Wickham Park Sports Club
More than just a Sports Club

Wickham Park Sports Club AGM

Wickham Park Sports Club Limited

(A Company Limited by Guarantee and not having a Share Capital)

Registered Office – between 228-230 Pickhurst Rise, West Wickham, BR4 0AU


Dear Member

Notice is hereby given that the 86th Annual General Meeting of Wickham Park Sports Club Limited will be held in the clubhouse on Sunday 16th July 2023 at 1.00pm. All club members are expected to attend.


DIRECTORS

Mark Mullins – Chairman (8)                      Ben Hayward (7)                            Martin Cole (4)           

Nicholas Dumper (7)                                    Robbie Devlin (4)                            Warren Berkley (6)

Guy Carter (4)                                               Gerri Vandenberg (6)                     John Kulenicz (2)

Lynne Hayward (7)                                       Peter Humphrey (7)


In accordance with a resolution passed at the 24th AGM the number of Board Meetings by each Director is shown in brackets. The total number of meetings held in the year ending 30th September 2022 was 8.

AGENDA

  1. Minutes of the 85th Annual General Meeting held on 10th July 2022
  2. Matters arising from those minutes
  3. Accounts and Auditors report for the year ending 30th September 2022
  4. Chairman’s Report
  5. Election of Directors

Retiring in accordance with Article 43: Mr Devlin, Mr Humphrey and Mr Berkley

Mr Humphrey has also resigned from his role as Financial Director.

All others offer themselves for re-election.

  1. Remuneration and appointment of Auditors for 2022/23
  2. Election of:
  3. Club Secretary
  4. Club Treasurer
  5. Any other Business


Note: Notice of intention to nominate a Director (other than a retiring Director) must be given in writing to the Secretary of the Company not less than four, nor more than seven, clear days before the date of the meeting. The Secretary must also receive during the same period written consent to the nomination by the nominee.

(All correspondence to the club address please)

Copies of the 2021/22 Accounts, Minutes of the last Annual General Meeting and Section Reports will be available on the club website prior to the meeting. A small number of copies of each will be available at the meeting.

By Order of the Board

Mr Benjamin Hayward

(Hon. Company Secretary)


85th AGM  Minutes


Apologies Received:

Robbie Devlin, Martin Cole, Rob Sheath

  1. Minutes of the last AGM were circulated and approved.    Proposed by: Guy Carter      Seconded by: Nick Dumper
  2. Matters Arising    There were no matters arising.
  3.  Accounts and Auditor’s report.These accounts are from a COVID period. They were a large factor. A lot of sport was shut down during this time as was the bar. Through Mark’s efforts, we were able to get grants from the recovery fund from the Local Authority. We are spending a lot of money on the pitches, thanks to grants received from the Football Association. We have to provide some funds at a later date, therefore we are growing a sinking fund. Proposed by: Lynne Hayward.  Seconded by: John Kulenicz
  4. Chairman’s Report.  The Chairman’s report was read aloud. It was stated how great it is to see sport being played at the Sports Club following on from the pandemic. We were financially stable during this period. The Chairman thanked Warren Berkley for his support in sourcing funding for a ground project and Peter Osborn and Peter Humphrey for running the 75 and 200 Clubs.      Proposed by: Nick Dumper      Seconded by: Lynne Hayward
  5. Election of Directors.  Retiring in accordance with Article 43: Mr Carter, Mr Cole and Mr Vandenberg.  All offer themselves for re-election.  Proposed by: Peter Osborn.  Seconded by: Warren Berkley
  6. Remuneration and Appointment of Auditors. The re-appointment of David Weedon (Messrs Hamilton Eddy & Co) as Auditor for 2022/23. They continue to offer a great service at a reasonable rate. Proposed by: Guy Carter. Seconded by: Graham Haydn.
  7. Election of Officers.                        Club Treasurer – Mrs C Briggs. The Chairman proposed a vote of Thanks for the hard work Carol has put in over the years.     Club Secretary – Ben Hayward. Proposed by: Gerrit Vandenberg. Seconded by: Peter Osborn
  8. Any Other Business

Peter Humphrey would like to thank Mark Mullins for the period during COVID. He kept this place running on his own, and the club owes him a degree of gratitude.



Cricket Section Report

Wickham Park Sports Club AGM 2023

My Year!!: Surprisingly enough I have enjoyed the year as Chairman. I did not really know what to expect and the reality was better than my worst fears. Thanks to Cliff who has always been available for advice and guidance and thanks to so many members of the Cricket Club who have been kind and generous to me and given me so much fun. These include the team Captains, Sami, Dave, Khan, Nelson, who put so much work in to ensure we get teams out. Thanks to Peter Humphrey for his invaluable support and advice. Thanks to Paul Robinson for scoring and I hope he will be able to continue next year. I have loved the playing and the social side, both after the game as well as the many social functions we have held in the Hall. It is so good to see so many non-players who come down to support and join in. There have been frustrations and I will come back to that later but in general, there is a great deal for us to be proud of.

Thanks: It is important to acknowledge those people who have helped the club thrive throughout the year. Thanks must go to Mark Avenell who has worked hard this year to prepare the grounds for both cricket and football. It has not been easy; however, he has clearly been successful as we have had so many compliments about how well the square plays. Thanks, must also go to Andy Bowles and Josh Bowles who have been such vital members of the club for many years. Josh and Isaac will be playing their cricket closer to home, and we wish them every success over the coming years.

Season: I think last year could be described as a season of mixed fortunes. The first team played well and finished 3rd which was a blessing as we are not quite ready to be promoted. Sami scored the most runs 747, Tamil took the most wickets, 45 and Khan took the most catches 18. Khan also finished 2nd on runs scored and wickets taken. There were 2 x 100s both scored by Nelson. The 2nd team struggled and finished bottom, mainly because we could not get any consistency in team selection. Overall, we played 53 matches and won 22 and we should look to improve on that next year.

Nets: Winter nets were again held at the Beckenham County Cricket Ground. It is a good venue but there were problems with agreeing on dates and perhaps we should be looking at a different venue next year, and one that might be a little closer to Croydon where so many of our members live.

Looking Forward

New Structure: The League structure in Kent has been reorganised. The 1st team will play in Tier 2, Division 7 Spitfire. The 2nd team will play in Tier 4, Division 12A. We will be playing against many of our old friends but also some new ones so it will be a new challenge for us. The League has agreed that Teas will not be provided this year but will look at it again next year. One big change is that each team in Tier 2 will have to provide an umpire who cannot play. Gary has agreed to help where possible, but we cannot rely on that every week.

New Prices: Dave and I have had a look at what we charge other teams to play at WP and we have decided to increase prices a little. It is important not to price ourselves out of the market, but it is also important that we charge a reasonable rate which will support the cricket section. In 2023 we intend to charge adult teams £145 to hire our ground. The Ovalites and the Spartans team get a reduced rate of £130. And the Kent O60s and O70s have agreed to increase their payments from £60 to £90. Bromley CC would like to continue their connection with us, and I will look to increase their payments. This will not only help our finances but might also help a problem that we have to face next year. When we rent the ground out, we need to have someone here to open up and put the equipment out and away. Last year, Peter, Gary, Dave Crisp, Cliff and I helped out – mostly me to be honest. This is not a very reliable system and there were problems last year. The extra money charged might be useful to pay someone to do this important piece of work.

Finally, to finish on a positive note. I would like to thank all the families who allow their husbands, sons, partners to play on a regular basis – we love to see you at the ground during and after the game. You are very welcome and without you the club would be a poorer place!


Football Section Report

Wickham Park Sports Club AGM 2023

It has been another challenging year for Football mostly due to the limited time we have been able to use the pitch.

Wickham Park Vet’s team did reach two Cup semi finals only to lose out on both occasions to the winners of each competition.

The return of the summer League was a success. And we ensured football continue at Wickham Park and that the Bar was utilised by allowing two other teams to hire our pitch.

We hope for increased success in the future.



Tennis Section Report

Wickham Park Sports Club AGM 2023

 

Open day

We had a successful open day -Monday 1 May all day at West Wickham Village Day Blakes Park. Gaining 13 players on the coaching program

Member promotion

We had a membership promotion of a 2-month trial membership with a 50% discount. Gaining 11 members - time will tell if they continue as full members.

Membership

Membership continues to be steady at 256.

Coaching

Coaching numbers continue to be steady with room to increase.

Courts update

Grass courts - Due to wet conditions grass courts opened later than expected. The use has been lower this year than usual as members prefer the clay courts.

Clay courts - These courts prove to be the preferred courts to majority if not all members.

Tarmac courts - The subsidence has been repaired; this was able to be done in the winter thanks to our neighbour giving us access over their drive.


Table Tennis Section Report

Wickham Park Sports Club AGM 2023

The Table Tennis section has had a successful 2022/23 season (September to April) as follows:

Bromley League

Division 1 – WP A finished 3rd (in first season in Div. 1 after promotion)

Division 2 – WP B won the division

Division 3 – WP C came runners-up


Croydon League

Division 1 – WP A finished 5th in what was a highly competitive league

Division 2 – WP B finished 4th

Division 2 – WP C finished bottom

Division 3 -  WP D finished bottom

Division 4 -  WP E won the division


As can be seen from the Croydon results, we have been experimenting with more teams in order to encourage more league play and as feeders for the future. This will continue in 2023/24.

Our changed policy of attracting players of league or potential standard is starting to pay dividends not only in terms of league finishes but also in being able to attract more members. Our current body of members totals 46 which is up on the mid-30s we had fallen to at one stage. The upgrading of the hall floor during Covid has also played a positive part in our progress.

Other highlights include:

  • The junior training programmes set up and run by our Chairman, Lew Hodges, have been and continue to be a regular success and have generated some extra funds for the Club in the process.
  • Our annual Club championship was won for the second year running by Anita Jermyn, who now holds the Wickham Park Table Tennis Men’s Cup! Anita also played her first international fixture for England Veterans during 2022/23.
  • The mid-week online booking system for members continues to function well and is one of the main contributors to the overall higher standard of play in the Club. It also helps to maximise the usage of the limited space we have for a club of our size and influence in the leagues.

John Kulenicz, Secretary, Wickham Park Table Tennis