the day he said it was down to members to ensure that the atmosphere remained positive and welcoming and above all he stressed that the Club was a democratic on, it did not belong to one or two people, or even to the Management Committee, it belonged to the members, the Management Committee were elected to serve the members, not to dictate and long may that remain the case.

Malcolm Taylor in response to the Chairman’s report said he would like to place on record his thanks of the members for the work of the Committee and the Chairmanship of Peter Langley.

Chris Cassin made reference to the Club’s Strategy Paper and questioned the Club’s commitment to improving for the skills of the more aspiring members.

In response the Chairman said that the Club were committed to providing the opportunity for the more skilled players to improve their skills and were supporting John Drake’s initiative, which was specifically aimed at such members and gave financial support to members who wished to enter teams to play in other club’s competitions at a higher level such as the Coventry Leagues.

Peter Iredale referred to the Chairman’s statement with regard to being outbid by other parties in the Club’s search for premises and said this suggested there was a need to increase the money currently held for this purpose.

The Chairman said the point made was very valid and said the proposed increase in table money suggested would go some way to addressing this issue but would be addressed by the Committee.

5.     Treasurer’s Report

In presenting his report Phil Shorey said that the Club’s finances over the year had increased by a little under 3%, with a profit of £3,617.79.  He mentioned that within the other expenses figure of £929.39 was a payment of £531.20 in respect of outstanding Corporation Tax from the Club being a limited company, £100 to support two teams entering the Shakespeare Pairs Competition and £110 to Rugby Bridge League.

On other income he said this included money from the Pairs League taster, £564 transferred from RBCL in respect of Corporation Tax.

So far as the Deposit Account was concerned he said this was in a short term deposit account and would be available for any possible purchase of premises.

In response to a question as to whether the format of the accounts was related to when the Club were a limited company he confirmed that this was so, but that it was easier for members to understand as it gave a clear presentation of the current financial position.  He stated he could provide a detailed breakdown, but did not feel this was necessary, as total amounts were what interested the members.

It was proposed by Chris Malthouse and seconded by Terry Leary that the accounts be accepted and was carried unanimously.

6.     Session Fees – Proposed Increase

In introducing this item Phil Shorey said that apart from annual subscription fee, session fees were the only source of income for the Club and as previously mentioned income over expenditure was approximately 3%.

The failure to secure the old British Legion Club at Hillmorton was he said in no small part due to the Club’s limited funds and it had to be recognised that property prices were rising and there was a need to increase the Club’s capital as it continued its search for a new home.  Whilst the bank he said was prepared to lend to the Club for this purpose, the Club had to have sufficient income to service any loan.   He continued by saying that whilst interest rates were at an historically low level they were expected to rise and the Club were fortunate that there had been no rise in room hire charges but the Club could not rely on this being so going forward.

Membership he said had fallen in the year by roughly 20 but membership fees only accounted for a small part of the total income with the prominent source being session fees.

He suggested that session fees should be increased form £2.50 a session to £3.00 a session.   This he said would result in an increase of just under £3k over a 12 month period based on the attendances at the sessions held last year and was viewed as good value when compared to other clubs.

Following on from the discussions held there was a Committee proposal by Phil Shorey and seconded by Terry Bradbury that the membership fee should be raised to £10.

On a show of hands there was support by a large majority for the session fees to be increased to £3 and the annual membership fee to be increased to £10, both increases effective from 01.04.15.

7.     Election of Officers and Management Committee

All current Officers and members of the Committee were elected unopposed with Graham Lightfoot being appointed to the vacant position on the Committee vice Chris Malthouse.

Peter Langley - Chairman.               Wendy Pattinson Vice Chair.

Phil Shorey Treasurer.                     David Owen    

Anne Carrington                               Janet Chappell

Graham Lightfoot                             Terry Bradbury

David Hicks General Secretary

David Hicks made it known that if he was elected to serve again in 2015/16 it would be his last term of office

8      Trophies and Awards

Peter Langley in introducing the paper prepared for the meeting said the Management Committee had been reviewing the awards and trophies available to members of Rugby Bridge Club and said that currently there were nine of these namely;

·       The Margaret Preece Shield, awarded to the pair achieving the best overall results on Tuesday evenings throughout the year;

·       The John Day Shield, awarded to the pair with the most improved overall percentage on Tuesday evenings;

·       The Perrin Trophy, awarded to the pair gaining the best national percentage in the Tuesday Children in Need Sims event;

·       The Stephen White Plate, awarded to the winning pair in the summer rubber bridge competition;

·       The Williams Trophy, awarded to the pair with the highest percentage on the first Tuesday of November;

·       The Allott Trophy, awarded to the pair gaining the best handicapped results in Saturday pairs events over the year;

·       The Troughers Trophy, awarded to the individual player gaining the best handicapped results in Troughers team events over the year;

·       The Rom Ecker Spoon, awarded to the individual gaining the most master points on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays throughout the year;

·       The Julia Mills Trophy, awarded to the highest ranked RBC pair in the Annual pairs Event in April.

In addition to the trophies he said, prize money was also awarded for some of these and for the recently introduced Pairs League.

He suggested that the criteria for the awards had grown up in an incremental way with little or no thought being given to the overall pattern.  The general observations of the Committee were he said as follows –

·       It was right to have a mixture of awards for performance across the whole year and in individual sessions?

·       It was right that the majority of awards were for straightforward performance but that some involved handicapping, which gave the latter less experienced players a chance?

·       It was right that most awards rewarded average performance, but that the Master Point Competition to some extent favoured those who play in more sessions?

·       It was right that there was a mixture of awards for pairs and individuals?

·       It was wrong that four awards were given for performance on Tuesdays, but none for any of our other regular sessions?  This he suggested may have been appropriate when Tuesday was the pre-eminent session, but that was no longer the case and seemed to be the most serious weakness in the current pattern of awards.

He said that in the light of the analysis carried out the Committee put forward the following proposed changes to the criteria;

a.   The John Day Shield to be awarded to the pair with the most improved overall percentage (as compared with the previous year) on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, with a minimum of 30 appearances through the year;

b.   The Perrin Trophy to be awarded to the pair with the best overall results on Friday afternoons throughout the year;

c.   The Williams Trophy to be awarded to the pair with the best overall results on Thursday evenings throughout the year.

with the criteria for the other six awards remaining unchanged.

In the discussions that followed Dennis Angove expressed his concern about the proposed change to the award of the Perrin Trophy, pointing out that this Trophy had been awarded by the widower of Audrey Perrin in her memory and it should not be changed.

As a follow up to this Christine Cooper suggested that in addition to the Williams Trophy being awarded to the pair achieving the best overall results on a Thursday, the John Day Shield should be awarded to the pair achieving the best overall results on a Friday with the purpose of the Perrin Trophy remaining unchanged.

The proposal was supported by Peter Iredale, seconded by Wendy Crees and was carried unanimously.

It was pointed out that the original Perrin Trophy could not be traced despite an appeal being made as to its whereabouts and it was agreed that two new trophies would be purchased to replace them

As a result of what was agreed, trophies for the year 2014/15 would be awarded as follows:

·       The Margaret Preece Shield, awarded to the pair achieving the best overall results on Tuesday evenings throughout the year;

·       The Perrin Trophy, awarded to the pair gaining the best national percentage in the Tuesday Children in Need Sims event;

·       The Stephen White Plate, awarded to the winning pair in the summer rubber bridge competition;

·       The Williams Trophy, awarded to the pair achieving the  best overall results on a Thursday;

·        The John Day Shield, awarded to the pair achieving the best overall results on a Friday;

·       The Allott Trophy, awarded to the pair gaining the best handicapped results in Saturday pairs events over the year;

·       The Troughers Trophy, awarded to the individual player gaining the best handicapped results in Troughers team events over the year;

·       The Rom Ecker Spoon, awarded to the individual gaining the most master points on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays throughout the year;

·       The Julia Mills Trophy, awarded to the highest ranked RBC pair in the Annual pairs Event in April.

Prize Money

David Hicks in opening the discussion on the awarding of prize money said the Committee had given consideration to the pattern of prize money associated with awards, because it varied considerably.  Some awards had no monetary prize some gave prize money for first place only and some also for second and third.  In the case of the Pairs League, prize money was awarded to the first and second placed pairs in each division but there was no trophy.  In view of the fact that the divisions were now graded (first, second and third) it seemed inappropriate to give the same level of prize money in each division

He said that when the Management Committee met to discuss the proposals put forward it was the Committee’s considered view that apart from the Julia Mills Trophy and the Pairs League, which were designed to attract outside entrants, it would be better to donate the proceeds to charity or reinvest them within the club, rather than awarding prize money.

This he said was in the belief that members were rewarded by the pleasure gained from winning and receiving the congratulations of their colleagues and there was no need for any additional recognition in the form of a monetary award.

Following a brief discussion there was unanimous support for the view of the Management Committee that no prize money other than for the Pairs League and the Julia Mills Trophy, should be awarded.

 The resulting changes are to be made in autumn 2014 or (in the case of awards for calendar years) at the start of 2015.

9.     Rugby Pairs League

Peter Langley referred to the paper prepared for the meeting which outlined the option for the Pairs League to be run as a Club event or a County event and said that the Committee had no particular view one way or the other and invited comments.  He said the only real difference between the two proposals was that if it was a County event run by Graham Lightfoot, he would be totally responsible for organising and delivering the league with any surplus income over expenditure benefitting the Club instead of the Club carrying out the task of organising and delivering the league.

In the discussions that followed a view was expressed that by having the Pairs League run as a County event would enhance the competition by attracting players from other club which was most welcome, which would not be so if the competition was run as a Club event.  It was confirmed that some money from the Pairs League would go to the County for the purchase of Master Points if run as a County event or to the EBU if run as a Club event.

It was confirmed that Graham Lightfoot would be a non playing County approved TD, if run as a County event.

On a show of hands there was overall support for the Pairs League being run as a County event.

10.   Constitution:  Proposal to amend Clause 14(xi)

Reference was made to the late inclusion of this item on the agenda and it was confirmed that the proposal had been properly submitted in June 2013 but had regrettably been overlooked.

Approval of the proposed change was proposed by Terry Leary, seconded by Phil Shorey and carried unanimously.

The whole new Clause 14(xi) to read:

‘Any motion proposed at a General Meeting must be proposed by a named member and seconded by another named member.  A motion shall be carried by a simple majority of those present and voting’.

11.   Appointment of members to sit on Disciplinary or Code of Conduct Panels

The following members were elected to sit on the above panels.

Graham Clarke, Christine Cooper, Peter Iredale, Sue Osborne, Alan Webb, Stuart Warne, John Drake, Graham Lightfoot, Richard Holland, Helen Foster, Peter Augustus, John Bolton,   Craig Hutton.

12.   Appointment of Accounts Examiner

It was confirmed that following Phil Beagley standing down as examiner, Tony Wren had kindly offered to take on the role and his appointment was welcomed and approved.

13;   Presentation of Awards

The following awards were presented:

Margaret Preece Shield awarded to the pair achieving the best overall results on Tuesday evenings throughout the year.

Graham Clarke and Richard Holland

John Day Shield awarded to the pair with the most improved overall percentage on a Tuesday evening.

Ivan Beniston and Stuart Warne

Perrin Trophy awarded to the pair gaining the best national percentage in the Tuesday Children in Need Sims event.

Pat and Sid Downton.

Stephen White Plate awarded to the winning pair in the summer rubberbridge competition.

  Terry Bradbury and Wendy Crees.

Allott Trophy awarded to the pair gaining the best handicapped results in Saturday pair’s events over the year.

Pat and Tony Wren.

Williams Trophy awarded to the pair with the highest percentage on the first Tuesday in November.

Wendy Pattinson and Sue Osborne

Troughers Trophy awarded to the individual player gaining the best handicapped results in Troughers team events over the year.

Debbie Welch and Theo Schilderman, joint winners

Rom Ecker Spoon awarded to the individual gaining the most master points on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays throughout the year.

Marion Dixon

Julia Mills Trophy awarded to the highest ranked RBC pair in the annual pairs event in April.

Marion Dixon and Lyn Hilton

The meeting closed with presentation of bouquets of flowers to Clare Dixon for providing the boards throughout the year for the numerous bridge sessions and to Liz Edwards for maintaining the Web Site.