Present: Greg Smith David Pedley
Richard EllisMarc Davis
Bill CrosslandWill Ward
Mark WindaleTony Hirst
Alan Priestley
1. Apologies were received from Marcus Longbottom, Tim Beaumont, Marc Davis and Rupert Wilson.
2. Minutes of the Last Meeting were circulated. The secretary agreed to use shorter words and a larger font for subsequent gushings.
3. Matters Arising
The Autumn Dinner was voted a great success and a vote of thanks proposed to Sara and Will for their organisational skills. It was to be hoped that the skill shown by the latter would transfer onto the field of play.
In the search for the Casuals lost millions, Nigel Stevenson had been coerced into parting with three years membership fees, but the stock market was putting on a brave face.
The tie mountain, long since thought lost in the Beaumont transmogrification to Outer Nun Monckton, had briefly reappeared when the President reached depths of his underwear drawer rarely visited. Unfortunately they had disappeared again in the move down the hill to Honley. The Chairman reported that, though tieless, a further 12 copies of the priceless manuscript covering the Casuals early history had reappeared in a puff of dust during his own recent move. Caps, however, remained elusive. When ties and histories are reunited, they will be offered as an incentive for new members to part with some brass and join the inner sanctum.
4. Members List and New Members
The search for new members had continued unceasingly. Several more names were thrown into the hat, including Steve Booth, Steve DeWint, Hamish Platt, Rob Hunter, Tim Nield and Dave Knight. Initial enthusiasm from the Chairman, tasked with the persuasion of these lucky few, was tempered when his request for an open tab at the Royal Oak was unanimously refused.
Gordon Littlewood had been dropped from the mailing list on the basis that “he no longer lived there”, communicated in a rather peremptory fashion.
5. Fixtures
The appearance of a fixtures secretary was applauded. Will presented a draft list. There was a potential clash at the season end for the annual Casuals sledging competition, as Duncombe Park had offered to travel to the Holme Valley for an away fixture. It was agreed this match could host the sledging fixture, but since Duncombe Park have in recent years found it difficult to travel to their home games, we should stick with the time honoured traditions engendered in the Presidents XI vs Chairman’s XI. The ambulance service would be placed on standby as usual.
6. Allocation of Fixtures
It is difficult to imagine how nine grown men, well versed in the black business arts, can spend so much time over so little a thing. Match captains were finally allocated fixtures, in the full knowledge that last minute calls to unexpected test match tickets, away tiddleywink competitions in Reykavik, and near terminal attacks of athletes foot (feet?) would eventually make mock of this tortuous decision making process.
7. Equipment and Nets
Will reported that while playing with his router in the garage recently, he had noticed his equipment was rather dusty. Exploring farther, the balls were exhausted and the right hand glove position critical. The pimples on the keeper’s gloves were non existent, though it was claimed that Dave Walker had surgically removed these to make it easier to deflect catches behind to the waiting slip cordon (Greg). In the interests of the bowling averages it was agreed that Will had full authority to replace as he saw fit.
8. AGM and Dinner
Richard was well up to speed on this one. In the proper tradition, the menu remained unchanged and the speaker unfound. The usual culprits were paraded for consideration. Cec was rumoured to be still alive, John Major dismissed as not topical, and Nasser Hussain, while available, could probably add little to a learned cricketing gathering. The President was persuaded to approach Judge Arthur.
Almondbury Casuals Cricket Club 