November 2016 Newsletter

WCF November 2016 Newsletter

The newsletter provides a summary for WCF Members of what the Management Committee has been doing recently and what is on the agenda in the near future.  Comments are always very welcome.  It is also made available to all on the WCF web-site and via the Nottingham list and other croquet bulletin boards.

Council debates and decisions

The new draft of the WCF Statutes was published to Members in October as a consultation, Topic 54.  Comments were received from Scotland and New Zealand and an amended version has just been published to Members for approval as Topic 57 with a Closing Date of Christmas Day, 25 December 2016, and a planned adoption date of 1 January 2017.

The new version will be Version 12.  In addition to improving the drafting and organisation of the various sections and removing text dealing with general meetings (because the Council takes all its decisions through e-mail voting), the terms of reference of the WCF Golf Croquet Rules Committee have been updated.  The only substantive change is the establishment of a WCF Association Croquet Laws Committee which, with the agreement of the ACA, CA, CNZ and USCA, will replace the International Laws Committee from 1 January 2017 with the same general terms of reference as the WCF GCRC.

The Ramsis Cup was presented in 2008 as a trophy for Test Matches between Egypt and the Rest of the World.  It has been held twice with the Rest of the World emerging as narrow victors on each occasion.  The establishment of the Golf Croquet World Team Championship has filled the space that the Ramsis Cup occupied and Members were consulted in Topic 55 about the future role of the event and whether it should be adopted as a WCF Event.  The responses were evenly balanced and the question will be re-addressed after the 2017 GCWC.

Martin French was co-opted to the office of WCF Treasurer with effect from 1 July 2016 following Gabrielle Higgins’ decision to retire because of work pressures.  The MC would like to pay tribute to Gabrielle for her very valuable contribution to the work of the MC since she took on the role in 2013.  Martin’s role is required to be confirmed by election and voting closed today on Topic 56 with 51 votes in favour and none against.  His term of office expires on 31 December 2020.

Christian Carter has offered to stand again as the WCF Independent Examiner and Members have been asked to vote on his election for 2017 under Topic 58 which also closes on Christmas Day.

What happened in October and November?

The focus was on completing the work on the new Statutes and Finance Regulations and on the fourth-quarter business of reporting formally to Members on the financial and operational activities of the MC.  The Statutes require the MC to publish the accounts for the previous year and an Annual Report, which is sent out in late December to capture as much of the current year’s activities as possible.  Members are also required to consider and, if thought fit, approve the Budget and Business Plan for the following year.

Forthcoming WCF championships

2017 Golf Croquet World Championship and Under 21 GC World Championship

Both events will be held at the Victorian Croquet Association headquarters at Cairnlea, in the western suburbs of Melbourne.  The Under 21 GCWC will run from Saturday, 18 to Wednesday 22 February 2017 and the Qualifying Tournament from Monday, 20 to Wednesday, 22 February 2017.  The main event will begin on Saturday, 25 February 2017 and end on Sunday, 5 March 2017.

2017 Association Croquet World Team Championship

Tier 1, the MacRobertson Shield, will be held at Mission Hills Country Club, Palm Springs, California from Monday, 17 April 2017 to Friday, 4 May 2017.

Tiers 2.1, Tiers 2.2 and 3 will be held at Sussex County Croquet Club in England from Monday, 17 to Saturday, 22 July 2017.  Entries close on Sunday, January 2017.

2018 Association Croquet World Championship

The event will be held in Wellington, New Zealand in early 2018, provisionally from Saturday, 27 January 2018 to Sunday, 4 February 2018.

Membership enquiries

None other than the proposed Greek Croquet Association.

MC Topics recently completed or closed

MC 346:          WCF Statutes revision project

MC 348:          WCF trophies – repairs and flight box

MC 357:          Election of Treasurer

MC Topics open, pending or under administration on 30 November 2016

MC 318:          2017 GCWC and Under 21 GCWC

MC 324:          2017 AC World Team Championship

MC 331:          International Laws Committee

MC 352:          10-year World Championship schedule

MC 353:          Golf Croquet Ranking Review Working Group

MC 354:          2018 Association Croquet World Championship

MC 355:          New signatories for WCF accounts

MC 356:          Finance Regulation amendments

MC 358:          Formal Q4 business.

Outlook for December

The main issues will be the completion of the remaining Q4 formal business tasks and proposing updated Statutes and Finance Regulations to Members.

Stephen Mulliner

Secretary-General

4 December 2016