The Annual General Meeting of Brighton & Hove Cricket Club was held on Thursday 25th February 2021 remotely over a Zoom video meeting due to Covid-19 Lockdown restrictions.

38 members were in attendance.

1. In these extraordinary times, attendees were thanked for joining this first ever Zoom AGM. The Committee intended to provide an update on a tough past year and a potentially difficult few to come. The whole club wished to thank the key workers and especially the front-line NHS workers within our membership, for their commitment, bravery and super-human effort in helping to keep us safe.
2. Arthur Harman was proposed & seconded (in advance of the meeting) to be the Chairman of the AGM.
3. The Minutes of the 2019 AGM, held on 28th November 2019, were approved unanimously. A copy of the minutes can be found on our website.
4. Apologies for Absence were noted from Ian Parker & Joe Nicolls.
5. The only Correspondence received that required comment was that sadly Peter James, an ex-player from the 60’s who was living in Australia, passed away back in September 2020. Our condolences go to his family.
6. Fergus Guppy, our Mens Cricket Manager, provided the Report from the Management Committee for the 2020 Season (full report can be found on the Minutes document HERE).

Fergus discussed the much-shortened season for all sections of the club and the impact that Covid had had on us all. Boys, Girls, Women & Mens teams all maximised the cricket that we could fit in and both the ‘Bensons Hundred’ and the 75th Anniversary Cricket Week were big successes, despite poor weather for the latter.
The club were indebted to a small number of volunteers for their efforts getting cricket back on as soon as we were able to. This meant long hours at the Nevill preparing the nets, managing net bookings and ensuring Covid regulations were maintained. In particular the club wish to thank Pete Underwood, Ben Hemmings and Matt Whippey for their efforts.
Our Under 12 Boys were congratulated on again winning the Sussex Junior Cricket Festival Final (back to back wins), while it was pleasing to see our Girls U13 & U15’s enter the inaugural Girls SJCF.
Sadly we lost two club legends & Vice Presidents during the year. Derek Grammer & Ron Gray both passed away after long illnesses, although their impact on the club will last a long time to come. They will be missed around the club.

7. Andy Scott, our Grounds Manager, provided a report on the huge amount of work that was been completed around the ground and clubhouse over the past year and the plans for further improvements (full report can be found on the Minutes document HERE).

Andy discussed the significant work that the Council have undertaken on the fabric of the clubhouse, although it was felt this would be the last that they fund for some time.
We have continued to invest in the clubhouse and grounds despite the challenging conditions over the past year. Largely this has been essential work such as fire safety and ground maintenance / square renovations through volunteer’s efforts. We also plan to renovate both the hard & mobile nets before the start of the season.
The Hockey Club have returned to the clubhouse after a year’s break, although their season was sadly curtailed by Covid. They will again take occupancy for the 2021 Winter.
We are now responsible for all football pitch booking and maintenance. This has worked really well and allows us to ensure the Nevill is maintained to a good standard all year round. With football bookings and the Hockey returning, this provides revenue during the winter, although obviously dramatically reduced this winter due to Covid.

8. Peter Underwood, our Boys Colts Manager, provided a report on our current commercial situation.

2020 was a tough year where we collected zero sponsorship and also lost a number of Supporters Club ticket holders. Given that most of our sponsors are local business’, also going through tough times, we expect 2021 to be just as difficult to generate sponsorship revenue.
We are extremely grateful to Geoff Kerly at Kew Electrical, who has agreed to continue as our main sponsor into 2021. Kew have supported us for many years and we ask all members to use them for all of your electrical requirements.
We ask all members to consider if their own business or their employers, could provide us with sponsorship. We have packages to suit all pockets. Please contact Pete to discuss.
We need to increase our Supporters Club ticket numbers and would ask all members to consider any family or friends who might like to subscribe. It costs £10 per month with prizes of £250/£100/£50 awarded throughout the summer months.

9. Daren Coles, our Treasurer, presented the Annual Statement of Accounts (full report can be found on the Minutes document HERE).

Daren discussed a tough financial year where we were only kept afloat due to the generosity of our members who still paid their annual subs, despite a shortened season, together with the availability of grants from the Government, City Council, ECB & Sport England.
The grants in particular were a lifesaver as they covered the significant shortfall in sponsorship and fundraising that we would normally generate.
Daren explained how we tightened our belts and cut back on planned expenditure to ensure we remained in a solid financial situation moving forward. The high bar income during the couple of months we were able to use it, helped the situation considerably !
For 2021 we have budgeted for a full season of income & expenditure from cricket. We are not expecting too much sponsorship but should get a full winter of football & hockey revenue.
We have significant and unavoidable capital expenditure planned on things like equipment refurbishment and net renovation, largely due to health & safety improvements.
Overall we will look to break even this year, as we always do, but the climate is still expected to be challenging.

10. The committee thanked all those that paid all or some of their Annual Subscriptions last season. This helped the club to remain financially solvent at a time when no other income was being received. This year’s Annual Subscription amounts remain unchanged at :

Men - £160 (£80 for those not in full employment)
-- This will increase to £185/£105 after 1st May
Boys & Girls - £170 (to include a club cap)
Women - £100 (£50 for those not in full employment)
Family Subscriptions will cost £230 (2 people); £300 (3 people); £350 (4 people)

11. There were no amendments required to the Club’s Constitution.
12. Chris Pearson was re-elected as President. Chris said he was proud to hold the reigns of the Presidency until such time that we found a philanthropic, cricket loving billionaire to take over !
13. The following new Vice Presidents were proposed, seconded and elected unanimously by the meeting :

Arthur Harman for his great work as Chairman over the past 4 years
Lesley Mates for her unstinting service as Men’s scorer for 10 years
Clare Connor in recognition of her achievements while captain of our Women’s team

14. The following Executive Committee positions were proposed, seconded and elected / re-elected unanimously by the meeting :

Peter Underwood was elected as Chairman
-- The Committee thanked Arthur Harman, who is standing down as Chairman this year.
Dave Mates was re-elected as Hon General Secretary
Daren Coles was re-elected as Hon Treasurer
Andy Whippey was re-elected as Hon Welfare Officers
-- We are hopeful that we have a volunteer to be our second Welfare Officer. The new person will receive full training and support and once settled into the role, we will post contact details of both Andy and the new person on the website and clubhouse Notice Board.
Ben Hemmings was elected as Men’s Cricket Manager
-- Fergus Guppy has chosen to step down from this role this year. Fergus has been instrumental in driving the club forward during his time on the committee and we are extremely grateful for his efforts and commitment.
Alison Bruce was re-elected as Women’s Cricket Manager
Peter Underwood was re-elected as Boys Colts Manager
Peter Davies was elected as Girls Colts Manager
-- Many thanks to Matt Prior for taking on this role in difficult circumstances three years ago. He has done a fantastic job building up the Girls section to its current healthy state.
Andy Scott was re-elected as Ground Manager
Ian Parker was re-elected as Clubhouse & Bar Manager

15. The following Non-Executive Committee positions were proposed, seconded and elected / re-elected unanimously by the meeting :

Peter Davies was re-elected as Fixtures & Pitch Booking Secretary

16. We are still looking for a volunteer to take on the Sponsorship & Fundraising Officer role. This role will be responsible for working with existing & potential sponsors to arrive at a mutually agreeable arrangement. We have a Role Description so if you have some time and feel you could take this on, then please contact any of the Committee.
17. Erica Balcolm from Friend-James Chartered Accountants was re-elected as Hon Auditor.
18. The following Team Captains were proposed, seconded and elected / re-elected unanimously by the meeting :

Men’s 1st XI – Bryce Hounsome re-elected
Men’s 2nd XI – Kieran Buck re-elected
Men’s 3rd XI – Jon Perrett elected (although since the meeting, Jon has accepted a new job in Southampton so wont be around during the summer. We wish Jon well in this new adventure. The Men’s Cricket Manager therefore approached Anthony Statham who has accepted the 3rd XI Captaincy for 2021. We wish Stath much success for the season)
Men’s 4th XI – Ryan Goodman re-elected
Men’s 5th XI – Dan Mouland elected (Dan takes back the reigns after a year out. Many thanks to Joe Hall & Arno van Zyl for stepping in last season)
Men’s 6th XI – Wayne Hawkes elected. This is the first time we have run a 6th XI, which we plan to use to introduce young players to adult cricket, potentially playing alongside their fathers. We wish Wayne and the team much success during the summer
Women’s League XI – Alice Gibbs elected as the new Women’s Captain
Women’s T20 Slam XI – Emily Kirby-Jones re-elected

19. It was proposed that the Sir Alan Saunders Trophy, presented to the Clubperson of the Year, is renamed the Derek Grammer Trophy, in honour of Derek’s immense contribution to the club over many years. This award is presented to a club member who, in the opinion of the committee, has given outstanding service to the club. This proposal was approved by the meeting.

For 2020, the recipient of the Derek Grammer Trophy is Lesley Mates, in recognition of 10 years dedicated service to the club as the Men’s 2nd XI scorer. This is a thankless role where Lesley has regularly sat in freezing scoreboxes around the county, many times being the only female at the ground. Lesley has retired from scoring this year.

20. No ‘other business’ was raised and therefore the meeting ended at 20:45