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YORKSHIRE VETERAN LADIES’ GOLF ASSOCIATION
PLEASE NOTE: These are minutes are ‘draft’ & are for members information as they will not be agreed & signed as a true record until the 2018 AGM.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE YORKSHIRE VETERAN LADIES’ GOLF ASSOCIATION HELD AT SAND MOOR GC
ON MONDAY 16TH OCTOBER 2017
The President Carol Atack was in the Chair, and welcomed 97 members representing 48 clubs to Sand Moor GC, and the 85th AGM of the Association. She was pleased to see so many members in attendance. She thanked the Committee for their hard work throughout the year.
The Hon Secretary read out the notice convening the meeting.
1. APOLOGIES: these had been received from Rhonda Twine[Bracken Ghyll], Vicky Tomlinson[Kirkbymoorside], Diana Swaine[Wortley], Susan Verity[Lightcliffe], Sue Belbin[Driffield], Judith Abernathy, Dot Elliott, Sylvia Symmonds, Mavis Burton[Thirsk & Northallerton], Ann Wrigglesworth[Scarborough South Cliff], Michele Alvin[Northcliffe], Joanne McBratney[Knaresborough], Vanessa Thomas[Richmond], Linda Wells[Hessle], Elizabeth Tucker, Freda Brier[Sand Moor], Jen Rowland[Doncaster], Julie Wheeldon[Wakefield], Hilary Wood[Baildon], Helen Lupton[Malton & Norton], Helen Lilley[Sickleholme], Sue Mayman[Bedale], Patsy Yeates, Caroline Barker, Wendy Lockwood Ann Merritt[Hornsea], Brenda Parker[Huddersfield], Julia Shirley[Brough], Jackie Starkie[Keighley], Julie Clarke[Hallamshire], Gina White[Low Laithes], Brenda Twigg[Rotherham], Allyson Ellis Joyce Lawrence[Howley Hall], Chris Withers[Dewsbury], Carol Cocker[Scarcroft], Joan Marchbank[Bradford], Mary Durrans[Huddersfield], Sheila YeadonKaye Hill[Otley], Larraine Hague[Ganton], Kate Kershaw Norma Beck[Horsforth] & Owston Hall GC.
2. MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING: these had been circulated with the Agenda and were taken as read, agreed and signed by the President.
Proposed – Jo Somers[Alwoodley] & Seconded – Dot Firby[Richmond]
3. MATTERS ARISING: there were no matters arising.
4. HON SECRETARY’S REPORT: Rosie Atkin, gave her report. She commented that some competitions had been full, some over-subscribed & some under subscribed which was unfortunate as entry fees are an important source of income. For 2018, the 9 Hole competition has been changed to a 4Ball Texas Scramble & one of the Spring Meetings moved to Autumn in an attempt to fill more competitions. In addition, ALL competition entries need to be returned by 1st March which will make it easier for the Competition Secretary to organise start sheets & enable members to see which competitions they have got into earlier in the year. The venues are again spread around the County so that all members of out-lying clubs have at least one local competition. Some venues always prove more popular than others so please enter more than one competition. The nearest town/city has also been added so members can see which area a lesser known golf club is in. On the membership front, we now have over 1200 Annual Members but commented that we still need new ‘baby vets’ to join. She thanked all the Club Reps for their hard work collecting memberships, sorting out entries & collecting fees on behalf of Sarah Arrowsmith, the retiring Registrar. She also reminded Reps that ‘new member’ forms are not required for renewing annual members only those joining for the first time. All competition posters & entry forms were available for the Club Reps to download from the YVLGA website. A 2nd Club Reps meeting was held at Pike Hills GC in September which was well attended, with interesting discussions, good ideas & feedback for the Committee & it is hoped this will become an annual event.
On the NCVLGA front, the Committee have already begun making plans for the Northern Championship in 2019 which will be held at Rotherham GC. At the Northern Annual Meeting last week, a proposal was put forward by Yorkshire & seconded by Lancashire to clarify the rules regarding the awarding of Best Gross & Best Nett trophies & prizes. This was deferred to the Business Meeting in May @ Stockport GC to allow further consultation & discussion.
Rosie commented that yet again we were still having trouble finding enough new members(3) to fill the vacancies on Committee. She welcomed Karen Leake & Patsy Rochester[Oakdale GC] on to the Committee, both elected un-opposed after being co-opted last year. She confirmed that she was resigning from the Committee after 3 years as she had been elected Chairman of Hornsea GC which she felt was her priority. Unfortunately, this happened after the deadline for nominations so there was no opportunity to advertise the position. However, she wished the 4 ladies well who had volunteered to be co-opted on to the Committee for 1 year; Alison Mowat[Howley Hall], Sue Porter[Selby], Joyce Slater[Oakdale] & Enid Spencer[Leeds].Rosie added that she had first joined the Committee in 2010 & had thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of working with different Presidents & Captains. She had met & played with some lovely ladies at some fine golf courses around Yorkshire, & had some really good times. Rosie wished the new Captain Sarah the best of luck & hoped she could bring the Richardson Trophy back ‘home’ as it had been on loan for too long now! She hoped the new Committee would enjoy themselves, most of the time!! She reminded the new Secretary not to forget the East Riding when it came to choosing venues for 2019. Rosie then thanked President Carol & Captain Gill for another successful year, along with the other Officials Committee for all their help & support. Thanks also go to the Captains, Presidents members of all the Clubs we visited this year, for their help support in hosting events. Finally, she wished the Association well for the future.
5. HON TREASURER’S REPORT: Helen Duckett gave a very detailed report on the finances of the Association. The end of year deficit was £1,410 very similar to 2016.
On the income side, membership subscriptions were up by 2% but competition entry fees were down due to 2 competitions(fully subscribed) being cancelled due to adverse weather at Scarborough North Cliff & Pannal. The competitions on average had been 73% full with only those at Moortown, Scarcroft & Garforth being played full or over- subscribed. The Committee had reviewed some formats & venues for 2018 in the hope that they would be more equally supported.Looking at expenditure, overall this was similar to 2016 except postage was higher due to sending out refund cheques for 2 competitions. Team expenses (offset by player contributions) were also higher because of 3 away matches this year & Jamboree expenses are high as hosted by the South. She reminded the meeting that £1 of every members subscription was paid directly to NCVLGA so everybody is automatically a member of the Northern Vets & eligible to play in the Championship(if handicap of 20 or below) or the end of season team event(any handicap) which was held at Rockliffe Hall(Darlington) this year & next year will be at Cave Castle. These events help to raise funds to support the Northern Team to play at the Jamboree.
The current account shows a balance of £7,509, with £25,000 invested in 2 Skipton Building Society accounts. The financial position is OK at the year end but not as good as predicted at the beginning of the year, primarilydue to the cancellation of 2 competitions. The Association had now lost money 2 years in a row, hopefully not a continuing trend. Helen emphasised the importance of competitions which provided 65% of our income with 23% from members subscriptions & 12% from other sources. She encouraged members to be more adventurous in signing up for competitions at alternative venues to maximise income. Helen also explained the format for the Richardson Trophy matches against the other 5 Northern Counties, playing 2 at home & 3 away alternate years. This involved 7 players in singles scratch match play along with Captain, Vice-Captain & President attending. Matches are costly both home & away because of travel, accommodation & catering. 2018 dates & venues can be found on the website. The golf is of an excellent standard & great to watch. Similarly, the Veterans Jamboree is played between the North, the South, the Midlands & Scotland & involves a team of 8 selected players in a 3 day round robin match play tournament playing foursomes in the morning & singles in the afternoon, a very tiring format. We have had 2 players; Karen Jobling & Julie Wheeldon selected for the last 2 years & next year the North host the event at Hexham GC in Northumberland. Also in 2019, Yorkshire will be hosting the Northern Vets Championship at Rotherham GC in May. Helen added that ‘our’ reserves of money will stand us in good stead for this & any leaner times ahead but she hoped that next year, all competitions would operate successfully.
Helen confirmed that the website was now our major line of communication & information for results & news & encouraged members to use the ‘contact us’ facility if required.
Helen then thanked Sarah ArrowsmithPenny Holroyd for banking subscriptions & competition entry fees, & the Auditor for doing the accounts. She then thanked retiring President Carol Atack for her support & being a great travelling companion to various events, & Gill & the Committee for a good year & job well done.
Report accepted. Proposed: Elaine Pearson[Keighley] Seconded: Chris Bullock[Huddersfield].
6. HON COMPETITION SECRETARY’S REPORT: Penny Holroyd gave her second report. Unfortunately, 2 competitions had been cancelled due to inclement weatherwhich was unprecedented. As last year, some events were over-subscribed whilst others were not full. Consequently, the Committee had decided to run 2 surveys; the first specifically looking at initial handicaps when joining the Association & the second a more general one on competitions. She reported that results of both were on the website, which she summarised. On handicaps she reported that 94 members had agreed with increasing the handicap limit & 48 had said ‘no’. The majority of the ‘yes vote’(62 members) was to increase to 35 handicap, whilst 20 members said 36 handicap & 12 just said ‘yes’, & a minority(48 members) said ‘no’ increase. On competitions, 218 general survey forms were analysed & as a direct result changes had been made to next year’s competitions as follows; the 1st Spring Meeting willremain a stableford for 17-36 handicaps with the 2nd stableford changing to an Autumn Meeting with 2 divisions(0-20 & 21-36) i.e. open to all players. In addition, the 9 hole competition will change to a team event; 4Ball Texas Scramble which will hopefully be more popular than an individual. The revised list of competitions & venues is available to download from the website, as are the posters & entry forms. Penny then emphasised that the closing date for ALL competition entries had been changed to 1st March 2018. She asked Club Reps to prioritise entries from their own Clubs to ensure that it is not always the same ladies at the top of the list for when competitions were over-subscribed. She added that for cancellations, it was the Club’s responsibility to either find a replacement or marker on the day if she didn’t have a reserve list. Penny then asked that following a few issues this year, if paying by EFTS in 2018, to please ensure the payment is referenced by Club Name & secondly an e-mail is sent to the Treasurer confirming payment. This will help to match up payments & invoices in future. She also asked Club Reps to keep her up-to-date with the names & certificates of any ladies who require a buggy for competitions. Penny then stressed she would only be doing the job for 3 years so would finish at the end of 2018 & hoped that somebody would volunteer to replace her; it was stressful at times but great fun & you meet lots of lovely people. Finally she thanked the Club Reps, Gill, Carol & the rest of the Committee for their support & congratulated all the trophy winners.
7. LADY CAPTAIN’S REPORT: Gill commented on how quickly her year had passed & that she had loved every minute of it!She had tried to fulfil the Captain’s role to the best of her abilities& had thoroughly enjoyed working with Sarah, Carol & the rest of the Committee. She thanked them for their friendship & support throughout the year, especially immediate Past Captain Carolyn Kirkfor all her guidance, committee members Helen Lupton & Christine Hope for their valued contributions & to Rosie Atkin our hard working Secretary who were all leaving the Committee this time. Although Penny had covered the competitions in her report she wanted to mention a very exciting Championship held at Crosland Heath in early May which ended in glorious sunshine & a very deserving new champion in Karen Jobling who beat Cathy Riley in the final. She also hoped that a few more ‘vets’ had enjoyed the experience of playing the ‘Heath’ in lovely weather this year! Gill also thanked her Club, its Directors & members for their wholehearted support during the year.
The team had had a great year & good fun, but not quite as successful as she had hoped.The 1st friendly at the ‘Heath’ in April was against the Yorkshire Mid-Ams which resulted in a 3-1 win but the 2nd ‘friendly’ match against the County 2nd team at Sickleholme in May resulted in a 3-1 win for the juniors. In the Richardson Trophy, played against the other 5 Northern Counties, we won 4 out of 5 matches to finish 2nd again.We beat Northumberland 6-1 at the ‘Heath’then travelled to Royal Lytham St Anne’s & beat Lancashire our ‘red rose’ rivals, 4-3 on their own turf. A victory to relish! We then played at ‘home’against Durham, whom we also beat 6-1. The 4th match was away at Appleby where we recorded another superb 6-1 win against Cumbria in very difficult conditions. Our last match was against Cheshire away at Bromborough, which we needed to win to regain the Trophy. Unfortunately, they proved too strong for us on the day, beating us 5-2 but they were fielding 7 players on a handicap of 2 or lower!!! Gill congratulated & thanked all of the Yorkshire Squad this year; Karen Jobling, Julie Wheeldon, Pat Wrightson, Carol Simpson, Betty Sworowski, Judy Butler, Sandra Paul, Jackie Barraclough & Tracey Batty, who had played some fantastic golf this year. The camaraderie has been great & the players had supported each other all year. She felt they should be very proud of their performances, which she had been very privileged to see. She was pleased to see new talented players like Betty working their way in to the team with Tracey, Pat, Fiona, Heather, Val & others hovering in the wings. Yorkshire had a lot of strength in depth which boded very well for the future. Gill also thanked everybody for their support & especially the trolley pullers who turned out for matches both ‘home & away’ in all weathers.
She said she had enjoyed ‘meeting & greeting’ members both on the desk, & when playing in competitions, seeing old & making new friends. There had been a ‘lot of laughs’ as well as some ‘angst’ with 2 cancelled competitions this year. It had been a great honour to be the Lady Captain of the Yorkshire Vets & 2017 would go down as a year for her to remember forever.
8. NORTHERN& JAMBOREE REPORT’S: Lancashire had hosted the Northern Vets Championship @ Pleasington GC where Yorkshire were represented by 31 out of a field of 95 players, a great turn out! Best Nett was won by Trudy Hubbard(Cumbria) with a 75 from Sandra Paul(Yorkshire) in 2nd with a 76 & on countback from Carol Simpson(Yorkshire) in 3rd. Best Gross was won by Sue Dye(Cheshire) with a 76. Both the Gross & Nett Team Prizes were won by Cheshire with Yorkshire 2nd in both events. 6 Yorkshire players qualified in the best 16 Gross Scores forthe match play knock-out; Karen Jobling, Carol Simpson, Sandra Paul, Pat Wrightson, Judy Butler & Betty Sworowski. Jackie Roberts & Elaine Pearson qualified for the 2nd flight match play but both lost in the 1st round, as did Carol Simpson, Betty Sworowski & Pat Wrightson.However, Sandra Paul beat Trudy Hubbard(Cumbria) 3&1, & Karen Jobling beat Judy Butler 2&1 to reach the quarter-finals. In an epic match Sandra Paul lost on the 20th hole to Sue Dye(Cheshire) butin an awesome display of golf, Karen Jobling beat Maureen Richmond(Cheshire) 6&4. The semi-finals played between Sue Dye(Cheshire) & Jeanette Williams(Lancashire) resultedin Sue winning 3&2, whilst Karen Jobling lost to Caroline Berry(Cheshire) 3&2 in another superb display of golf by both players. Caroline beat Sue in an ‘All Cheshire’ final, 5&4 to become the Northern Champion for 2017. In the 2nd flight, Carol Helme(Lancashire) beat Rosie Waller(Cumbria)on the 18th hole. Karen Leake, Penny Baxter & Patsy Rochester were 2nd in the Stableford Team Event(Tri-Am). Congratulations to everybody who participated & in particular to Karen, Sandra & Carol on their excellent individual performances.