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2010 Secretary's AGM Report.
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2009/10 has been a mixed bag for the club, with success in the lower leagues tapered by struggles
in the cups and higher divisions. Venue problems have also made this season a strain, but as the season ends,
I think we look in a far better position than when we started.
Congratulations to Steve Emmerton and all involved in the C team for their success in Division 4. It is a pleasure to
be able to say we retained that division, and great to know that the trophy which currently sits next to my Sky box
will still stay in Fenton hands next season! Steve also deserves a lot of thanks and congratulations for stepping
into the breach with the D team when I have been unavailable, and for helping out with the A team due to John's ill health,
as well as one other matter which I will mention later. Steve has been a rock for the club this season, and I would like
to publically thank him for his hard work and dedication. I won't thank myself for leading the D team to Division 5,
as I don't do self praise! I will however say a huge thanks to everyone that contributed to that team as a stand in
captain or a player.
Unfortunately the league success has not been repeated in the cups. The U110 side narrowly lost in the final of
the Perry Trophy although did well to be there in the first place after a monumental struggle to get a side out
for the semi-final. The Intermediate Cup team were narrowly beaten in the semi final by a stronger Newcastle team,
while the Major cup team did superbly well against Meir, only losing by 1 point. Unfortunately plans to do well
in the 8 Board cup were not successful, with a number of things conspiring against us leading to us having to pull
out of the competition.
This brings me onto the biggest headache that has been for the side this season, the higher graded players.
Unfortunately we have been unable to field our strongest A side for a lot of the season, which has been the
main reason we finished so low. On our day, we are more than a match for anyone as shown by the wins over
Meir A and Stafford B. Tony Holdford in particular has been superb for the club, not losing once and rightly
winning the A Team player of the season. It has affected other players, with quite a few A team players
struggling to find form and finding that their grade could be hit. I doubt at the start of the season the
plan was for me to play board 3 so many times!
This will be the biggest headache for next season, deciding which teams to enter in what division. Personally,
I'd like to maintain a presence in Division 2, but if we lose some of our higher graded players then this may
not be possible. It may be that we have to wait until the provisional grades come out. My suggestion would
be to have another meeting in July to decide which divisions we go into, just ahead of the main league AGM which
has yet to be decided on.
Next season we do have the benefit of a consistent venue, and thanks to everyone who worked hard to get that sorted.
I'd also like to place on record my sincere thanks to everyone at the New Albert Inn at Newcastle, who made us feel
so welcome. I hope that sometime in the future we can go back there for a social event of some sort, as they actually
made us feel like they wanted us there, and didn't push us out of the door like other venues did.
As you are probably aware, this will be my last secretary's report for the moment as I have decided to step down for the time being.
With now having two jobs as well as having a wedding to plan for, I won't have the time to commit to the club that I need.
Most likely I won't be running as a captain either although I may change my mind depending on how many we have and for what teams.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this role and look forward to doing so in the future and I wish whoever takes over from me the very best
of luck. Many thanks to everyone who has been so supportive of me in this role, especially John, Pete, Stuart and Steve.
By Club Secretary Mark Whitby. 2007-2010
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