The 62nd Waverley Annual General Meeting commenced at 20:00 at the Farnham Liberal Club on 22 November 2013. In attendance were Herbie Scarth ("Bertie"), Neil Carmichael ("Hoagy"), Matt Du Gay ("Doogs"), Russ Golding ("Raoul"), Peter Brewer ("Mr B"), James Wright ("Mongo"), Marcus Carmichael ("MC"), Dave Powell ("Cozy"), Adrian Day ("Mog"), Simon Brewer ("KV"), Jamie Harris ("DJ Teabag"), Adam Carmichael ("AC"). Chris Beanland ("Beanie") also made his Waverley AGM début.

With Hoagy in the chair, the minutes of the 2012 AGM were approved with no matters arising. Discussion then turned to the club accounts and the annual balance sheet. It was noted that the club had made a loss compared to last season, mainly attributed to an increase in the cost of teas. It was decided that the club's subscription to the Club Cricket Conference (an avenue for securing fixtures at short notice) would not be renewed for the coming season. At the next AGM any potential loss of benefit to the club would be reviewed. Further discussions concluded that there was little else that could be done at this stage to reduce the club's expenditure. Other options for increasing income would be discussed later in the meeting.

Next item on the agenda was the election of club officers. First to be elected was Hoagy, unopposed, as Chairman. Mog confirmed pre-meeting speculation by announcing he would not be continuing as Club Captain for the 2014 season. With KV similarly ruling himself out, Doogs and Mongo were proposed for the role and Doogs was duly elected as skipper for the coming season. Mongo and AC were proposed for the position of Vice Captain and having narrowly missed up on being named captain, Mongo was elected Vice for 2014. Bertie was invited to continue in his role as Club Secretary and was elected unopposed.

Discussions about the position of Club Treasurer were slightly more involved than in previous seasons, with outgoing-skipper Mog pointing out the burden placed on the captain after each game in having to collect money, make detailed records of the same etc. Doogs suggested that the football approach be adopted for the coming season, i.e. match fees being collected before the game. This was met with general approval, as was the suggestion that Bertie continued to oversee matters as Treasurer (with assistance from Mongo). Bertie was duly elected. The role of Team Secretary was to continue split between Club Captain and Vice Captain, having proved to be successful for the last couple of seasons. The final role to be filled was Child Protection Officer. As Raoul had the necessary qualifications, he was elected to the post.

There were in-depth discussions about the subscriptions and match fees for the 2014 season. It was proposed by Mog that subscription fees be increased from £10 per season to £25 per season for seniors and £10 for juniors/those in full time education. However, at the same time the net fees for Waverley players would be scrapped. It was considered that this was a fairer system for covering the cost of nets. Under the present system, a player might not attend nets at all yet only have to pay £10 subscription to the club, whereas another player might attend every net session and then have to pay £10 on top. The club website also supported a feature to allow annual subscriptions to be paid online directly into the club bank account. This would be explored as an easier way of players paying annual subscriptions. The point was raised that some guest players attend nets during the winter, i.e. those who play regularly for other clubs and only occasionally turn out for Waverley. Under the new scheme, guest players will continue to be charged £3 per session. The proposal was put to the vote and duly approved by the membership. Subscriptions for the coming season are therefore as follows:

Seniors – £25
Juniors/those in full time education - £10
Net fee for guests - £3

This then led to the issue of match fees. An important point was raised, namely that the match fee was not only to cover the cost of tea but also the match ball we provide to the opposition. With the cost of teas rising, an increase in the match fees had to be considered. This resulted in three proposals: 1) leave things as they are for another season; 2) raise match fees to £7 and £4 for seniors and juniors; or 3) raise match fees to £8 and £4 for seniors and juniors. The second proposal was approved following a vote. The match fees for the 2014 season will be as follows:

Seniors - £7
Juniors/those in full time education/uniformed members of Her Majesty’s armed forces - £4

On the subject of nets for 2014, KV announced he was in advanced discussion for these to once again be held at Weydon School on Monday nights, 2100 to 2200 hours. Please keep an eye on the website for further details in the coming weeks.

The penultimate item on the agenda was the award of trophies. Following the obligatory secret ballot, the winners were announced as follows:
Batsman of the Year – J Wright
Bowler of the Year – P Brewer
Player of the Year – S Brewer
Congratulations to the award winners and thanks to all those who turned out for Waverley in 2013.

Finally, the meeting turned to any other business (“Business, Teabag…”). MC confirmed that Help for Heroes were happy to remain as official club sponsor for 2014 and Waverley will continue to raise funds for this worth cause. The total raised by the club in 2013 was £250, an effort we should all be proud of.

Mog raised the issue of post-match player awards, reminding those present that they did not need to be awarded after every game and they were not intended to simply be a box-ticking exercise. There was also a gentle reminder for the club to remember their social roots. To this end, Teabag suggested that we try and arrange a more inclusive Waverley evening out such as a curry night… thereby inadvertently appointing himself social secretary for the coming season.

KV briefly reminded those present that some Waverley players were participating in fund raising for Movember. More details can be found on the club website and do please consider donating to this worthy cause.

Teabag then proposed a vote of thanks to the outgoing Captain and Vice Captain for their efforts this season. Finally, AC proposed a vote of thanks to Mr B for his usual sterling efforts with the scorebook. He also proposed thanks to all those who had helped maintain the book this season, both players and supporters.

With no other business to discuss, the meeting was duly closed at 21:40.

See you all next year!