Agenda

1) Present And Apologies For Absence
2) Acceptance Of Previous AGM Minutes And Matters Arising
3) Season 2009 – 2010 Reports
4) Election Of Officers
5) VP Nominations
6) Membership Subscription Rates
7) Proposed Rule Changes
8) Any Other Business

AGENDA

1) Present and Apologies for Absence
Please sign book at rear of Hall

2) Acceptance of previous AGM Minutes and Matters Arising
Note that points raised at the time of report review are noted in italics
Where the Proposer or Seconder was not captured this has been noted as A N Other
Minutes of BRFC AGM held on 25th June 2009 at the Club @8pm
1. Present
See Book

2. Apologies for absence
See Book

3. Acceptance of Minutes from 2008 AGM and matters arising
Proposed R Broadhurst Seconded M Kelley

2008 – 2009 Minutes continued

4. Hon Treasurer’s report
Jack Petchey monies are in donations I & E line
It is not possible to claim for Gift Aid retrospectively
I & E includes an exceptional item of £4500 re Thames Water settlement – thanks to Dean Francis for his hard work on getting this settled
Donations were down due to economic climate
Overall profit in line with previous years
Proposed A Broadhurst Seconded T Buckle

5. Hon Auditor’s report
Generally good position with cash in the Bank but we have Creditors against these funds – we are not cash rich
Proposed M Appleton Seconded S Henley

6. Hon Chairman’s report
Chairman’s Report 2008 – 2009
It has come to the end of my second year as Club Chairman and I hope that I have continued to provide the “fresh pair of legs” I was asked to provide when I took on this role in 2007. Mention was made in both of the last two years reports about the need to get a grip on our finances following two seasons of financial loss, and I am pleased to be able to report that like last year we as a club have undertaken some prudent financial housekeeping and excellent budget management to ensure that for the second year running the club this year has turned in a small operating profit which should always be the objective of the Chairman and the Club.
The financial planning where each ‘section’ of the Club produced an income/expenditure budget continued this year and has in fact come in ahead of budget in all departments even though sponsorship has been down due the effects of the global economic downturn. A big thanks from me to those club members who continue to give generously both financially and with their time, we have a fantastic new sets of stairs at the side of our clubhouse donated by Nick Hallam which replace a rickety set that were very old and in need of replacement . As last year a big thanks to Ian Anderson and Dean Francis for bringing in much needed local sponsorship, to the entertainments team of Sue Meehan and Karen Page for turning profits on club events, and to everybody who contributed in whatever way via raffles, buying the extra pint or two, provided self funded merchandise etc . All sponsorship ideas going forward would be welcomed.
The 75th anniversary did not see the same first team results as we experienced in our 50th anniversary, but we did have the usually well attended President and VPs dinners, the league match curry lunches still to continue to be popular, the minis held a festival for all age groups which were very well run and supported, the club held an inter club 7s event and then we had the Selsdon Park Hotel ball with 270 guests.
We are continuing to negotiate our rent and lease with the council and secure a long term future for the club at this site, this will enable us to undertake some much needed repairs to the clubhouse. A special thanks to Martyn Baker and Peter Downy who are leading the discussion with the council at this time. Once completed our House Secretary will be able to oversee some much need reparation work to the clubhouse.
On the pitch we have sorted out the coaching programme for next season ahead of pre-season training with Dave Adkins agreeing to formally lead the coaching duties as head Coach, and still looking for a second floodlight facility so that the players can practice twice a week in good conditions. Again both the coaching and the floodlights need money to pay for them, so we must continue with raising income levels. We were relegated to Kent Division 1 this season and need a repeat of the season we had last time we played there when we won the league with 16 wins and a draw out of 18 games. It was very refreshing to see many of the players coming through from the academy this past season and playing on a regular basis among the senior teams especially in the top two sides, even though we had many results go against us. The ladies tam finished a credible mid table after a disappointing season the year before and were rightly crowned the team of the season, while our under 15s again retained their Kent title in a close encounter with Westcombe Park, a great effort by both sides.
We have moved to a more professional era, professional coaching staff, with paid physios there on match days, managers for the top two senior teams, supporting coaches, even professional bar staff, many of these need funding so prudent housekeeping and good fundraising will still be required.
The club is now a very big club with its mini and junior sections boasting about 150 players in each section. The minis took 400+ people on their tour to the Isle of Wight again and have already booked there for 2010. Still great to see many current and former players helping out across the age groups, more and more players are keen to get involved.
On to the people front behind the playing scene, it is with much pleasure that I can inform you that all officers have agreed to stand again this year if elected, having lost two long standing stars the previous year. As I stated last year I’d ask everybody to continue to support the exec members and keep providing us with feedback and better still your support.
Also a big thanks to Sharon Martin for catering on Sunday, to Angela, Julie and the bar team and for the Saturday food and the continuing excellent bar service. Also a special mention to Mick Kelley who continues to organise the numerous curry lunches which we must support when we can, and to Ken Ellis for overseeing the Club Dinner weekend. Jon Averns also does a fine job with the 200 Club and we are almost at full capacity even though he did win the much increased £5000 first prize.
A new club web site was introduced this year thanks to Nigel Putner who continues to be our webmaster, an onerous task in itself. Also a big thanks to Angela Broadhurst and her boundless energy for keeping the club going in so many areas we all take for granted, too many to mention here but fixture cards, Ladies Night, junior tours, keeping Rob in check and the coaches, general club use and cleanliness are some which spring to mind.
We are always looking for volunteers to assist us in any capacity. All minis and junior coaches must now be qualified to level one and be CRB checked, we always need first aiders, referees, managers, fund raisers, kit managers, so please step forward if you think you can help out in any capacity.
I think that I have enjoyed my second year in the role of Chairman, it has been far easier not having to work in Istanbul this past 7 months. A big thanks to the exec team who have kept the club and the finances in good order and who regularly attend the monthly meetings on cold Monday nights sometimes in darkness if we have collectively forgotten the bar keys needed to turn on the lights.
Again this year behind the scene discussions and disputes continue, many to do with egos and differences of opinion but less than last year now the new exec team has settled in place. I continue to appreciate that we are all volunteers and that we have the best interest of the club at heart and nobody will stand in the way of a good idea. It is essential that we continue with our new found financial stability and that we turn a profit again next season, so I wish to maintain one club bank account and strict financial controls, we don’t want slush funds or age group accounts because we know at other local clubs these continue to be divisive and create a club within a club, I like the rest of the exec team are all for the one collegiate atmosphere approach. The same will go for club kit next season where everything will be channelled via one person, our kit manager Sue MacAskill who is appointed for next season.
Please do everything you can to support the club next season as we play to get back into the London leagues, there will be a lot of great events and some even better rugby to watch as we start our quest to climb the leagues again.
Nick Brooks
Club Chairman
Considering numbers turning up for training how long can we justify cost of floodlight training – we will monitor but note that Ladies and Youth do use the facility too
Coaching services expense of Mike Hooke vs success wasn’t working. Dave Adkins now undertaking seniors coaching duties
Encourage use of website and the banter board
Proposed R Hoare Seconded A N Other

7. Hon Secretary’s report
Nothing much to add in my first year as Secretary other than what is commented on in other Secretaries reports. The Club did experience a break-in during the summer last year (2008) but thankfully minimal damage and Insurers paid out without any quibbles. Thanks to Robbie and Angela who gave up quite a bit of time over-seeing the securing of the property and then subsequent repairs.
I have also spent time over the past year attempting to re-draft the Club rules. I have tried to bring them a little more up to date, a little more flexible where appropriate and a bit more reflective of the Club as it is now with the Youth and Mini sections a major part of the club. Whilst at the same time trying to keep some of the tradition embedded in some of the rules. I hope they are voted on and accepted later and that the EGM before-hand will have generated some debate. They aren’t MY rules at the end of the day but rules for the WHOLE Club.
Only other comment is to reiterate the need for everyone to support fund raising events and seek opportunities to attract sponsorship where possible.
Proposed D Murray Seconded P Reid

8. Senior’s playing report
Playing Committee Report
I am fielding this report following Ian Anderson’s decision after several years to stand down as Chairman of Playing Committee midway through the season.
At this point it is appropriate to thank Ian for all the hard work and dedication that he has shown to the club in his role. Despite this season’s performance Ian’s influence has certainly had a positive impact on the club’s approach to training and playing. Ian is not disappearing from the club totally and will continue to be involved with some of the sponsorship negotiations. We wish him well with his career studies and look forward to seeing him as a more relaxed spectator on the touchline, along with the occasional turnout for the Vet’s.
As for the season , this has been one of the toughest seasons the club has had to deal with both on and off the pitch. In particular for the 1st XV. Following the retirement of several key players in key positions ( 7,8,9 & 10) it was always going to be a tough start to the season, in addition to this there were some coaching issues which resulted in Mike Hooke ( Director of Rugby) parting company with Beccs early in the New Year. This obviously, and quite understandably, led to a certain degree of player unrest. In anticipation of MH deciding to depart from the club IA had been in negotiation with David Adkins ( former Becc’s 1st XV Captain and current Sports Teacher at Dulwich Prep.) to take on the role of Head Coach. David agreed to do so for the rest of the season and I am pleased to report that he has also agreed to continue in this position for next year.
The results speak for themselves and are certainly a clear reflection of the upheaval during the season. Played 24 Won 2 Lost 22. As a result of this we find ourselves relegated from the London Divisional Leagues to playing in Kent 1 for next season.
As they say, “the past is history and not to be dwelt on for too long, but to be learnt from”. The focus now will be on looking to gain promotion out of Kent 1 as soon as possible. This will not be easy, as the style of rugby will be very different from that which we experienced in South East 4.
To help with this:
A very structured pre-season schedule has been put together to ensure that we hit the ground running in September. A big thank you to Grant and Gareth Robinson for putting this together.
We have David Adkins back on board for another year. His style of coaching was greatly appreciated by the players judging by the feedback received, and most notably reflected in our performance away at Hastings and Bexhill where we looked capable of, and did, score tries.
Bishops Justus facility has been secured for another season. This is a fantastic training facility for the club, not just utilised by the seniors, and is well worth the expenditure, particularly in view of the appalling substandard lighting at the Club.This is something we need to find a way to rectify be it only a partial improvement.
Continue to integrate youth players from our very successful, Academy,Youth and Mini sections of the club.
Increase player involvement and ownership, in an attempt to get over our perennial issue of getting the right numbers down to training.
Whilst the 1st XV is effectively the clubs “shop window”, we are also proud be able to field 3 other teams who are all an integral part of the club and are as important. They are also key to the performances and development of the 1st XV, and are a valuable asset to player development.
The 2nd XV had the best results of the club and at one stage were potentially vying for top spot in their League. With regards to the 3rd XV and 4th XV the league results were very mixed, it was felt at the Playing Committee that both of these teams were playing a league too high and a request has gone in that both teams drop down a league for next season.
For next year I am pleased to announce that the following personnel have agreed to stand as Captains.
1st XV Grant Robinson ( Captain)* , Jim Bryan ( Vice Captain )
2nd XV Dave Turner ( Captain)
3rd XV Alistair Richards ( Captain)
4th XV Chris Betts ( Captain)
For the record at the club dinner the following awards were made.
Player of the year:
1st XV – Alex Leone
2nd XV – Tom Parker
3rdXV – Phil Browning
4th XV – Mark Torrance
Young Player of the Year – Ian Greenwood
Club Top Try Sorer – Andrew Murray
Team of the Year - Ladies
Doug Murray
Chairman of Playing Committee
Floodlight training facility is needed we couldn’t train under our floodlights, however, these are being looked at to see if we can improve them
Thanks to Ian Anderson for his hardwork in previous seasons
Proposed M MacAskill Seconded C Putner

9. Ladies’ playing report
No report available at time of print
Summary given vocally at time
Proposed A N Other Seconded V Baxter

10. Hon House Secretary’s report
House Report
This has been my first year in the role, and as such, has been quite a steep learning curve. I am indebted to Ronnie Hoare, my predecessor, who has been at the end of the phone whenever required, which in the early part of the year was quite often!
The year has largely been one of frustration regarding the maintenance of the clubhouse, caused mainly by the ongoing negotiations surrounding the rent and lease. Consequently the executive committee has, quite justifiably, been reluctant to make any large or long term financial commitment to the fabric of the building. That said, during the last year we have replaced the hot water boiler, redecorated a large part of the interior and carried out several running repairs to the roof and other parts of the clubhouse.
As is usual with an organisation such as ours, the vast majority of the work involved in the running of the clubhouse, is carried out by a very small minority, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them all individually. Firstly Julie and Eric, who do a fantastic job running and cleaning the bar and clubhouse. It seems to be universally accepted that the quality of the beer is as good as it has ever been and this is due in no small measure to their hard work. Angela Broadhurst volunteers hours of her own time every week carrying out various tasks that otherwise would not get done, or might have to be paid for. Ken Ellis, again, gives up his own time to produce the various dinners and functions and remains a constant source of audio visual equipment for us. Sue Meehan and Karen Page have done an immense amount of hard work producing the various functions throughout the year, the benefit of which will hopefully be apparent in the accounts. Malcolm Jones has been as efficient as ever in collecting match fees and other monies due to the club. If I have missed anyone out, sorry and thanks!
If I have embarrassed anyone into thinking they should be doing a bit more for the club, I would like to take this opportunity of informing you of a day we have planned on Saturday 1st August. Using volunteer skill and labour, we propose to reconfigure and refurbish the changing rooms, as well as carrying out many other much needed repairs and improvements. If you feel you can help in any way, please contact me before the day (details on posters and website), as they say “many hands make light work”.
Mark
DIY Day on 1st August, budget has been put aside. Skilled or unskilled workers required
Proposed N Putner Seconded R Hoare

11. Hon Fixture Secretary’s report
Fixture Secretary’s Report for the 2008/09 Season
The season has been somewhat mediocre and I leave it up to team captains to report on their individual teams. But I will just repeat what dear old Fitz use to say; “If you end the season with an overall success rate of 60% you have done quite well as a Fixture Secretary”. This season it was a little over 20% for the whole senior part of the club. This is the worst season in my 53 years with the club and I should imagine in its history. Needless to say, I do not think I saw any really poor performances of the teams I watched, and I think I only missed watching the club on two weekends. Another major factor as well, is that we can not now select who we would like to play, as it was 18 years ago, so you will have these occasions of low performances.
As the style of game has changed so the frequency of calling of games has increased. We as a club were no angels, we cried-off 14 of our 77 games we were due to play. We had 5 games cried–off against us. This is not as bad as some of the other senior clubs in the Metropolitan area. Hopefully it will improve with the changes we are trying to implement.
Next season the 1st XV will be in Kent 1, and the first two games are away to HSBC and then O Olavians. Our 2nd & 3rd XV’s will both be in 13 team leagues and so will have a full fixture list of 24 games whilst the 4th XV will have 22 games. So, all the four teams will have a complete fixture list for this coming season. The following season, if my proposal is accepted by Kent, the lower sides should be playing three or more different clubs as Kent could be split East and West along the A229.
On behalf of the club I should like to thank the London Society for providing us with Referees, and also the club members who took up the whistle, especially Malcolm.
Clive Putner
Guys Hospital have their pitches and facilities back for next season. They were very appreciative of our help
Timing of home vs away games is unbalanced but can’t be helped, we try to have a home game every w/end
Proposed S Henley Seconded A Broadhurst

12. Hon Team Secretary’s report
Honorary Team Secretary’s Report 2008/09
This has been a very difficult season for the club. The first team has had to use a very large number of players due to injuries and work commitments of some players. This has been a contributory factor in the poor season experienced by the first team.
The problems experienced in the first team had a knock on effect with the other teams. Although the second team had some very good results and for a large part of the season were one of the top teams in their league.
One disappointing aspect of the season has been that we have cancelled quite a few games. In fact although on paper we were running four teams only on four Saturdays did all the teams take the field.
The problem of lack of availability and late withdrawal of players is still a major problem. In the modern age the problems with communicating with players is staggering on times. I would like to thank all the captains for there efforts, because on times it is a time consuming tasks trying to get replies from people.
The floodlit training facilities provided on a Tuesday night are very good and it is a pity that they are underused by the senior men teams. The ladies team make very good use of the facilities and set an example towards training, which should be followed by all the teams.
For next season the ambition has to be to field four sides with three substitutes each Saturday. In order to do this we need to recruit more players.
Malcolm
Cancelled games have tended to be us due to shortage of players. Need to work on player numbers as hoping to run 4 teams next season
Proposed D Murray Seconded M Kelley

13. Academy playing report
Academy Report 2008/2009 Season
Following on from the successes of the 2007/08 season we were looking forward to improving on our performances this season. However it became very clear early on that all our plans were going to be severely frustrated by the school’s influence over their players and how often they would be allowed to train, let alone play for the club.
The U17’s spent the first half of the season fielding sub strength sides in the leagues and the U18’s pretty much played no games in the lead up to Xmas. Subsequently we were never in a position to really do ourselves justice. We were further hampered by Kent’s inflexibility and inconsistent approach around postponed matches due to the weather. It should be noted that we were not the only clubs who were frustrated (understatement) by the County’s handling of the Leagues.
Despite all of the above both the U17’s and U18’s reached and won their respective Bowl Finals , and the U18’s also managed to win the County 7’s Plate Final.
In addition to playing for Becc’s at Youth level a number of the lads made their debuts for the senior club . At the end of season some 16 boys were awarded Tankards in recognition of making theirs step up to the senior teams. A number of the boys also gained senior club honours for “Young Player of the Year” and “Highest Try Scorer” being Ian Greenwood and Andrew Murray respectively. It should be pointed out that on the occasions where the boys represented the senior sides many of them were awarded the weekly “man of the match” award by their peers.
A strong academy structure is vital for the future of the club, as has been seen from the number of players now playing in the 1st XV, who only 3 or 4 years ago were playing in the Academy. I have no doubt that from the numbers that we have coming through Academy ranks the senior sides will continue to reap the rewards. Every resource available should be thrown at this age group to ensure maximum conversion to the senior ranks.
As with the senior team their have been some off the field issues which led to the departure of Lee Shepherd from the U17’s shortly after Xmas. Nigel Putner did a great job in holding the team together where many others would have struggled. For next season Grant Robinson will be helping the U18’s in a coaching capacity. We thank Lee for all his work over the years, though we understand that he is dropping down to help Nick Brooks in the U14’s next year.
It is my last year as Academy Chairman and I would like to thank all those involved in making the structure such a success and a hugely enjoyable environment within which to coach and be a part of. Without the Managers, Fixture Secretaries, Coaches and guest coaches we would not have been so successful, their help was invaluable.
Doug Murray
Academy Chairman
Academy is great feeder for seniors who welcome them to senior rugby and try to help the transition.
Commitment is there to try and keep ex-Academy players involved in playing senior rugby
Grant Robinson will help U18s next season
Proposed M Appleton Seconded C Putner

14. Youth playing report
Youth section 2008-09
The Youth section remains vibrant with four strong squads together earning themselves a reputation as one of the best in Kent. The fixture list gets harder every season and we regularly look for games outside the County.
The U13s stepped up to youth rugby and acquitted themselves well, ending up with 6 wins and 7 losses. They beat a strong Beckenham side and ran in big scores against Judds, Bromley and Gravesend as well as coming from behind to beat Cranbrook. Never one to rest on his laurels, Brooksie took them away to Colchester where the boys learnt a lot about what they need to do to get to the next level. The squad made the semi-finals of the Kent plate and lost in the 7s plate final. Harry Shepperd, Sean Torrance and Ollie Keen all made the Kent squad.
The U14s had a challenging season losing their entire backline to local clubs. This would have finished many sides but Paul and Cliff are made of sterner stuff and they worked hard to encourage the boys, despite some big defeats. It says a lot about the team spirit that the boys stuck at it and improved as the season went on, playing their best rugby on tour in Wales, and building a solid foundation for next season. Raymond Hunte and Michael Garner represented Bromley District.
The U15s continued their winning ways, the A squad losing only once in 13 games, and having to travel all the way to Bristol for the privilege! They retained the Kent cup, beating a resurgent Westcombe Park in the final, and added the prestigious Newbury 10s title, holding off Saracens in the final. The B squad were equally successful losing only once in 9 games and having some memorable wins over A squads, notably the 81-0 victory at Gravesend. Jack Robertson and Patrick Mitchell represented Kent, Charlie Phair played for Surrey and Jack Murtagh, Jack Gilgunn, Conor Brophy, Angus Peters, Sam Jeral, Paul Broadhurst, James Chatten and Liam Melville represented Bromley district.
The U16s finished their stint in the youth section with another strong season, losing only 3 games out of 13 and scoring 212 points for and 76 against. If any team deserves a major trophy it is this one who have been consistent for so long. Unfortunately their luck ran out again and they lost in the semi-final of the Kent cup to Sevenoaks. They bounced back by ending their year on tour in Wales, coming home undefeated. Jacob Burr played for Kent and Ellis Morris, Joe Gluck, Ben Henning, Ben Dickerson, Tim Mckavanagh, Billy Ryan, Jamie Hughes and Alex Brooks represented Bromley district.
Another strong season for youth rugby at Beccs. The Academy will be boosted by a strong squad coming up next year and we wish Hughsie and his boys every success. We say goodbye to Tom Isaac who is standing down as coach after 10 years and thank him for his significant contribution to the club. Next season we welcome Tim Buckle and his squad along with their stellar coaching team! As ever thanks to Sharon Keate, Sharon and Geoff Martin and Mick Sawyer for all their hard work and our referees Malcolm, Ben, Bobby and Kevin.
Robbie Broadhurst
Chairman of Youth rugby
Strong section with good numbers. Help from seniors with no offspring connection is much appreciated. As are the refs who help us out
Proposed A Broadhurst Seconded M MacAskill

15. Minis playing report
The success story goes on….
This was yet another fantastic season of mini rugby at Becc’s, with the different age groups performing well and winning over 20 trophies at a number of festivals. Mini’s membership was also up again this season, with over 200 players registered and many more joining towards the end of the season. This shows that our club is going from strength to strength, and next season should be just as successful if not better.
I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all the coaches, referees, parents and volunteers in all the age groups, who have helped greatly throughout the season. Thanks also to Sharon Keate for organising the registration and subs, Geoff & Sharon Martin and their helpers providing the much needed food and hot beverages for those cold winter mornings, and also to Julie Adkins and her team for providing post-training drinks from the bar. Without these people volunteering their time & effort we wouldn’t have a mini-section at Becc’s.
Good luck to the coaches and players of last season’s u12s as they join the junior ranks. I’m looking forward to next season’s u12s settling into secondary school and I hope spending more time playing rugby. Many of them will be going to Langley Park and Trinity, but wherever they go we wish them good luck as well and look forward to seeing them again next season.
Kent Festival Success
Strangely enough, after all the heavy rains, hard frosts and snow we experienced during the season, none of it affected the Kent Festival programme. Beccehamian teams again showed our strength as a club by performing well on both days. Here are the final placings ….
The u7’s fielded 3 sides - a first I’m told in Kent Festival history!!
U8 – Plate Finalists (Beaten 6-5 by Colfe’s) – Fair Play Winners
U9 – Cup 3rd place (beaten by Winners Canterbury)
U10 – Cup 4th place (beaten by Winners TJ’s)
U11 – Cup Q Finalists (beaten by Cup RUP Sevenoaks)
U12 – Plate 3rd place (beaten by Winners Colfe’s)
75th Anniversary Festivals
As part of our 75th Anniversary celebrations we decided to hold our first ever Mini Rugby Festival at Becc’s. Eventually this was split over 2 separate weekends with the u7, u8 and u9’s on one weekend, and the u10, u11, and u12’s a fortnight later. Despite some cruel weather and sights akin to battling through the Somme, we managed to fulfil the complete programme.
Many valuable lessons were learnt on both days, but we all enjoyed it, a healthy profit was made, and feedback from attending teams was very positive, so we have already planned the Festivals into our fixtures for this coming season.
Thanks go to Andy Munro our main Festival organizer, Nick Hallam for the Festival Programmes, Charlie Vailant for Programme Sponsorship, Debbie & Jim Clarke for help in organising the retail outlets. There were many volunteers on both days that helped make up the Referees, Scorers, Runners, Pitch Marshalls, Parking Attendants, Programme Sellers, and any one else that helped out in the setting up and clearing down of the pitches and tents.
Easter Tour – Tango in the (Isle of) Wight
Another year, another fantastic tour, this time ably headed up by Tracy & Tim Buckle.
We returned again to Noades Point Campsite after the success of the previous season’s tour. There was a lot to live up to, but we weren’t disappointed. 370 happy tourists made the trip, up again from 340 last year. Arranging accommodation for that many people is always going to be an extremely difficult task, and almost impossible to please everyone, but thankfully most people took it in their stride and got into the spirit of the tour.
The theme this time around was ‘Orange’ which peaked with a sea of Orange shirts, socks, shorts, hair, and just about anything else kind of orange looking, being worn in the bar on Saturday night. It was great to see so many people getting into the spirit, dressing up & singing songs. I really appreciated the outfit too – honest!!
This is a perfect setting for the mini’s tour, and long may it last. The campsite owners (Park Resorts) are very “pro Becc’s” and that allows us to pretty much take over the whole site for the weekend. The local establishments also offer good food and wine for anyone looking to escape for a while – Fine them I say!!!
After meeting up in the bar for a few social light ales on the Friday night, a suitable lie-in was had (by me anyway) on Saturday morning. After breakfast the u12’s had organised a round of “mini-Olympics” to keep us busy. This was an excellent afternoon, finished off nicely with a prize giving for the best Olympians in each age group. Well done to the winners and to everyone that helped out on the day to make it a success!!
Another great attraction of this venue is the excellent Vectis Festival. Teams from all over the South of England turned up for what was a difficult morning for some very tired Becc’s tourists. I’m convinced that my u11 players must have stayed up the latest of all as we were taught some fairly tough lessons on the pitch that day. Thankfully the u9’s saved the day by winning the Cup Final and bringing home the last piece of silverware to close the season.
Awards Day
This is the 3rd time now that we’ve been lucky enough to hold our Awards in the marquee, following on from the Senior & Junior Awards evenings. Thanks to Ken Ellis for the PA system, and everyone else that helped out on the day tidying up, putting chairs out & away again afterwards. Sharon/Geoff/Julie and their teams did a great job again providing the essential food and drink to keep everyone going.
The marquee was packed solid with parents and players. Ken reckoned that there were over 300 people there on the day, with many more hanging around outside the doors where it was slightly cooler.
As the sun began to heat us all up, it was all too much for some of the u7’s who made a break for it under the awards table to freedom. It was a proud moment for me to be up at the front making the awards and to shake hands with all the players and coaches and say well done for a great season!
I was also very proud to introduce a trophy for the Best Minis Team. This new team trophy is dedicated to Jim MacAskill (my brother), as an ex-Beccehamian who has recently emigrated to Australia with his family. Jim was on hand to award the trophy to the u9’s as the most successful team in this section of the club.
2009/10 Season
I have enjoyed my first season as Chairman, although I must admit that playing a full season of Saturday games, coaching on Sundays and fulfilling the role of Chairman has been a lot harder than I’d imagined.
We have 4 new coaches joining our ranks next season to support the u6/7 age group – Jason Goodman, Steve Langdown, Sid Davies, and Renault Dude. I wish them the very best of luck as they join our coaching ranks and look forward to working with them during the season. This is a great age group to coach, albeit a little frantic at times due to the huge intake each season, but I’m sure the rewards will be worth it for them.
The involvement of Senior Players has again been hugely successful this season, and I’d encourage all the teams playing contact rugby to get one or more of the players on board. In order to build on that success I will be organising some specialist coaching days during our home training sessions next season, and will be looking for some of the senior playing members to offer their services to make this a success. I have already spoken to a couple of players about taking a session and am on the look out for more, so please help out by volunteering.
As part of the wider group of home training sessions I’d also like to see the scrum machine used more often. To do so will again need senior players with these skills to come forward and volunteer their services. These children hold the key to the future of our club, so a small amount of time invested now will reap major benefits in the future for everyone at Becc’s.

Finally - Good luck to all the Coaches, Captains, and Players in the other sections of the club for the 2009/10 season – Go Becc’s!
Martin MacAskill (Gig)
Mini Chairman
Seniors involvement in coaching is much appreciated.
Great tour, thanks to Tim & Tracy Buckle
Home Festivals were well supported and good feedback from visiting Clubs
Proposed R Broadhurst Seconded C Putner

16. Presentation of trophies
Ted Marks Trophy – awarded to Sue Meehan

17. Election of Officers including election of VPs
Officers elected en bloc.
Duties Secretary role is now defunct
VPs nominated Paul Hewitt, Bryan Patterson, Alex Croxford and Graham Byers
Proposed M Kelley Seconded C Putner

18. Subscriptions
No change to previous year
Proposed N Putner Seconded A N Other

19. Vote on acceptance of re-drafted rules
The proposed redrafted rules were approved at the EGM held immediately prior to the AGM
Proposed S Henley Seconded D Murray

20. AOB
Intra Club 7s will hopefully run again this season as an end of season event
On line shop facility reminded as it gets us a commission
We feel that the recent disciplinary hearings are sending the right message – they are Kent RFU run not Beccehamians internals
R Broadhurst thanked the Executive Committee for their hardwork and commitment

Meeting closed at 9:42pm

3) Season 2009 – 2010 Reports
Season 2009 – 2010 Reports

Honorary Chairman’s Report
It has come to the end of my third year as Club Chairman and a year which has seen a great deal of progress now that the new Executive team have settled into their roles. I hope that we all have continued to provide the “fresh pair of legs” that we were asked to provide.
Mention was made in previous years reports about the need to get a grip on our finances following some previous losses, and I am pleased to be able to report that like last year we as a club have continued to undertake some prudent financial housekeeping and excellent budget management to ensure that for the third year running the club this year has turned in a small operating profit which should always be the objective of the Chairman and the Club. This however will be impacted because of the new rent and back rent we will need to pay to the Council.
The financial planning where each ‘section’ of the Club produced an income/expenditure budget continued this year and has in fact come in ahead of budget in all departments even though sponsorship has been down again due the effects of the global economic downturn. A big thanks from me to those club members who continue to give generously both financially and with their time. As last year a big thanks to Sue Meehan for bringing in much needed revenues to the club from entertainment events, and to Mark Spier, Julie Adkins and Angela Broadhurst and their teams for their professional approach to running a clubhouse that we can be proud of, and one which we are about to spend a great deal of money on now that the new rents etc have been agreed and our future is certain.
This year has been a turning point in that after 2 years of discussions with the Council we now have a new 20 year rental agreement on the clubhouse, and also have agreed a sensible back rent to 2005 which has long been ignored. This could not have happened without the outstanding work from VPs Martyn Baker and Peter Downy who have been negotiating this with the council since 2008. However, this will mean a significant but fair increase in our rent for the next 20 years, and also a back rent for 4.75 years which we will be repaying over the next 3 years. Our House Secretary is now pulling quotes together to undertake the much needed repairs to the roof, the hall floor and the outside of the clubhouse which will not be insignificant, some fundraising, grants and general club funds will be required to ensure these tasks are completed.
Also my thanks go to everybody who contributed in whatever way via raffles, buying the extra pint or two, provided self funded merchandise etc . All sponsorship ideas going forward would be welcomed.
The playing season saw the first team stave off relegation from Kent League 1 by finishing 9th out of 12, we say goodbye to both Erith and HSBC and probably gain Lordswood , Gravesendians, New Ash Green and Whitstable.
We did have the usually well attended President and VPs dinners, the league match curry lunches still to continue to be popular, the minis held a festival for all age groups which were very well run and supported, the club held an intra club 7s event with 6 teams and then we had the end of season dinners which were also well attended, the senior dinner hosted Jeff Probyn who gave a great speech after the dinner. Big thanks to Ken Eliis for his organisation of this event and to Jon Averns, Simon Corcoran and Dave Turner who made it possible for Jeff to participate.
On the pitch we have secured the Tuesday floodlight facility at BJ School, the coaching programme for next season is currently being discussed ahead of pre-season training and we are hoping to upgrade the club floodlights so that we can use those on Thursdays. Again both the coaching and the floodlights need money to pay for them, so we must continue with raising income levels. We were in Kent Division 1 this season and were able to field many players who have come through our academy and junior ranks, many now holding their own place each week including Dan Marriott, Bobby Coles, Elliott Sheppard, Ian Greenwood and Dan Meehan but we will need a repeat of the season we had last time we played there when we won the league in 2006. It was very refreshing to see many of the players coming through from the academy this past season and playing on a regular basis among the senior teams especially in the top three sides, eight boys from the under 17 and five more more from the under 18s, some making their debuts alongside the evergreen John Hughes !
The ladies team finished a credible 2nd in their table losing out to TJs in a play-off for promotion which represents a remarkable turnaround from 2 seasons ago. They were quite rightly crowned the team of the season for the second year running. Among the junior ranks special to be made for our under 13s and under 16s who both won Kent 7s titles.
We have moved to a more professional era, professional coaching staff, managers for the top two senior teams, supporting coaches, even professional bar staff, many of these need funding so prudent housekeeping and good fundraising will still be required.
The club is now a very big club with its mini and junior sections boasting about 180 players in each section. The minis took 442 people on their tour to the Isle of Wight and have already booked there for 2011. Still great to see many current and former players helping out across the age groups, more and more players are keen to get involved.
On to the people front behind the playing scene, it is with much pleasure that I can inform you that all officers have agreed to stand again this year if elected, I believe this continuity of service has been of great benefit to the club with fresh ideas and much enthusiasm. As I stated last year I’d ask everybody to continue to support the exec members and keep providing us with feedback and better still your support. We do however require an Entertainments Secretary, this is a critical role for the club in that it contributes great revenues.
Also a big thanks to the catering teams on both Saturday and Sunday, to Angela, Julie and the bar team and for the Saturday food and the continuing excellent bar service. Also a special mention to Ken Ellis for overseeing the Club Dinner weekend which is a monumental task with the giant marquee, catering, after dinner speakers, bar teams not to mention collecting all the money. Jon Averns also does a fine job with the 200 Club and we are almost at full capacity even though he didn’t win the much increased £5000 first prize this season.
Yet another new club web site was introduced this year thanks to Nick Hallam and Nigel Putner which allows a far greater number of contributors, also it aids us in controlling membership and news bulletins so please sign up if you have not done so already. Nick also not only provided the much needed boot scrapers but also installed them during the season which has made the clubhouse far cleaner, in addition he donated many rugby balls and flags for the various events and festivals. Also a big thanks to Angela Broadhurst and her boundless energy for keeping the club going in so many areas we all take for granted, too many to mention here but fixture cards, Ladies Night, junior tours, keeping Rob in check and the coaches, general club use and cleanliness are some which spring to mind. Also a big thanks to both Angela and Nigel for overseeing all the work that has gone into ensuring that we as a club get the RFU Seal of Approval, another onerous task.
We are always looking for volunteers to assist us in any capacity. All minis and junior coaches must now be qualified to level one and be CRB checked, we always need first aiders, referees, managers, fund raisers, kit managers, so please step forward if you think you can help out in any capacity.
I have enjoyed my third year in the role of Chairman as the club is now running smoothly, we are making a small profit and we are about to embark on a series of clubhouse improvements now that our rent has been secured for the next 20 years. We are also proposing to revamp the subscription payment methods which should make life easier for everybody.
A big thanks to the exec team who have kept the club and the finances in good order and who regularly attend the monthly meetings on cold Monday nights, sometimes in darkness if we have collectively forgotten the bar keys needed to turn on the lights.
As with every year behind the scene discussions and disputes continue, many to do with egos and differences of opinion but less than last year now the new exec team has settled in place. I continue to appreciate that we are all volunteers and that we have the best interest of the club at heart and nobody will stand in the way of a good idea. It is essential that we continue with our financial stability and that we turn a profit again next season with an even greater financial burden on our shoulders, so I wish to maintain one club bank account and strict financial controls, we don’t want slush funds or age group accounts because we know at other local clubs these continue to be divisive and create a club within a club, I like the rest of the exec team are all for the one collegiate atmosphere approach. The same will go for club kit next season where everything will continue to be channelled via one person, our kit manager Sue MacAskill who will be introducing an online version of the club shop as well.
Please do everything you can to support the club next season as we play to get back into the London leagues, there will be a lot of great events and some even better rugby to watch as we start our quest to climb the leagues again.
Nick Brooks
Club Chairman
June 2010

Honorary Treasurer’s Report
See separate sheet
Jim Beveridge
Treasurer

Honorary Secretary’s Report
A year in which a lot of time and effort has been spent, working with my colleagues as part of the Executive Committee, considering the Council’s proposed rent increase and our response to it as well as ensuring the Exec Committee continues to functions efficiently.
As Nick has alluded to, we believe we have got the best deal we could with the Council with regards the rent increase and back-payments, especially considering the starting point, and we are working hard now on trying to get Lease terms that will enable us to ensure we get the best and most efficient use of the Clubhouse as possible.
It is good news to see the Club turn a small profit again this year, and this is in no small part to the efforts put in by all the various sections and members of the Club in attending social events, paying or collecting subscription monies, keeping costs to a minimum, buying kit or a pint over the bar etc etc. A big thank you to all of you.
However, the days of the bar takings and a couple of social events each year keeping the Club financially afloat are long gone. There has been a big drive in the last few years to raise money through social events. As outlined by Mark we are embarking on a series of maintenance projects to make our Clubhouse sound and attractive not only to it’s Members but also to potential hirers of the hall so as to help us financially. The Club will continue to provide social events we hope you want to attend but please, please, please continue to attend them and help raise the funds the Club needs.
Subscriptions remains a sensitive issue in certain parts of the Club. We are proposing to raise them this year, the first time for a couple of years, but we are also looking to try and make their payment less of a strain by allowing payment monthly and by Direct Debit or Standing Order. We hope this goes some way to easing the burden but we must insist that everyone pays their Subs. Bar takings and social events are irregular sources of income, subscriptions not so, therefore we must ask that everyone pays these and on time, and so ease the administrative work for Membership Secretary, Senior Captains and Coaches of having to spend time chasing these up.
Rob Keate
Hon. Secretary

Honorary House Secretary’s Report
This was another largely frustrating year, awaiting the resolution of the negotiations with the council over the rent and lease.
One significant achievement was the refurbishment of the changing room area, which took place last summer. This was a great day, when the spirit of the club really shone through. Volunteers from all sections of the club showed up throughout the day and pitched in to transform the changing rooms. The amount of work achieved, and the result far outweighed my expectations and I shall be eternally grateful to all of those that turned up on the day. I would love to mention each of them individually, but it would take up too much space and they know who they are.
The bar continues to be a success, ably managed by Julie and her loyal team of staff. The beer is consistently recognised as the best pint in the area, notwithstanding Eric’s recent absence from the cellar. Julie has continued to produce a great pint and has the biceps to prove it!
Ken has again done a fantastic job arranging and managing the lunches and dinners. Numbers attending were up on previous years, which is testament to the largely unseen hard work he puts in getting these functions up and running.
Angela has once more given much of her valuable spare time doing good work for the club. The new covers on the bar seating, being but one example of her dedication.
One piece of bad news was Sue Meehan’s announcement that she wished to stand down from her role as social secretary. Sue has done a fantastic job in recent years arranging and producing social functions at the club and the funds raised at these events are unprecedented, contributing large sums of money to the running of the club, as well as providing many entertaining evenings. She is going to be a hard act to follow. Thanks Sue and enjoy the rest!
Looking forward, with the lease and rent finally settled, the club hopes to carry out some significant and long overdue remedial work to the fabric of the clubhouse. This project will require some significant fund raising and so I would ask you all to support the effort in any way you can. All contributions to the project will be gratefully received.
Mark Spier
House Secretary

Honorary Chairman of Playing Committee Report
Before going in to the main body of the report I would like to say a big thank you to Malcolm Jones and all the skippers for all their hard work and patience at during the season. I dread to think how many text messages, email and phone calls were made the year, it was very much appreciated and meant that we were able to field 4 teams on several occasions. Well done chaps.
A number of captains are stepping down at the end of this season, Grant Robinson – 1st XV, Dave Turner 2nd XV, Alistair Richards 3rd XV. All have done a fantastic job in what has been some very difficult circumstances throughout the last 2 years. Well done fella’s and many thanks for all your efforts over the years it has been greatly appreciated.
As for the season , whilst a number of us are glad it is over and that we have managed to secure our position in Kent 1 for next year, and whilst we had some disappointing results (our success ratio of 31.82% is definitely the wrong side of 50%) there were nonetheless a huge number of positives to take out of the season.
We are seeing the continued impact of our very successful mini’s, junior and academy sections of the club feeding through to the seniors. We had 19 players make there senior club debuts this year, with several making 1st XV appearances. In a number of games the average age of the side was below 21. The compliments that we had from a number of clubs was a real credit to the players , I have no doubt that in 2- 3 years time, providing we can keep the players together, we will be in a great position to start moving up the League tables. There were some very memorable performances one of the best being away at Sheppey. Despite losing, fielding a very young team we gave them one of their hardest matches of the season, they knew they had been in a rugby match.
To help us achieve our goal of promotion from Kent 1 within the next 2 years the following is in place:-
1) Bishops Justus facility has been secured for another season. This is a fantastic training facility for the club, not just utilised by the seniors, and is well worth the expenditure, particularly in view of the substandard lighting at the Club. Plans to improve this are underway and should mean that we can do some constructive training at the club on Thursday evenings.
2) Continue to integrate youth players from our Academy.
3) Increase player involvement and ownership, in an attempt to get over our perennial issue of getting the right numbers down to training. This still a big issue and I will be sitting down with the captains again over the summer months to see how we can rectify this.
4) I am pleased to announce that David Adkins has agreed to be the “Head Coach” for another season , which ensures continuity in coaching. Dave has added a greater attacking edge to our game which has seen us score some great tries this year, and highlighted the fact that there is no substitute for youth and pace.

The 1st XV is without doubt the clubs “shop window”, however key to the performance and development of the 1st XV is creating a competitive environment for places. This comes from the teams below. This year we were again able to field 4 teams on several occasions, though not so easy as to find the opposition and we had a number of frustrated weekends where last minute cry offs by the opposition has meant that some players were unable to get game time.
Yet again The 2nd XV had the best results of the club with a 56.25% and early on in the season it looked as if they were in with a shout at winning the league Unfortunately injuries and a number of personnel promoted to the 1st XV, prevented this happening. The 3rd XV and 4th XV league results were very mixed largely as a result of what happened in the teams above having a knock on affect. 99% of the time, the team selected on a Tuesday night bore no resemblance to that which turned out on the park on Saturday.
For next year I am pleased to announce that the following personnel have agreed to stand as Captains for next year.
1st XV - Jason Obee
2nd XV - Alistair Woodward
3rd XV – Chris Betts
4th XV - Steve Mills
One thing that stands out immediately is that we have a very youthful flavour to the skippers of the top 2 teams. It is vital that as a club we collectively get behind and give these individuals the support and encouragement needed to develop and be successful. We have young squads with huge potential, who will make the odd mistake along the way, that is life and the best way to learn and improve.
A big thank you must also go to Steve Robinson as Manager of the 1st XV and Paul Russell as Mediacl Co-ordinator, these are all thankles task's which take up a huge amount of time but are an invaluable support to the 1st XV and the lowers sides. Steve many thanks as I am sure we would have finished with a lot less shirts than when we started, and Paul thank you for getting as many people patched up as possible.
For the record at the club dinner the following awards were made.
Player of the year:
1st XV – Gareth Robinson
2nd XV – Dean Borg
3rdXV & 4th XV – Simon Hance
Young Player of the Year – Dan Marriott
Club Top Try Sorer – Neil Page
Team of the Year - Ladies
Doug Murray
Chairman of Playing Committee

Honorary Team Secretary’s Report
This season has again been difficult for the first team but there have been some encouraging signs of improvement on the occasions when our best team played.
The first team has had to use a very large number of players due to injuries and work commitments of some players. As a club we are not alone in this situation and this is reflected in results throughout the league.
Grant has decided after three seasons as captain to step down and I would like to thank him for his work over the last three seasons.
The second team has had some very good results and had a run of good wins on the trot. Dave has decided to step down as captain after three seasons with the second and third teams. I would like to thank him for his hard work over the last three seasons and hope to see him playing next season without injury.
This season we have again struggled to put four teams out on the same day and frequently the third and fourth team have combined. Alistair as third team captain was injured most of the season. Therefore Chris the fourth team captain stood in and did a very good job. Both teams achieved some very good results.
The most encouraging aspect of the season has been the number of young players who have contributed to the senior sides. These young players are a testament to the dedication and hard work of the coaches in the Academy and throughout the junior section.
All of the clubs locally are experiencing the same problems as we are over availability of players.
The floodlit training facilities provided on a Tuesday night are very good and it is a pity that they are underused by the senior men teams. The ladies team make very good use of the facilities and set an example towards training, which should be followed by all the teams.
For next season the ambition has to be to field four sides with three substitutes each Saturday.
Malcolm Jones
Team Secretary

Honorary Fixture Secretary Report
The 1st XV just held their own in the League aided by the stupidity of Guys Hospital, who had a massive points deduction, and by Cranbrook beating Uckfield in the play-offs. The problem with Guys will not be resolved until the 8th June would you believe.
In comparison with the previous season, which was poor, I suppose you can say the Club overall had improved, but nothing to shout about. Combining the 4 Senior teams together we had a 40% success rate, whereas, last season it was just over 20%. But, not one team was able to achieve a positive points difference. Our “cry-offs” were down but that was only by some manipulation by Malcolm and me. It might have been better had not the weather intervened, as the 2nd XV lost 5 games and the others 2 each.
We did take part in 2 Cup competitions. In the National Junior Vase we lost to Chipstead in the 1st round, and in the Kent Vase we withdrew in the 2nd round after beating Ashford in the 1st round. (That was by our 2nd XV).
As I have said previously, I cannot really influence dramatically who we play, but I have managed to place the 3rd XV in a lower league. Also, the 3 lower teams will all now be in 12 team leagues, giving them a full fixture list starting on the 25th September. Regarding the 1st XV, their fixture list will not be out until the 9th June, after the appeal by Guys as to who is relegated, them or HSBC.
On behalf of the club I should like to thank the London Society for providing us with Referees, and also the club members who took up the whistle, especially Malcolm.
Clive Putner
Hon Fixture Secretary

Chairman of Youth and Academy Report
Thanks to the groundwork over recent years by stalwarts such as Steve Robinson, Mark Spier , Doug Murray and others, the reputation of Beccehamian’s Academy and Junior section as one of the strongest in Kent continues to grow. Nigel Putner becomes the latest club player to guide a side for 12 years from minis through to senior rugby. This last season has been a difficult one with little rugby for the squad but Nigel has had the immense satisfaction of seeing 15 of his players turn out for the senior teams this season. That is what the junior section is there to do and Nigel and his squad deserve a huge pat on the back for their achievements over the years. Nigel was presented with the Jack Petchey Leadership Award at the club dinner, thoroughly deserved.
The U17s capped a strong first year in the Academy by making it to the SE Final of the National Plate competition, losing narrowly with a depleted squad that was given a helping hand by some of the U16s. They put up valiant performances in both the Kent cup and 7s competitions going out in the semis in both, again to agonisingly small margins. This has been another strong squad over the years and Hughsie, like Nigel, will be as proud of the fact that 10 of his squad played for the seniors this year as he has been with any of their trophies over the years. He runs a tight ship but is ably assisted by Doug, Paul Shine and Graham Marshall. Joe Gluck has continued to be an inspiring captain, Jake Burr played for Kent and Tim McKavanagh for Surrey. There is undoubtedly more to come from this squad next year.
Another club stalwart stepped up to the Juniors this year in the shape of Tim Buckle and his U13s. A strong squad of 27 players, they enjoyed a successful season on the field, winning the Foxbury Shield at the start of the season, adding the Kent Plate towards the end and then surpassing themselves by adding the Kent 7s to their tally. At this rate they could go on to outperform the current U16s! Bradley Bateup, Richard Kulenzic and Joe Hughes represented Kent with Joe also promoted to the Saracens Elite squad. A great start from Tim’s boys of whom even greater exploits will be expected next year.
The U14s had a difficult year and Brooksie had his work cut out keeping the boys together, having lost 19 players over the summer. Their season started promisingly despite h a couple of narrow losses but the pressure of losing so many players began to tell. The squad were not helped by being in a merit table where clubs were more concerned with winning than balancing games. When the boys did meet opponents of similar strength, they recorded some good wins. Despite the challenges, the boys stuck together and some real characters shone through, players such as Peter Brooks, Billy Stracey, Abdul Adedeji, Sean Torrance, Jordan Souter and others. The plaudits must go to Callum Buckler who led the squad from the centre and scored many tries. He played for Kent at hooker and has been called up to the elite squad. Despite their challenges this year, this squad showed true character and will no doubt continue to develop next year.
Brooksie’s predicament probably has a familiar ring to Paul Harrington who had a similar season last year but stuck at it and was rewarded this year with the addition of some talented and exciting players to his U15 squad. They are now a squad of 20 and turned in some great performances, culminating in a fantastic performance to beat Bromley 24-0 in the Kent Bowl Final. Jack Parsons, Raymon Hunte and Michael Garner played for the Bromley district side. With their new found strength in depth, the squad can look forward to next season where they will undoubtedly build on this success.
The U16s had a mixed season by their own standards but still managed to add two winners trophies and a runners’ up shield to consolidate their position as the most successful junior squad in the club. A rare defeat to a Kent club, the only one in the last three seasons and it had to be Blackheath, was a disappointing start , but the boys made up for this by winning the Kent 10s tournament and narrowly losing in the final of the Brentwood golden boot, 3-0 to Barking. Injuries, county commitments and school tours made it hard to get a settled side out but at least all 38 boys in the squad got game time. The side recorded some good wins against strong opposition, the highlight being the away win over Saracens. The Kent cup was disappointing, losing on drop goals in the quarter finals, as was the Newbury 10s when the boys were denied the chance to defend the cup by a last second try in the semi finals against Harrow. They had already won the Kent 7s the week before with a series of strong performances so weren’t too sorry for themselves. Perhaps the highlight of the season was the tour to Omagh which saw them beat three U17 sides and had the Enniskillen coach describe them as the best team of their age group he had ever seen in Ulster! Jack Robertson continued to be an inspirational captain and played for Kent, as did James Peet, Paul Broadhurst and Angus Peters, whilst Charlie Phair played for Surrey and George Scott for Bromley district.
So a good season for the Juniors and Academy with five Kent trophies in the cabinet but, more importantly, 25 players from the U17s and 18s turning out for the senior sides. That is the real mark of success!
Robbie Broadhurst
Chair of Junior and Academy Rugby

Chairman of Mini Rugby Report
The success story goes on….
This was yet another fantastic season of mini rugby at Becc’s, with the different age groups performing well and winning 30 trophies at a number of festivals. Mini’s membership was again strong this season, with around 200 players registered and many more joining towards the end of the season. This shows our club continues to go from strength to strength, and that next season should be even better.
I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all the coaches, referees, parents and volunteers in all the Mini’s age groups who have helped greatly throughout the season. Thanks also to Sharon Keate for organising the registrations and especially for all the last minute RFU registrations prior to the Kent Festivals; to Julie Adkins and her team for providing post-training drinks from the bar, and our caterers for providing the much needed food and hot beverages for those cold winter mornings. Without these people providing their time & effort we wouldn’t have a mini-section at Becc’s.
I’d also like to say good luck to the coaches and players of the outgoing u12s (my own squad) as we move up to join the junior ranks. I’m very much looking forward to next season and finally playing the 15-a-side game.
Kent Festival Success
Beccehamian teams again showed our strength as a club by performing well on both days. Here are the final placings. Well done to all those that took part, and to the coaches for preparing the teams so well.
U8 – Cup Final Runner-Up
U9 – Bowl ¼ Finalists
U10 – Cup Final Runner-up
U11 – Plate Winners
U12 – Shield Winners (strong group incl. eventual Cup & Bowl winners)
Beccehamian Mini Rugby Festivals
As last season’s festivals were so well received we decided to make this an annual event at Becc’s. As with last season this was split across 2 separate weekends with the u7, u8 and u9’s on one weekend, and the u10, u11, and u12’s a fortnight later. The decision to move the Festivals into springtime paid off handsomely with some fantastic weather conditions. Again a healthy profit was made, and feedback from attending teams was very positive.
Special thanks go to Andy Munro our main Festival organizer, with Nick Hallam (Programmes & First Aid), Charlie Vailant (Trophies), our Festival sponsors and to all the coaches who put in a huge amount of time & effort to make this happen on the day. Thanks also to the many other volunteers that helped make up the Referees, Scorers, Runners, Pitch Marshalls, Parking Attendants, Programme Sellers, and any one else that helped out in the setting up and clearing down of the pitches and tents. Well done & thanks to you all !!!
This season we also hosted a Festival for developing players, this time ably fronted by the u10’s coaches (Jim Clarke, Phil Goulds, Jason Townsend). Prior to the event the u8’s (Charlie Vailant) also joined in. Again feedback was very positive as this gave our newer players a chance to shine against teams with similar abilities. This looks likely to be a yearly event for those able to field enough players. Well done & thanks again to everyone involved !!
End of Season Tour – Hawaiian Luau by the beach
Another year, another fantastic tour, this time ably headed up by Nick Hallam & Sue MacAskill
We returned again to the Isle of Wight for our 4th visit to Noades Point Campsite after the success of previous tours. There was a lot to live up to, but we weren’t disappointed. 440+ (yes that many!!) happy tourists made the trip, up again from 370 last year. Arranging accommodation for so many people is always going to be an extremely difficult task, and almost impossible to please everyone, but thankfully most people took it in their stride and got into the spirit of the tour. The sheer numbers meant we had to host the u11’s & 12’s on a camp site next door, with Charlie Vailant supplying a mini bus & driver to ferry us back and forth.
This time around the theme was ‘Hawaiian’ which peaked on the Saturday evening with a host of dodgy looking outfits, well mine was anyway, and just about anything else with a kind of flowery look being worn in the bar on Saturday night. It was great to see so many people getting into the spirit, dressing up and joining in the fun.
After meeting up in the bar for a few social light ales on the Friday night there were a few sore heads in the morning. Soon after breakfast on Saturday the u12’s had organised a round of “mini-Olympics” to keep us all busy. Then after a short break for lunch we finished the afternoon off nicely with a Treasure Hunt.
In a change from previous years we decided to keep everyone “on site” on the Saturday evening by hosting a BBQ together with games and entertainment in the main hall. This seems to have been very well received. Well done to Sue and all the ladies & gents that helped out on stage.
Another great attraction of this IOW venue is the excellent Vectis Festival. Teams from all over the South of England turned up for what proved to be a very difficult morning for some very tired and emotional Becc’s tourists. My u12’s must surely have won the award for partying the hardest (again) as clearly we weren’t up to playing much rugby the next day and should have stayed in bed. Regardless of the scores, the Hawaiian themed tour kit ensured that we stood out from the crowd.
Awards Day
This is the 4th time now that we’ve been lucky enough to hold our Awards in the marquee, following on from the Senior & Junior Awards evenings. Thanks as ever to Ken Ellis for the PA system and everyone else that helped out on the day tidying up, putting chairs out & away again afterwards. Julie and the bar/ catering teams did an excellent job again by providing the essential food and drink to keep everyone going.
The marquee was again packed solid with some 300 or so parents and players, and many more hanging around outside the doors trying to get a peek of the presentations.
It was a very proud moment for me in my last season as Mini’s Chairman to be up at the front making the awards and to shake hands with all the players, coaches and volunteers and say well done for a great season!
This season the Jim MacAskill Team Award went to the u10’s (also last year’s winners!) for bringing home TEN trophies; closely followed by the u8’s with 8 trophies.
2010/11 Season
I have thoroughly enjoyed my 2nd and final season as Mini’s Chairman here at Becc’s, and wish Robin Entwistle the very best as I hand over the Chairmanship to him (in lieu of votes) at the AGM. I’m sure that most of you know Robin very well. He is a long standing club member who is still playing in the senior sides, and I am absolutely positive that he’ll prove to be an excellent leader over the next 3 seasons. I leave this post knowing that the Mini’s are in very good hands.
Finally - Good luck to all the Coaches, Captains, and Players in the all sections of the club for the new season – Go Becc’s!
Martin MacAskill (Gig)
Mini Chairman

Ladies Section Report
This year has been particularly important to the Ladies section as we are celebrating ten years from when the side was formed by Yvonne Baxter and Josie Holden. On the 12th June we are hosting a reunion where all old members of Beccahamian Ladies will come to the club for a game of touch and a BBQ. The success of the section can be attributed to the strong team spirit and welcoming nature of the ladies involved and being relatively new to the club I have experienced this first hand.
Playing Season
The ladies section has had another successful season which has culminated with our promotion to the South East East 2 and us winning team of the year for a second season in a row. Due to the other teams within our league struggling for players, we only played 3 home games, 6 away games and gained 4 walkovers. We have won over 2/3rds of our games, fielding full squads, finding our shape and discovering our strengths and overall finished second in the league. The lack of game time and inconsistent league structure has impeded our development on the field as a squad; however we are looking forward to the challenges that face us in the upcoming season.
This season has seen us face heavy losses through injury with three of our established members undergoing some form of surgery. I am happy to say that all will be welcomed back for pre-season training. However alongside the injuries, the team has seen a growth in numbers of new players many of whom have never played rugby before. The growth in numbers has brought competition for positions and a depth in the section that hasn’t been present over the past few seasons.
Training this season has been dynamic and allowed the ladies to not only develop their basic rugby skills but improve their general knowledge of the game. Our squad’s development would not have occurred without the hard work and dedication from our coach Kelly whom I would like to thank on behalf of all the ladies.
The ladies had an eventful tour to Blackpool in which we won our 2 games and enthusiastically embraced the local culture. A big thank you needs to go to Sally, Abs and Debs for organising tour and we are looking forward to touring to Cardiff in February 2011.
Social Season
Alongside a successful season on the pitch, comes an even more successful social season with the ladies running 2 fundraising events and raising over £2000 for the club. These events would not have occurred if it hadn’t been for the hard work and organisation that Debbie put in and I want to say a big thank you from the club.
As a section we have arranged a number of socials including the Beccs Christmas party, trips to Twickenham and are all looking forward to our annual trip to Southwold where we will compete in a beach rugby tournament.
Looking forward
As we look forward to next season and the next ten years for the ladies section it is apparent that we need to develop and evolve. We have elected a strong committee to begin the large task of taking the next steps forward.
Recruitment and retention of players has been an ongoing problem within the club as a whole. Next year we hope to:
Concentrate on having a large recruitment drive and will begin to reform links with the local press to aid us with promoting the section and the club.
Set up a girls section, initially concentrating on the 15-17 age range with the view of developing our own talent and player base.
Playing in the league above will be challenging and our aim is to consolidate as a squad and finish mid table next season.
I would like to finish my report by thanking the club as a whole for its ongoing support on and off the pitch and I am excited about the start of the 2010-2011 season.
Amy Wigley,
Ladies Team Captain

4) Election of Officers

5) Nomination of VPs

6) Proposal of Membership Subscriptions 2010 – 2011

7) Proposed Rule Changes
To help facilitate our obtaining Community Amateur Sports Club status, after consultation with the Inland Revenue, the following 2 rule changes are proposed:-

Rule 2a currently reads
The primary objective of the Clubshall be to play Rugby Football Union

Proposed wording
The primary objective of the club shall be to provide facilities for and promote participation of the whole community in the sport of rugby football union.

Rule 3a currently reads
Membership is open to any person with an interest in Rugby Football as provided by Rules 4 to 12 inclusive

Proposed wording
Membership of the club shall be open to all persons irrespective of ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion or beliefs;or of age, sex or disability except as a necessary consequence of the requirements of rugby football union as a particular sport.
The Executive Committee may refuse membership or expel from membership only for good and sufficient cause, such as conduct or character likely to bring the Club or sport into disrepute. Appeal against such a decision may be made to the Club's members and decided by a majority vote

8) AOB