24^TH PRESIDENTS A.G.M REPORT 2010

2009 has been probably the best year the club has achieved so much success. The club has had some very good years in the past, but 2009 is going to be hard to beat.

SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS

The league programmes have by and large all been successful, with the results in our top league men and women’s sides the best yet. The senior men’s B.A.L Team has done extremely well in the first year since promotion. Great credit to all concerned and the upgraded 8 lane track will not come soon enough. Equally our victorious Southern Women’s League team winning promotion was another success story, which was largely due to some excellent team work with Emma Hope at the helm. Success came also for the Alder Valley League boy’s team, who won their league plate, which therefore bodes well for their team members in the future.

TALENTED MEMBERSHIP

It is at this time when we see so much talent in the club, especially in the junior age groups, who compete not only in the league events, but also representative events in the region, county, Hampshire and English Schools A.A in many of the athletic disciplines, it bodes well for the future of this great club. It is nice to know when the current senior members reach towards the end of their athletic careers, there are many junior talents waiting to take their place.

JUNIOR AND SENIOR AWARDS EVENINGS

It was a particular pleasure to attend both the junior and senior awards evenings. The first event on the 3^rd October at the Dummer Cricket Centre, where we invited the Deputy Mayor and Mayoress, Cllr Philip Heath and his wife Christine to attend to make the presentations to the award winners and followed by a disco which was a thoroughly successful evening. The Senior Awards on the 23^rd October at the Red Lion Hotel, where the Mayor Cllr Brian Gurden attended to present the winners awards. This was another great evening event, which had the bonus of some of the club’s international members in attendance to receive their awards, including our star member Olympian Robert Tobin.

QUAD KIDS

Another highlight came in the late summer when we hosted the Quad Kids Final Match at Down Grange, for the first time, where our Quad Kids team took 4^th place. This was quite a successful event and I understand, we have been asked to host the 2010 Final.

SOUTHERN MEN’S LEAGUE GREAT SEASON

Geoff Butler has as always done a grand job with his team and not always blessed with a full compliment in his team on the day, but manages to juggle his team members who respond to his call on the track on in the field to great effect. Camaraderie remains paramount and seems to contribute to the success they enjoy. The team came second in their last home match on the 11^th July and this was an all round great performance with ten victories from the track and field programme, despite the damp cool weather.

SOUTHERN VETS LEAGUE EXCELLENT RESULTS

Congratulations also go to our Vets Team, who again has won the League Championship and went to Ashford for the final for the third time. Team Manager Don Powell works hard to get the best team out with an abundance of e-mails and phone calls no doubt to good effect. Well done to Don and The Vets Team.

SOUTHERN WOMEN’S LEAGUE PROMOTION

Another splendid league result came, when our Southern Women’s League Division 3 Team won the League Title and promotion to Division 2. There is no doubt this and other results this season contributed to the Down Grange track upgrade fund from the council becoming a reality. Well done to Emma Hope and the Southern Women’s League team.

THE CLUB’S JUNIOR TEAMS ENCOURAGING RESULTS

Great results which came from the Wessex and National Junior League Teams, no doubt obviously comes from the efforts of the club’s junior coaches and team managers. These teams are the life blood of the club and we look for many of the members of the junior teams as senior members of the future. I progressed from the junior ranks myself and went on to an active career of 50 years with the club.

CROSS COUNTRY LEAGUE

Another successful season for the mud larkers, with the club hosting a fixture at the new Popham cross country course for the first time on 4^th December and appears to be a venue for the future. All credit to Cross Country Secretary Eunice Stevenson for managing the team members so well.

The Hampshire A.A Cross Country Championships were due to be held at the new Fleming Park Cross Country course at Eastleigh, but this year it had to be postponed, the victim of the snow and ice of perhaps one of the worst winters for thirty years..

BORDER LEAGUE

A league the club has been a part of since its inception back in the 1970s. It has always been the breeding ground for our junior cross country runners, and we continue to nurture these young athletes with the support of many people over the years. Congratulations and well done to our current team of Border Leaguers.

ROAD RUNNERS

Paula Steckiw took over from Wally Thorpe this year and has done an admirable job in her first year at the helm. The road runners continue in their annual programme and as always have done extremely well, especially in the club championships. Numbers have increased and at the senior awards evening the success of the road running section was paramount in the overall success of the club during the 2009 season. Sadly Paula is stepping down this year due to pressure of work, thanks Paula for all your good work.

HONORARY LIFE MEMBERSHIPs

It gave me great pleasure to present Honorary Life Membership Certificates to four members at the club track and field championships at Down Grange on September 13^th 2009. They were Holly Croxford, Emma Bucket, Sam Sleap and Andy Blow. All these club members are enjoying top level athletics at international level and for this the club has awarded these special certificates to them under the club’s constitution.

ACTION FROM OUR INTERNATIONAL MEMBERSHIP

Congratulations to Robert Tobin, who took the UKA 400 metres title at the Alexander Stadium, Birmingham on the 12^th July, which booked his place in Great Britain Team for the World Championships in Berlin, where he returned with a team silver medal in the 4 x 400metres relay. Well done Robert, also Andy Blow who made the 400metres hurdles final in his first year in this technical event missing a bronze medal by just one place. Disappointment for Holly Croxford who just missed a place in the 200 metres final and Mark Berridge , Louis Sellars in the 400 metres and Richard Fox in the 400 metres hurdles finals. Robert Whittle also just missed out in 1500 metres and decathlete Ben Hazell just missed the 110 metres hurdles final. Eight club members who took part in the national championships, all were potential medal winners, is a proud record for any club. In the last few years, to my knowledge the club has not produced so many top class athletes in its various age groups in the club’s 61 year history.

TO CONCLUDE

Next year I celebrate my 25^th year, as President of a club I grew up with and am very proud to be a member of, as well as holding this privileged office for so long.

Sadly, I have been forced to retire from my role as a track/field official, so I am less involved at league and championship events. However, I will still support home fixtures and club management business, for as long as I possibly can.

I would like to point out there are a few committee vacancies to fill at the AGM. If you care to read the vacant posts on the AGM Notice and if possible answer the committee’s call to fill them, it would be gratefully appreciated. We require a strong team to manage this large club and successful club.

I look forward to 2010/11 with enthusiasm after the success of 2009/10. I wish every success in all the membership endeavours for the coming year.

Reg Eade. Honorary Life President, Basingstoke and Mid Hants Athletic Club