AGM, Mon 11 July 2016, 7pm, Carpenters Arms
9. Dates of future meetings.
Fixtures meeting for all Captains - first Mon in Sep (5th) - Plough suggested. Nevil to action. 2017 AGM - Plough, Mon 3 Jul - Plough (Nevil)
1. Present
Adam Raoof Hendon (President)
Peter Grant-Ross Kings Head (Vice President)
Colin Mackenzie Kings Head
Anthony Fulton Willesden
Michael Bennett Hendon
Greg Breed Harrow
Ray Hamilton Metropolitan
Angela Eyton Junior organiser
Nevil Chan Harrow
2. Apologies for absence
Jenny Goldsmith Harrow
Patrick Sartain Harrow
Bob Kane West London
Andrew Costeloe Muswell Hill
Kamlesh Karia Hendon
Paul de Buf Hendon
Ealing Chess Club
3. President's Address and trophies
ML Div 1: Hackney 1 3rd
Imperial 2nd
Hendon 1 1st
Following Ealing's withdrawal, only 1 team will be relegated.
ML Div 2: Metro 1 3rd promoted (Ray Hamilton will consult)
Muswell Hill 1 2nd promoted
Hendon 3 1st but cannot be promoted to Div 1 (rule 8.c)
(KH2 - 4th place - would not wish to be promoted)
ML Div 3: Hendon 4 and 5 took 1st + 2nd places. Mike Bennett accepted the missing trophy. Contact West London re location of trophy.
Successes: Juniors
A quiet year for Middlesex. The president is very active. 287 players at Kings Place on Saturday 9th July - a successful tournament
4. Approval of 2015 minutes. Not presented at the meeting, but will be provided by Colin Mackenzie. The Division 3 trophy may be with West London: Bob Kane to check. Mike Tasker (Hackney) has raised a suggestion to change or delete rule 8.c) (re number of teams in Divs 1 and 2). This will be discussed in Committee / future metings.
Colin Crouch memorials (blitz at the Kings Head + Harrow FIDE tournament): both tournaments were great successes. Nevil Chan reported on the FIDE event: a success. Future events are being considered.
6. Officers' reports
a) Treasurer: £4405.71 bank balance. Digital clocks were the biggest expense this year (£1200). Otherwise breaking even approximately.
Questions
(John Kitchen, Metropolitan): ECF grading fees outstanding for unregistered players - £350 from one club (Hendon). Colin Mackenzie explained that the ECF charges the League and the League passes the fees on to individual clubs. The ECF invoice appears in the Middlesex accounts; the clubs pay this via Middlesex. U-18s can register with the ECF free of charge.
(Anthony Fulton): ECF insurance? Middx do not at present have insurance, e.g. for third party liability at MCCA county matches. May be discussed at a separate meeting (ECF requires 30 years' records to be kept for events involving juniors). Action required. ECF insurance is approx £100 per year.
b) League Secretary / Grader's report: the year went smoothly; no important disputes. Not a full complement of teams at present, but Ealing are entering a new team. ECF are looking to provide League Management software. Alternative software packages are from John Upham and Oxford Fusion). Action point: consider alternatives. Anthony Fulton to action.
Question (Ray Hamilton): In Division 2 there are 14 matches. Last season only 10 matches in Division 3. Why not have an equal number of teams in each division?
c) Match captains
i. The Middlesex Open team (Anthony Fulton) in the SCCU stages played 4, won 3, lost 1. Stevenson Trophy won by Middlesex (SCCU runner-up). National stages 1/4 final win v Lancashire. Semi-final v Staffordshire - walk-over for Middlesex. Final v Yorkshire (5th in 4 years) loss 11-5, better than last year 11.5 - 4.5. Clubs are encouraged to put 190+ players in touch with Anthony Fulton. Martin Blane trophy (best captain) went to Anthony; cup (best performance) went to Richard Bates, the regular Board 1 for Middlesex.
ii. U180 (Anthony Fulton) - 3 SCCU matches (Kent withdrew). Played 3, won 1, lost 2. 1/4 finals v Devon: 7.5 - 8.5 loss. Anthony is donating a trophy for the best performing Middlesex U180 player. 1st winner Leon Fincham 2015-16.
iii. U160 (Greg Breed unofficially pp Keith Jones) Middlesex won every game from start to finish, winning the championship. Best player trophy also for U160? Mention on website? Congratulations to Keith.
iv. U140 - didn't qualify for the National stages. Congratulations to Evan Beachley on his first season.
v. U120 - Find a new captain? John Harvey? Jenny Goldsmith? Peter Grant-Ross to action.
vi. U100 - no Middlesex team - captain: not yet found
d) Individual tournament - did not happen
e) Correspondence chess - not happening
f) Junior chess
U-14 Kamlesh Karia was initially to run it, but did not act sufficiently quickly. ECF jamboree (Brighton) - Middlesex participated.
2016-17 If Kamlesh cannot run the U-14 team (grade restricted, weekend games), new ideas may be needed for captaincy / funding.
Some successes in a recent ECF championship.
Weekend junior coaching is beginning to make it more difficult to recruit County teams.
g) Winters trophy - not happening
h) Ralph Barnet - not happening
i) Delegate to ECF / SCCU - (Anthony Fulton) - little discussion at ECF / SCCU meetings. Rules to County Championships - should Open County Championships be FIDE rated? Watch this space. All players would need to be ECF Gold members. National stages will now be staggered, so that adjoining teams (e.g. Open / U180) are not playing on the same day. Anthony Fulton believes that the finals should be played on the same day, so has doubts about the wisdom of staggering the matches.
2017 is SCCU 125th anniversary: events are planned, e.g. North SCCU v South SCCU. Maybe the scope will be broadened to original SCCU counties, e.g. some West of England counties
7. Election of Officers. No changes - but most people are open to suggestions. To be ratified at Fixtures meeting (quorum is 10)
a) President
b) Vice President
c) Treasurer
d) League Secretary
e) Match captains
1. Open
ii. U180
iii. U160
iv. U140
v. U120
f) Tournament officers
i. Team
ii. Individual
iii. Winters
iv. Correspondence
v. Ralph Barnett
g) Grader
h) Junior
i) Auditor - Anthony to ask Stan Share
8. AOB
Mike Bennett - some venues, e.g. Hackney's previous venue The Prince - very dark. Metropolitan venue hard to find and get into. Ray Hamilton replied that the entryphone problems have been solved. Perhaps the best approach is to feed back to committee in the course of the season. Juniors - Albany venue (Wheatsheaf, Rathbone Place) will now accept juniors.
(Nevil Chan) Middlesex home sets - committee to approach Gareth Ellis. Agreement to refresh Middlesex equipment - 32 new sets / boards
9. Dates of future meetings.
Fixtures mtg - first Mon in Sep (5th) - Plough suggested. Nevil to action
2017 AGM - Plough, Mon 3 Jul - Plough (Nevil)
Peter Grant-Ross
Vice President
9. Dates of future meetings.
Fixtures meeting for all Captains - first Mon in Sep (5th) - Plough suggested. Nevil to action. 2017 AGM - Plough, Mon 3 Jul - Plough (Nevil)
1. Present
Adam Raoof Hendon (President)
Peter Grant-Ross Kings Head (Vice President)
Colin Mackenzie Kings Head
Anthony Fulton Willesden
Michael Bennett Hendon
Greg Breed Harrow
Ray Hamilton Metropolitan
Angela Eyton Junior organiser
Nevil Chan Harrow
2. Apologies for absence
Jenny Goldsmith Harrow
Patrick Sartain Harrow
Bob Kane West London
Andrew Costeloe Muswell Hill
Kamlesh Karia Hendon
Paul de Buf Hendon
Ealing Chess Club
3. President's Address and trophies
ML Div 1: Hackney 1 3rd
Imperial 2nd
Hendon 1 1st
Following Ealing's withdrawal, only 1 team will be relegated.
ML Div 2: Metro 1 3rd promoted (Ray Hamilton will consult)
Muswell Hill 1 2nd promoted
Hendon 3 1st but cannot be promoted to Div 1 (rule 8.c)
(KH2 - 4th place - would not wish to be promoted)
ML Div 3: Hendon 4 and 5 took 1st + 2nd places. Mike Bennett accepted the missing trophy. Contact West London re location of trophy.
Successes: Juniors
A quiet year for Middlesex. The president is very active. 287 players at Kings Place on Saturday 9th July - a successful tournament
4. Approval of 2015 minutes. Not presented at the meeting, but will be provided by Colin Mackenzie. The Division 3 trophy may be with West London: Bob Kane to check. Mike Tasker (Hackney) has raised a suggestion to change or delete rule 8.c) (re number of teams in Divs 1 and 2). This will be discussed in Committee / future metings.
Colin Crouch memorials (blitz at the Kings Head + Harrow FIDE tournament): both tournaments were great successes. Nevil Chan reported on the FIDE event: a success. Future events are being considered.
6. Officers' reports
a) Treasurer: £4405.71 bank balance. Digital clocks were the biggest expense this year (£1200). Otherwise breaking even approximately.
Questions
(John Kitchen, Metropolitan): ECF grading fees outstanding for unregistered players - £350 from one club (Hendon). Colin Mackenzie explained that the ECF charges the League and the League passes the fees on to individual clubs. The ECF invoice appears in the Middlesex accounts; the clubs pay this via Middlesex. U-18s can register with the ECF free of charge.
(Anthony Fulton): ECF insurance? Middx do not at present have insurance, e.g. for third party liability at MCCA county matches. May be discussed at a separate meeting (ECF requires 30 years' records to be kept for events involving juniors). Action required. ECF insurance is approx £100 per year.
b) League Secretary / Grader's report: the year went smoothly; no important disputes. Not a full complement of teams at present, but Ealing are entering a new team. ECF are looking to provide League Management software. Alternative software packages are from John Upham and Oxford Fusion). Action point: consider alternatives. Anthony Fulton to action.
Question (Ray Hamilton): In Division 2 there are 14 matches. Last season only 10 matches in Division 3. Why not have an equal number of teams in each division?
c) Match captains
i. The Middlesex Open team (Anthony Fulton) in the SCCU stages played 4, won 3, lost 1. Stevenson Trophy won by Middlesex (SCCU runner-up). National stages 1/4 final win v Lancashire. Semi-final v Staffordshire - walk-over for Middlesex. Final v Yorkshire (5th in 4 years) loss 11-5, better than last year 11.5 - 4.5. Clubs are encouraged to put 190+ players in touch with Anthony Fulton. Martin Blane trophy (best captain) went to Anthony; cup (best performance) went to Richard Bates, the regular Board 1 for Middlesex.
ii. U180 (Anthony Fulton) - 3 SCCU matches (Kent withdrew). Played 3, won 1, lost 2. 1/4 finals v Devon: 7.5 - 8.5 loss. Anthony is donating a trophy for the best performing Middlesex U180 player. 1st winner Leon Fincham 2015-16.
iii. U160 (Greg Breed unofficially pp Keith Jones) Middlesex won every game from start to finish, winning the championship. Best player trophy also for U160? Mention on website? Congratulations to Keith.
iv. U140 - didn't qualify for the National stages. Congratulations to Evan Beachley on his first season.
v. U120 - Find a new captain? John Harvey? Jenny Goldsmith? Peter Grant-Ross to action.
vi. U100 - no Middlesex team - captain: not yet found
d) Individual tournament - did not happen
e) Correspondence chess - not happening
f) Junior chess
U-14 Kamlesh Karia was initially to run it, but did not act sufficiently quickly. ECF jamboree (Brighton) - Middlesex participated.
2016-17 If Kamlesh cannot run the U-14 team (grade restricted, weekend games), new ideas may be needed for captaincy / funding.
Some successes in a recent ECF championship.
Weekend junior coaching is beginning to make it more difficult to recruit County teams.
g) Winters trophy - not happening
h) Ralph Barnet - not happening
i) Delegate to ECF / SCCU - (Anthony Fulton) - little discussion at ECF / SCCU meetings. Rules to County Championships - should Open County Championships be FIDE rated? Watch this space. All players would need to be ECF Gold members. National stages will now be staggered, so that adjoining teams (e.g. Open / U180) are not playing on the same day. Anthony Fulton believes that the finals should be played on the same day, so has doubts about the wisdom of staggering the matches.
2017 is SCCU 125th anniversary: events are planned, e.g. North SCCU v South SCCU. Maybe the scope will be broadened to original SCCU counties, e.g. some West of England counties
7. Election of Officers. No changes - but most people are open to suggestions. To be ratified at Fixtures meeting (quorum is 10)
a) President
b) Vice President
c) Treasurer
d) League Secretary
e) Match captains
1. Open
ii. U180
iii. U160
iv. U140
v. U120
f) Tournament officers
i. Team
ii. Individual
iii. Winters
iv. Correspondence
v. Ralph Barnett
g) Grader
h) Junior
i) Auditor - Anthony to ask Stan Share
8. AOB
Mike Bennett - some venues, e.g. Hackney's previous venue The Prince - very dark. Metropolitan venue hard to find and get into. Ray Hamilton replied that the entryphone problems have been solved. Perhaps the best approach is to feed back to committee in the course of the season. Juniors - Albany venue (Wheatsheaf, Rathbone Place) will now accept juniors.
(Nevil Chan) Middlesex home sets - committee to approach Gareth Ellis. Agreement to refresh Middlesex equipment - 32 new sets / boards
9. Dates of future meetings.
Fixtures mtg - first Mon in Sep (5th) - Plough suggested. Nevil to action
2017 AGM - Plough, Mon 3 Jul - Plough (Nevil)
Peter Grant-Ross
Vice President