The meeting commenced at 7.30pm.

Those present: Keith Armes (KA)(Chairman), Keith Jolly (KJ)(Treasurer), Peter Jones (PJ)(Vice Chairman), Neil Jolly (NJ), Mick Watkins (MW), Sally Goodrich (SG), Jim Goodrich (JG), Neil West (NW), Jane Sago (JS), Richard Sago (RS), Andy Gilder (AG), Rita Daniels (RD).

1. Apologies for absence: Graham Robinson (GR)(Secretary), Freda Wright (FW).

2. Approval of previous Minutes: The minutes of the Committee Meeting of 12th September 2011 were confirmed as a true record and signed by the Chairman Keith Armes.

3. Matters Arising: Item15.5: JS confirmed that the W.I. had borrowed two carpets, as agreed. They were very grateful and have given a cheque for £25.
Item 7: KJ said that the cheque from Shotley for league fees had been refunded, as agreed.

4. Chairman's Report: The Chairman congratulated the County Squad on beating Sunderland in the Inter County League Play-off Final and in coming second in the National County Championships at Potters.

5. Secretary's Report: The secretary was unable to attend so there was no Secretary's report.

6. Treasurer's Report: The Treasurer presented an income/expenditure statement to 21st November 2011 with a current balance of £5993. KJ explained the current insurance situation, of 94 member clubs only 13 do not have some form of insurance through the SCBA, most insuring equipment and public liability. A total of 188 carpets are insured including the county ones. As agreed at the last meeting KJ has revised the forms for insurance, league and cups combining into a single form requiring just one payment to the treasurer for all items. GR to be asked to circulate the draft package to all committee members for comment. Comments to be sent to KJ before the next meeting. One immediate comment was the need to add a note ensuring cheques was not sent to JG as was previously the case.

7. Match Secretary's Report: JG reported that leagues and cup were running smoothly and email updates were being sent to Paul Daniels for the website. It was commented that some clubs were playing all home or all away games before Christmas, but this did not break any rules.

8. County Business: The County Captain confirmed that the performance at the Teambowl in September was exceptional and that Suffolk had won it convincingly. The County Trials in October had resulted in several squad changes and NJ thanked the markers for their help.
At the National Championships in November Suffolk won the Inter County League Play-off Final 8-4 and finished 2nd in the Nationals. NJ said it was a very good performance, the team played well and it should stand us in good stead for the future.

8a. Charity Tournament: This is booked for 22nd January 2012 at Needham Market and the meeting needed to sort out arrangements. There was discussion on which Charity to pick and Arthritis Care and Age UK Suffolk were considered. (Subsequent to research after the meeting Age UK Suffolk has been agreed as the more suitable charity although Arthritis was preferred at the meeting). It was agreed to repeat the tournament in the same format as last year which RD and JS will arrange. There is unlikely to be a tombola this time. RD will arrange the entry forms and see if Ipswich Plumbers wish to be involved with sponsorship this year. JS will arrange quizzes and raffle similar to last year. GR and FW to be asked if they will do the catering.

9. Closed Tournaments: Rita Daniels listed the qualifiers from yesterday's Closed Pairs, they are - Andy & Sue Gilder, Rita & Pete Runnacles, Margaret & Jim Southgate, Neil & Keith Jolly, David Ford & Andy Pooley, Ann & Alan Blundell, Paul & Rita Daniels and Kevin Postma & Keith Hull. With regard to provision of carpets for the Singles it was agreed that a club could be paid for bringing multiple carpets if offered and if needed.

10. English Carpet Bowls Association: MW said that there had not been an ECBA meeting but work was progressing on the production of a DVD and some parts had been filmed at Potters.

11. Eastern Counties Carpet Bowls Association: PJ reported on the last ECCBA meeting and circulated an updated ECCBA contact list. ECCBA now has a website accessible via the ECBA or SCBA websites with copies of minutes, results etc. ECCBA is trying to establish a comprehensive list of dates of interest for the site encompassing all Eastern Counties, Suffolk information is already available. ECCBA has decided that the ECBA rule regarding the delivery box is obsolete and they will recommend deletion if the rules are reviewed. Other ideas for updating the rules were invited. The suggestion that games be reduced from nine to seven ends in the Six Counties Tournament was discussed but it was agreed there would be no change.

12. Referee Training: MW confirmed that he had run the referee training course on Saturday 29th October as planned, which had been constructive. He will run further courses as required by demand and via these minutes interested players are invited to contact Mick Watkins on 01473 780661. MW is also prepared to offer awareness courses to individual clubs which would cover measuring, rules etc. He also confirmed that ECBA would be paying for all the referee training, there would be no cost to SCBA, clubs or individuals. After the referee training up to six of the Suffolk referees will be registered by ECBA as 'Elite' referees.

13. Any Other Business:
1) SG congratulated the County Squad on the spirit in which the Nationals were played.
2) NJ reported that, from conversations with some Durham players, they appear to be keen to visit Suffolk next August. It appears that Durham may have already approached our Secretary regarding this so PJ will check with GR and MW will talk to D Storey to check out his understanding. NJ said he would be happy to arrange the bowling side but not hotels and meal. A sub-committee may be required to arrange this.
3) RD sought confirmation that the Closed Finals Day would be 22nd April 2012. This was the backup date and now appears on the latest Dates of Interest list. GR to confirm.

The meeting closed at 8.30pm.

The next meeting is on Monday 23rd January 2012

The meeting commenced at 7.30pm.

Those present: Keith Armes (KA)(Chairman), Keith Jolly (KJ)(Treasurer), Graham Robinson (GR)(Secretary), Peter Jones (PJ)(Vice Chairman), Neil Jolly (NJ), Mick Watkins (MW), Sally Goodrich (SG), Jim Goodrich (JG), Neil West (NW), Jane Sago (JS), Richard Sago (RS), Freda Wright (FW), Andy Gilder (AG).

1. Apologies for absence: Rita Daniels (RD).

2. Approval of previous Minutes: The minutes of the Committee Meeting of 11th July 2011 were confirmed as a true record and signed by the Chairman Keith Armes.

3. Matters Arising:
Item12: GR said that the CPO item had not been deleted from this meeting's agenda but he would ensure that it was taken off future ones.
Item 13.3: MW explained that the stacking diagram would be in place shortly.
Item 6: KJ confirmed that the bill for Bildeston hall hire had been received and dealt with.
Item 7: KA confirmed that he had written to Ann Blundell.

4. Chairman's Report: The Chairman congratulated Barking on winning the Summer League.

5. Secretary's Report: The secretary circulated updated lists of Dates of Interest, Contacts, and Member Clubs details to all committee members. He explained that questionnaire replies had been received from 52 clubs compared with 70 last year and some clubs at the meeting had not replied.
GR felt that planning for the charity tournament next January needed to start as entry forms would need to go out early in November. It was agreed that the tournament would be in a similar format to last years. RD ran it last year and KA agreed to contact RD to ask her if she would run it again and check with her regarding trophies. A charity needs to be chosen and JG agreed to check whether the company he works for was supporting a suitable charity this year, if so they may double the amount raised.

6. Treasurer's Report: The Treasurer presented an income/expenditure statement to 9th September 2011 and explained certain anomalies and additions which will balance later in the year when outstanding items are completed. At the next meeting he will bring details of the clubs insurances.
There was discussion about simplifying next year's payments by clubs for subscriptions, insurance and winter league/cup fees. NJ suggested that the way forward was to have everything on one letter/form so clubs just sent one cheque to the treasurer. This was approved and KJ agreed to draft a suitable letter/form for post or e-mail.

7. Match Secretary's Report: JG reported that there had been some delay in getting final results sheets at the end of the Summer Leagues. Clubs are reminded of the need to send results sheets in promptly, particularly towards the end of the season.
JG confirmed his intention to ensure that future cup and plate draws are carried out publicly. The total number of clubs entering the Joe Rice cup is the same as last year although there are a couple of different clubs.
Some fixture secretaries had not received details of winter leagues from their club secretaries before match bookings started and there was discussion on how best to ensure that the Fixture Secretaries got the information promptly.
Shotley have advised the SCBA that they have to withdraw from this year's winter league and the committee agreed to refund their entry fee.

8. County Business: The County Captain confirmed that all arrangements for the forthcoming teambowl, county trials and Nationals are in hand and progressing smoothly, as are arrangements for the Squad Dinner.

9. Closed Tournaments: Rita Daniels was unable to attend the meeting but reported via JG that only 13 triples entries had been received so far but a larger number were expected in the last week.

10. English Carpet Bowls Association: MW said that he had attended the ECBA meeting on 20th August, he would produce a written report in due course but verbally reported on the main points discussed.
There had been concern that some counties and officers had not attended. The website was working well. There was a balance of £17,126.
There had been discussion on the two tier system for referees, MW will be responsible for referee training in the Six Counties with six high grade referees for each county.
An alternative venue for the Champion of Champions had been considered but there is no viable alternative to the Norbreck at present. Potters arrangEments and bowling layout had been agreed. Potters' offer for the 2012 Nationals from 5-8 October was approved, although it is hoped to revert to the later date for 2013.
Approval had been given for the making of a professional promotional DVD and internet presentation.
It was agreed to split the secretarial workload next year by having a Competition Secretary in addition to the day-to-day Secretary and there is an opportunity for anyone wishing to be ECBA Competition Secretary.

11. Eastern Counties Carpet Bowls Association: PJ reported that there had been no ECCBA meeting since the last SCBA meeting, information regarding the Teambowl had been received, passed to NJ and actioned.

12. Child Protection Officer: There was no CPO report.

13. Referee Training: MW and an outside trainer are setting up a training course on Saturday 29th October, venue to be arranged, concentrating on retraining existing referees plus other interested bowlers. Mick Watkins can be contacted on 01473 780661 for further information.

14. Diary Dates: It was agreed to change a number of 2012 competition dates following comments received about events on Bank Holiday weekends and the alteration of next year's National Championship dates.
After discussion it was agreed to hold the Summer League playoffs on a midweek evening and the Winter League and Cup/Plate finals on two separate midweek evenings.
Subject to hall availability the following dates are proposed:
Suffolk Closed Championships Finals Day - 1st April (22nd & 29th backup dates).
Joe Rice Cup and Chairman's Plate Finals - week commencing 16th April - Tues, Wed or Thur.
Winter League Finals - week commencing 23rd April - Tues, Wed or Thur.
Summer League Finals - week commencing 9th September - Tues, Wed or Thur.
Chairman's Triples - Sunday 16th September
County Closed Triples - Sunday 21st October at East Bergholt or Hadleigh (14th October backup)
County Trials - TBA.
GR to book these and cancel existing bookings.

15. Any Other Business:
1) A thank-you card had been received from Sue Gilder for the use of SCBA equipment at the Bowls Marathon.
2) NJ proposed a small change to the Summer League rules which currently state league dates of 1st May to 31st August by adding 'unless otherwise advised by the SCBA'. This is needed because this year's Summer League finished earlier. This was agreed.
3) MW explained that the Fab Fours tournament will continue to be called Marions Fab Fours and Marion Brown accepts this.
4) AG gave an update on the charity total raised at the Extravaganza which had continued to rise and now stood at £1861 and thanked the committee.
5) JS asked if the Womens Institute could, if necessary, use two of the SCBA carpets for a tournament they are running at Needham Market on 12th October. This was agreed.

The meeting closed at 9.00pm.

The next meeting is on Monday 21st November 2011 at Needham Market

The meeting commenced at 7.30pm.

Those present: Keith Armes (KA)(Chairman), Keith Jolly (KJ)(Treasurer), Graham Robinson (GR)(Secretary), Peter Jones (PJ)(Vice Chairman), Neil Jolly (NJ), Mick Watkins (MW), Sally Goodrich (SG), Jim Goodrich (JG), Rita Daniels (RD), Neil West (NW).

1. Apologies for absence: Jane Sago (JS), Richard Sago (RS), Freda Wright (FW), Andy Gilder (AG).

2. Approval of previous Minutes: The minutes of the Committee Meeting of 18th April 2011 were confirmed as a true record, proposed by RD, seconded by SG and signed by the Chairman Keith Armes.

3. Matters Arising: There were no outstanding matters arising.

4. Chairman's Report: The Chairman welcomed everybody back on the committee and particularly welcomed new member Neil West. He reported that the AGM had gone well but there were a couple of items raised that needed discussion later.

5. Secretary's Report: The secretary reported that the AGM minutes together with winter league forms and updated lists had been circulated to all clubs. He was pleased with the number of questionnaires returned so far.
GR had been contacted by Peter Umney regarding receipt of invitations to Suffolk Open competitions, GR to check Mr Umney's email address to ensure he receives them. Clubs are reminded that they must keep the SCBA committee updated on any correspondence or email changes to ensure that they receive all necessary correspondence. It was agreed that entry forms for the closed disciplines would be sent to individuals whose email addresses were held in addition to being sent to every club.
GR to double check the date of the Barrow Quiz night which may be incorrect on the dates of interest list.
6. Treasurer's Report: The Treasurer presented a current balance sheet which was discussed. KJ reported that the auditor, Richard Jones, had suggested that for payments where no receipt was available the person receiving the money should be asked to complete and sign a payment request form. This will be introduced. He had also suggested that where there are large year on year changes on the balance sheet the reason should be recorded.
KJ reported that the cost of insurance had now been confirmed with the cost for a set of equipment increasing by 50p and public liability by £1. There was one month's grace on the insurance payment. He reported that he had emailed Bildeston again as the hall hire bill had still not been received. If no bill is received the money received from ECCBA for hall hire may have to be returned.
He confirmed that Great Barton had not rejoined the SCBA and were no longer members.

7. Match Secretary's Report: A letter had been received from Hoggards Green regretting missing the Winter Finals Day league play-off and apologising to Old Felixstowe but suggesting that they had not been properly informed by SCBA. JG reported that he had personally handed a hard copy of the play-off paperwork to the secretary of Hoggards Green. KA agreed to send a reply to Ann Blundell at Hoggards Green.
JG reported that some clubs had sent him one cheque for league entry plus membership and insurance. This was not considered a problem but important that JG and KJ keep each other fully informed.
A call had been received from Doreen Buckle of Tostock regarding playing league and cup for different clubs. The revised rules clarify this, so it is acceptible to do so but it would not be possible to play Joe Rice Cup and Chairman's Plate for different clubs. JG to contact Doreen Buckle to explain.
Clubs are reminded that no shots are lost for playing short of players in the summer league, some clubs have been deducting shots which JG has corrected.
NW suggested, and it was agreed, that the Summer League rules should be put on the website, NJ to arrange with Paul Daniels.
Once all the league and cup entries are in it was agreed that a set of the current winter rules would be sent to each club when the league details are sent out by JG.
JG suggested that future cup draws should be done publicly, this was agreed.

8. County Business: The County Captain Neil Jolly and two other selectors Sally Goodrich and Steven Cain had agreed to stand again. There being no other candidates they were re-elected.
MW asked whether SCBA would support the charity Bowls Extravaganza in August. After discussion it was proposed by JG, seconded by KJ that SCBA should fund the hall hire as their charity donation. This was agreed.

9. Closed Tournaments: Rita Daniels and family agreed to continue planning and running the closed tournaments for 2011/12 season.
RD expressed some concern regarding the date of the triples as she might not be available but Paul Daniels will run this tournament and several members of the committee offered to help if required. Because of timing a separate mail drop for the trials and triples will be required.

10. English Carpet Bowls Association: It was agreed that Mick Watkins would continue as Suffolk delegate at the ECBA.
MW reported that he had not been able to attend the ECBA AGM. He has been given responsibility for referee training in the Eastern Counties. In Suffolk MW and JG plan to arrange the Suffolk training later this year which should result in six premier referees plus a number of other trained referees. There is no up to date record of current referees so all referees and those wishing to be referees will have to attend training days which will be funded by ECBA.

11. Eastern Counties Carpet Bowls Association: It was agreed that Peter Jones would continue as Suffolk delegate at the ECCBA. PJ had attended the AGM on 30th June and reported on that and circulated an updated ECCBA calendar and fixture details to the committee.
The position of league secretary has now been taken over by Paul Daniels.
Counties were asked to consider a proposal that in the Six Counties tournament ends be reduced from 9 to 7 or substitutes be increased from 2 to 4. After discussion Suffolk agreed not to support any reduction in ends, would prefer subs left at two but would accept four with the provisos that once substituted that player could not play again in the match and that no substitute could play as skip.
All counties were asked to remind their players that the use of bad language and kicking of blocks is not acceptible in ECCBA events.
Counties were also asked to ensure that raffle results are not announced/posted until after all games have been completed.

12. Child Protection Officer: There was no CPO report. The chairman suggested that this item could be left off the agenda until further government proposals are published.

13. Any Other Business:
1) SG agreed to take over responsibility from Marion Brown for the procurement of all trophies. Details of outstanding orders were passed to SG. She will try and arrange for direct invoicing to the treasurer in future.
2) SG and JG agreed to run the Summer Play-off day. SG will arrange the raffle. JG will check on catering requirements and let GR/FW know if catering is required.
3) MW asked for more care to be taken when putting away the county equipment at Needham Market. Not everyone is aware of how it should be stacked so MW agreed to produce a diagram to be placed by the equipment. MW also asked if it would be possible for the county equipment to be used at the Barking Charity tournament at Needham in September. This was agreed.
4) NW reported that the County Trials date this year clashed with the Bury League's Waveney match. This year's dates are fixed but it is hoped to avoid a clash in future years. NJ advised that the 2012 Trials date was likely to be 21st October 2012, not 16th September shown on the diary dates so a clash would be avoided next year.

The meeting closed at 9.15pm.

The next meeting is on Monday 12th September 2011 at Needham Market.

The meeting commenced at 7.30pm.

Those present: Keith Armes (KA)(Chairman), Keith Jolly (KJ)(Treasurer), Graham Robinson (GR)(Secretary), Peter Jones (PJ)(Vice Chairman), Neil Jolly (NJ), Mick Watkins (MW), Freda Wright (FW), Marion Brown (MB), Andy Gilder (AG), Sally Goodrich (SG), Jim Goodrich (JG), Rita Daniels (RD).

1. Apologies for absence: Jane Sago (JS), Richard Sago (RS).

2. Approval of previous Minutes: The minutes of the Committee Meeting of 7th March 2011 were confirmed as a true record and signed by the Chairman Keith Armes.

3. Matters Arising: A number of action points from the previous meeting were confirmed and discussed.
KJ confirmed that the £115 surplus from the Nationals had been paid to Suffolk Squad Funds. (action from item 6)
GR confirmed that the date of 22nd January 2012 has now been booked for the Charity Tournament (from item 3) but confirmation was still outstanding from East Bergholt regarding the date for the Closed Triples.
4. Chairman's Report: The Chairman congratulated the Suffolk County Squad on winning the Eastern Counties League and commiserated with them as runners up in the Six Counties Tournament.

5. Secretary's Report: The Secretary circulated a letter received from St Elizabeth Hospice.
It was pointed out that some clubs had reported difficulty in printing off emails received from SCBA. After discussion it was felt that SCBA were using the most suitable systems, if further problems are reported they will be dealt with on an individual basis and hard copies sent if required.

6. Treasurer's Report: The Treasurer presented a balance sheet to 18th April 2011, this is the last before the AGM but will be further updated to the year end at 30th April. KJ pointed out a number of items which may require clarification at the AGM these included - The 'Trophies' figure is much lower this year because last year's included two years' sets and this year, although ordered, the bulk of the trophies will not be delivered until after the end of April. The 'Charity Donation' expenditure figure is blank as it will not be paid until after the end of April. This figure will be £1450 which is marginally lower than predicted as the sponsorship was slightly less than anticipated and expenses slightly more although SCBA has contributed some extra.
There was discussion on subscriptions and tournament charges and the view was that subscriptions and charges for closed tournaments should stay the same for next year, also that the £10/carpet for supplying a carpet should remain.
KJ reported that the hall charges for Bildeston had still not been received. He would continue to chase as these need to be forwarded to ECCBA for reimbursement.
Arrangements for presentation of the Charity cheque need to be made. It is hoped to do this on 1st May. KA to confirm arrangements with JS, KJ to provide cheque.

7. Match Secretary's Report: The Chairman congratulated the League Secretary on the efficient
completion of the league tables.
JG reported on the final situation and promotions and relegations. Brockley and Great Blakenham won the Division 1 West and East, both by large margins. Hoggards Green and Needham Market are promoted to Division 1 West with Barrow and Offton & Willisham relegated. Old Felixstowe and Martlesham are promoted to Division 1 East with Brantham and East Bergholt relegated. Bealings and Whatfield are promoted to Division 2 East with Nayland and Tythe Barn Sproughton relegated.
The Summer Leagues have now been sorted with 34 teams entering, one less than last year. Four of last years teams have not entered but three new ones have.
JG and SG will not be available to run the Finals Day on 22nd May although JG will send out the paperwork to the teams. MW will help on the day but more help is needed.
After discussion it was agreed that the Closed Championships Finals Day for 2012 should, if possible, be brought forward from 6th May to 8th April and the League & Cup Finals Day be brought forward from 27th May to 6th May.
A suggestion had been received from Roy Petts that proposed match dates should be pregenerated as happens in some other leagues. This was discussed and a number of concerns were raised, it was however agreed to put this as an agenda item for discussion at the AGM.
NJ presented a proposed change to the SCBA Winter Rules which he had been asked to draft at the 22nd November 2010 meeting. The committee agreed that the current rule 1d should be deleted and replaced with the following: 1d: In any Winter League season (1 September - 31 March) no bowler can knowingly play for more than one club in SCBA league matches, without the express authority of the SCBA Executive Committee. 1e: Rule 1d also applies to the two SCBA club cup competitions. 1f: However in any Winter League season a bowler is permitted to play for one team in SCBA league matches and a different team in the two SCBA club cup competitions. NJ to update the Winter Rules accordingly.

8. County Business: NJ reported that the County Team had secured enough points in their final match against Essex to win the Eastern Counties league but in the Six Counties Championship Suffolk were not at their best and Essex won it for the first time with Suffolk second on shots.
NJ also reported that arrangements for the Nationals at Potters were being finalised and a system had been put in place for County Players to pay money over the summer if they wished.

9. Closed Tournaments: RD confirmed that paperwork for the disciplines finalists had been sent out, and winners' progression explained. It was agreed that there was a need to get confirmation from the winners on the day that they would be able to represent Suffolk in the Eastern Counties and National Champion of Champions. All players in the final play-offs to be asked to stay at the end so that any duplication or unavailability can be sorted out.
There will be a draw on the day at the closed finals but not at the league & cup finals. MB offered to help with the draw for part of the day.

10. English Carpet Bowls Association: MW circulated notes of the ECBA meeting he had attended on 26th March. Key points included progress on a promotional DVD with a special committee meeting to be called prior to the AGM to discus ideas for content. There appears to be progress on the training of referees with agreement that two trainers per county would be appointed by June 2011 and a maximum of six referees per county would be trained by November. Training would be free. MW confirmed that all eleven counties would be contesting the Nationals requiring a revised format including Friday evening sessions. The league play-off will be on Saturday evening and will be between Suffolk and Sunderland. Despite Suffolk voting against it was agreed that the Champion of Champions would return to the Norbreck in 2012.

11. Eastern Counties Carpet Bowls Association: PJ had attended the ECCBA meeting on 10th March and reported on the content of the meeting. The main points of interest were the request to Suffolk not to post the league results on the website before the official ones are issued. Counties are now asked to email results to the league secretary the day after matches which should eliminate any delay.
There was concern about referee training which has now been raised and sorted at ECBA. The registration rule was clarified so in any year commencing 1st Sepember a player can only play for one county in their closed events and the same county in the ECCBA league and events.
The date of the AGM of the ECCBA has been changed from 16th to 30th June. Several officer have indicated they wish to stand down. There were no volunteers to stand for these positions although it was appreciated that SCBA may have to fill one of the positions.

12. Child Protection Officer: AG had nothing new to report.

13. Any Other Business:
1) SG requested a new Dates of Interest list.
2) NJ had received entry forms for the Essex Open Fours. It was agreed that these should be displayed and available on Finals Days.
3) RD reported that the ECBA rinks in Hertfordshire had only two entries from Suffolk. It was noted that this is the same day as the Bury League finals.
4) In conclusion, as this was the last meeting before the AGM, the Chairman thanked all members for their contributions over the past year. Committee members were asked if they were prepared to stand for re-election at the AGM. Marion Brown indicated that she would not stand again and KA thanked her for the very considerable work she has done as a committee member. RD indicated that if a pre-AGM meeting was needed she would not be available that night. PJ said he would not be available to attend the AGM but was prepared to stand for one more year.

The meeting closed at 9.10pm.

The next meeting is the AGM on Monday 20th June 2011 at Needham Market.

The meeting commenced at 7.30pm.

Those present: Keith Armes (KA)(Chairman), Keith Jolly (KJ)(Treasurer), Graham Robinson (GR)(Secretary), Peter Jones (PJ)(Vice Chairman), Neil Jolly (NJ), Mick Watkins (MW), Freda Wright (FW), Marion Brown (MB), Richard Sago (RS), Andy Gilder (AG).

1. Apologies for absence: Jane Sago (JS). Sally Goodrich (SG), Jim Goodrich (JG), Rita Daniels (RD).

2. Approval of previous Minutes: The minutes of the Committee Meeting of 24th January 2011 were confirmed as a true record and signed by the Chairman Keith Armes.

3. Matters Arising: A number of action points from the previous meeting were confirmed and discussed.

NJ confirmed that he had drafted a letter to Durham which had then been sent by KA. (from item 9).
GR circulated an updated Diary Dates list to the committee, the dates of 21st and 22nd January 2012 had been provisionally booked for the charity tournament. It was agreed to confirm the date as Sunday 22nd which would be more suitable for the possible sponsors.
GR confirmed that a letter of thanks had been sent to Needham Market (from item 7).
GR confirmed that he had advised Andy Gilder that he had been co-opted back onto the committee (from item 12). AG was welcomed back onto the committee as CPO.

4. Chairman's Report: The Chairman had nothing to report.

5. Secretary's Report: The Secretary reported that he had booked all the required dates at Needham Market for 2012, there had been one non available date in October 2012 so he had swapped the dates for the Suffolk Closed Triples and the Chairman's Triples. He was awaiting confirmation from East Bergholt. After discussion it was agreed to cancel the SCBA Juniors event scheduled for 17th April due to lack of junior players but to keep it on the calendar for 2012 in the hope of having more juniors by then. GR to cancel the booking.
The East v West match is booked for 4th May; teams will be based on the County Squad. MW agreed to sort these out.
The Suffolk League v Bury League match is booked for 11th May; Suffolk will continue to avoid playing county players for this. KA agreed to invite selected clubs to provide a team for this, it was agreed that he would not ask teams from the West which also play in the Bury League and may get invited by them. This should avoid last year's confusion when teams were asked to play for both.
GR confirmed that a pre-AGM meeting had been provisionally booked for 13th June should one be needed. It is not on the Diary Dates list.
David Cobbold's email to GR was discussed. The SCBA will send out minutes and other correspondence by email to all clubs that have provided an email address unless clubs have requested hard copies, in which case SCBA will be happy to send all correspondence by post instead of or in addition to email. Any requests should go the secretary. GR to reply to David Cobbold confirming that he will continue to receive hard copies in addition to emails and that the policy will be reviewed at the end of the year to see if material savings had been made which could be passed on to clubs (as agreed at the last meeting).
After discussion it was agreed that as the contact list is now rather long it might help if it was sent out in a smaller font and the full list only sent out once a year.

6. Treasurer's Report: The Treasurer presented a balance sheet to 6th March 2011. The final figure for the Charity Tournament shows a total of £1447, with income of £1776 and expenditure of £329. The total amount includes sponsorship from Ipswich Plumbers which is not yet to hand. SCBA agreed to add £53 to round up the amount to be given to Alzheimer's to £1500. The total is over £300 more than was raised last year. It was agreed that JS should invite someone from Alzheimer's to one of our Finals Days to receive the cheque. RS agreed to talk to Keith Hull regarding the sponsorship.
MW raised the question of the £115 surplus from the Nationals which has not yet been transferred to Suffolk Squad Funds (see item 2 of previous minutes). It was agreed that a cheque would be written for this.

7. Match Secretary's Report: The Match Secretary was not at the meeting so there was no report but copies of the latest tables had been sent.

8. County Business: NJ reported on the recent County Matches. There had been a fantastic 31-5 record win against Norfolk followed by a very good 21-15 win over Cambridgeshire. With one game to play against Essex, Suffolk have a 14 point lead over Essex so the match at Braintree on 20th March will decide the ECCBA champions.
On April 10th Suffolk will be defending the Six Counties Championship. PJ was asked to find out the location of the trophy which was not collected by Suffolk last year.
NJ said that the team for the National Championships at Potters will be finalised after the Essex county match. As the players' accommodation payments will have to be channelled through SCBA this year, and credit card payments cannot therefore be used, it was felt that SCBA should set up a system allowing players to make partial advance payments if they wish. NJ and MW agreed to discus this with JG. The need for careful record keeping was stressed.

9. Closed Tournaments: These had all run smoothly with just the Fours still to be played on 13th March.

10. English Carpet Bowls Association: There has been no ECBA meeting since our last meeting.
There had been a request for a tournament calendar to be produced covering all the southern counties. It was agreed that this was a good idea which Suffolk would support. It is to be raised at the next ECCBA meeting and PJ will use the latest Suffolk Dates of Interest list as the source for Suffolk information

11. Eastern Counties Carpet Bowls Association: The next ECCBA meeting is on 10th March. PJ was asked to seek clarification of the representation criteria listed in the ECCBA rules of June 2009 to avoid any misunderstanding.

12. Any Other Business:
1) GR said that the Child Protection Officer's report was not an agenda item but now we have a CPO again it will be added.
2) GR raised the question of the portable notice board which is not being regularly updated and used. There are problems regarding getting it transported but FW agreed to take it and update it for the next tournament.
3) Although the calendar on the SCBA website includes all SCBA events and some others it was agreed that GR should contact Paul Daniels to see if the full list could be included.
4) AG gave a report on the current situation with regard to the current Child Protection situation. There is a recent government paper and he gave a brief precis. This does indicate that there will be a simplified system introduced. He will continue to monitor the situation and send a clarifying letter to the clubs in due course.
5) MB reported that the cost of providing trophies for the leagues, cups and tournaments had risen sharply and would total nearly £1000 this year. She was asked to procede with the ordering.
6) NJ felt that recognition and congratulations should be given to Sue Gilder and Shirley Watkins for their outstanding performance in winning the Charity Pairs Tournament at Soham on 6th March. This was agreed.
7) It was agreed that the Summer League invitation paperwork needs to be sent out with these minutes. The fees would be kept the same as last year. GR to update the letter and send with these minutes.

The meeting closed at 9.00pm.

The next meeting is Monday 18th April 2011 at Needham Market

The meeting commenced at 7.30pm.

Those present: Keith Armes (KA)(Chairman), Keith Jolly (KJ)(Treasurer), Graham Robinson (GR)(Secretary), Peter Jones (PJ)(Vice Chairman), Neil Jolly (NJ), Mick Watkins (MW), Sally Goodrich (SG), Jim Goodrich (JG), Rita Daniels (RD), Freda Wright (FW), Marion Brown (MB), Jane Sago (JS).

1. Apologies for absence: Richard Sago (RS).

2. Approval of previous Minutes: There were several corrections to the previous minutes:
1) Add to item 9. The subsidy for the County Championships and Champion of Champions for 2011 was agreed at £35 per person.
2) Add to item 9. It was agreed that the surplus of £115 from the Nationals at Blackpool should go into the Suffolk Squad Funds.
3) Add to item 7 after sentence 2. Winter Rules July 2010 1d) relating to players playing in cup and league for different teams is to be rewritten by NJ to clarify it.
4) Item 4. 'recognition' should read 'resignation'.
Subject to these changes the minutes of the Committee Meeting of 22th November 2010 were confirmed as a true record and signed by the Chairman Keith Armes.

3. Matters Arising: As agreed in item 3 of the previous meeting GR circulated a list of member clubs with their membership and league bowlers numbers as detailed in the questionnaires returned by the clubs. This was discussed and some omissions and anomalies were noted. It was decided to repeat the exercise at some point in the future to monitor membership trends.
GR reported that he had informed Neil West of the agreement in item 12 although he was already aware as PJ had also informed him.

4. Chairman's Report: The Chairman reported that Charity Tournament on 22nd January had gone extremely well. After expenses and the receipt of sponsorship money it is anticipated that approximately £1500 will be donated to the Alzheimer's charity. It was agreed to repeat next year in a similar format. The alternative dates of 21st and 22nd January 2012 to be provisionally booked but discussions need to take place with this year's sponsors Ipswich Plumbers before arrangements are finalised. It was generally felt that the location of Needham Market was right and a larger venue might attract a few more entries but not enough to cover the additional hire charge.

5. Secretary's Report: The Secretary reported that he had received correspondence from David Cobbold regarding the sending of minutes and other information by e-mail rather than post. This was discussed and it was agreed to look at the end of the year to see if any material savings had been made that could be passed on to members.

6. Treasurer's Report: The Treasurer presented a balance sheet to 22nd January 2011. There were no questions on this.
KJ suggested that on the minutes there should be an action column as, in the past, sometimes actions and follow up have been missed. This was agreed. PJ agreed to include an action column in these and future minutes.

7. Charity Competition Report: This had been mainly covered earlier in the meeting. RD questioned whether SCBA should offer to pay Needham Market BC for the loan of their carpet. It was felt that, as this was a charity event and no transport was involved, it would be sufficient to thank them for the loan of the carpet and GR agreed to write and thank them.

8. Match Secretary's Report: The Match Secretary reported that all was running smoothly with the league and cups. There was an error in the table with the number of Belstead matches which was being sorted out. He indicated that so far this season three clubs had lost points (in addition to shots) through playing with a shortage of players. Because of the bad weather quite a number of matches had been postponed and it had been agreed to add one week to the season (1st week of April), some clubs have already been told this.
It was agreed that Closed Tournaments should be added as a regular agenda item to ensure that they are properly planned for and discussed. The forthcoming Closed Singles venue has had to be changed to Hadleigh. It has been arranged that tea and coffee will be available. RD has contacted all entrants, mainly by email, regarding the changes. It was agreed that there was no need for a revised front sheet to be sent out.

9. County Business: NJ reported on the recent County Matches. The away match at Bedfordshire in November had resulted in an excellent 29-7 win. The December match against Norfolk had been postponed by Norfolk at short notice because of a bereavement and has now been rearranged for 30 January at Bildeston. The January home match against Hertfordshire had resulted in a great 28-8 win.
NJ also reported that the 2011 County Trials location and date had been changed and was now on 9th October at Bildeston. The dates of interest list has been updated.
Durham have confirmed that they will be unable to take up Suffolk's invitation to visit this summer but hope to come in 2012. It was agreed that SCBA should write them a letter expressing our understanding of the reasons, welcoming them in 2012 and offering to try and reduce the cost of the visit if we can. NJ to draft a letter for KA to send.

10. English Carpet Bowls Association: MW had attended the ECBA committee meeting at Rotherham on 22nd January. He presented a written report and various items were explained and discussed. Andy Gilder had tendered his resignation as CPO but due to a change of circumstances he was able to continue so his resignation was refused and he remains CPO for ECBA.
There had been a few dress code infringements at the Nationals by other counties and Suffolk's view was sought. Suffolk's view was that ECBA should impose their own dress code and penalties for their events. A possible problem for Suffolk qualifiers for the Champion of Champions is that the late Suffolk finals day is not until after the Norbreck has opened bookings to all comers so it is important that qualifiers book quickly. It was pointed out that ECBA made a loss at the Nationals because of the increased travel subsidy. Referee training in the Eastern Counties is to be looked at and revised after completion of the booked sessions in Essex. Regarding booking procedures at Potters for the Nationals, following a draw Suffolk were third in line for any spare accomodation. It was agreed that JG would contact Dirk Vettewinkel to discus hotel room availability. Discussion had taken place on Jamie Smith's letter. Nine counties have confirmed their intention to attend the Nationals at Potters, Sunderland may not attend because of the cost, North Tyneside hope to confirm later.
The ECBA rinks tournament was confirmed for Ware on 15th May and the triples at Durham on 11th September. SCBA were asked for their views on holding the Champion of Champions in the North one year and the South the next. The committee supported this idea. The location for the 2012 Nationals has not yet been decided.

11. Eastern Counties Carpet Bowls Association: There had been no ECCBA meetings since our last committee meeting and those matters that had arisen had been discussed under County Business.

12. Letter from Andy Gilder: Andy Gilder has now returned to Suffolk and has offered his services to the SCBA committee. The committeee agreed to co-opt him back onto the committee and reappoint him as Child Protection Officer. This was proposed by PJ, seconded by JG and approved to the committee. GR to advise Andy Gilder

13. Any Other Business:
1) GR enquired whether it was necessary to book a venue for the Six Counties Tournament in April 2012 which Suffolk is to host. Although Suffolk will host this tournament the ECCBA location for it is expected to be Braintree so there is no requirement for Suffolk to book a venue.
2) GR inquired whether the Summer League invitations should go out with these minutes. After discussion it was agreed that they should be sent out in March after the next meeting.

The meeting closed at 8.55pm.

The next meeting is Monday 7th March 2011 at Needham Market.