E-mail sent to the Committee
21st November 2007
The Committee is Hiding From The Beer Issue
I attended the AGM at the club last night and was horrified and angered by the refusal of the Chairman to respond to the question asked by a member of the club regarding the quality of the beer. The Chairman replied that the AGM was not the place to discuss the matter and quoted the Constitution to justify his actions. If this is not the place then what is? It is my view that the Chairman and the Committee are quite clearly hiding behind the Rules because they do not wish to discuss an issue that is angering so many of their members - myself included. The Committee were well aware of the dissatisfaction of many of the club members concerning the beer and of the members intention to raise the issue and yet were clearly not prepared to discuss it with them.
This is an issue that needs to be addressed especially when the brewery trade is experiencing a difficult time. I understand that the Committee negotiated a great deal with JW Lees, a deal that our former providers Thwiates were not prepared to match. From where I stand it had to be a good deal because there are noticeably less people using the club and therefore the sales must logically also be down. To make up this shortfall the club must be making a lot more money from each unit to cover the loss in units sold. Although I accept the impact that the smoking ban has had on trade, it is also a fact that the new beer has also taken trade away from the club. There are a good number of St Annes CC members to be found drinking in other pubs and clubs which are also subject to the smoking ban and, what should be worrying for the Committee, they are doing so on an increasingly regular basis.
I wish to acknowledge all the hard work that the Committe puts in on behalf of the club members and I believe that the Committee is trying to act in the best interests of the members or the club. That said however, I would like to remind the Committee members that they are elected by the members to carry out the wishes of the members - and that should include the social members, who maybe do not have a vote, but who do support the club all year round.
I would like to ask the Committee to explain how they are prepared to address the members current dissatisfaction with the beer and I would like to invite the Committee to issue a statement regarding the brewery contractual arrangements to which the club is currently bound. I would also like to ask the Committee to state their intentions for a future beer contract negotiations and if they will be prepared to take the members wishes into consideration at that time.
Chris Banting
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The Chairman's Reply
29th November 2007
The committee would like to inform all members of the club the following. Firstly that they all give up a considerable amount of time for no renumeration to ensure that the club runs both efficiently and profitably. They are empowered to do this by the members. As the beer issue seems to have created some unrest I will in this instance explain what happened.
The committee realised that the club had to do something about the finances having just lost 19K in the previous financial year. Our greatest source of income through both sponsorship and prices is the bar. A sub committee of the chairman, vice chairman and Treasurer were tasked to put our business out to tender which we did. The most attractive deal was put to us by J.W. LEES & Co. It was therefore decided to take 20 of the regulars to the Brewery to taste the beer, which we did with no negative feedback whatsoever. In fact the feedback was 100% positive. It was therefore passed unanimously by the committee to change supplier.
In so doing we got a far better deal for the club. We purchased wines and spirits and soft drinks far more aggressively and were able to drop the prices of carlsberg lager and greengate smooth. We have entered into a 3 year sponsorship agreement. Following on from this the committee are commited to cutting costs and in the foreseeable future there will be no honorarium payments made and cricket expenses will be controlled and cut where necessary.
I and other members of the committee are getting weary of unjust critcism for in effect running the most successful cricket club in Lancashire. I would suggest that if any members think that they can do a better job they stand for election at the 2008 AGM, as the accounts show what effect the change has had.
John Cotton
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Letter received
7th July 2007
Support For JC
Sad to hear of Mr Cotton`s resignation over what appears to be such a divisive subject. If however it galvanises the Northern League into some positive action over the win/lose issue, then maybe it will have been a good thing, in a sad sort of way.
The present format just creates frustration for the good teams in the league, as weaker teams come to a place, win the toss and bat last, with the sole intention of finishing the game without being bowled out. This can lead to drab cricket for spectators and utter frustration for the players themselves.
A similar format to the Palace Shield should be applied.It may not be popular with the weaker teams who look to gain points by playing 'siege' cricket,but surely it`s the only fair way?
If the present commitee of the Northern League cannot see this then it is THEY who should resign, en-masse, and let others take over who have a more positive,forward thinking outlook on the game.
If changes aren`t soon forthcoming,then maybe St.Annes CC and other unhappy clubs should reconsider their decision to stay in the Northern League.
Graeme Walters
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Editor's Reply
I agree wholeheartedly with the comments made by Graeme Walters and would even suggest that JC was wrong to resign. It is difficult to continually "bash ones head against the wall" but how else is change going to happen. The Northern League Committee are "dinosaurs" in their thinking about the game. Recreational cricket should be just what it says on the tin - recreational. Fun for the players who give up their Saturdays and for the spectators who pay to watch the games. It is entertainment! There is no entertainment in watching a team bat out for a draw just for a couple of bonus points and it is frustrating for those playing the games. Give us a result in every game. It is what the majority of players and supporters want.
Another issue is the damage that this kind of negative cricket has on juniors. Most clubs struggle to get juniors to play the game but when they see or get involved in playing in games with this kind of defensive cricket that we see on the field most weekends, it isn't exactly making them think I must get involved in that. Standing in the deep for 3 hours while the other side bats out for a draw is really exciting. I believe that the Northern League is very much in the minority by not moving towards the type of cricket that is enjoyed by the majority of other premier leagues in England and yes, maybe St Annes should consider moving into the Palace Shield / Liverpool competition.
These are the views of the Editor of the website, not those of the Committee of St Annes CC.
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