UPS CLUB SQUASH
SECTION – ANNUAL
GENERAL MEETING (2005-2006):
15th
MARCH 2007.
Web Version
Present: Ray Wiggins, Emily Webb, Wing-Chau
Tung, Louise Johns, Laure Parent, Bob Ott, Maggie Flower, Mark Sydenham, Jon
Gear, Steve Edwards, Chris Stott, Sandra Edwards, James D'Arcy, Neil Goddard
and David Roberts.
1. Apologies:
Chris Croucher, Paul Godden.
2. Minutes and accounts of
last years meeting for approval:
These had been distributed in April 2006. The minutes were duly
approved and subsequently signed by the Chairman.
3. Chairman's Report
combining matters arising:
Steve tabled the Chairman’s notes in
accordance with recent practice for the AGM. These notes were tabled in view of
the possible shortage of time available to complete the AGM business. The notes
handed out contained blue text which was for presentation and discussion, the
black text was ‘tabled’ for attendees to read in their own time and was
considered ‘accepted’ in lieu of any later objection. [Post meeting note: all text (tabled and discussed) has been changed to
black for the purposes of these minutes].
(i) Matters arising from 2005:
· From item 3(i): Update on possible provision for land:
Discussions
have previously been held with Richard Garfield and reported at AGMs.
There was nothing further to report from last year. We will
continue to determine if there is potential provision for relocation of the
court should this ever become
necessary. Action SE
· From item 3(i): Stickers for sale behind bar:
Stickers are now available from behind the pH bar.
Jon found the missing stickers (34) reported at last year's
AGM. Jon had notified the committee by email (20.03.06) that 36 stickers had
been found during the bar refurbishment.
· From item 3(i): Roof inspection and repair:
We still have the same quote
(Q28-466) as reported in last year's AGM. We have asked on several occasions if
Romfords (Jim Marling) want to conduct the roof and interior work as they are
asbestos specialists. Another request was made by letter (22 January 2007) but
as yet there has been no reply. The enquiries have included questions on the
nature of the roof problems and the technical specifications of the products
intended for repairs. Chris kindly offered to contact Jim Marling for an
update. Action CS
· From item 3(i): Doubles Evening.
There was unanimous agreement to
start this up again. Ron to be approached to see if he is willing to give a
first instruction as he kindly did last year. [Post meeting note: Chau asked Ron on 22.03.07 and he said he would be
pleased to do this. Suggestion therefore to incorporate ‘doubles’ into the
Thursday night coaching rota]. Sandra is happy to be involved in organising
this. Action SaE
· From item 3(v): Matches / Doubles Night / Singles Ladder:
Discussions were held by Steve and Jon about Jon’s kind
offer of starting the singles ladder (20.03.06). Jon kindly launched the
singles ladder on 01 June 2006. A web page was created and Microsoft Excel
updates from Jon are sent there regularly. The list of participants was pinned
up in the squash court foyer.
Jon reported that the ladder had got
off to a good start, but added that the enthusiasm had subsequently waned.
There was a proposal to allow challenges more than two players away. One
proposal was to allow challenges from any position within the ladder. This
proposal will be debated by the squash committee by email in due course. Action JG
There was acknowledgement that
perhaps the ladder might suit people who don't want to compete in the league
and generally prefer friendly's. There was a proposal to advertise the ladder
to see if more people will be interested. Players who no longer wish to be in
the ladder will then be removed. Action
JG
· From item 3(i): Insurance:
The Ups and Downs Club was closed for a while pending
insurance cover in early 2006. We believe the squash court, bar and main
buildings were closed from 10-17.02.06. The pool was also closed for this
period and for an additional month or so (re-opening on 22.03.06). Cover was
obtained from Willis (agent) effective from 17 February 2006. This cover was
for Public Liability and Products Liability only. Notices were kindly put up in
the squash court (Sandra 25.02.06) to notify players that they 'play at their
own risk' soon after last year’s AGM. A
new notice was put up by Steve in March 2007. This notice was tabled for
discussion.
Steve informed the meeting that the
Chairman of the Ups and Downs Club had confirmed that we were insured as of 16
February 2007. James Kendall of the RMNHSFT had kindly arranged cover. A copy
of the policy had been requested and was awaited. Steve made a proposal to
investigate member-member and personal injury cover. The committee unanimously
agreed to finance this from squash funds if cover could be found. It was agreed
the preference would be add cover to our current policy. Mark kindly agreed to
supply a copy of his hockey club’s cover - which he thought was similar to that
required by the Squash Section. Action
SE/MS
· From item 3(i): Constitution.
A revised constitution (tabled) had
been drafted as actioned in the 2004-2005 AGM. This is based on the only
type-written version in existence and which was ratified by the committee in
October 2005. This process was documented in the Special General Meeting held
on 11 October 2005 (see web pages for more details). Maggie's suggested clause
about withdrawal of funds and account security had been added. The committee
agreed the draft could be discussed by email. Steve to place on web site. Action SE [Post meeting note - draft
pasted to ‘http://intra.icr.ac.uk/upsdowns/_sq_constitution.htm’
01 July 2007]
· From item 3(ii): Maintenance: Maskold Account.
The minutes from last year's AGM had some notes added
related to this account which was outside the reporting period of January 2005
- December 2005. There was an outstanding bill for works conducted in November
2005 (job ref 9695). The charges (£167.92) relating to this job were queried
and the matter went on into 2006. Steve informed the meeting that the account
was now closed - further details are minuted in the maintenance section 3(ii)
below.
· From item 3(ii): Maintenance: Quartzray Heaters - Tripping MCB:
Chris kindly looked into changing the existing 32B (30A type
B) circuit breaker, but this had not
solved the problem of the MCB tripping. Chris therefore kindly arranged for Task Engineering Services
(Sutton) to conduct an inspection. An alternative rated fuse (35A BS 1361) was
fitted (11 December 2006). For more details see minutes in maintenance section
3(ii) below. The heater units have functioned satisfactorily since then.
· From item 3(ii): Maintenance: Asbestos Report:
Steve reported that a final corrected copy had been received
on 10 January 2007 (dated 05.01.07). A hard copy of the report is now on file.
The initial cheque for £587.50 written on 06 January 2006 but had not sent as
the original report contained mistakes. A new cheque was drafted by Laure
(15.01.07) and sent (22.01.07) after the finalised report was received. The
debit has been left for inclusion in the 2005-2006 accounting year as this is
simpler to administrate. For more details on the report see maintenance section
3(ii) below. [Post meeting note: The
RMNHSFT has commissioned another asbestos report. The Squash Section has not
been informed of the survey. The survey was discovered after ‘sample stickers’
were noted in and around the court].
(ii) Maintenance:
· Air Con (Trembath TSC 15)
· Brief background on Job 9695 from AGM
2004-2005
Logged call with Nici Maskell 31 October 2005 about burnt
out wires found by working party 30.10.05. Fault reported to Bruce on the phone
earlier - also reported circuit breaker tripped. Email expressed concerned
about wires as they had been replaced by Gary in July 2005. Said it was 3rd or
4th time burnt wires found and expressing concern. Mick from Maskold attended
at 4.10pm and saw burnt wires. Said he would be back 01 or 02 Nov. Asked Mick
to check for cause of burnt wires and for operation of 2KW heater.
Mick from Maskold attended on 01 November 2005. Job No 9695.
He replaced wiring and contactor and said it was the contactor causing the
problem.
Invoice for works (25185 Job 9695) (10 November 2005)
conducted by Mick 01.11.05 received. 3.5 hr labour travel. Parts £37. Total
£167.92.
Letter to Maskold (25 November 2005) complaining about fact
source of burnt out wires not found by Gary originally in July 2005. Suggestion
from Steve to deduct 3 hrs labour from the bill.
Response from Bruce Maskell (rec 05.12.05) 30 November 2005
regarding Job 9695. He said problem was caused by blocked air filter ice and
poor maintenance. Advised general condition poor and drawing high amps due to
bearing wear. Also advising (incorrectly) that maintenance contract payment
overdue.
Letter back to Bruce Maskell (06 December 2005) refuting his
claims. Said there was no evidence for his assertion that the engineers had
said the unit was old and becoming unserviceable. No evidence of bearing wear.
Clarified maintenance contract situation as well.
Letter from Bruce Maskold (12 December 2005) to say he had
received “another letter”, about apparent confusion over general condition. No
mention and response to request for evidence of his previous assertions that
unit was in poor condition.
Email (23 January 2006) from Nici to say account was overdue
for Job 9695 (£167.92).
Letter (30 January 2006) to Bruce Maskell to say his
previous letter did not give answers. Suggested reducing hours to be paid for
work from 3.5 to 2hrs. No reply received to this letter.
'Account Overdue' notice received 02.02.06 for the
outstanding £167.92.
'Remittance Advice' notice received 24.02.06 for the
outstanding £167.92.
'Account Overdue' notice received 24.03.06 for the
outstanding £167.92.
Letter sent to Bruce Maskell (06 April 2006 - 'signed for' delivery) enquiring as to the
status of the letter sent 30 January 2006. Letter stated that we were unable to
pay the invoice due to the outstanding queries relating to the job. Subsequently found that the letter was never
delivered so started enquiries with the Royal Mail complaints department
(24.04.06 - ref RM024506592). Reply from RM (20.06.07) to say case was closed
as they had not received all the information required. This was because events
had taken other turns with regard to Maskold.
'Account Overdue' notice received 19.04.06 for the
outstanding £167.92.
At this stage we expected to get a court summons !
Email to Maskold (24.04.06) to say letter sent to Bruce
Maskell (06.04.06), and to say another 'account overdue' notice had been
received (19.04.06) and to say that answers had not yet been received to the
queries relating to this job.
Email to Maskold (21.05.06) to say no response received to
email sent 24.04.06. No reply to this email received either.
Letter received from Bruce Maskell 30.06.06 saying our
account was suspended (letter dated 29 June 2006). "We hereby give you 2
months notice that we are terminating your contract due to the condition of
your equipment. All outstanding money's have been credited. Trusting the above
meets with your approval, but should you have any queries, please do not
hesitate to contact me - Mr Bruce W. Maskell Director". Summary of letter
emailed to Squash Committee 05.07.06. Believe that the money the club paid for
the service contract for the unit (ref CAN 01/C 11.08.05), was probably used to
offset the £167.92 being asked for this job - it is our understanding that the
account is closed and that Maskold will not send us any more requests for
payment on this job. Request to committee to formally draw a line under the
Maskold affair and to employ another air conditioning servicing company
(05.07.06 email). Reply from 4 committee members, 3 of which agreed with this
proposal, the 4th acknowledging the situation.
'Remittance Advice' notice received 26.07.06 for the
outstanding £167.92. This was a surprise ! after the ending of account email
from the Director. No response made to 120+ day payment request. Bill was just
filed !
· Chris Stott kindly started discussions, in
lieu of ending of arrangement with Maskold, with Tech Refrigeration Services
(Rochester) in June 2006. Chris kindly agreed to arrange for Tech Services to
visit the unit on 19 July 2006. A copy of the instruction manual and wiring
diagram was given to Dave and Kevin on this visit. Kevin and Dave diagnosed
that the wiring was all wrong with thermostats wired to the wrong circuits (Job
No. 26763). A temporary repair was made and discussions started on providing a
new electronic control panel. A request was made for a quote for such a panel.
The unit was left running but we were advised to switch the unit off every
night as it was on continuously (no timing facility after temp repair). This
request was adhered to as best as possible to avoid the compressor failing due
to the coils icing up. The invoice for the repair was received (date not
recorded) cost £132.19 incl VAT. Cheque for full amount drawn by Laure and sent
14 August 2006. The accompanying letter also enquired about the promised quote
for the new electronic control panel.
· New Electronic Control Panel for TCS-15
dehumidifier unit (Tech Services)
· First discussed with Tech Services (Kevin Dave)
on inspection visit 19.07.06
· Enquiry about status of quote with accompanying
payment letter 14.08.06
· Quote received by fax (31.08.06): £1112.50 for
panel and £500 ex VAT for labour total £1612.50 ex VAT
· VGM (04 September 2006) to discuss quote for
control panel for the TSC-15 dehumidifier.
· Approval from Squash Committee (14.09.06) to
progress with repair - cost £1894.64 incl VAT.
· Confirmation of acceptance of quote to Tech
Services (email 07.10.06). Specification to work required stipulated as part of
acceptance of quote. Specifications were contained in email 03 September 2006.
Essentially has to have two modes - summer and winter, winter mode providing
ambient heat, summer mode providing some cooling as well, activation of 2KW
electric heater in winter mode if temperature gets to cold outside.
· Call to David Stewart (06.11.006) to check on
progress with unit. Confirmed order, still need agreement on siting of panel -
David thought it might need to go inside court. Also discussed temporary
re-wire of circuits. Email confirmation of phone call sent later.
· Email (14.11.06) to enquire about schedule of
panel and temporary re-wire. Reply from David to say expecting panel within
week.
· Visit from Dave and Duncan (16.11.06) -
temporary re-wire into 'winter; mode conducted Job No. 26814. 'Reversal' mode.
Half hour signed for (Steve).
· Email to David Stewart (21.12.06) to enquire
about status of panel. Also raised concern that unit was not generating any
'warm' air.
· [Outside AGM reporting period] Steve informed the meeting that the panel
was fitted by Tech Services on 05 January 2007. There are still some outstanding
issues with the function of the panel and the unit in general. Picked up wiring
diagram of new panel from the panel box (09.01.07). Original held on file
photocopies made for engineers and placed back in panel box (31.01.07).
· [Outside AGM reporting period] Steve informed the meeting that an email had
been received from David Stewart (09.01.07) to say engineers will attend to
outstanding repairs. These are the crankcase heater and air flow monitoring
device.
· [Outside AGM reporting period] Steve informed the meeting that the invoice
for work the conducted has been received £1894.69 (25.01.07)
· In view of the outstanding bill a proposal was
made by Chris to pay something towards the £1894=64 bill as a token of good
will. The AGM meeting unanimously agreed to pay half. Action SE.
[Post meeting note:
Steve has had agreement from Tech Services that this arrangement is agreeable
until panel is controlling the unit satisfactorily - cheque for £947=32 sent on
11 April 2007].
· Air con system settings
· The
unit was switched to ‘Summer mode’ (10.06.06). Main thermostat set to 12.5°C.
Heater to 30°C (i.e. off). Clock set to BST. The unit did not look like
'cooling' fans were activated - possible fault in unit.
· Quartzray Heaters - MCB tripping
This had been a problem since 2005. Chris Stott kindly
agreed to source and fit a new MCB (32A type B). This was bought on 27.03.06
(Lighthouse Banstead cost £8.50).
Fitted Steve 19.05.06. Old MCB kept. New fuse tripped first time it was tested
- both switches activated at same time. Fuse did not trip if heaters were
turned on independently with 10-20s interval between switching. Chris then
arranged for Task Engineering Services (Sutton) to attend and inspect. Phil and
Dave attended 27.11.06 and advised that a 'C' rated fuse might be needed. Dave
said that he had seen sparks in the switches, so he suggested checking the
contacts and earths as well. New fuse/MCB fitted 11 December 2006. This is a
35A BS1361 type fuse. The heaters have worked fine since then. The cost of the
repairs was £217.14. The cheque was
drafted on 15.01.07 and sent 22 January 2007 (although sent outside the
reporting period the charges will be counted in the accounts for this year -
Chairman’s action). A full report of the electrical installation was received
from Phil White and is lodged on file.
· Asbestos Report
· Brief background to status on asbestos report
from AGM 2004-2005.
· Report was received (16.11.05) with various
errors in the hard copy given to us in person.
· Various letters were sent asking for
corrections and querying some aspects of how the survey was conducted.
· Email (10 January 2006) to Jim Marling (care
of Ann Randall) thanking him for the invoice received Dec 2005 and asking if he
had had a chance to read the enquiries about the asbestos report and quote for
repairs. Laure had kindly drawn a cheque for £587.50 for the report on 05.10.06
(not sent though).
· Letter (21 January 2006) sent again to Jim
Marling enquiring about report and quote. Copies of letter sent 14.12.05 and
email 14.12.05 attached.
· Email (09 February 2006) from Jim Marling to
apologise for lack of response to enquiries. Said that all queries will be
dealt with asap.
· Email from Jim (24.02.06) to say his surveyor
was having trouble with his notes.
· Called Jim on phone (27.02.06) about the
enquiries and problems with surveyor notes. Gave Jim code to court and he said
that his surveyor would take another sample in order to answer the outstanding
questions. Jim also said he would speak to his roofer - who was not one of his
employees. But he said he was keen to do the roof repairs.
· Email to Jim (20.03.06) to ask if there was
an update on phone conversation
· Updated report received (04.04.06) from Jim Marling
dated 14 March 2006. Thanked Jim by email (28.04.06) for the report. Pointed
there were still 3 discrepancies in the report. Also enquired about the quote
for roof repairs (Q28-466 received 13 December 2005 for £920=00).
· [Outside AGM reporting period - for
information only] Revised report received
10 January 2007. This report has no obvious errors in it and a hard copy is now
on file. Initial cheque for £587.50 written 06 Jan 2006 but not sent as report
was incorrect. New cheque drafted Laure (15.01.07) and sent (22.01.07) after
finalised report received. The debit has been left for year 2005-2006 because
it's simpler to leave it like this.
· 'Gardening' (10.06.06):
Removal of shrubs and climbing weed around court
There was a proposal from the meeting to
find a way to remove the tree stumps near the court. Steve agreed to talk to
the RMH gardeners. Action SE.
[Post meeting note: Steve has subsequently
spoken with the gardeners and they have agreed to investigate possible ways of
removing the stump. One solution discussed was to use a systemic plant/weed
killer. ].
· 'Damp patches' on the playing surface near
the front wall were reported (12.10.06). Acknowledgement was made again of this
persistent problem. This has been dealt with under matters arising section 3(i)
- ‘Roof inspection and repair’.
· Floor Washing
· The wooden playing surface was washed on
25.02.06 with 60ml soap (Decon 90)/20L water followed by 60ml glacial acetic
acid/20L water. In addition on that day there was a general tidy of court, the
foyer was swept and mopped. The mats were beaten, stairs and under-stairs
cleaned and air con filter cleaned.
Steve
updated the meeting on the floor washing policy. The floor is washed when
deemed necessary. This is often when somebody has reported the floor slippery
(e.g. committee member 06 March 2007). In view of this policy a proposal was
made by Mark to have a floor cleaning rota. The work could perhaps be conducted
quarterly. The meeting unanimously agreed to this. A rota should be pinned to
the wall.
Work to be conducted by working
party arrangement. Action SE.
In addition a proposal was made and
unanimously agreed that it should be publicised that the section encourages
players to report instances of when the floor becomes slippery. If the
committee concurred, then the remedial work would be conducted by working party
arrangement as discussed above. Action
MS
Bob
suggested that normal brushing /sweeping did not remove dust and mud particles
adequately. He pointed out that the committee had discussed buying a vacuum
cleaner to suck up all the dirt rather than brush it into the ‘tongue and
groove’ surface. The meeting unanimously agreed to longstanding commitment. A
suggestion was made to consider a non-marking variety of vacuum cleaner. The
committee will debate the appropriate model to buy. Action All
Steve
thought it appropriate at this time to raise two proposals forwarded by the Chairman
of the Ups and Downs Club. The proposals related to safety and were made
verbally (13.03.07) to Steve and then followed up by an email. These two items
were discussed and are minuted under the AOB section 6 (i) and 6 (ii).
· Maintenance costs for the year
The total bill for air con costs and Quartzray heater cost
for the year was £132.19 + £8.50 + £217.14 = £357.83. These entries are in the
accounts (tabled by Laure - see section 4 as two items; £132.19 and £225.64).
(iii) Court Usage:
· There were 7 leagues on average this year
compared with 8 last year. We have not run the 'Novice Leagues' this year.
The number of players who booked courts is down a little from last year (69) to
64. Statistic sheets were tabled for attendee consideration.
The number who have played in the leagues
over the year is also down from 67
to 45. This is possibly due to not having demand for the novice leagues.
The slight downturn in usage and play is
therefore reflected in the number of league games that were played - 803
compared to 853 the year before - a fall of around 6%.
Approximately 19 league players (last year - 24) have left
the leagues (notable long term players were Neveen Hosny, Sonali De Silva,
Emily Webb, Robert Te Poele, Dan Williamson, Peter Mollison, Tatiana McHardy,
Mike Rosenbloom, Amanda Chan, Louise Coutts, Antigoni Divoli, Ray Wiggins, Tom
Geraedts and Tina Cheng) a number of these players stopped playing because of
injury or work commitments and may start playing again. The number who joined
was much lower than last year (23) at just 10. This perhaps also explains the
reduction in leagues and games played.
· The weekly usage is also down (as expected
from the above) this year from an average of 19.6 games per week to 18.4
(charts were tabled). This is the first drop in a couple of years.
Previous years average weekly usage:
19.6
2004-2005
18.6
2003-2004
9.5 2002-2003
11.8
2001-2002
11.0
2000-2001
(statistics were tabled - not yet
available in web
version)
· The fraction of slots playable is down from
19.6% to 17.4%.
The total number games played this year is down from 1019 to
958. The figure contains 76 coaching slots, 22 coaching practice slots, 12
Mini-Olympic slots. A lot more coaching and practice slots than last year (60
combined).
· There is one statistic that is ‘up’ ! This is
the average number of ‘peak slots played’ - up from 75.7 to 84.7 %. This
statistic measures how many of the historical peak play slots are used over the
annual assessment period. One observation that backs up this data was noted -
in that it appears as if it is becoming harder for players to book the
lunchtime slots.
(iv) Coaching
Chau kindly presented this section. Coaching was again
conducted by our resident coach Ron Nye. The charge per coachee for the first
course was £28. The charge on the second course was £30 each. The charge for
‘informal’ or regular coaching (see below) is £20. This cost is spilt amongst attendees.
Six week courses: 04 May
2006 - 08 June 2006
Beginners: Heidi Norman, Rob Chaldecott, David Roberts,
Bavithra Vijayakumar, Edoardo Missiaglia, Melanie Bonard (Reserves: Nicola
Duffy, Steven Lubbe, Paul Berriman).
Novices: Sarah Bryant, Zahra Mohri, Wing-Chau Tung, Neil
Goddard, Ricardo Morilla (Reserve: Karlene Fraser).
Improvers: Louise Johns, Emily Webb, Sandra Edwards, Kate
Sullivan, Pat Kelly.
09 November 2006 - approx.
14 December 2006 (Organised by Chau)
Beginners: Aleksandra (Ola) Bielen, Laura Robinson, James McLaughlan,
Lara Bethke, Olivia Baddeley, Veronica Camero. (Reserve: Chaturika Jayadewa,
Santanu Sen, Susanna Waern, Deborah Biggs).
Informal Coaching: This
was started by Chau in July 2006 in response to requests for
continued access to coaching but not on the formal basis
like the six week courses shown above. Hence the name 'regular' or 'informal'
coaching. The first night the course was run was 06 July 2006. Chau has tried
to set up groups with similar levels of player, with groups alternating on a weekly
basis.
Dates: The 'informal' coaching has continued fairly much
every Thursday since then. Stopping only for formal courses and occasional
absences due to unavailability of Ron or coachees.
Attendees: Sarah Bryant, Zahra Mohri, Wing-Chau Tung, Heidi Norman,
Rob Chaldecott, Dave Roberts, Louise Johns, Emily Webb, Sandra Edwards, Kate
Sullivan, Pat Kelly, Edoardo Missiaglia.
[Outside of reporting
period - Chau has organised another six week course which started on 08
February 2007].
(v) Matches / Doubles Night
No matches have been organised or played. For ‘doubles’
update please see section 3(i) ‘Doubles Evening’.
(vi) Racquet Purchase/Loan Scheme.
Five
racquets were sold in the reporting period. These totalled £190 in revenue.
Eight
racquets were bought in the period - cost £305. Four racquets in stock from
previous (cost £180 selling for £165).
Surplus
for period = 7 racquets (value £265)
[Outside AGM reporting period - for
information only. Sold last Wilson on 26.02.07 for £40. Club acquired 2 new racquets
via Neil Goddard 06.03.07 Dunlop Black Max Titanium RRP £109.99 - Paid £32.99
sell for £33]
1 x Wilson Hyp Ham 120 Carb from Ron 24.06.04 RRP £130 sell
for £60 reduced £45 - Sold Robert TePoele 15.05.06 for £45.
1 x Head Intelligence i.160 Cheam Sports 02.07.05 RRP £100
sell for £45 - Sold to Hiran J 12.05.06 £45
1 x Head Intelligence i.160 Cheam Sports 02.07.05 RRP £100
sell for £45 - Sold to Peter Mollison 11.05.06 £45
1 x Dunlop Black Max Titanium 150 from Ron Aug 05 RRP £60 sell
for £30 - Sold to Tom Geraedts 14.06.06 £30
(Tom broke the racquet - did not hit wall hard - so discount
given* on new racquet (OK’ed with Laure). See below)
1 x Wilson Hyper Hammer Carbon 120 from Ron 06.07.06. RRP
£120 sell £40 - Sold to Tom 12.07.06 for £25*
1 x Wilson Hyper Hammer Carbon 120 from Ron 06.07.06. RRP
£120 sell £40 -
1 x Prokennex Superlite Destiny PWP 15.08.06. RRP £80 - Paid
£40 sell for £43
1 x Prokennex Superlite Destiny PWP 15.08.06. RRP £80 - Paid
£40 sell for £43
1 x Prokennex Superlite Destiny PWP 15.08.06. RRP £80 - Paid
£40 sell for £43
1 x Prokennex Lite Destiny PWP 15.08.06. RRP £60 - Paid £35
sell for £32
1 x Prokennex Lite Destiny PWP 15.08.06. RRP £60 - Paid £35
sell for £32
1 x Prokennex Lite Destiny PWP 15.08.06. RRP £60 - Paid £35
sell for £32
(vii) Stickers Sales
Neveen Hosny was thanked by email and in person for her help
and support for the squash club before she left the ICR in September 2006.
‘Thank you’s’ were also extended to Laure, Bob, Louise,
Emily, Tom, Sandra and the pH Bar for their sticker selling. Jon kindly agreed
to replace Bob. David and Chau agreed to begin selling.
(viii) Insurance
See Matters Arising - section 3 (i) above.
(ix) Other meetings in year and other matters:
· Feb 2006: Bob, Maggie, Steve and Sandra
bought a present for Mike Rosenbloom's retirement on behalf of the Squash
Committee. Two books on walks in area in Devon to which Mike and Chris are
moving (Dartmoor Walks and Pubs and Inns in Devon) were sent by post
(14.03.06). Thank you email received from Mike (22.03.06) - forwarded to
committee (Steve 22.03.06).
· April 2006: Antigoni left the ICR on a
sabbatical. Agreed that Antigoni would remain a committee member for her period
of absence.
· May 2006: Understanding LET rule ! All_sut
email (10.05.06) to advertise this short course on understanding the let rule
in squash to be run by our resident coach Ron Nye. Many requests received from
various members for this to happen. Course run by Ron (18.05.06). Cost £20 -
approved (06.06.06 VGM) and funded from squash funds. Attended by most of May
coaching group.
· June 2006: Change of air conditioning
engineers to Tech Refrigeration Services (Rochester) - kindly arranged through
Chris Stott after Maskold closed our account (see details in Maintenance
section). Bob also kindly contacted Brian Gibbs in the Marsden to ask his
advice about possible companies. Brian offered help from the Marsden air con
man (arranged through Don Taylor). We are unaware if the Marsden man visited
the unit. Brian updated (by email 26.07.06) on inspection conducted by Tech
Services on 19 July 2006, and also thanked for his kind offer of help.
· VGM (06 June 2006) 'Virtual General Meeting'
- conducted by email entirely.
· Booking form - proposal to allow players to
book on the two sheets that are on display - this could allow booking up to 11
days in advance. The motion was not carried. We are keeping the current system
which only allows booking up to 7 days in advance.
· Squash racquet sales: Agreed to continue with
non-profit making sales of racquets.
· Payment for 'LET' session: £20 charge
sanctioned from Squash Section funds
· Coaching Course Profit: £10 surplus
sanctioned by committee. Agreed to put towards loss of revenue from giving free
'practice slots' on Friday lunchtimes after coaching. The committee also agreed
to keep an eye on the practice slots to see how many were being used. The
committee felt it was better to book off just one slot on a regular basis and to
ask coachees to police and arrange the usage.
· July 2006: David Lloyd Sports Centre Passes:
Ron Nye our resident coach, kindly handed out passes to some of the coachees -
entitling free access for a limited time. Sarah Bryant, Chau, Dave, Bavi,
Heidi, Neil, Emily, Zahra, and Melanie all received these on a first come first
served basis (email sent out 12.07.06)
· July 2006: Laure arranged for specimen
signatures for Alliance and Leicester account to be signed (19.07.06) after
original form was 'lost in the post'.
· VGM (04 September 2006) 'Virtual General
Meeting'. This was convened to discuss the new electronic control panel for the
TSC-15 dehumidifier. The committee felt that the quote for £1612.50 ex VAT for
providing and fitting the new panel was acceptable. There was some concern over
spending the money because of the uncertainty of the location of the new 'super
hospital'. One committee member queried why two men were needed for the
installation. This was reflected in the labour quote of £500 ex VAT. Subsequently
the company was contacted to ask why two men were needed. The reason given was
for health and safety. This was also queried (12.09.06) as our unit is
positioned on the ground - no working at height concerns as raised by Tech
Services. Tech services acknowledged their error in assuming our unit was on a
roof but declined to reduce the labour charges.
Full version of this correspondence is held on file. A further email was
circulated to all committee members (14.09.06) to ask for approval for the
funding. There were 9 replies (verbal and email) all favouring the repair -
cost £1894.64 incl VAT.
· September 2006: Accidental eye injury
sustained by player (29.09.06). Reported to Chairman and investigated
informally to start with. Injured player needed to be off work for about 6
weeks. Steve subsequently spoke to player's work manager and advised them to
submit ICR incident report form. Steve spoke to player during his time off work
to convey the committee's wishes for a speedy recovery. The player was
confident that there would be no long term effects to the eye following the
injury. This has raised the matter of wearing safety eye goggles whilst playing
and will be discussed in this AGM
· October/November 2006: As a result of the eye
injury, investigations were made into providing goggles free of charge to
players. Ron Nye provided some samples (09.11.06). Steve asked Ron if he could
get 2 dozen at approx. £5.00 each (15.11.06). [Update outsides reporting period - Ron said that he had placed the order
(08.03.07)]
· October/November 2006: Appointment of new
Treasurer after Laure Parent informed us of her plans to move on after her PhD.
Laure thinks she will be around until the end of March 2007. Jon Gear kindly
volunteered to take on the role when Laure leaves. In the meantime Laure will
show Jon the ropes and so Jon can be thought of as having been officially
co-opted to the committee as Assistant Treasurer.
· November 2006: Loan racquet scheme brought to
attention of coachees on November coaching course.
· November 2006: Thoughts about Bob's wishes to
step down as secretary.
[Outside reporting period - January 2007: Mark Sydenham was approached to become Secretary of the club
(08.01.07) - he agreed to take over when Bob leaves the post at the AGM. Bob
has made it known that he wishes to step down as he spends a lot more time in
Devon now].
· [Outside reporting period - February 2007: Accidental face injury sustained by a
player (21.02.07). The player was hit above the top lip by a ball that was
mis-hit by the opponent. The injured player reported the event to the Chairman
who spoke to both parties. Both parties agreed it was an unfortunate accident.
The injured player completed an ICR incident report form, and the matter has
gone to the Health and Safety Service and has been raised at the Sutton Site
Safety Committee meeting (07 March 2007). H&S plan to look more into the
Ups and Downs Club's insurance in terms of liability generally].
4. Accounts:
The accounts were kindly drawn and a signed copy was
presented by Laure (Chart and balance sheet tabled). There was an outstanding
bill of £1894.69 for the air con electric panel which was fitted in early
January 2007. This will be included in the 2007 accounts.
There
were no questions on the accounts, The accounts were accepted as a true and
honest picture of the clubs financial state. Steve thanked Laure on behalf of
the committee, and asked what people
thought this money should be spent on. There were no proposals.
5. Election of officers
The
current officers standing again are :
Steve
Edwards as Chairman
Emily
Webb as Membership Secretary
Wing-Chau Tung as Coaching Organiser
Chris Stott,
Louise Johns,
Antigoni Divoli (in
absentia),
Sandra Edwards
All as Ordinary Members
Proposed by: Chris Stott
Seconded by: Sandra Edwards
New officers up for election (although co-opted
already) are
Mark Sydenham as Secretary
Jon Gear as Treasurer
Neil Goddard as an Ordinary Member
David Roberts as an Ordinary Member
James D’Arcy as an Ordinary Member
Proposed by: Jon Gear
Seconded by: Steve Edwards
All duly carried.
Honorary Members:
Bob Ott
Maggie Flower
See section 6 (vi) for more details
6. AOB
(i) Debate on wearing playing shoes outside
court:
The
Chairman of the Ups and Downs Club proposed consideration of threatening
immediate suspension to any squash player found wearing their squash shoes
outside.
This motion was not carried by the meeting. The meeting felt that this was too
harsh a proposal. The main reason being that potential mud carried in was
probably not the main cause of the slipperiness. It was felt that dust and
fluff were a primary cause. Dust from general ingress from outside and increased
from the air circulation. Fluff from garments. Mud from shoes was recognised as
a factor in causing the playing surface to become slippery - but it was not
considered to be the main one. The meeting thought the current rule (tabled -
"Please help keep the court dirt free by not wearing your squash shoes
outside") should be reworded for clarification. This to be done by email.
Steve to co-ordinate. Action SE.
The meeting also unanimously agreed that
all players should take responsibility for minimising mud ingress. This could
take the format of any player having a polite word with another if caught
wearing squash trainers outside. It was also noted by an attendee that the type
of shoe worn might be the biggest factor in determining how quickly the floor
became slippery. It was suggested that certain shoes might be more abrasive
than others and cause the wood in the floor to smooth quicker. This was news to
most attendees. It was also noted that some shoes simply gripped better than
others - particularly squash specific trainers. It was therefore unanimously
decided that a list of 'approved' shoes could be placed on the squash web
pages. Action TBA.
It was suggested that perhaps the squash club could stock
these shoes. It was also noted that no one could recall any report of an injury
sustained from a slippery floor.
(ii) Debate on compulsory
training before playing squash:
This
was raised in context of the eye injury sustained in September 2006 and lip
injury in February 2007 (outside AGM reporting period). Both of these items
were tabled in the Chairman's notes item 3 (ix), and now minuted with the same
section reference.
The Chairman of the Ups and Downs Club had proposed
mandatory training for players before allowing them to join the leagues.
This motion was not
carried by the meeting. It was unanimously thought that the potential risk did
not warrant this training to be compulsory.
It was noted that players have always played at their own risk and without the need
to have training imposed upon them. The meeting felt it was important to stress
that squash was not a dangerous sport, but like any sport a risk of injury was
always present. As a club we have to accept this risk, but in order to minimise
the risk, the club will make all possible efforts to make people aware that the
onus for safety is on them. Sports such as rugby, cricket and hockey have these
inherent risks - and no amount of training can stop an accident happening.
The Squash Section recently put up
notices to advise players to call for 'lets' if there was any danger of hitting
an opponent with a ball or racquet. A proposal was made to continue with the
etiquette and 'let' rule course run by Ron. The last one was run in May 2006.
This course places great emphasis on safety (as do all of Ron's coaching
courses in general), and players will be encouraged to attend. Beginners and
novice players are always encouraged to attend coaching sessions. Steve agreed
to organise further 'etiquette' sessions. Action
SE.
[Post meeting note:
Steve has contacted Ron and he is happy to run such courses as and when
required].
(iii) Wearing of safety goggles:
The issue of wearing goggles was
also raised in connection with potential eye injuries. Notices had already been
placed in the court to advise players to wear goggles. A proposal was made to
supply basic goggles to players via a goggle box. Representative goggle were
handed out for inspection. These will cost about £5 each - the cost to be borne
by the club. These goggles will be placed in a 'goggle box' and players can
keep them if they wish or return them to box after use. This proposal was
carried unanimously. Steve reported these were on order and were expected very
soon. Box to be mounted in foyer. Action
SE.
The meeting was also reminded that it is a current
requirement that goggles are worn for the 'doubles' evenings. This rule will be
adhered to when the doubles night starts up again. Players who already wear
corrective vision spectacles will be exempt. The meeting was reminded that such
spectacles were recommended to have plastic lenses for squash.
The precise wording of the notices
discussed in 6 (i) - (iii) will be debated by email.
Steve to organise. Action SE.
The matter of insurance was highlighted again and if
member-member and personal injury policies are available the committee should
investigate (see earlier - Matters Arising 3(i) point 6) for applicability and
cost.
(iv) Debate on general safety:
In light of the safety discussions taking
place, a proposal was made to try to get a phone installed in the court foyer.
The phone would be linked to the ICR / RMH switchboard, emergency and security
numbers only. Chris kindly agreed to investigate. Action CS..
The meeting acknowledged that it has
long been encouraged for mobile phones to be taken to the court. However it was
noted that this policy has not been incorporated in the ‘Rules’. Rules to be updated. Action SE.
A proposal was made by Chau to have
a first aid kit installed. This was carried. The contents of the kit to be
discussed by email, with consideration for priority for impact injuries e.g.
cold pack. Use of the first aid to be reported to the committee. Action SE.
There was a proposal to have an incident book in the court foyer,
this was not carried. The meeting proposed to encourage players to freely
report any accident or incident to a committee member, or to the respective
employer through established work reporting systems.
(v) Acknowledgements
· Chau
was thanked by the committee for all her help in organising the squash coaching
and presented with a bouquet of flowers.
· Steve thanked Laure on
behalf of the committee for her contribution to the club during her term as
Treasurer. Laure had been Treasurer since 2005 (serving six months as a trainee
Treasurer under Maggie) and is now stepping down to take on her new job in
Toulouse in May. She has done a great job with the accounts - changing various
accounts and introducing us to the potential wonders of internet banking. Laure
has been playing squash in the leagues since joining as a 'novice' in October
2004. Laure was given a bouquet of flowers as a token of the gratitude felt by
the committee for her considerable help.
· Steve thanked Bob on
behalf of the committee for his term as Secretary and his continuous and 
active support of the club during his time at ICR. Bob has expressed his
wish to step down as Secretary as he and Maggie spend more time down in Devon
now. Our wholehearted thanks go to Bob for his support for the Squash Club
during his time here. Bob first came to the Institute in 1980. The records show
he first served on the Squash Committee as 'Downs Rep in 1981 (with Fred
Gallagher as Chairman). In 1983 Bob was elected Chairman of the Squash Club,
and served until 1986 when Mike Chow took over. Bob then took a break from
squash work and took a more active role on the Ups and Downs Club Management
Committee. Bob came back to the Squash Committee in 1997 as Secretary taking
over the role from Sandra Edwards. Bob has remained Secretary for the last 10
years. So all in all a pretty active member of both the Squash and Ups and
Downs Club over the last 27 years. Bob was given a gift from the committee in
recognition of his long service at the club and as a token of gratitude for his
help over the years. The gift was a voucher for £50 to be spent at a sports
shop of his choice.
· Maggie was also
thanked by the committee for her marvellous contribution to the Squash Club
over just as many years as Bob. Maggie has played squash at the ICR/RMH since
the early eighties, she was in the first league held on record of March 1983.
Maggie first served on the Squash Management Committee as Treasurer in 1997 -
joining at the same time Bob became Secretary. Maggie did the Treasurer's job
tirelessly for 7 years ending her term
when Laure took over the post in 2004/2005. Maggie stayed on the committee as an
'Ordinary Member' and has continued to participate actively in club matters.
(vi) Honorary Membership:
A proposal was made to confer Bob and Maggie with Honorary
Membership of the Squash Club in recognition of their unequalled contributions
to the welfare and management of the club. In addition it was proposed that as
such Bob and Maggie would play for nothing from now on. This proposal was
carried unanimously by the meeting.
(vii) [Post meeting note: Further request from Glenn Flux (Chairman Ups &
Downs) for copy of these squash AGM minutes to help with his briefing for the
Ups & Downs AGM (24.05.07). Mark Sydenham and Steve Edwards were present at
the request so it was agreed to send DRAFT AGM minutes to Glenn (\16d Short
Summary of Action Points from AGM 22.03.07.doc). Glenn was also given a brief
verbal summary of the Squash AGM].
AWARDS
Again
this year there was no award for the most courts booked by a player in the
year, but this out of interest was won by Bob Ott - 57 and last years winner as
well with 58.
Mike Chow Cup for Best League Improver
The decision was considered by the committee (21.02.07 - 01.03.07)
and the winner was agreed with a majority vote.
The Mike Chow Cup was awarded to James D'Arcy who started off
in league 6 of 8 (February 2006) and rose to league 4 of 7 in September 2006.
James would have been promoted to a higher league but had to withdraw from the
league due to injury.
James was presented with the cup and awarded a cash prize of
£25.00 and an engraved plaque to keep.
Those who also had strong consideration from the committee
were Neil Goddard, Wing-Chau Tung and Kate Sullivan. The committee acknowledged
the improvement these players have made over the assessment period.
Most League Games Played
The calculation for this is the
number of games played vs. the number playable within the assessment period.
This year’s qualification was retained at 95% after extensive debate by the
committee, followed by a majority feeling that this was the correct threshold
to set. The committee felt that this small token of acknowledgement of the efforts
made by members to play their games had done the job it was intended to do. The
committee noted that a lot more games appeared to have been completed in the
leagues in the last year than in previous years.
As there were 10 leagues in the
year, 6 leagues had to be played to qualify.
8 players achieved the target of
over 95% compared to 4 last year.
(Committee members also had varied
views on the cash prizes to be awarded. A consensus decision was made on the
following awards)
1st
Mark Sydenham 100.00%*
- £15.00 cash
Joint 1st
Maggie Flower 100.00%
** - £15.00 cash
3rd
Steve Edwards 97.50%
- £8.00 cash or stickers
Joint 4th Bob
Ott 96.67% - £8.00 cash or stickers
Joint 4th Chris
Croucher 96.67% - £8.00 cash or stickers
Joint 4th Louise
Johns 96.67% - £8.00 cash or stickers
Joint 4th Sandra
Edwards 96.67% - £8.00 cash or stickers
8th James D'Arcy 96.43% - £8.00 cash or stickers
* All 40 matches played in the 10 leagues.
** All 32 matches played in the 10 leagues.
A proposal was made by a committee
member to reward Kate Sullivan for completing all bar two of her games (33/35
possible games) and narrowly missed the cut. The motion was carried and award
to be made to Kate of £2.00 cash or stickers.
Meeting closed.