Aberdeen Bowling Club Constitution

CONSTITUTION & RULES of ABERDEEN BOWLING CLUB

1. Title:- The Club shall be designated “The Aberdeen Bowling Club”, Aberdeen, incorporating Carlton Ladies Bowling Club. The purpose of the club shall be the provision of facilities for the game of lawn bowling under the rules of the World Bowls Board. The Club is a non-profit making organisation. All profits and surpluses will be used to improve the Club’s facilities. No profit or surplus will be distributed other than to another non-profit making body or to members on winding up or dissolution of the Club.

2. Constitution:- The Aberdeen Bowling Club shall consist of four classes of members, viz. Honorary, Ordinary, Associate and Temporary Members. The number of Ordinary Members shall not exceed 220.

3. Membership:- (a) Honorary Members: – The election of Honorary Members shall be made on the recommendation of the General Committee to an Annual General Meeting in recognition of their long and valued services to the Club. They shall have the same rights and privileges and be subject to the same Rules as Ordinary Members except that they shall have no interest in the property or assets of the Club and no voting rights. Honorary Members shall not be required to pay an Entry Fee or Annual Subscription.

(b) Ordinary Members: – The General Committee shall consider and decide upon application for membership. Membership shall be open to all and cannot be refused without good reason. Any application for membership which is rejected will have the right to appeal and be heard before a committee. The admission of a member shall be immediately notified by the General Secretary, whereupon the Entry Fee and Annual Subscription shall at once become due and on payment will be held to have signified submission to the Rules of the Club. Membership of Aberdeen Bowling Club precludes membership of any other private SBA affiliated outdoor bowling club in Aberdeen. Ordinary Membership shall be confined to persons who are 18 years or over.

Junior membership shall be for under 18 year olds. A person given the Freedom of the Green has been given the highest honour to be bestowed on an Ordinary Member of the Club and will continue to be a member without the requirement of paying a subscription.

(c) Associate Members:- The admission of such Members shall be vested in the General Committee and they shall have the same rights and privileges and be subject to the same Rules as Honorary and Ordinary Members except that they shall have no right to play on the Green or to vote at any meeting of the Club. To become an Associate Member of Aberdeen Bowling Club such Ordinary Members must have a minimum of ten years Ordinary Membership.

(d) Temporary Members: – (i) Members of other Bowling Clubs or Bowling Associations who are attending a meeting, tournament or taking part in a representative match or open competition at the Club’s Green shall be admitted as temporary members for the duration of the meeting, the day of the match or the period of the competition without payment of a subscription. (ii) A Member except a temporary member may introduce a guest. Guests using the green at the invitation of a member shall pay £2.00 per game and sign the book.

4. Subscriptions :- (a) The General Committee shall recommend to the Annual General Meeting the amount of Entry Money and of Subscriptions for Ordinary and Associate Members for the current year and these shall be fixed by the Meeting following consideration of such recommendation.

(b) Annual Subscriptions shall become payable approximately 14 days before 1st April each year, at a time and date decided by the Treasurer, any member whose subscription remains unpaid after 1st April shall be considered to be in arrears. The Treasurer shall advise any Member who is in arrears. Members whose subscription remains unpaid after 1st April shall be deemed to have resigned their membership.

(c) Any members wishing to resign from membership should give written notice to the Secretary before the date of the Annual General Meeting.

5. Management: – The management of the affairs of the Club shall be vested in a Committee to be known as The General Committee and to be appointed at the Annual General Meeting.

It shall consist of: (a) The President, Senior Vice-President, Junior Vice-President, Immediate Past President, General Secretary, Gents Match Secretary, Ladies Match Secretary, Ladies Convener and the Treasurer. These, with the exception of the immediate Past President, constitute the Office-bearers. (b) An Assistant Secretary, a Seniors Convener, a Green Convener, a Property Convener and a Catering Convener shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting and will form part of the General Committee. (c) A sufficient number of Ordinary Members to bring the total membership of the Committee to eighteen. Seven persons shall form a quorum. (d) Casual vacancies in the Committee may be filled by the General Committee. (e) The Secretary shall keep a Minute Book conduct all correspondence and call Meetings of the Committee as and when directed by the Committee. (f) The Treasurer shall keep a record of all transactions and shall account for all monies entrusted to him/her. All Bank Accounts in the name of the Club shall be operated on by the Treasurer or by the President.

6. Match Committees: – All Competitions and Matches shall be under the control of the relevant match committee viz:

The Gents Match Committee consisting of the Gents Match Secretary, the Seniors Convener and four Ordinary Gentlemen Members. The Ladies Match Committee consisting of the Ladies Match Secretary, the A.D.L.B.A. Representative and four Ordinary Lady Members. The Joint Match Committee consisting of the Gents Match Secretary, the Ladies Match Secretary and two Members from each of the above Committees.

For meetings of the committees the quorum shall be four.

The President or in his/her absence, the Senior Vice-President shall be considered an ex officio member of ALL Match Committees.

7. Sub-Committee: – The General Committee may delegate any specific powers and duties to a Sub-Committee and may recall such delegation. All Sub-Committees shall appoint the Conveners from their own number and the President, Vice-President and Secretary shall be considered ex officio Members.

8. General Meeting:- (a) The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held during the month of February when the Report by the Secretary and the Treasurer’s Financial Statement will be presented and any other competent business conducted. (b) On the instructions of the General Committee, or upon receipt of a written requisition signed by not fewer than twenty Members, whose subscriptions are not in arrears, a Special General Meeting of the Club shall be convened by the Secretary. The business to be discussed shall appear on the notice calling the Meeting, which shall be held within twenty-one days of receipt of any such notice. (c) Not less than five clear days’ notice after date of despatch shall be given of the calling of any General Meeting. Twenty Ordinary Members shall form a quorum at a General Meeting.

9. Expulsion:- On the recommendation of the General Committee, a Special General Meeting shall have the power by a majority of not less than two-thirds of those present and voting to expel from the Club any Member for any reason which the Meeting shall consider sufficient. Any Member so expelled shall forfeit all claims upon the property of the Club.

10. Procedure at Meetings:-The President, whom failing the Vice-President, shall preside at all Meetings of the Club or of the General Committee. In their absence, any Member appointed by the Meeting shall take the Chair. In cases of equality in voting, the Chairman shall have the casting vote.

11. Accounts:- The financial year of the Club shall end on 31 December each year. Two Ordinary Members of the Club, not being Members of the General Committee shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting as Auditors.

12. Winter Session:- The Club in General Meeting may resolve to conduct a Winter Session for its Members and shall fix the subscription and decide the conditions under which it shall be arranged and managed.

13. Property of the Club:- The title to the heritable property belonging to the Club shall be vested in the name of the President, the Vice-President and the Secretary of the Club for the time being and their successors in office as Trustees on behalf of the Club. They shall hold the subjects as Trustees on behalf of the debenture holder’s primo loco and for the members of the Club present and future as proprietors in reversion. The Trustees shall have the power to sell by Public Recoup or Private Bargain, but such power shall be exercised only subject to the rights of the debenture holders and after approval by the Club following a special General Meeting and on the recommendation of the General Committee.

The Trustees shall further have the power following on a recommendation of the General Committee and a Special General Meeting of the Club to borrow money on the security of the heritable property of the Club and to grant all usual and necessary Writs to secure such borrowed money, but without prejudice always to any existing securities for debenture or other sums already borrowed. No such security writs granted by the said Trustees shall infer any personal liability on the Trustees or Members of the Committee as individuals in respect thereof. The General Committee of the Club shall, however, have recourse against Members of the Club from any obligations for which they as office-bearers may have made themselves liable on behalf of the Club.

14. Interpretation:- The general committee shall have the sole right to interpret these Rules and give direction on any unforeseen circumstances.

15. Alteration to the rules:- No alteration of the foregoing Rules or any of them shall be made except at an Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting of the Club called specifically for that purpose and fourteen clear days of any proposed alteration shall be given before such a Meeting and no alteration shall be made except by a majority of two thirds of the Members present and voting.

Club Competitions

Entries for the following competitions, Singles (Open & Handicap), Pairs and Fours, close on the date set for the opening of the green, and members taking part are requested to refer to the Club Notice Boards for the closing date for playing ties. Information on all other competitions – Entry Dates etc. will be posted on Notice Boards.

Please Note: Greys and Whites must be worn for every round of each competition.

All Club Competitions MUST be completed by the date shown, both participants being responsible for arranging ties. In the event of a tie not being played, both parties will be scratched. If unable to agree on dates, then it must be referred to the Match Secretary 7 days before closing date of competition. He/she will arrange a date for the competition to be played. Exceptions to this rule being:(a) Green is unfit for play due to inclement weather. (b) Due to illness or bereavement. (c) If any competitor is playing in Scottish Bowling Association Competitions.

All Competitions must be booked in the desk diary. Competitors to be responsible for arranging own markers. In the event of bad weather interrupting a competition, providing it cannot be continued, it shall be completed on the next available day from the end that was last played.

The various rounds in the competitions must be concluded within the time limits fixed by the Match Committees. Due notice of these times shall be posted on the Club Notice Boards and will be strictly adhered to. The Match Committees have control over all competitions and have the power to scratch defaulters. Their decision is final.

No ties to be played on Saturday afternoons or Monday Hat Nights except by permission of the Joint Match Committee. Players who fail to arrive at the arranged starting time may be allowed a 15 minute period of grace. If, after this time, the player is not on the Green ready to commence play, his/her opponent will be awarded the tie.

There will be no bounce games played during the Ladies’ and Gents’ Club

Championship Singles Finals.

Substitutes

Singles No substitute.

Pairs One substitute allowed up to but not including the final. Substitutes who play in more than one round to carry on through to final.

Triples Two substitutes allowed up to but not including the final. Substitutes who play in more than one round to carry on through to final.

Fours Two substitutes allowed up to but not including the final. Substitutes who play in more than one round to carry on through to final. Appropriate Match Committee to provide the Fours substitutes (if available).

Substitutes must be members who have not already participated in the competition. Substitutes will not be allowed to take over as Skip. Players who participate in the first game will be considered as the official team in any competition. Protests/disputes shall fall to be considered and disposed of by the Appropriate Match Committee whose decision shall be final.

Members who scratch from their first game in any competition will be deemed to be an entry and will not be eligible to act as substitutes in that competition.

Hat Nights

Weekly Competitions will be held on Monday evenings, places and rinks to be drawn by lot. Members must play in the position drawn, except the Skip, who will have the option of changing with any other Member in the rink. Play to commence between 6.45pm-7.00pm members will go on the Green in order of arrival. Rinks and places will be drawn for.

Club Matches

Members wishing to take part in any Club Match must append their names to the sheet provided on the Club Notice Boards.

Bounce Games

NORMAL PLAYING TIMES:- The Green is open for play every day (subject to Green Maintenance, Weather and Match Committee Requirements). Daily: No play before 10.00am. Monday to Friday: No ties to be played between 2pm and 4pm (Unless rinks are available). 1 rink is reserved for bounce games from 4pm. Tuesday and Thursday: Allocation of rinks – 3 for Gents and 3 for Ladies. Sunday: A maximum of 3 rinks may be booked for ties between 2pm and 4pm. Seniors Matches and Ladies Matches are played on certain afternoons which will reduce the availability of rinks on those days – see Fixture Lists and Notice Boards. Bounce rinks involving visitors shall not be permitted in evenings until competition congestion has been eased

Visitor’s names must be entered in the desk diary at all times.