NAME AND OBJECTS
The Club shall be named the "Surbiton Croquet Club". Its objects shall be the encouragement of, and provision of facilities for playing croquet and promotion of participation in the sport of croquet.
The Officers of the Club shall be the Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. All shall be Honorary.
The Secretary and Treasurer shall be elected at the A.G.M. and hold office until the next A.G.M., but shall be eligible for re-election. The Committee shall have power to fill casual vacancies until the next A.G.M.
The duties of the officers shall be as follows:
The Chairman shall preside at general meetings and Club functions.
The Hon. Secretary shall keep the minutes of the general and committee meetings, maintain a register of members and act as directed by the Committee.
The Hon. Treasurer shall keep the accounts of the Club and be responsible for all monies belonging to, due to or payable by it. He shall lay before the A.G.M. a statement of his accounts approved and signed by the Hon. Auditor, for the year ending the previous 31 December.
The Chairman shall be elected from and by the Committee at their first meeting after the A.G.M.
PRESIDENT AND VICE-PRESIDENTS
The President and Vice-Presidents may be nominated by the Committee by way of recognition for special services to the Club. Any person so nominated may be created a President or Vice-President, for life or any lesser period, by a resolution of a general meeting, and approved by not less than two-thirds of those voting upon it.
COMMITTEE
The affairs of the Club shall, except as provided elsewhere in these Rules, be managed by a Committee consisting of the Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and not more than seven elected members making a total of 10 maximum.
The members of the Committee shall be elected at the A.G.M. to serve until the next A.G.M. The Committee may fill casual vacancies until the next A.G.M.
The Committee shall meet as soon as is convenient after the A.G.M. and thereafter when necessary as decided by the Chairman, who shall be bound to call a meeting within 21 days of the receipt by the Hon. Secretary of a written requisition signed by any three of its members. The Hon. Secretary shall arrange meetings and shall give not less than seven days notice of the time, place and business to be conducted to those entitled to attend. Four members of the Committee shall constitute a quorum.
All members of the Committee (including the Chairman) shall be entitled to vote. A simple majority shall be decisive on all questions: in the event of a tie, the Chairman shall exercise a casting vote.
The Committee may appoint a suitably qualified member to act as Tournament Secretary and may co-opt the person appointed onto the Committee.
The Committee shall, at its first meeting, appoint suitably qualified members of the Club to form a Handicap Sub-Committee, which shall have power to determine members' handicaps. The Sub-Committee shall appoint its own Chairman, who shall be responsible for calling meetings when required and notifying the Secretary of its decisions.
The purchase and supply of alcohol is to be managed by a committee of at least three members of the club (if not managed by general meetings), who have attained the age of 18.
The Committee may appoint Sub-Committees to deal with any matters. If the Chairman thereof is not a member of the Committee he or she may be co-opted onto the Committee.
GENERAL MEETINGS
General meetings of the Club shall normally be chaired by the Chairman. If he or she is not present, the meeting shall elect a Chairman. Ten of the Club members eligible to vote shall constitute a quorum. Voting shall be by show of hands, except where otherwise provided in these Rules or at the discretion of the Chairman, when a secret ballot shall be taken. Members unable to attend may appoint a proxy to act for them, by notifying the Club Secretary. Unless otherwise provided in these Rules, a simple majority of those voting shall be decisive on all questions.
The Annual General meeting of the Club shall be held prior to the first day of May each year. Twenty-one days notice of the time, place and business to be conducted shall be given to all members eligible to attend. The general heads of business to be conducted shall be as follows:
To confirm the minutes of the previous A.G.M. and any subsequent general meetings.
To receive the report of the Committee.
To receive the Hon. Treasurer's accounts, approve the budget for the forthcoming year, determine the rate of subscriptions and green fees for the forthcoming year and appoint an Hon. Auditor.
To elect the Officers and Committee for the ensuing year.
To consider any motions of which notice has been given to the Hon. Secretary not less than six weeks before the date fixed for the meeting.
At the discretion of the Chairman, to consider any other business not involving any alteration to the Rules of the Club, its dissolution, the transfer of any of the Club's assets or the borrowing of any money, or any expenditure outside the immediate resources of the Club.
Nominations of candidates for election as Officers or members of the Committee, duly proposed and seconded by two other voting members and with the agreement of the person nominated, must be delivered in writing to the Hon. Secretary not less than fourteen days before the date fixed for the A.G.M. If there are more candidates than vacancies for any post a secret ballot shall be held, otherwise the persons nominated shall be declared elected. No more than one vote may be given to any candidate and the number of votes recorded must not exceed the number of vacancies. The candidates with the most votes shall be elected; in the event of a tie a further ballot shall be taken for the tied positions. If any post remains unfilled, nominations shall be accepted from the meeting and a ballot held if necessary; if insufficient nominations are forthcoming, the Committee shall have power to fill any vacancies.
A special general meeting may be called at any time by the Committee, who shall be bound to do so within one month of the receipt by the Hon. Secretary of a written requisition signed by not less than one-fifth or thirty whichever shall be the fewer of the members eligible to vote and stating the business it is proposed to conduct. Fourteen days notice of the time, place and business to be conducted must be given to all members eligible to attend. No other business shall be conducted at the meeting.
A special general meeting shall be competent to remove any of the Officers, or the Committee, and fill any vacant posts. In the event of the Committee becoming inquorate, through resignations or other causes, the Chairman or Secretary or failing them a member of the Committee shall call a special meeting to elect a new Committee.
MEMBERSHIP
The classes of membership shall be as follows:
Full.
Family.
Country (open to anyone whose place of residence is more than 25 miles from the Club).
Far Country (open to anyone whose place of residence is more than 50 miles from the Club).
Student (open to anyone pursuing a course of full time education).
Junior (open to anyone under 18 years on May 1st).
Non-playing.
Temporary. (All visitors, including members of visiting teams and tournament players shall be deemed temporary members of the Club for the duration of their visit.)
Honorary. (The Committee may elect as honorary members persons who have rendered special services to the Club or who are prominent locally.)
All except temporary members are to be regarded as Ordinary Members of the Club and shall be equally entitled to vote at general meetings and be nominated for any post.
Membership of the Club shall be open to anyone interested in croquet on application, regardless of sex, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion or other beliefs. However, membership may be limited, according to the available facilities, on a non-discriminatory basis.
Membership subscriptions shall be payable on application for membership and afterwards on 1st April each year, the date from which the membership year shall operate. Any member wishing to resign must give notice in writing to the Secretary before 1st April (or seven days after the A.G.M. whichever shall be the later) to avoid liability for the ensuing year's subscription. Any member whose subscription is not paid by 1st June in any year shall be deemed to have resigned but shall remain liable for that year's subscription.
Members shall be entitled to use the Club grounds and pavilion, subject to these rules and any Bye-Laws made under Rule 8, but the Club shall have no liability for any loss, damage or injury sustained whether personal or to property.
The Committee may refuse membership, or remove it, only for good cause, such as conduct or character likely to bring the Club or the sport of croquet into disrepute. An appeal against refusal or removal may be made to the members.
Persons may not be admitted to membership, or be admitted as candidates for membership, or to any of the privileges of membership, without an interval of at least two days between their nomination or application for membership and their admission.
Occasional visitors at any time may be introduced by any member upon entering their names in the Visitors Book and payment of the appropriate Green Fee. Such visitors may use the Club under the same conditions as members except that they may not purchase intoxicating liquor.
TRUSTEES
The Committee may appoint no fewer than two nor more than four members to act as Trustees of the Club, subject to such appointment being confirmed at the next Annual General Meeting. The Trustees shall act under the direction of the Committee.
RULES AND BYE-LAWS
The Committee may make and rescind Bye-Laws consistent with these Rules to control the use of the Club grounds and pavilion. A copy of these Rules and any Bye-Laws made shall be displayed on the Club notice board and all members shall be deemed conversant with and bound by them.
These Rules may only be altered by a resolution of a general meeting, approved by not less than two-thirds of those voting upon it.
Alcohol may only be supplied to members, temporary members, or bona fide guests of members.
That no arrangements are made for any person directly or indirectly to derive any pecuniary benefit from the supply of alcohol, by or on behalf of the club, to members or guests, apart from any benefit accruing to the club as a whole, or any benefit which a person derives indirectly by reason of the supply giving rise or contributing to a general gain from the carrying on of the club.
NON-PROFIT MAKING
All surplus income or profits are to be reinvested in the Club. No surpluses or assets will be distributed to members or third parties.
DISSOLUTION
The Club shall, and shall only, be dissolved by a resolution of a general meeting, approved by not less than two-thirds of those voting upon it, who shall be deemed to constitute a quorum. The meeting shall appoint a Committee to wind up the affairs of the Club. Upon dissolution of the Club, any remaining assets shall be given or transferred to another registered Community Amateur Sports Club, the South East Croquet Federation or the Croquet Association for use by them in related community sports. In the event of the liabilities of the Club exceeding its assets, all members at the beginning of that membership year shall be equally liable for the deficit.
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