Somerset members asked to support changes to Club Rules

Richard Parsons, the long serving Chairman of Somerset County Cricket Club who is stepping down from his post at the Annual General Meeting in December has written a letter to every member of the club that will be arriving on doormats up and down the country on Saturday morning.

In his letter Mr Parsons outlines the proposed changes to the Club Rules that will be presented to the members at the AGM, changes that have been recommended by the Working Party that was set up to look at the Constitution, Rules and Committee of the Club.

The aims of the changes are twofold. Firstly to streamline the running of the club and secondly to try to recruit more financial sponsorship for the club from the business community.

The first major change that is being recommended is that to facilitate a smoother running club the General and Management Committees should be merged creating a single committee, consisting of one elected member from each of the areas of the membership.

The second major change that is recommended is that in future the Club Chairman, who up until now has always been elected from within the General Committee, should be open to any person who is a member of the club.

Referring to this point in his letter Mr Parsons says: "This will enable the Club to appoint a Chairman with the ability and opportunity to network business contacts throughout the country for the good of the Club. The post of Club Chairman would be honorary and therefore unsalaried."

The Working Party is also recommending a greater importance for the role of Club Vice-Chairman.

In his letter Mr Parsons continues: "The role of the Club Vice-Chairman elected from within the Committee should assume greater importance and his primary duty would be to safeguard the provisions of the new Club Constitution, if approved."

Mr Parsons concludes by giving his personal recommendation to the new Rules which is backed by the retiring General Committee and asking members to approve them at the Club AGM which will be held on December 16th.