SURREY DARTS ORGANISATION

SURREY MENS SUPER LEAGUE AGM 2005/2006
MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON SUNDAY 31st JULY 2005 AT THE MORDEN TAVERN

Meeting Commenced: 7:15pm

1 Roll Call

14 teams that will be contesting this year’s League were represented. These being:

Ditton FC, Esher War Memorial Club, Freeholders, Golden Lion, Golden Lion A, Jubilee Club, Metropole, North End Tavern, The Princess, Salfords, St Peters, Worcester Park Athletic, Walton Working Mens Club, Walton Working Mens Club B

Persons present: Martin Cullip, Tim Stedman, Jim Cullip, Gary Creamer, John Parr, Sam Shephard, Peter Arnold, Chris Arnold, Aline Cook, Steve Hayes, Claire Heron, Richard McLaughlin, Dave Askew, Mike Vagg, Chris Gallagher, Dean Archer, Andy Nye, Kevin Dean, Paul Humphreys, Bill Kennedy, Phil Gallagher, Bob Howe, Alan Warner, Steve Cogger.

2 Approval of Minutes

Jim Cullip Proposed that the minutes from last season be approved, Bill Kennedy seconded the motion.

3 Secretary’s Report

The League Secretary stated that the 2004/5 season had been a success but had also been a very difficult year. He extended his thanks to Tim Stedman for the help & advice that had been afforded toward the difficulties that the League had faced.

Martin congratulated Walton Working Mens Club on regaining their League Title, and wished them luck in their Champions Cup campaign that is to begin on 14th August 2005. It was also explained to those present that there had been a Joint Runners-up prize this year, which had been decided at a meeting before Finals Night. The League secretary accepted that the solution wasn’t fully welcomed by either Ditton or the Golden Lion, but an agreement had been reached that he hoped was the fairest solution to an insoluble problem.

Martin congratulated Dave Askew for winning both the pairs & singles & narrowly missing out on the triples, as well as leading the League averages.

It was noted that February saw the sad news of the death of Mark Gawley, who played 130 matches for Surrey & who was a great friend of the League. Following this, a new trophy, the “Mark Gawley Memorial Trophy” had been purchased & paid for via a raffle at Finals night. It is hoped that a new trophy may be added each year by the same means so that each competition will benefit from a perpetual prize.

Late result sheets were on the decrease since it is now possible to fax, post, e-mail or scan these to the Secretary. A new computer program has been developed for laptops & the Secretary hoped that more teams could use this method, which means sheets can be e-mailed as soon as the match has finished.

It was noted that the re-write of rules as promised in last year’s minutes, had now been completed & would be discussed during this year’s meeting. The rules had also been published on the web-site.

Martin stated that the web-site had been a huge success, taking on average, 700 to 800 individual user visits per month as opposed to 140 in the first month of January 2004. The County, Youth, Ladies & Summer statistics were now on the site, but the site was primarily a Super League site & the Secretary expressed pride that such benefits could arise from a Super League initiative.
Martin wished all participants good luck for the coming season & expressed a hope that there would be fewer problems this year!

4 Changes to Super League Rules

The League Secretary reported that a re-write of the rules had taken place to ensure they were clear & more navigable. He stressed that NO rule had been changed apart from cosmetic improvements such as correction of grammar. There were four rules that required discussion, but no objection was raised to the other changes made.

Aline Cook asked for clarification that rule 1b (of the pre-amended rules) didn’t involve a change in rules relating to the amount of outside County players that would be allowed. Martin Cullip confirmed that there was no change planned for that rule.

Rule 1b (now rule 3b): The Secretary suggested that this rule should mention the need for players to be signed on to cope with the requirements of the Champions Cup. This would also align the rule to the one that states as such in the County Constitution. It was agreed that the rule be amended to specifically state this requirement.

Rule 2f (now rule 5f): The Secretary suggested that this rule was now redundant & would need to be removed, but that it was a County Constitution rule & had to be removed at County level first. A proposal had been placed on the agenda for the upcoming County AGM, and it needed to be approved by the Super League AGM. The proposal was approved. Aline Cook pointed out that this would indeed remove the County Constitution rule, but that the rule couldn’t formally be removed from the Super League rules until next year’s Super League AGM.

Rule 5e (now rule 2e): Martin Cullip wished for clarification of this rule as it stated that under strength pairs matches would incur a forfeit, whereas it seemed that games had been played with just one player against two. A lot of discussion ensued as to whether the point should be played or whether it should be forfeit & the game played purely for ton points & game shots. The discussion moved to a vote & it was passed that the rule be changed & that in such circumstances the pair should be played as a normal point. The vote was carried 13-1 with the Golden Lion A objecting. Therefore an amendment to the rules will state that if the occasion arises that a pair must be played with one player from one team playing two players from the other, the point will not be forfeit & will be played in the usual manner.

Rule regarding Pairs substitutions (competitions): There seemed to be a conflict in the rule about substitutions for Competition Pairs. It was agreed that the rules would reflect the fact that substitutes would be allowed in the pairs if the player concerned was registered & hadn’t played in the competition before. A proviso was suggested by Tim Stedman that the substitute player MUST come from the team for which the available player plays. It was recognised that pairs consisting of players from different teams were allowed, but it would be open to abuse if players from other teams could be drafted in as a substitute.

5 2005/6 League Teams

As 14 teams were represented at the meeting, The League Secretary stated that it was possible for that many teams to be accommodated, but that postponements could be impossible. After much discussion, it was agreed that the Secretary would try to fit in one or two free weeks for postponements, but that it could not be guaranteed. There was much discussion on whether a match could be played on 3rd January. As a result, discussion forced a vote on whether 14 teams should be allowed to enter. The motion was carried 13-1 with St Peters objecting.

6 Punishments & Deductions

Following the problems encountered in the 2004/5 season with points deductions for transgressions of the Rules, the League Secretary suggested that the rules should include specific punishments for certain situations. Martin Cullip worried that teams may take the line that Ditton had done & claim that as there was no stated punishment, there should be no penalty. It was agreed that something needed to be added, but many feared that too many specific measures & regulations would make the rules unworkable. It was agreed unanimously that a new rule be added to state that punishments be up to the discretion of the Committee on a case by case basis.

7 Postponements

This was passed over as the issue had been discussed previously when deciding the teams to be included in the upcoming season.

8 Practice Boards

The League Secretary had noted through the season that many players had asked that the requirement for a second (practice) board be required under the rules. Most teams already had this facility, but it was proposed that this be made a rule. Not only did it help players remain fresh if they were drawn late in the evening, but it would also help matches to finish on time. The three new teams were consulted (Esher WMC, North End Tavern & Freeholders) & they all stated that this could be accommodated. Salfords advised that they didn’t currently have such arrangements in place but assured the meeting that this could be implemented for the coming season. It was agreed that a rule be added to make a second board mandatory.

OTHER BUSINESS

Aline Cook wished to congratulate the League Secretary on the web-site & expressed her appreciation for the new format. Tim Stedman echoed this sentiment & those present agreed.

The issue of the £10 donation to the County youth side was discussed & it was stated that at the time of the meeting, it seemed that there would be no Youth side this year. The meeting agreed that the £10 per team donation would still be levied & would be passed to the Youth team if one was agreed at the County AGM. If the Youth team doesn’t materialise, the extra £140 would be utilised to the benefit of the League instead.

Tim Stedman asked the indulgence of the respective teams that matches should start on time & that the players should be ready to play as soon as they are scheduled. It was noted that with the requirement for a practice board, problems related to players not being ready to play should be kept to a minimum & that it was in most participants’ interests to finish the match at a reasonable time.

Kevin Dean asked that the criteria for 2 ton points be reduced from 140 to 133 to recognise the fact that some players may use cover shots that are equally as valuable as scoring 140. It was noted that the qualifying level for 3 points was not 180, but 170. A short discussion took place, but Steve Hayes objected strongly & Kevin Dean withdrew his proposal.

Finally, the Metropole were asked about their intentions for the first three matches of the season as it has become customary for their club to be unavailable owing to Local League commitments. Paul Humphreys asked that they be given 3 away matches at the start of the season, but agreed that an alternative venue could be used for one of those matches should it be impossible to accommodate his request.

The meeting was advised that the proposed starting date for the League would be 6th September. Those present were thanked for their attendance & invited to pay their registrations for the coming season.

Meeting ended: 8:25pm