windlesham bowls club

WINDLESHAM BOWLS CLUB
CLUB CONSTITUTION & RULES

1.Name of Club
The name of the Club shall be Windlesham Bowls Club and shall be affiliated to the E.B.A., S.C.B.A., W.S.B.A., A. & D.B.A., E.W.B.A. and any other recognised body in the interests of the Club.
2.Objects of the Club
a)To maintain a Bowling Green, Clubhouse and ancillary land and buildings at the Clubhouse, Kennel Lane, Windlesham, Surrey, GU20 6AA together with the furnishings and equipment therein.
b)To promote the game of bowls and the social activities relating thereto.
c)To provide and maintain a Bowling Green and Clubhouse and other conveniences in connection therewith for the benefit of the members upon payment.
d)To purchase, hire, make or provide and maintain all kinds of machines, equipment, tools, furniture, kitchen equipment, utensils, and other things required or which may conveniently used in connection with the Bowling Green and Surrounds, Clubhouse or other premises of the Club by person frequenting the same.
e)To buy, prepare, make, supply, sell and deal in all kinds of apparatus in connection with the game of bowls.
f)To hire and employ all classes of persons considered necessary for the purposes of the Club and to pay them in return for services rendered to the Club.
g)To promote and hold, either alone or jointly, with any other association, club or person, meetings, competitions and matches for the playing of bowls.
h)To establish, promote or assist in establishing or promoting and to subscribe to or become a member of any other association or club, whose objectives are similar to the objectives of the Club or the establishment of promotion of which many be beneficial to the Club, provided that no subscription be paid to any such association or club out of the funds of the Club except bona fide in furtherance of the objectives of the Club.
i)To invest and deal with the monies of the Club not immediately required in such a manner as may from time to time be determined.
j)To do all such other lawful things as may be considered are incidental or conducive to the attainment of the above objects at any time.
All the foregoing Objects shall be read and construed as separate and distinct Objects and the generality of any such Objects shall not be abridged or cut down by reference to any other Object of the Club.

3.Income
The income and property of the Club, howsoever derived, shall be applied towards the promotion of and the Objects of the Club.

4.Winding Up
If, upon the winding up or dissolution of the Club, there remains, after the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities, any property whatsoever the same shall be transferred to a similar organisation.
Upon the winding up or dissolution of the Club, no personal liability shall be attached to any member except for such funds of the Club as may be in their possession at that time.
5.Membership

a)The Club shall consist of a maximum of 140 playing members made up of Honorary Life Bowling Members, Full Playing Members (Male and Female), Junior Playing Members (aged 16 years and under and who must have an adult member present when playing). In addition the Club will appoint a President and Vice-Presidents as appropriate.

b)The total playing membership can only be varied by a resolution at an Annual General Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting.

c)The social membership shall be limited to such members as considered by the Club Committee to be in the best interests of the Club.

d)Application for membership of the Club shall be made to the Hon. Secretary on the official application form. The application will be submitted to the Club Committee for approval or refusal at their absolute discretion.

e)The rights and privileges of a member shall not be transferable.

f)A member shall cease to be a member:-
If they resign by one month’s notice in writing to the Club Committee or
Their membership is terminated for disciplinary reasons by the Club Committee or
Their annual membership subscription remains unpaid at 1^st March of each year.

g)All playing members, including Honorary Life Bowling Members, shall be entitled to one vote, if present in person, at any General Meeting.

h)Honorary Life Membership of the Club may be recommended by the Club Committee and approved by the members at an Annual General meeting.

6.Conduct of Members
a)If the Club Committee considers that any member’s conduct, either inside or outside the Club premises, is contrary to the best interests of the Club, the Club Committee may terminate that person’s membership.

b)Any person whose membership is so terminated shall immediately be excluded from the Club’s premises and shall have no claim against the Club, the Club Committee or any member thereof.

c)Any member so dealt with shall have the right of appeal to a Special General meeting called for that purpose.
7.Club Committee

The control of the Club shall be by a Club Committee of 15 persons, all of whom shall be playing members of the Club and shall consist of the Chairman, Hon. Secretary, Hon. Treasurer, Club Captain, Club Vice Captain, Fixtures Secretary, Club Competitions Secretary, Fund Raiser, Hon. Greenkeeper, Ladies Captain, Ladies Secretary and 4 playing members of the Club who have been duly proposed, seconded and elected by the Annual General Meeting (These elected members shall include at least one male and one female member).

The Club Committee shall meet as often as deemed necessary and the Hon. Secretary shall give due notice of the meeting to Committee Members. A quorum of the Committee shall be at least 6 members. Decisions will be made by a majority vote. The Chairman will not vote but will have the casting vote in the event of a tied vote.

The Club Committee shall exercise all such powers contained in the Constitution and Rules currently in force, or that are required to be exercised by the members at a General Meeting.

The Club Committee may delegate any of its powers to such Committees or sub-Committees as it deems necessary for the well running of the Club. Any such Committee shall conform to any regulations that may be prescribed by the Club Committee.

The Club Committee shall have the power to make bye-laws for the purpose of the proper conduct and control of the affairs of the Club provided that such bye-laws are not inconsistent with the Constitution of the Club.

8.Books of Account

The Club Committee shall cause proper books of account to be kept with respect to:-
(a)The assets and liabilities of the Club
(b)The sums of money received and expended by the Club and the manner in which the receipts and expenditure take place.

The Hon. Treasurer shall maintain the financial records of the Club.

The books of account shall be kept at such a place as the Club Committee shall think fit and shall always be open to inspection by the Club Committee.

9.Annual Subscriptions
Annual subscriptions for playing and social membership shall be fixed annually. The fees shall be recommended by the Club Committee and agreed by the Members at the Annual General Meeting, with a minimum recommended increase each year based on the September “Cost of Living Index”. All subscriptions and fees are payable in advance by the 1^st March. Members in arrears will not be allowed to play, except in special circumstances and with the dispensation of the Club Committee.

The Club year shall run from 1^st March each year to the last day of February in the following year.

10.Match Fees

Match fees shall be fixed annually. The fees shall be recommended by the Club Committee and agreed by the Members at the Annual General Meeting.

11.Accounts

The Club Committee shall bring before the Members in General Meeting an Income and Expenditure Account made up to 30^th September each year together with a Balance Sheet .

12.Auditor

The Club shall appoint at each Annual General Meeting one member to be the Auditor of the Club’s Annual Accounts.

13.General Meetings

a)An Annual General Meeting shall be held in November of each year. The Notice convening the Meeting shall be displayed in the Clubhouse giving at least 4 weeks notice.

b)All nominations and propositions for the Annual General Meeting shall have at least 14 days notice and shall be proposed and seconded in writing.

c)At the Annual General Meeting the following Officers of the Club, having been duly proposed and seconded, shall be elected either by declaration of the Chairman where the nomination/s make a vote unnecessary or, if a vote is needed, by secret ballot to be supervised by two tellers appointed by the meeting:-

Chairman, Hon. Secretary, Hon. Treasurer, Club Captain, Club Vice Captain, Fixtures Secretary, Club Competitions, Fund Raiser, Hon. Green-keeper.

The Club Captain and Club Vice captain must be elected annually but no member may serve in these offices for more than 3 consecutive years.

d)The above mentioned Annual General Meeting shall be called an ordinary meeting, all other General Meetings shall be called Extraordinary.

e)An Extraordinary General Meeting may be called by :-
(i)The Club Committee
(ii)Any member by giving notice in writing to the Hon. Secretary, such notice must be supported in writing by at least 12 members of the Club.

No Business may be discussed at an Extraordinary Meeting other than that which is shown on the Agenda.

f)No business shall be transacted at any General Meeting unless a quorum of playing members is present at the time when the Meeting proceeds to business. Save as otherwise provided, 25 playing members, present in person, shall constitute a quorum.

g)If, within one half hour from the time appointed for the meeting, a quorum of playing members is not present, the meeting, if convened on the requisition of the members, shall be dissolved. In any other case, it shall stand adjourned to the same day, time and place, in the following week and if, at the adjourned meeting, a quorum of playing members is not present within one half hour of the appointed time of the meeting, the playing members present shall be a quorum.

h)The Chairman may, with the consent of the Meeting, adjourn such a meeting from time to time and place to place but no business shall be transacted at the adjourned meeting, other than the business left unfinished at the meeting from which the adjournment took place.

14.Bank Accounts

The Club shall maintain and operate Bank Current and Deposit Accounts and such other Deposit Accounts as deemed necessary.

The Chairman, Hon. Secretary and Hon. Treasurer shall be appointed as duly authorised signatories to these accounts and withdrawals on behalf of the Club will require any two out of these three authorised signatories.

15.Correspondence

The Hon. Secretary shall conduct all Club correspondence, except as specifically stated otherwise in the rules, and he will report all matters relating to the Club to the Club Committee and members.

The Hon. Treasurer shall conduct all Club correspondence relating to the operation of the bank accounts and the financial records.

The Club Fixtures Secretary may conduct correspondence relating to Club fixtures.

The Club Competitions Secretary may conduct correspondence relating to the internal club competitions.

16.Club Matches

The Club Fixture Secretary will be responsible for arranging Club Matches.

Responsibility for team selection for all matches shall be with the Club Captain, Vice Captain and Ladies Captain.

Smoking is not allowed on the Green during matches.

17.Club Competitions

The Club Competitions Secretary will be responsible for arranging all internal Club competitions. All games will be played by specified dates and the sole arbiter in any dispute will be the Club Competition secretary.

Smoking is not allowed on the Green during Club Competitions.

18.Dress on Green

At all times players on the green will wear smooth flat soled shoes and be dressed in smart casual clothes or in white shirts or blouses with grey or white trousers or skirts/culottes as stated for the individual match.

19.Playing Times

The hours that the green is open for play will be displayed on a notice board in the Clubhouse. These hours may be varied from time to time by the Hon. Green-keeper, who will be the sole arbiter in determining if the green is fit for play.

20.Duty Rotas

It is a condition of membership of the Club that all bowling members shall take their turn when required on:-

(i)Match tea duties
(ii)Clubhouse cleaning duties

The Club Committee shall have the power to terminate membership, if after due warning, a member fails to adhere to this condition.

Bowling members in their first season are exempt from match tea and cleaning duties.

21.Windlesham Club and Theatre

Windlesham Bowls Club is an affiliated member of the Windlesham Club and Theatre. All members of Windlesham Bowls Club can use the facilities of the Windlesham Club and Theatre at any time during the bowling season.

22.Club Matters

Any member who wishes to raise a club matter for discussion by the Club Committee, should in the first instance, in form the Hon. Secretary for the matter to be included on the agenda for a Club Committee meeting.

23.Bye-Laws

Any duly authorised instructions or bye-laws will be displayed on the Club notice boards and shall be discharged and complied with by all members of the Club.

24.Alteration to the Constitution and Rules

Any alterations to the Club Constitution and Rules should be considered by the Club Committee and then submitted for the approval of members at an Ordinary or General meeting.

14^th March 2011