To keep our members updated, the wheel of action is rolling to get next year’s fixtures and yearbooks started and the messages are going out to collect the details we require from captains and secretaries. Thank you to those who have provided the required information already, it really helps to have everything as quickly as possible. It’s also a joy to see the league expanding with Upper Killay, Whiteknights and Castell Nedd all adding teams. We’re now rising to 25 teams, a fantastic number that hasn’t been seen in quite some time!

There has been quite the shuffle with our officers and we would like to thank everyone who has put work in over the years. Giving up free time on a voluntary basis is a gift that the league always requires and the more people that help the smoother we can run. Last year Andrew Smith and Darson Beeston stepped down as division controllers, and Chris Daniels and June Evans have taken up the roles respectively. If there any issues with the matches they can be contacted and please do make sure they receive the required match results. Both Chris and June have helped as captains, players and committee members for many years and we’re sure they will do well.

The U1500 Championship (the new name for the Minor league) is to be controlled by Martyn Griffiths. Last year, thanks to Whiteknights, Morriston and Castell Nedd, we were able to bring back this league for the first time in many years and its been a big bonus for the newcomers. Martyn has run numerous events, chaired Castell Nedd for over 40 years, and has been a president of the WWCL for a long time, so he has the experience to act as controller of the league.

After a number of years working in the Grading Officer role, Ben Rowlands is now stepping down to have Steven Smith take up the gauntlet. A demon task at times when the results are flooding in, Steven has the organisation skills of a salesperson to keep the live grades up to scratch.

In relation to the executive committee, Donovan Sipho has become league secretary, so we’d like to welcome Eugene Tee as the Noah’s Yard representative, to give their club’s say. His votes will help to represent Noah’s Yard’s members. Les Philpin has stood down, a fantastic contributor over the years and a man with many talents, still running the West Wales Chess Congress, with Ian Eustis representing Morriston. I don’t think there’s any need to introduce Ian!

The veterans of the committee and officer roles are June Evans (Upper Killay representative), Ken Huntley (De La Bech representative), Chris Daniels (Whiteknights representative), Steven Smith (Castell Nedd representative), Ian Eustis (Junior officer), Adam Musson (Fixtures officer and Website officer) and myself (treasurer).

This year the new team looks to drive the league forward, maintaining a professional standard for the experienced, boosting chess in the area for juniors, and having greater participation in the digital era. We’re also looking to have greater involvement of our members, having your feedback and thoughts as to how we can improve the league further. We’ll even be providing a survey soon so you can have your say! However, we have to remember the league is a voluntary organisation and, as such, we rely on the participation of our members. This said, if there is anyone who may be interested in helping out then please do contact us. There may be small tasks, such as being an admin in chats, or bigger, such as managing an online league, but if you can help then give us a shout. We won’t impose anything on you that you won’t be able to deal with. In addition to this, the role of treasurer was discussed, and it was agreed that one officer holding both chairman and treasurer positions provides too much responsibility and authority for one person. Finances and the freedom to give out funding need to be controlled by multiple people. Although we can’t allocate outside of the AGM, if there is someone who wishes to help with the role then give us a shout.

As most of our players know, the league will be starting in September, this year aiming for the 14th. We are looking to hold the lightning tournament, EJ Clarke and AOJ as with last year, though we will only be sure of times and dates when the fixtures are set up. In addition, we are looking to start the cup up again. The cup was a great experience for all standards, giving the stronger and weaker teams a chance to obtain a title. Although we are not yet set in stone, clubs are currently being contacted to see which teams would be willing to participate. If you fancy a go then make sure you get in touch. Bill Hewitt has kindly offered to run the AOJ and cup, and as he did a fantastic job last year you can be guaranteed he will do the same again.

Some were certainly disappointed when the trophies were not presented at the AGM last year, but we’re doing our utmost to make it up to our members. Trophies have been ordered and the Players of the Year have been named. When we head out to present we’ll make sure to put the names up on our site. Becoming Player of the Year takes a lot of dedication to the game and those who achieve it certainly deserve the spotlight.

A last note is a new appeal’s sheet that will be provided to team captains. It is crucial that disagreements are dealt with quickly, so for the benefit of all involved we have created a document that can be used to speed up the appeal process. If team captains are unable to come to an agreement, the appeals sheet can be sent to the controller, containing a brief description of what has happened, and which rules the player feels has been broken. With a sheet filled in by both captains we can hopefully clear up these matters quickly.

I hope you find this article useful, if you have any questions just give me a shout hywel862@aol.com.

Keep playing,

Hywel

23/07/2024