Minutes of the Extraordinary Meeting (EGM) Sunday 17th August 2025 held at Knutsford Bowling Club at 7pm.
In Attendance:
Bruce Tulley Chairman;
Ann Penson Treasurer;
Jen Wills Secretary;
Neil Edmonds & Dan Caveney (Church Inn);
Alan & Kath Perks ( Cranford);
Derek Hurdle (Goostrey);
Barbara Kielty & Diane Povall (Crosstown);
Jean Mason, Jackie & Jon Springer (High Legh);
Malcolm Drury (LMRCA);
Edward Smith, Jackie & Keith Poskitt (Knutsford);
Carol Gibbs, Nick Harris, Helen Jennings, Jake Ryan & Val Taylor (Mere); and
Celia Brown, Ann & Les Penson, Sue Grierson, Julie Goodier, Kim Blake, Mary Seddon, Brian & Sandra Jones (Railway).
NB The following clubs were not represented;
Chelford, Mersey Valley, Swetenham and Oughtrington
- Call to Order:
The Chairman opened the meeting at 7.10 pm
- Chairman’s Opening Remarks:
The Chairman explained:
- that all attendees at this meeting had a vote;
- that a quorum was satisfied; and
- the purpose to the meeting as;
At the July Committee meeting, hard and anecdotal evidence showed a divide amongst the membership regarding the format of the Annual Presentation Evening. Although a catered meal had been agreed at the AGM, (See below) the Committee felt that members did not fully understand the financial implications of this decision.
The Committee was unable to overturn an AGM decision and so resolved that an Extraordinary Meeting was needed to solve this urgent issue and formulated the resolution below.
- Meeting resolution:
The Committee proposes that the decision taken at the last AGM to provide a catered meal at the Presentation Evening be overturned.
- Background to the Vote:
The Chairman opened up a general discussion to the floor, which enabled all clubs to;
- explain their diverse opinions of what was, or was not, agreed at the AGM; and
- their preferences for a Presentation Evening.
The following questions were raised:
- What was agreed at the AGM?
The general consensus was that a meal provided by outside agencies had been agreed, BUT the Church Inn argued in support of their previous letter (June 2025) that: to expect each club to compulsory pay for 4 tickets, was not voted on at the AGM. This was supported by some clubs (eg Crosstown and High Legh) but strongly refuted by Swetenham, the Railway and the Committee.
- Does the league want a Presentation evening?
Again the preferences were varied with alternatives offered and discussed.
- Is the venue suitable?
LMRCA questioned the cost of room rental at Mere suggesting that other venues may be cheaper.
.
- Vote:
The Chairman decided that to enable the Resolution to be voted on in a meaningful way, the points raised by this meeting needed to be clarified, so votes were taken on:
- Does the league want a Presentation Evening?
22 members voted to hold Presentation Evenings with 5 votes against.
- Does the league want to hold its Presentation Evenings at Mere?
18 members voted to hold the Presentation Evenings at Mere, 2 voted against with 5 abstentions.
- The Committee proposes that the decision taken at the last AGM to provide a catered meal at the Presentation Evening be overturned.
25 votes supported the resolution with 2 votes against.
- Result of the Vote and Next Steps;
The resolution was carried, I.e. the Presentation Evening will be held at Mere and will be self-catering.
- The treasurer to refund monies to the Clubs which have paid for the tickets;
- To manage this event, a sub-group of was formed. Nick Harris, Bruce Tulley, Kim Blake, Jackie Poskitt, and Malcolm Drury volunteered to serve on this group, to be led by Keith Poskitt.
- Close of Meeting
The Chairman closed the meeting at 8.35pm