Minutes of the Committee Meeting held at Chester R.U.F.C. Clubhouse on Thursday 11th November. 1993 at 6.30 p.m. Present: F.Povall (in the Chair), G.C.Cox, M.Cohen, D.B.Lewis, G.Marrs, C.J.Coventry, M.Farr, D.Western, H.Middlebrook, D.Wyatt, A.Senn, D.B.Pye, S.Kennedy, M.J.Lord, J.Pinnington, D.A.Ewing, J.M.Young, K.F.Sheldon, R.Haslehurst, W.Gott, D.J.Mason, L.Galey, M.Gavin, G.P.Hughes, B.Davies, C. Hughes , W.Buckland, M.R.Williams, A.Jones, D.I.Adams. Apologies: F.Price, N.Morris, I.Hart, D.Mallalieu, N.Lenton, M.Wroe, B.Ewing, C.Gibson, V.Middleton, A.Koenen, D.Wright, C.Kirby Before the Meeting commenced members stood for a minutes silence in memory of David Roberts, Secretary and Committee Representative of Whitehouse Park RFC who died recently, and Simon Dockerty an U.21 player who was killed in a road accident. The Chairman welcomed Roy Manock, Chairman of the North Division Committee, who addressed the Meeting on the function of a Division and its relationship with its Constituent Bodies, and then answered questions. Minutes: The Minutes of the Meeting held on 9th September, 1993 having been circulated were confirmed and signed. Matters Arising - playing sections are again reminded that the County Secretary needs to be notified of any serious injuries. The secretary reported 1. That he attended a meeting, together with other County secretaries, with Bill Bishop and his working party. 2. That he has written to Staffo~dshire and North Wales, and spoken to Lancashire regarding 'B' XV fixtures later in the season. Hon. Secretary's Report: A letter has been received from Durham R.F.U. secretary congratulating Cheshire on gaining promotion. C.White is retiring as D.T.A. (South West). The secretary has the terms of reference if anyone wishes to apply for the post. A member of Sefton Rugby Club has devised a computer system for installation and use in a rugby club. The question of entertaining visiting teams after County games is to be discussed at the next North Division Committee Meeting. Walter Gott proposed that traditional hospitality should be continued, and this was ag~eed with the proviso that a set number should be agreed for the visiting party. There is a conference for Constituent Body representatives to be held at Castlecroft on Sunday 5th December to consider the future format and timing of the County Championship. Roy Manock reported that papers will be presented by Senior Clubs, Kent, John Jeavons-Fellowes, lan Beer and Dick Best and then, after discussion in syndicates, delegates will be asked to vote. Cheshire, together with the other North Counties, want to keep the County Championship as a premier competition, but Many other Counties seem to have lost interest. Moore R.F.C. has been banned from the Cheshire Cup & Plate Competition for 1993/94 because .they contravened R.F.U. regulations. Hon. Treasurer's Report: Money has been received from C.I.S. (only half of last Season's A.D.T.contribution) and from T.V. ( also down on last Season.) To date ~2000 has been paid out ta the Colts section and ~1500 ta the Youth section. At the Finance Sub-Committee meeting it was decided that ~1000 should be donated ta the R.F.U. Presidents' Player Disability fund. Ian Beer will be invited ta attend the Cheshire Cup Final on April 17th, 1994 when the cheque will be presented ta him together with contributions from member clubs. Printing costs of Membership Cards are increasing and members are asked ta let the secretary know whether they want a change ta a cheaper soft caver version. Agreement has been reached with the RFU, thanks ta the efforts of Harry Middlebrook, for the payment of ~1500 per club for travel ta and from the Isle of Man for the Cheshire Cup Competition, up to a maximum of ~3000. This is for one Season only and arrangements for future seasons will have ta be discussed with the Isle of Man clubs The Tetley Sponsorship will continue for Season 1994/95. The Colts were unable ta travel to Cumbria on October 23rd because the hired coach failed ta turn up. The Cumbria officiaIs are claiming ~600 ta coyer costs of staging the game. HM Customs and Excise have been wrongly claiming VAT on subscriptions since September 1990. Team Managers are reminded that jerseys must be properly laundered after use and returned ta Len Galey, the match Secretary. Laundry accounts must be clearly identified before submission ta the treasurer. Walter Gatt pointed out that clubs should be vigilant when arranging insurance caver for trips abroad. RFU insurance only covers travel from point of arrivaI ta destination and ta and from games. Any extra travel e.g. sightseeing trips, are not covered~ He quoted an instance where a player was killed in a car trip accident while touring abroad, but his dependants were unable ta receive any benefit from the insurance. R.F.U. Representative's Report: Clubs have been asked ta sign a Declaration of Compliance form regarding amateurism. However some clubs hav~ objected ·to the wording on the form, and a new form is being devised which clubs will be requested to sign and return before next Season. The East stand will be completed in readiness for the AlI Blacks game on 27th November. Work on the new West stand is likely ta commence at the end of this season. The Bishop Commission will be submitting an interim report ta the RFU before Christmas with a full report available by the end of the season. Sales of debenture seats are still on-going, and have already raised approx. 10 million pounds. The Twickenham ground will be open to spectators from 11.00 am for the International games this season. This will enable fui 1er use of the facilities available. Clubs have received offers for tickets from firms such as Mike Burton's. Any club found guilty of involvement will be severely punished. Clubs must not raffle tickets to raise money for club funds. Football Report: The structured season caused many problems with the County Championship games occurring so early in the season, and National leagues 1 and 2 playing fixtures on the same dates. However, response from clubs has been exceptional, and even though 12 players were not available from last season's successful squad, the newcomers acquitted themselves weIl and the result was an unbeaten season with promotion to Division 1. This was due mainly to the hard work put in by the two coaches, Len Davies and David Buttery. Richard Haslehurst paid tribute to their contribution, and also thanked the Committee for their support. He looked forward to fixtures against Lancashire, Durham and Yorkshire again next Season. The President suggested that many things needed doing to stay in the top Division. There is a need for correct presentation and marketing of the County. He thanked Richard Haslehurst for his report, and his contribution towards the unbeaten record over the last two seasons culminating in promotion to Di~ision 1. It was agreed that there should be a celebratory Sunday lunchtime get­ together for the players who have represented the County during the last two seasons; preferably before Christmas. Richard Haslehurst to contact the players to assess their response. Courage Clubs Championship Report: A meeting of the North Division representatives was held at Kirby Lonsdale on 26.10,93. Clubs must ensure that players are registered and ELIGIBLE. Problems should in the first instance be addressed to the County rep. (Mike Lord) and not to Bob Archer. To date there have been queries regarding 9 clubs and 17 players in Cheshire. AlI resolved! Still the same problems - registration forms ineligible and incomplete/flawed; results not phoned in on time; match cards not sent in on time. There are new registration forms available from Barbara Q'Reilly, Michael Humphries Associates (071-820-9911). There are currently 20,000 players registered in the North Division i.e. level 6 and below. Any player leaving full time education has his registration record wiped clean, and he becomes eligible immediately on registration. Under 21's Report: The opening game of the County Season, against a strong Yorkshire side at Birkenhead Park F.C., resulted in defeat by 12pts - 5pts. The U.21's Committee wish to thank the Birkenhead Park Committee, and especially M. Poste, for their cooperation in staging the game. The next championship game,against Lancashire, will be played at Liverpool St.Helens on Wednesday December 22nd at 7.00 p.m. There is also agame against U.A.U. (North) at Caldy on 5th December. Youth Report: The Junior Colts trials will be held on November 21st and the Clubs U.16's trials on December 5th. It has been decided to issue medals to aIl the finalists in this season's Cup Competitions. ~150 sponsorship has been obtained from Texaco, but more money is still required to purchase aIl the medals. Requests from teams outside Cheshire to compete in the Cheshire Mini Festival have been turned down. This competition is,quite rightly, a domestic matter. The Draw for aIl five Junior Cup Competitions has been made. Clubs have been notified and asked to complete the 1st Round by 28th November.There are 13 clubs in the U.13 competition, 15 in the U.14's,14 in the U.i5's,13 in the U.16's and 9 in the U.17's.