The 29th Annual General Meeting 4th December 2009

Management Committee Report 2009.

Members and Supporters.

Welcome to this years AGM. hope we find you all well, and wish you all the best for the coming season. The Club sends its sincere condolences to the families of our deceased members, Dennis Howson, Joe Robertshaw, Eric Crawshaw, and Adam Donnelly.

The last twelve months have been extremely exciting, for the Club following last years sensational double wining season, we wondered what would happen this year.

Well, what we have had is yet another fantastic season for the Cricket section, retaining the League Championship. No one who was at Lowerhouse on the last day of the season will ever forget the incredible way our team pulled off that great win to pip Haslingden to the title. Congratulations to the team and all concerned for the hard work and dedication shown throughout the season, enabling this wonderful result to be achieved.

But let us look at the end of 2008 season, and following on from the attainment of Club Mark, we applied for a grant to assist in the cost of the erection of a Disable Ramp to the front elevation of the Clubhouse this was granted by Awards for All and £6900.00 was recieved. Jimmy Hayhurst volunteered to manage the project along with a team of supporters. Planning premission was obtained and during and visit from the Planing Officer various other improvements were requested, three quotes were obtained for the work, prices were obtained for additional materials to erect extra lighting around the ramp and clubhouse frontage, thanks to Graham Howarth and and Martin Young for their efforts. New seating was obtained from St Mirron F.C. and installed in front of the Tearoom and the Huncoat End, making a vast difference around the ground. The ladies had to invest in a new boiler for the kitchen area all part of the improvement and development. Several gallons of paint was applied to the outside walls. The ladies supported with a constant flow of tea and coffee for the workers, in addition lovely flower boxes were placed around the ground adding to the general appearance. All this between January and the start of the season, a fantastic job well done to all concerned.

Once again the Tennis Section managed to survive, but are still low on membership and officers, Alan Brennan has returned to the section, and completed many hours of work removing trees from around the courts as they had started causing problems to the courts surface, Jim Kelly and Dave Reid are left to control the financial details, along with the general running of the club. This section needs to become more active with the over all activities of the main club. The management are to continue monitoring this over the next few years

Whilst all this was going on we still had many others working hard to make monies to support these projects. In January Davd Lloyd again gave his services with an very enjoyable evening to a packed club, the ladies put on a Valentines night, and continue to support the Huncoat Football teams on Saturdays and Sunday mornings providing drinks and butties for the supporters. Linda's Lottery continued to be a great success. Along with this, there was a group guys from the cricket section and junior section organising a Sportmans Dinner for the start of the season in April this again was Bumble, and it was a fantastic success making around £7000.00 a superb start to the season. The ladies committee have asked for help with some new ideas a for any events which they can feature in the next few months, also they always welcome any extra help, please put your name forward.

At this stage Ian McCrae had got the Ground into great shape, and the surrounds had been looked after by Martin Young whilst unemployed for a time, Arthur had rolled the square for many hours, Bert became a super help, keeping the ground surrounds, clean and tidy, and painting everything that didn't move, he has became our top handyman for any problem areas, well done to you all.

With the season ready to start, we still had not recieved clearance from the Border Agency for Roy Silva to return, in spite of hours of paperwork to and froing between Roy Steve Davies and the Agency, Roy was late in getting his visa in Sri Lanka and arrived 2 weeks late you can hear more in the cricket report, but this proceedure cost the club over £500.00 .

Special thanks to Christine and her team, for the fantastic work in the tearoom, year after year she, work your socks off and make a great deal of money to support our club, this year again you beat last years total no credit crunch here just plenty of hard work, a great result, many thanks, I am sure the League will soon honour your efforts, we know you are the best in the league.

The weather was as usual unpredicable with week ends getting the worst of any rain that was around, this along with some months suffering fixtures leaving us with only one home game in the month, this did not help the Social club, but they did increase turnover for a second year running, more events which were staged seemed to get the Club going, but showed no improvement in the balance sheet. The loan is still a big headache, the Brewery are continueally pressing us to improve our beer sales. This in spite of the cricket teams drinking after the games win or lose, great effort lads and good for moral. Many thanks Ian, and Kim, and her Staff, special thanks to Marion and Jill for their work, in keeping the Clubhouse and tearoom clean and bright, we did get a good report from the Health and Hygiene Officer, for the tearoom area, and the toilet block, but a lot of work is needed in the cellar area. where a new consumer box has been fitted at a cost of £1,200. to improve the safety of the electric's.

Some two years ago we held an EGM to discuss the possible sale of part of our land for development this is on going and Mr Peter West will update you on the subject . The other land project that is known as Remade which is a cycle track runing along the railway side and across the corner our clubs land has been held up by County Council for some twelve months but they have stated at this will go ahead in the near future, I will believe it only when it happens.

Nigel Stockley continues to do a fantastic job with the two cricket web sites, but he needs more help from the club to keep the Accrington CC. site going, we do not give him details of events, cricket news, details and information from the Junior Section. If we don't do something soon, and form good links with him then we will lose our web site. That will be a sad day for many of us, please try to help.

Finally we would like to thank our Trustees, Solicitors and Auditors. All the Committee Members the Coaches the Lancs League Representative, our Umpires Scorers Ground Staff and Everybody who helps to keep us going.

And of course as we always say thanks to our Members and Supporters not forgetting all our Mums and Dads of the Junior Section that do so much in keeping cricket developing in our club.

Peter J. Barratt (President)

On behalf of the Management Committee