Hello everyone,
The snooker league held their AGM last week, many thanks indeed to all who attended or used the WhatsApp voting. Below are the results in terms of what was approved, what was rejected, and what recommendations were made.
To clarify, ideas which were about division 1 only had division 1 players entitled to vote; similarly those for division 2 were only for division 2 players to vote. Players who had been promoted or relegated at the end of last season were voting based on which division they will now be playing in this upcoming season.
ITEMS APPROVED – the following suggestions were supported by the votes:
Item 1 – to rename the league after John Teckoe and the Team Consolation trophy after Trevor Beamond. The main Team Cup continues to be named in Len Turford’s memory as does the Singles trophy in John Teckoe’s.
Item 2 – to only hold a pre-season AGM and no longer hold monthly committee meetings. Historically competition draws have been done at the monthly meetings, but we are able to use the league computer software to do random draws for all competitions. These will be recorded.
Item 3 – to add a Shrewsbury B inter-town team made up of division 2 players who would otherwise not get much opportunity to play at a higher level. This team would be captained by Mike Beasley, who had the most wins in division 2 last season. If there was sufficient interest, even a third team made up of division 1 players not picked for the A team could be entered.
Item 4 – to move towards sustainable reuseable scorecards (laminated). Teams are welcome to use up their existing paper scorecards to avoid waste, but eventually to use a wipe clean version as physical cards don’t need to be kept by the secretary; a photo of the result is sufficient.
Item 5 – to REMOVE THE AGGREGATE POINT IN BOTH DIVISIONS. This was voted through separately in both divisions in the hope that it will speed up the evening overall and avoid excessively late match finishes. Therefore a 2-2 draw result is now possible. Match start times remain 7.45pm in both divisions, unless agreed informally between the team captains.
Item 6 – Postponements/Rearranged Games – All games are to be played on or before the date specified on the fixtures. Only 1 postponement will be allowed at a time, meaning the outstanding game must be played before any other can be rearranged to a later date. In exceptional circumstances such as flooding, committee discretion may be given but the game must be played within 7 days of the original date. Games are to be played however many players are available and not cancelled if a full team is not available. The expectation is that games go ahead on the date given with whoever is able to make it. If claimed, the match score will be 4-0 (see Item 16 – No Shows).
Item 11 – All players should be fully paid thus current members of the club they represent. It is the responsibility of all team captains to ensure this is the case. Any concerns raised will be investigated by the committee retrospectively, and if the player is found to be ineligible to play and had won their frame, that frame shall be awarded to the opponent.
Item 16 – No Shows where no contact has been attempted by the team not present for the match will forfeit the match 4-0. Please be reminded that some teams play their home fixtures on Tuesdays, fixture sheets will be highlighted accordingly to help make this more obvious. Also, see the website for fixture details.
Item 25 – sponsorship of the league to be sought and encouraged, to help generate increased income for the league. We are in discussions currently with more details to follow.
ITEMS REJECTED – the following suggestions were not supported by the votes:
Item 5 – to bring forward the start time of matches in division 2.
Item 7 – to split the league into 4 divisions, with each team playing each other twice at home and twice away. One team to be promoted or relegated at the end of the season.
Item 8 – Pay to play paying each week to generate prize money and attract new players.
Item 9 – Secretary to take a 10% cut from all money generated – this was based on Item 8 which was not voted through. Since the meeting, the chairman Dave Berry has discussed with secretary Phil Ryan and agreed to set up a £100 petty cash to cover expenses, but with no payment for time devoted to administering the league. Also it was agreed at the meeting to increase team entry fees from £25 to £30 per team.
Item 10 – introduce dual bonus points for breaks in both divisions (with 1 point for break 24-34, 2 points for 35+ in division 2, and 1 point for 39-49 and 2 points for 50+ in division 1).
Item 12 – to create a database of contact details with phone numbers, email addresses etc. along with preferred method of contact. Whilst not supported by votes, it was agreed to update the current contact details, at a minimum all team captains to provide their up to date phone number plus as many other players as possible to provide theirs.
Item 13 – minimum playing standards to include Aramith 3G balls and uniform pocket sizes. Recommendations were made to:
– use match balls where appropriate (it is the home captain’s prerogative to accept or decline the offer to use an individual’s own set)
– try to ensure tables are prepared before matches (brushed and ironed, balls cleaned)
– Avoid use of light cue balls
It is out of the league committee’s influence to dictate club closing times.
Item 14 – Table Maintenance quotes to be obtained by getting all league tables maintained by one company, hopefully getting discounted rates as a result. 25% of club meter takings to go towards this.
Item 15 – Matches not to be played on tables next to one another. Some venues can achieve this but many can’t. Where possible, the recommendation is to not have two matches being played next to each other.
Item 17 – Bonus prize/maintenance fund for players to earn points for themselves and their clubs to trade for prizes/better equipment.
Item 18 – Add more competitions and a 3rd place prize instead of losing semi-finalists.
Item 19 – Competition dates – a ‘play by’ date to be set for players to arrange themselves within 48 hours of the draw being made. This idea was supported well online but was unanimously rejected at the meeting, with players choosing to leave it as it is with a date being provided. Flexibility remains for players to rearrange among themselves if not convenient.
Item 20 – add a catch up week in the first half of season – again supported well online but didn’t pass the vote at the meeting. Hopefully with the new rules surrounding postponements/rearranged games, there will be no need for a first half catch up week. The second half catch up week remains to ensure all competitions are up to date approaching finals.
Item 21 – Transfer window until October 15th, reopening 1st – 31st January. Not supported by the votes. Existing rule on transfers still applies: A player may transfer between clubs or teams within a club subject to management approval and providing they have played 5 matches or fewer for their original club. No transfer will be entertained after 28th February.
Item 22 – purchase a snooker ball cleaning machine.
Item 23 – purchase a Rovatec snooker table vacuum.
Item 24 – Video all competitions via Facebook Live or YouTube Live. Not supported during voting but open to being videoed if desired on a casual basis rather than by mandate.
Item 26 – Finals Day instead of just finals evening. Not supported by votes. We are looking at different venues for the presentation evening, confirmation of details to follow.
Item 27 – Lag for break instead of the coin toss.
