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COUNTY ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGS |
NATIONAL COUNCIL MEETINGS |
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National
Council Summary
Minutes of Annual General Meeting held at
1.
Geoff Brook, Bob Watts, Peter Fordham, John Watson, Mick Palmer, Colin Bennett, Andrew Dosher, Richard Hutchinson, Andrew Warner
2. Others Present:-
Tony West, Martin West, Lynn Green, DawnCollins, Ryan Collins,
3. Apologies for Absence:-
4. Approval of Minutes of last AGM
These were approved and signed by the Chairman
5. Chairman’s Report:-
See attached report.
6. Treasurer’s Report:-
See Accounts attached. These show we have made a small profit for the year of £420.07,
but after the balance of the awards for all grant and other expenses have been paid there will probably be a loss of about £200 which is acceptable considering we ran 2 extra County teams this year.
Thanks was given to Malcolm Fenn for auditing the accounts.
7.
The team managers gave a report on their teams performances. A brief report is in the Chairman's report.
8. National Councillor’s Report:-
Two main points: Firstly individual membership which will probably come in next year, a brief description of what this will mean was given.
The other point was in respect of ETTA insurance. There is a proposal at ETTA AGM to make it compulsory for all leagues etc to join the scheme. After a discussion the Councillor was given a mandate to vote for this proposal.
9. Competitions Secretary’s Report :-
See Chairmans Report
10. Chairman Ranking & Selection Report:-
A new list is more or less complete and should be issued shortly.
11.
Bob Watts gave an insight into the new glueing regulations and the steps being taken to enforce these regulations. There is still a considerable shortage of Umpires at all levels and any interest should be referred to Bob.
12. Propositions for Alterations of Rules
There were no propositions
13. Presentation of Doris Fox Trophy.
This was presented to Sian Cook for her impressive performances at both junior and senior level whilst representing the County
14. Presentation of Dennis Barrett Trophy
This was presented to Geoff
Brook for the work he has done over a number of years for both the Stowmarket
Club and the
15. Young Player of the Year Trophy.
This was presented to Martin West for his outstanding performances for the County at Junior and Cadet level.
16. Election
of
President – Mick Palmer **** Vice Presidents – Ron Clark, Renee Clark.
Chairman – Andrew Dosher **** Vice Chairman – Geoff Brook
Treasurer – John Watson**** Secretary – Peter Fordham
Press Officer – Andrew Dosher**** Development Officer – vacant
Competition Secretary – Andrew Dosher *** Chairman Ranking /Selection Committee – Richard Hutchinson***** Auditor – Malcolm Fenn.
National Councillor – Peter Fordham**** Assistant National Councillor – Geoff Brook***
Team Manager Senior 1 – Richard Hutchinson**** Team Manager Senior 2 – Andrew Warner
***Team Manager Juniors – Colin Bennett.**** Team Manager Cadets - Maurice Fearn/Tony West
17. Affiliation Fees:-
The Treasurer was of the opinion that we should leave fees as they are for the coming year. This was accepted.
18. Any Other Business :-
The question of the new ban on frictionless rubbers was discussed. It seems local leagues will be given the option of allowing these rubbers for another year. However it was felt that County competitions will ban the rubbers in accordance with ETTA regulations. A full list of banned rubbers can be found on ITTF website.
A new training session for potential junior County players will be held monthly by Colin Bennett and Tony West. They asked that some of the top senior players could act as practice partners and there was a good response.
The meeting closed at
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT -
JUNE 2008.
This again has been an
exceptionally busy year, and in my last year as Chairman I must acknowledge and
thank such an enthusiastic team who have supported me throughout. Every
volunteer member of this team, has made a significant contribution towards
raising the profile of our game – County, League, Club Officials and of course
our players can be proud of our achievements both within and outside of
* the introduction of a second
senior team and a cadet team into the
*all
Senior 1 – Senior Division 2c – Won 4 Lost 2 finishing 3rd.
Team managed by Richard
Hutchinson. The County would like to thank Richard for his sponsorship of this
team through his company, Hanbury (FP) Ltd. Quest for promotion just failed.
Senior 2 – Senior Division 2c – Won 1 Lost 5 finishing 6th.
This new team was successfully managed by Andrew Warner – unfortunately placed in the same division as our Senior 1 team – something over which we have no control.
Junior 1 – Junior Division 1A – Won 4 Drew 1 Lost 2 finishing 3rd. Team managed extremely well by Colin Bennett – this was a tough assignment to retain not only their Div. 1A status but to finish higher than 5th. achieved in previous season.
Cadets 1 – Cadets Division 1A - Won 3 Drew 1 Lost 4 finishing 5th. Our reputation for producing good quality youngsters meant this new team was placed initially in Division 1A. Managed successfully by Maurice Fearn & Tony West, this was a tough ask to retain their Division 1A status – mission accomplished, finishing 5th/8.
Congratulations go to all of
our selected players who represented
*Team Managers to give their individual reports.
* the county successfully ran
Senior, Vetts and Junior closed championships. Big thanks to Andrew Dosher,
Dawn Collins and Peter Fordham for their organisational skills on the day.
Numbers down for both Seniors and Juniors on previous year – somehow we need to
market these championships in a different way. This season. the Vetts
competition was held at Britannia – much improved turnout over previous year.
* congratulations go to Ryan
& Jake Collins together with Sian Cook who have made tremendous strides
forward, achieving 34th, 35th. and 72nd.
positions respectively in the National Junior Rankings. Breaking into the top
100 is a brilliant achievement for any player so we can be proud of their
combined efforts. Also worthy of mention are Martin and Rachel West who have,
by their own desire and effort catapulted themselves into outstanding
performances both in
* the Suffolk & Cambridge
border league continues to be an attractive draw for up and coming junior
players who play both in teams throughout the season and concluding with an
individual championship – well done and considerable thanks are due to Peter
Fordham for maintaining the impetus in this high profile league.
* we have to put our hands up
and say we have missed a beat on the issue of Suffolk rankings, the last list
being issued in Spring 2007. The Ranking & Selection committee have met
prior to this AGM and new rankings will be issued pre-2008/9 season. Account
will be taken of results obtained in the closed championships which concluded
with the Junior Championships in late February 2008 and the recently held
Junior Assessments in May.
* the County relies on
volunteers to run its business and when we come to the election of county officials
we need to fill all of our positions to enable us to fulfil all of our
aspirations.
We have much to look forward
to – progressive leagues both in Ipswich & Bury St Edmunds – some very good
media exposure.
Schools Table Tennis on the
increase as our sport has become one of the 8 chosen games for all students to
participate in. There are also challenging times ahead on the coaching front as
Sport England are determined to raise the bar for all sport coaches.
Thanks again to all our County
officials who have given me their wholehearted support - hopefully we will have
a new chairman installed shortly to take the team on to greater heights – we
know there is always room for improvement.
Thank you for attending this
A.G.M.
Geoff Brook,
Chairman.
NATIONAL COUNCIL MEETING 19th April 2008
Re: National Council Meeting 19th January 2008
I am pleased to provide a summary of the main points discussed at last Saturday's National Council Meeting and hope that it will assist you in reporting back to your members.
1. One minute's silence was observed in recognition of the life and work of Ron Crayden Honorary Life Member, and Ken Armson MBE, Vice-President.
2. Some small delays have occurred with the Club and Coach
programme due to potential realignment by Sport England, following the
Secretary of State's intervention and the resignation of the Sport England
Chairman. Some changes in operation have been
announced giving more flexibility in the release of funding. Progress is being
made with 4 out of 7 Regions now fully signed up.
3. Under the British Olympic Association's direction negotiations are almost completed with a potential partnership under the BOA FT100 initiative for table tennis. Further information can be obtained from the website within the coming weeks.
4. Following a request from Management, Sport England has
funded ETTA for an independent review of our structure, human resources,
governance, work programmes and other areas. This will be the first major
review since the Genesis Report 8 years
ago and is considered worthwhile in this ever-changing world.
5. Concerns were expressed concerning standards and control at
some tournaments. It is acknowledged that there is a need for more qualified
officials and that there are far more players wanting to play in tournaments,
at both senior and junior level, than there
is provision for. Some proposals for improvements will be brought to National
Council following the Competition Review which is underway but in the meantime
the current Regulations will be adhered to.
6. Discussions took place with regard to the new testing and
glue arrangements for Cadet/Junior
Competitions from 1st January 2008. Testing equipment has been
ordered to cover the major ETTA events and a document will be circulated about
the criteria
and procedures with regard to this matter.
7. Doreen Stannard announced that the 100 Club had been awarded £10,000 in a Premium Bond draw in November and presented a cheque for £5,000 to the Treasurer for the Tom Blunn Fund for special projects. Council thanked Doreen and her team for the donation.
8. Efforts are being made to recruit a Regional Development Officer for the North East Region. Suitable candidates have not so far been found but an interview will take place shortly, which will hopefully bring a positive outcome.
9. The English Cadet and Junior National Championships will now take place on 3rd/4th May at the Rivermead Leisure Complex in Reading, Berkshire.
10. The Vice-Chairman (Selection) confirmed that a concentrated plan for the training of female players is underway. Entries have been made in international events in the coming months with full ETTA and BTTF support.
11. Discussions took place on the progress being made by the
Membership Committee in the development of Individual Affiliation. Full details
of the process are not yet finalized as the Committee is reviewing inputs from
members. Full details will be circulated as
soon as they are available. Certain rule changes are being
considered and these will be brought to the
Annual General Meeting in June.
12. All reports circulated to members of National Council from members of the Management Committee can be found on the website.
13. A paper was submitted regarding umpires and it was agreed this would be discussed by the NURC and at the next Council meeting.
ALEX MURDOCH
Chairman
Minutes of Annual General Meeting
held at
1.
Geoff Brook, Bob Watts, Peter Fordham, John Watson, Mick Palmer, Colin Bennett, Andrew Dosher.
2. Others Present:-
T. West, P. Sinclair, L. Green, D. Collins, J. Collins, R. Collins, M. Fearn, M. Collins
3. Apologies for Absence:-
Sian Cook
4. Approval of Minutes of last AGM
These were approved and signed by the Chairman
5. Chairman’s Report:-
See attached report.
6. Treasurer’s Report:-
The annual accounts were presented to the meeting. The Treasurer was of the opinion that we should leave fees as they are for the coming year. This was accepted.
Thanks was given to Malcolm Fenn for auditing the accounts.
7. County Junior Team
Colin Bennett gave a report on the success of the Junior team who had been promoted last season to the First Division and finished a creditable 5th out of 8 to maintain their place in that league, players who represented the County were Lee Barnes, Aaron Self, Ryan Collins, Jake Collins, Chelsea Bennett, Sian Cook and Gemma Butler. A particular mention was made of Lee and Aaron who will now be too old for the team next season.
8. National Councillor’s Report:-
See attached report.
9. Competitions Secretary’s Report :-
In the absence of aCompetition Secretary the report was included in the Chairman’s Report. Congratulations to Richard Hutchinson who won the County Title for the 4th time.
10. Chairman Ranking & Selection Report:-
See County Coaches Report.
11. National Umpires Report:-
Bob Watts reported as Umpire Secretary. It is now policy that all Umpires should now be CRB checked. He also asked that all coaches that have any players who pass the Junior Umpire Award should notify him so the County has a record.
12. Propositions for Alterations of Rules
It was proposed by the committee that a new rule 7.1.4 be inserted “Directly Affiliated Junior Leagues - £10 per League”. This motion was carried unanimously.
13. Presentation of Doris Fox Trophy.
This was presented to Jake Collins as County Player of the Year, he won 13 out of his 14 matches whilst representing the County
4. Presentation of Dennis Barrett Trophy
This was presented to Lynn Green for the number of years she has been involved with the Thurston Club and the Bury League in a number of roles.
15. Young Player of the Year Trophy.
This was presented to George Kizis who won the County under 13 title.
16. Election of
President – Mick Palmer **** Vice Presidents – Bert Newman, Ron Clark, Renee Clark.
Chairman – Geoff Brook **** Vice Chairman – Bob Watts
Treasurer – John Watson**** Secretary – Peter Fordham
County Coach – Vacant**** Umpires Secretary – Bob Watts
Press Officer – Andrew Dosher**** Development Officer – vacant
Competition Secretary – Dawn Collins *** Chairman Ranking /Selection Committee – Andrew Dosher.***** Auditor – Malcolm Fenn.
National Councillor – Peter Fordham**** Assistant National Councillor – Geoff Brook
Team Manager Senior 1 – Richard Hutchinson**** Team Manager Senior 2 – Andrew Warner
Team Manager Juniors – Colin Bennett. Team Manager Cadets - Maurice Fearn/Tony West
17. Any Other Business
There was none.
NATIONAL
COUNCILLORS REPORT for
There have not been any outstanding
features this year.
The main features are continuing the
push to get people to complete the individual registration forms and a lot of leagues
are now adopting a policy of not allowing a player to play unless he completes
a form.
bulk insurance to cover all clubs,
leagues, players etc is now a priority but it is being hampered by some leagues
not supplying details of their current arrangements. The Suffolk leagues have
both sent in details.
nce as usual is a big matter and
Sport England are having to revise their initial funding because of the
escalating 2012 Olympic costs so the ETTA is not clear as to how much they will
get. What they have been told along with other governing bodies is that they
must generate more of their own income in the future.
The top English Junior players
continue to impress now being among the best in
There is a serious shortage of
umpires at all levels and if anyone feels they would like to do this please see
your County Umpire Secretary Bob Watts.
SUFFOLK
COUNTY TABLE TENNIS ASSOCIATION.
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT - JUNE 2007.
This has been an exceptionally busy
year and again it has been a privilege and an honour to lead such an
enthusiastic team, who as volunteers, spend an enormous amount of time in
support of the game in our County - a sport which is played by more people
across the globe than in any other sport. County, League, Club Officials and of
course our players can be proud of our achievements both within and outside of
Suffolk. Highlights for the year for me as Chairman are as follows:-
Following a well earned promotion into Division 1A, our Junior 1 team had a formidable challenge to meet in at least maintaining their status for the forthcoming season. Congratulations go to the team for an excellent all round performance which resulted in a final finish of 5th/8th. Mission accomplished – Team Manager, Colin Bennett can be justly proud of his team’s performance and my thanks go to him for all his efforts, both organisational and coaching. We will hear from Colin shortly with more of the detail.
· Managed by, Richard Hutchinson, our Senior 1 team had mixed results in their Division 2c - finishing in position. Close encounters with both Essex 2 and Herts yielded 2 4-6 losses plus a 6-4 win over Bedforshire and a 5/5 draw with Northamptonshire – again, my thanks go to Richard for organising the team and to his Company, Hanbury (FP) Ltd for their sponsorship in running this team.
Both Senior and Junior Championships were well supported and we saw some outstanding competitive matches in both events. The Vetts competition, held on the same day of the Juniors, is a conundrum. Normally we can expect 16/20 players to enter – we only had 8 entered for this seasons competition. There was a clash with the Vetts British League but that would not have changed the numbers so dramatically. Against a background of both Bury and Ipswich Leagues probably having more vetts @ over 40 playing in their leagues than in any other category of player, we have some work to do to attract far more players into this event. All Championships normally run at a loss, but this year it was higher as our Treasurer will describe shortly.
·
Congratulations
go to Ryan & Jake Collins for their significant rise in the
Junior National Rankings top 100 – and also for their
performances in many events around the
·
Thanks
to Andy Dosher’s considerable journalistic skills, many reports have featured
in the local press and Table Tennis News. There is no doubt
that Andy has built up a very good relationship with the press who are
keen to also focus on the fringe sports outside of football, rugby and
cricket. Reporting of other competitions including those of both Bury St
Edmunds and Ipswich League results are published normally on a weekly
basis - a big thank you is due to those dedicated scribes who
maintain the flow of results, league tables and the stories behind the play. As
technology now features in all of our lives I must acknowledge and thank Peter
Fordham for maintaining our SCTTA website as well as those others in the County
who religiously maintain league and club websites.
· Peter and Maurice Fearn between them run the Suffolk & Cambridge Border Junior League – this has been run successfully for a number of years and brings together juniors of all ages to play for their team at a central venue in Bury St Edmunds – I was pleased to be asked to present their trophies and certificates on the day of their individual championships – clearly from all the enthusiasm shown by players and parents this ongoing event through the season is an absolute winner – to run an event of this size takes time and effort both in running the playing days, tracking results and then maintaining the league tables as well as the website – I would like to say well done and thank you to all those involved.
· Peter Avenell, ran a National Cadet League at Stowupland through the season with 6 teams of 3 taking part from Cambridge, Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket. It is hoped this will be repeated next season with enough teams registering to create a second division for the beginner/improving player. Everybody seemed to enjoy the format and there was good parental/coaching support for the players.
· Although not within the County domain I would like to mention the Suffolk Schools Table Tennis competitions for both Individual and Team events being run for the first time after a lapse of 4/5 years. The Team event did not take place through lack of entries but the Individual event ran with 66 players across 19 schools participated in early February. Every school in Suffolk was e-mailed via the LEA with entry forms – some sports teachers did not react to this but we have made a good start and 7/8 age group winners went through to the National Championships played at Stoke on Trent in April – fantastic experience for Table tennis juniors many of whom had not experienced a competition of this size.
·
Suffolk
Rankings were issues twice during the season – one in September following a Junior
Assessment and the second issue followed in late January 2007 taking into account
the results in all the
For this coming season, to re-inforce the interest in the game we have registered a Cadet team and a Senior 2 team so there are more opportunities to represent the County – Maurice Fearn and Tony West will be looking after the Cadets and Andy Warner will be managing Senior 2. Overall this means at a stroke we have doubled our representative teams from 2 to 4. – there will be financial considerations which our treasurer, John Watson will highlight.
· Coaching – ahead there are significant changes being made for all sports coaches driven by Sport England and the need to satisfy certain coaching criteria to enable funding to continue into the various sport governing bodies. To give an example an existing level 2 coach in any sport will have to be re-assessed in the next ¾ years and if successful will start off as level 1 – that would mean in this example a level 1 coach could not coach on his/her own. – as a County we are concerned about these changes as largely we have maturing active coaches! Each Coach will have to decide on the road they wish to take. Bottom line is we need more younger coaches to come through the new system.
·
Thank
you to our National Councillor, Peter Fordham who attends meetings held
at
· We have much to look forward to – challenging times to try and reduce the deficits in running our championships – however, as you will hear from our treasurer we are still in a relatively good financial position. Like most sports we are reliant upon the dedicated few to run all the administration along with all the competitions – we could do with more help please, however small it would be appreciated.
Thank you for attending this A.G.M.
Geoff Brook,
Chairman.