2. IN MEMORIAM. Members stood in memory of those who had passed away since the last AGM. (see Annual Report), mention being made of Ralph Cooper (County President 1993 ) whose funeral was announced as on Thursday 6^th December 2006.

3. APOLOGIES. Apologies and attendances were recorded in the attendance register by the Assistant Secretary.

4. PRESIDENT’S OPENING REMARKS. President Lew Mockett opened his address by saying that he had thoroughly enjoyed his year of office and indeed the two years leading up to it. He thanked his two predecessors for the guidance he was given and said he had a very good working relationship with Alan Clemits his Deputy and Brian his Junior Deputy which had made his job so much easier than it might have been. He thanked his officers on the committee for doing their job so diligently throughout the year even when personal circumstances, in some cases, made it quite difficult, he extended his thanks to the Past Presidents who had also supported him so well.
He said the highlight of his year was when Sussex soundly beat Kent in the Middleton Cup away at Sandwich, sadly it was not enough to reach the final rounds, he said he thought it may well be a firm basis to build on.
He then went on to thank his own club for their support throughout his term of office and for hosting the County Finals so admirably.
He felt a down side to the year was that the joint committee between the under 25’s Indoor and Outdoor Associations did not materialize as was hoped. Alf Bridges has done a superb job with the under 25’s and there was hope for even better things to come from them. He wished them well in the forthcoming seasons.
He then said it gave him great pleasure before handing over to Alan to present the Player of the Year Badge and the Michael Newth Trophy to Terry Hughes of Lindfield B.C for the outstanding work he had done for his club over many years. The trophy was accepted on behalf of Terry by Barry Jones Chairman of Lindfield. Order of Merit awards were given to Roger Gillett of Polegrove and John Stevens of Hangleton. The awards were accepted by Paul Thomassen and Tony Sharman respectively on behalf of the winners.

5. APPOINTMENT OF TELLERS. Gerry Hayes and J Brazier of East Preston and Kingston B.C were appointed as tellers for the forthcoming ballots.

6. MINUTES OF THE AGM HELD ON THE 5^TH DECEMBER 2005. The minutes of the 2005 AGM having been circulated were approved. Proposed by John Hoggarth seconded by Reg Reeve.

7. MATTERS ARISING. There were no matters arising.

8. ANNUAL REPORT. The 2006 Annual Report having been circulated was approved. Proposed Patrick Murphy seconded Peter Flint.

9. FINANCIAL REPORT. The 2006 Financial Report having been circulated - questions were invited from the floor. A question was asked as to what the interest was on the Deposit Account. Don said it was 5.31% at the present time. The report was adopted. Proposed by Gordon Cummins seconded by Phil Herrington.

10. S. C. B. A. BENEVOLENT FUND. The report of the 2006 S.C.B.A. Benevolent Fund having been circulated was approved. Proposed by Harry Payne, Seconded by Ken Gearing.

11. INSTALLATION OF 2007 PRESIDENT. Lew Mockett then installed his successor Alan Clemits as 2007 President. The new President thanked Lew for an excellent year which he had thoroughly enjoyed and said that Lew had attended every County, Home Counties and Middleton Cup Match in which Sussex had been involved, a tremendous achievement and showed how dedicated he had been during his period of office and on behalf of the County he thanked him for his dedication and said he would be a ‘hard act’ to follow. He thanked his own club (East Grinstead) for nominating him and said he was looking forward to his year. He then invested Lew Mocket with his Jewel as Honorary Member.

12. ELECTION OF OFFICES. The following officers were elected unopposed:-
      Senior Deputy President Brian Lee
      Secretary David Bain
      Assistant Secretary Reg Reeve
      Treasurer Don Bristow
      Match Secretary Paul Thomassen
      Competition Secretary Viv Evans

A ballet for the post of Junior Deputy President was held between Richard Pettet (Storrington) and Geoff Sutton (Eastbourne) which Richard Pettet won. Richard Pettet was then declared Junior Deputy President.

The following Committee members were elected unopposed:-
Division 1 Representatives- Tony Willson (Eastbourne) – Geoff Sutton (Eastbourne)
Division 2 Representatives - Joe Smith (Woodingdean) – Ken Symes (West Hoathley)
Division 4 Representatives - John Hoggarth (Chichester) – Gerry Hayes (East Preston )

Division I Selectors - Peter Flint (Crowborough) – Tony Willson (Eastbourne)
Division 2 Selectors - Bob Gooding (Woodingdean) – David Brooks (Uckfield)
Division 3 Selectors - David Blair (Shoreham) – Eddie Lendon (Popes Mead)
Division 4 Selectors - John Hoggarth (Chichester) – Ted Hayward (Worthing)

Chaplain Rev Colin Kassels (Homefield Park)

County Coach John Beaven (Telepost)

Honorary Auditor Ken Baker (Lindfield)

A ballet was held between Rod Taylor (Horsham), Norman Kennard (Popes Mead) and Jack Labored (Hangleton) for the posts of Division 3 Representatives.
Rod Taylor and Norman Kennard were the successful candidates in the ballet and were duly elected as Division 3 representatives to the committee.

13. INVESTITURE OF OFFICERS. The President invested his Officers with their Jewels.

14. RULE CHANGE. The following change to the Competition rules Page 60 County Year Book – (Champion of
      Champions Competition) was agreed without dissent:
ADD AT END OF RULE: - In the preliminary/1^st round - WHERE THIS IS THE FIRST GAME - the challenger must contact his opponent at least 2 weeks before the closing date of the round, offering 3 dates – one of which must be a Sunday - If no contact has been made by this time then the opponent must contact the challenger to arrange a suitable date.

15. The President introduced Peter Arnold 2007 EBA President and invited him to say a few words relating to the aim of the EBA in the near future. Peter thanked the Association for inviting him to the Annual Lunch followed by the AGM, this being his first official function as the EBA President. He said that first and foremost it was important that the impending amalgamation of the EBA and EWBA should go ahead smoothly and hopefully the Indoor Associations would eventually come onboard.

He asked all Officials and Club Secretaries to ensure that the DVD that was issued earlier in the year be shown to club members. He said it was intended that a second DVD be produced but it was important to get some feedback on the first one as there did appear to be some conflicting reports regarding availability.

The meeting concluded at 3.50pm.

　

Signed…………………………………Chairman

Date……………………………………………..

SUSSEX COUNTY BOWLING ASSOCIATION

(Affiliated to the English Bowling Association)

98^th ANNUAL REPORT – 2007

County President, Fellow Officers and Members.

Another season has passed and once again it falls to me to report on a season which although very wet at times had it’s highs, but as always I think in the main we did enjoy our bowling. I personally have been delighted with meeting various members who before were just a name to me.

I will start by thanking my fellow officers for all their hard work and the assistance they have given me over the course of the season. It never ceases to amaze me the amount of hard work the officers put in on your behalf and of course the accumulated knowledge they have.

Alan is one person who has a wealth of knowledge which culminated in him having a very successful season as your President. He carried out his duties very conscientiously over the season even when he was under the weather (did you notice the stick!) playing or attending every match that Sussex played. The President and indeed all Presidential Officers have a very arduous programme over the course of a season and I think they are to be complimented on their dedication to the County.

Of course the Presidential team is only part of the County structure. There is the General Purposes Committee who meet during the course of the season all doing their bit to keep the County on an even keel. Ken Symes is resigning for personal reasons as Division Two Representative after serving for a good many years also John Hoggarth, a familiar figure around County Middleton Cup and HCL matches who although is not giving up completely is giving up one of his jobs, that of a Division Four Selector. I am pleased to welcome Lew Mockett as a prospective successor to John. Thank you both Ken and John for your past services and indeed to all the GPC and Selectors who put in a great deal of work outside of attending meetings. Also resigning is Rod Taylor, who stepped in last season as Match Secretary, when Paul resigned. Rod kindly filled the gap for us but now John Barden is being proposed to take over. John, as you may well know, is our Webmaster keeping our website up to date, welcome aboard John.

Although it has been a pleasure working with Alan and the rest of the team I must say I am really looking forward to working with Brian as Alan’s successor. I know Alan will be the first to admit that Brian has been ‘a tower of strength’ with his support and I am sure he will be an extremely successful President.

Then there are the Delegates who are the link between the County and the clubs. Only three meetings a year but it gives clubs an opportunity to put their views to the rest of the clubs. Executive members are entitled to play in Executive Matches and we would like to see all Executive members taking advantage of this ‘perk’. Executive matches are very friendly affairs and it is an opportunity to play with, but more importantly, meet with the County Officers, in fact it may be possible to get more done and said on the green instead of at a meeting. Just a thought!!!

OBITUARIES
Jack Bates (County President 1992) - Charles Davies, (President Crowborough Wolfe) - David Henderson (SCBA Honorary Member - Division 1 & 2 Comp Sec) -- Arthur Rolph (Woodingdean County Coach) -

John Pegnall (County Coach) - Jim Nurse (Secretary Lewes B.C.) - Derek Foster (Former Secretary of Alexandra Park) B.C- Reg Whitchurch (County Coach) - Len Marshall (Storrington B.C & Rottingdean B.C.) - Ron Vener (White Rock B.C.)

AFFILIATION
It is regrettable that Windlesham has had to disband due to declining numbers. I sincerely hope their remaining members continue to bowl at another club. We currently have 116 clubs affiliated which makes us one of the larger Counties in the Country, however, I feel we must make a concerted effort to promote our sport. Looking through the returns for 2008 I notice that numbers are still declining, not by many but never the less the trend is in the wrong direction and is worrying.

HOME COUNTIES LEAGUE AND MIDDLETON CUP
After approaching the season with some high expectations it was disappointing to win only one of our four Middleton Cup games played. Some comfort can be drawn however from the fact that against a very strong Kent team, Sussex did win on three rinks and against Middlesex again we won on three rinks. It is obviously a case of scoring a few more shots to get an overall result. There are a number of very good players in Sussex who cannot or will not, for whatever reason play for the County. To see these players playing elsewhere must be pretty galling to a selector. I know that Ted Hayward who puts a great deal of work and effort in putting these teams together is very disappointed at not being able to put his strongest team out. . The players concerned know who they are so please think about giving Ted some support in the future and let us try to turn Sussex fortunes around.

It was much more encouraging in the Home Counties League where thanks to a late season surge Sussex pulled themselves up into third place, a commendable performance, Kent was again way out in front. It was very encouraging to see a number of Under 25’s making there way into the Senior Team and augers well for the future.

The Home Counties Championship Finals produced some good performances by the Sussex Bowlers. Matt Ives winning the under 25 Championship, Ian Watson and David Richardson winning the Pairs Championship.

H.C.LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL TABLE 2007

County	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Shots For	Shots Against	Points	Shot Difference	Position
Kent	6	6	0	0	753	867	111	186	1
Berkshire	6	4	0	2	708	672	77	36	2
Sussex	6	3	0	3	729	673	68	56	3
Oxfordshire	6	3	0	3	685	711	67	-26	4
Surrey	6	3	0	3	669	676	65	•7	5
Middlesex	6	1	0	5	642	735	41	-93	6
Buckinghamshire	6	1	0	5	831	783	33	-152	7

UNDER 25s
A lot has been said about the Under 25s during the past season but the outstanding performances has been that of Stuart Holland who not only played in the Middleton Cup but also played for England and won the under 25 Junior National Title, he also came very, very close to winning the Senior title as well.

Stuart had a lot of support from the rest of the under 25’s and a very warm spirit is being fostered amongst the youngsters. As can be seen from the League Table below Sussex won the League at their first attempt which was a tremendous performance and hopefully something that can be built upon in the future. The County is indebted to the support of parents and friends of the Junior Squad.

FINAL H.C.JUNIOR LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL TABLE 20007

County	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Shots For	Shots Against	Points	Shot Difference	Position
Sussex	6	5	0	1	383	328	58	55	1
Kent	6	4	0	2	523	453	56	70	2
Surrey	6	4	0	2	567	433	53	134	3
Middlesex	6	3	0	3	430	403	50	27	4
Berkshire	6	3	0	3	445	527	38	-82	5
Oxfordshire	6	2	0	4	364	455	29	-91	6
Buckinghamshire	6	0	0	6	279	392	10	-113	7

COUNTY FRIENDLY MATCHES
Besides the MC and HCL the County had their usual programme of 17 Friendly and Badged Matches of which honours were fairly even although we did lose a few more than we won. You will find all the results on the County Website There is quite an extensive fixture list for the County and we are indebted not only to the Selectors for selecting the teams but also to the Presidential team for attending all these matches. Thanks are also extended to the clubs who offer their facilities to host these matches without them we would not be able to operate in the manner we do.

COUNTY FINALS DAY
Once again we had an excellent days bowling with some extremely good matches played and thanks must go to Popes Mead Bowling Club for hosting this event in the very efficient manner which is something we have come to expect from our clubs. Once again we were blessed with good weather which with the facilities and refreshments provided by our hosts made it a most memorable day. I know Alan Clemits our President was very appreciative of what the Committee and members of Popes Mead B.C. did for the County on the day.

Once again we must not forget that Finals Day is only possible after all that has gone before. Starting with the cup draw, the printing and distribution of the programme, the taking of results and the notifying of the next round opponents, the arranging of venues, the return of trophies, the list goes on. This work is done firstly by your club Secretaries and then by the County Competition and the Divisional Competition Secretaries. I would like on behalf of us all thank these members for their hard work throughout the season

EXECUTIVE AND V.P’s
Over the past few years Reg Reeve has overseen these two sections of the County and has done it extremely well. Thank you once again Reg. Club members are encouraged to become a VP at an annual cost of £2.00. Being a VP enables you to be selected to play in any VP Match in your Division during the season. A vote of thanks must go to the Divisional Controllers who organise these games that are enjoyed by all participating players.

Seven Executive games were played throughout the season and as previously mentioned these matches are open to all Executive members.

In concluding my report I would add that integration with S.C.W.B.A. has gone ahead at National level and will eventually go ahead at County Level. Your Committee is at the moment arranging to meet with S.C.W.B.A. to discuss this and you will be kept informed of any developments in due course. I thank you all for your support during the past season.

David W Bain
County Secretary
Nov 07

Sussex County Bowling Association

NOMINATIONS FOR OFFICE 2008

POSITION	NAME	PROPOSED
President	Brian Lee	Worthing Pavilion
Senior D President	Richard Pettet	Storrington B.C
Junior D President	Tony Sharman	Hangleton B.C.
Secretary	David Bain	Storrington B.C.
Asst Secretary	Reg Reeve	Southwick B.C.
Treasurer	Don Bristow	Brighton B.C.
Match Secretary	John Barden	Wadhurst B.C.
Competition Sec	Viv Evans	Handcross B.C.
Chaplain	Rev Colin Kassels	Homefield Park B.C.
DIVISIONAL 1 Rep	Tony Willson	Eastbourne B.C
DIVISIONAL IRep	Geoff Sutton	Eastbourne B.C.
DIVISIONAL 2 Rep	Joe Smith	Woodingdean B.C.
DIVISIONAL 2 Rep		Vacant
DIVISIONAL 3 Rep	Rod Taylor ***	Horsham B.C
DIVISIONAL 3 Rep	Norman Kennard ***	Popesmead B.C
DIVISIONAL 3 Rep	Jack Laborde ***	Hangleton B.C
DIVISIONAL 4 Rep	John Hoggarth	Chichester B.C.
DIVISIONAL 4 Rep	Gerry Hayes	East Preston B.C.
***	Div 3 only (2 from 3)
Selector Div 1	Peter Flint	Crowborough Wolfe B.C.
Selector Div 1	Tony Willson	Eastbourne B.C.
Selector Div 2	Bob Gooding	Woodingdean B.C.
Selector Div 2	David Brooks	Uckfield B.C
Selector Div 3	David Blair	Shoreham B.C.
Selector Div 3	Eddie Lendon	Popes Mead B.C.
Selector Div 4	Lew Mockett	Norfolk B.C.
Selector Div 4	Ted Hayward	Worthing B.C.
Competition Sec Div 1	Simon Moore	White Rock B.C.
Competition Sec Div 2	Vic Sherwood **	Rottingdean B.C.
Competition Sec Div 2	John Deacon **	Preston B.C.
Competition Sec Div 3	Viv Evans	Handcross
Competition Sec Div 4	John Hoggath	Chichester
**	Div 2 only ( 1 from 2)
County Coach	John Beaven	Telepost
Hon Auditor	Ken Baker	Lindfield B.C.
Hon Solicitor		No Nomination
** Ballot Division 2 only	***Ballot Division 3 only