Nottinghamshire AGM 2021 - summary

 

Thanks to JAG for these...

Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club AGM

 

Held via Zoom Monday 22 February 2021

 

Main Speakers

Richard Tennant (RT) (Chairman & Chair of Meeting),

Paul Ellis (PE) (Treasurer),

Lisa Pursehouse (LP) (Chief Executive),

Mick Newell (MN) (Director of Cricket)

Peter Moores (PM) (Head Coach),

Tim Eatheringon (TE) (Finance & Development Director and Deputy Chief Executive)

In addition Matt Freeman provided a number of questions in the AOB Section mainly posed by members by email ahead of the meeting.

 

Approve the minutes of the 2020 AGM

 

Last year’s minutes were approved by an online vote by 97% of those who voted at the meeting.

 

Chairman’s Report (RT)

 

2020 had been very challenging, as there was no business as usual, and more cricket than was hoped for was played thanks chiefly to the ECB.

Darren Bicknell retired from the Committee and completing the maximum nine years.

It was confirmed that the merger of the County Cricket Club and the Notts Cricket Board had taken place.

The club made a small profit thanks to the donation of membership fees by a large number of members.

During the year a COVID Group of committee members was set up to meet regularly. The club received income of half a million less than was budgeted for.

RT is stepping down from the Committee after 21 years and 5 years as the chairman.

 

Treasurer’s Report (PE)

 

The COVID Sub Group met weekly to review the position.

Income down £3.4 million, but thanks to the ECB Support, sponsors and Members help a small profit was reported.

Test Match and ODI income was covered by insurance. The deficit was helped by £1m Furlough Support for Staff Costs from the Government. £351,000 members fees donations, £341,000 payers salary sacrifices, and £150,000 Sponsors Support.

 

To receive and adopt the Annual Report and Statement of Account for 2020

 

Details of the accounts were produced.

Accounts were approved by an online vote.

 

Cricket’s Report for 2020 (MN & PM)

 

(MN)

 

Improvements made in red ball cricket, and special thanks to Dan Christian for his willingness to quarantine and then to captain the team to a trophy in the Vitality T20 Blast.

A number of players have had their contracts extended over the winter.

Samit Patel will now be playing White Ball Only to enable Liam Patterson-White and Matt Carter to play more red ball cricket.

The team will be moving to use the grass nets at Lady Bay from later this week, and the first practice game is on the 24^th March.

 

Head Coach (PM)

 

Last Season was special as it contained the fifth trophy for the club since 2010. He thought that progress had been made in red ball cricket and that we were on top in all five Bob Willis Trophy games but could not quite get over the line. He also praised Dan Christian and a number of players for performances in winning 10 out of 11 games in the T20 Blast, especially Jake Ball, Ben Duckett, Joe Clarke and Dan Christian, who revelled in the big occasion of finals day. Also he had special praise for Peter Trego when he was called in to play his first T20 game in the final.

 

Strategic Update (LP + TE)

 

(LP)

 

There was a disappointment towards the end of the 2020 season when the opportunity to pilot crowds for the T20QF at Trent Bridge was taken away from the club.

 There is a need to ‘Social Distance Crowds’ and ‘Plan for Events’, members may have to plan when we arrive, where we sit, and the way that we move round the ground.

 During 2020 there was a 20 per cent reduction in the number of ‘Permanent’ staff employed at Trent Bridge. A number of income streams were stopped and it is critical that Wedding Events return.

It was disappointing to lose the income from the Six Restaurant which had been fully booked up for weeks, prior to the intervention of COVID-19.

 

(TE)

 

There was an update on the work of the various sections of the Trent Bridge Community Trust.

He praised the work of the Heritage Volunteers who have been documenting Cricket & COVID and have spent lockdown updating the Historical Players Section on the club website.

 

To Appoint Members to the General Committee (RT & LP)

 

Two members were elected by ballot. Result Richard Stevenson 654, Diana Peasey 474, Bill Russell 447, Andy Hunt 321.

Therefore Richard Stevenson and Diana Peasey were elected.

Two appointments from the Nominations Committee were Ravi Badge and Andy Hunt. Ravi Badge is an orthopaedic consultant specialising in Sports Injuries based in the North West of England, and is a Level 2 cricket coach. Andy Hunt is the current Chairman of the Nottinghamshire Cricket Premier League, and came fourth in the member’s ballot.

 

Appoint a President for 2021

 

Basher Hassan was President for 2020 but was unable to perform most of his duties due to COVID. It is proposed that he is reappointed for 2021.

 

Any Other Business

 

Paul Ellis proposed the appointment of the retiring chairman Richard Tennant as a Vice President of the Club.

There was one question on Deferred Tax calculations which PE was not able to answer and he is awaiting an answer from Smith Cooper.

There was a question for MN, re the recent indiscipline from the players re points acquired from five instances in the T20 Blast last year. He stated that there was no appeal allowed on this and the captain Dan Christian have been made aware that any future problems during the 2021 season could lead to points deductions.

Question for RT, Why the candidates’ age was not listed on the correspondence for the election to the General Committee? RT stated that because the age limit of 70 had been removed it was the club’s intention not to disclose this in future.

LP was asked about return of spectators to Trent Bridge in 2021, Would Notts be part of a pilot system (not answered)? Would spectators be restricted to specific seats and banned from certain stands. LP could not answer, it requires more discussions, but she did state, ‘there could be zones for spectators, she did not know whether the club will be allowed to open all stands, but spectators movement around the ground could be restricted, but nothing is decided yet’. She was also asked about how the club would be able to control spectators’ movement at out grounds, which she was not able to answer.

LP - As there is likely to be less cricket for members to watch at Trent Bridge during 2021, had the club any plans about changing subscriptions prices for the 2021 season. LP stated that nothing has been discussed or decided yet.