Club committee members with club trophies and prizes, prior to the start of the AGM. (Note the Mafia influence on Treasurer David B...)     Highest up team at Stranraer [L to R] Fiona E (3rd), Eileen A (Lead), Neil A (2nd), Ken G (Skip)       President's Shield winners [L to R] John F (Lead), Eileen A (2nd), David B (Skip), President Ken G. Missing is Alan W (3rd)     Alex Stewart bonspiel winners [L to R] President Ken G, Ron A (Skip). Missing are Jane P (Lead), Ian P (2nd), and Bill I (3rd).     MacLeod Cup Winners [L to R] John F (Lead), David B (Skip), Ken G (Pres.), Fiona E (3rd), Bill C (2nd).     MacLeod Cup Runners-up [L to R] Maryel F (Lead), Ken G (Skip), Sheila D (3rd), Neil A (2nd).     Joint Points winner Ken G Missing is Joint Points winner Bob B     Kandersteg Shield winners [L to R] Ken G (President), Sheila D (Skip), Fiona E (3rd), Missing are Alister B (2nd), and David R (Lead)     Pairs winners [L to R] Maryel F (Lead), President Ken G, Sandy D (Skip)

Four committee members and eleven ordinary club members turned out on the fine spring evening of Thursday 28th April 2011 for the Club's Annual General Meeting, which was held in the bar / lounge in Greenacres ice rink.  (This was a welcome 50% increase over the disappointing turnout of only ten members who attended the 2009-10 AGM Club President Ken G opened the meeting by welcoming club members and he thanked them for turning up.  He said that 2010-11 had been a very mixed season with a lot of good curling, but also a lot of disruption and postponement / cancellation of matches because of the unusually harsh winter conditions.  He then asked for a 1-minute silence in memory of the three club members - Robert Forbes, Kenneth MacLeod and Sheila Kerr, who had died during the season, all of whom had been stalwart members of the Club for many years (in Kenneth MacLeod's case - 80 years!)  Ken then expressed concern over the seemingly inexorable decline in membership numbers.  He suggested that amalgamation with another club should be considered (to be discussed under AOCB), and club memebers assisting at the "Try Curling" initiative for new members.  Finally, Ken called for a minute's silence in memory of the club members who had died in this season. Club Secretary, Fiona E then delivered her report.  The club now has 26 playing members and 9 non-playing members.  One new member Mike J joined the club this season, and playing member Ian P has moved to the non-playing list.  Fiona reported that non-playing member Anne Templeton had made a very generous donation of £100 to the club.  She then went on to report on playing returns for season 2011-12, which were Bull Cup - 16 playing, 6 reserves, Cook Shield - 15 playing, 6 reserves, Kandersteg Shield - 13 playing, Points - 4 players, Knock-out Cup - 13 players, Auld Clubs - 12 playing, 3 reserves, Stranraer - 9 players only.  Overall, the number of playing intentions is noticeably down compared with season 2010-11. Treasurer David B opened his report by thanking club member Neil A for auditing the balance sheet.  He reported that the club had made a small surplus of £40 during the season.  He proposed that the current membership subscriptions (£35 for members whose Mother Club is Bridge of Weir and £18 for members whose Mother Club is other than Bridge of Weir), be increased for season 2010-11 to £40 and £23 respectively.  He also proposed that the non-playing membership fee be raised to £10.  This was approved by the membership.  Finally, he requested that skips should collect cash from substitutes from next season onwards. Match Secretary John F then delivered his report.  The Rosebowl (for the league phase of the Bull Cup competition) was won by Bob B's team with 10 points.  The Bull Cup final was won by Kenneth G's team (skipped on the occasion by David B).  Sandy D's team won the Cook Shield with 8 points.  Sheila D's team (skipped on the occasion by David H) defeated Paul R's team 10 - 2 in the final of the Knock-out Cup.  The Points trophy was won jointly on 28 points by Bob B and Ken G.  The Pairs Competition was won by Sandy D's team.  Ken G's team finished highest up of the 3 BoWCC teams at the Stranraer weekend with 2 wins and a shots difference of +7.  In Friendly matches the club won 2, drew 1 and lost 1, a series greatly curtailed by the cancellation of ice due to adverse weather conditions. The Auld Clubs competition was won by Stephen McN of Lochwinnoch CC (as he did in season 2009-10 and season 2007-08.  (Russell C, also of Lochwinnoch CC, won in the intervening 2008-09 season, to complete a monopoly of wins by Lochwinnoch.  More spirited opposition is required to wrest this trophy from Lochwinnoch!  David B, Ron A, and Bob B had skipped teams in the 2010-11 competition, with David B's team finishing the best placed BoWCC team in 3rd position, Ron A's team finishing in 4th position, and Bob B's team finishing in 6th position - not a bad club performance overall for a 12-team league.

Knockout Cup winners [L to R] Ron A (3rd), President Ken G, Sheila D (Skip).  Missing are Bill I (2nd), and David R (Lead)     Cook Shield winners [L to R] President Ken G, Fiona E (3rd), Sandy D (Skip).  Missing are Tom P(2nd) and David R (Lead)     Rosebowl winners [L to R] Bill C (2nd), Pres. Ken G, Fiona E (3rd), Mary F (Lead). Missing is Bob B (Skip)     Bull Cup Winners [L to R] David B (3rd), Eileen A (2nd), Ken G (Skip & Pres.) Missing is Alister B (Lead)     President Ken G presents a bouquet to Past President Eileen A.       President Ken G presents a bouquet to Club Secretary Fiona E.       President Ken G presents a bouquet to Club Vice-President Maryel F.     President's Bonspiel Booby Prizes made by Maryel F, and presented to [L to R] Paul R (Skip), Sheila D (3rd), Neil A (2nd), Alaister F (Lead)     The last of the sunset at Greenacres - 28/4/11

There were mixed results for BoWCC teams in the 12th (Renfrewshire) Province competitons.  In the Ram's Head competition, a win, a peel, and a loss in the section B rounds were insufficient to qualify for the quarter final.  The BoWCC team in the Barratt Cup lost to Drystanes CC in the first round of the Barratt Cup.  Sheila D's team won 12 - 5 against Gourock Ladies CC in the ladies' Broom.  In the Shand Harvey competition, Sandy Deans's team lost narrowly by 5 - 6 to Ardrossan Castle, while Kenneth G's team had a comfortable 10 -3 victory over Kilmacolm CC.  Eileen A's team had a close 8 - 6 victory over Newark CC in the President vs. Vicepresident competition. In the bonspiels played during the season, Sheila D's team won the "Invitation" Bonspiel, Ron A's team won the Alex Stewart Bonspiel, David B (representing Houston parish) won the MacLeod Cup Bonspiel against Kilbarchan parish, Ron A's team won the Skins competition, and Ken G's team was the highest up Bridge of Weir team at the Stranraer Weekend. The Friendly matches were badly hit by the wintry conditions, with the Greenacres ice rink being frequently inaccessible.  Only four of the scheduled nine matches took place.  Paul R's team "peeled" 6 - 6 with Erskine CC, Ken G's team thumped Ardgowan CC 13 - 4 at the Waterfront ice Rink in Greenock, and Ken G and David B jointly "peeled" with two New Monklands CC teams at Greenacres, winning overall on ends. Two BoWCC teams took part in the RCCC sponsored Indoor Grand Match on 23/10/10.  Sandy D's team peeled 9 - 9 against HBOS (Fife) CC in Aberdeen, while Paul R's team beat Fochabers CC 9 - 6 at Braehead. In the Greenacres Daytime League competition, the BoWCC team skipped by Ken G finished in 5th place out of 12 teams. John F also reported on a meeting held on 27/4/11 between 4 clubs involved in the Auld Clubs competition.  A request was made for Auld Clubs matches to be held on Wednesdays only.  Potential was seen for additional clubs to join the competition - there is a reserve list of clubs already.  Future meetings of the group will require a quorum of representatives from at least 5 clubs.  It was agreed that any team playing with less than 4 members would incur a 3-shot penalty.  Any team failing to turn up for a match would forfeit the match by 2 points and 5 shots.  A request was made to try for mixed gender teams.  It was also requested that teams should submit names of ALL members in the team, not just skips. The curling programme for season 2011-12 was then discussed.  It was agreed that given the reduced playing membership, the major competitions (Bull Cup, Cook Shield, Kandersteg Shield) would each have only four teams.  It was also agreed that given the heavy beatings taken by some Kandersteg teams in 2011, rotation of playing positions would be every 2 ends per game, rather than per round.  President Ken G also reported that a Scottish "Grand Masters" competition for players of 70+ years of age would be implemented next season - please apply to Ken if interested!  A discussion on club bonspiels resulted in unanimous decisions to open the Club's "Invitation Bonspiel" to members of other clubs, and also a request to the committee to look at swapping the timings of the Macleod Cup and Alex Stewart bonspiels. Then the 2010-11 season prize-giving ceremony took place.  President Ken G presented the prizes to the winners. Ken then proposed that the committee elected for Season 2010-11 should remain in office for Season 2011-12.  This was approved unanimously. It was also requested that the committee look at swapping the dates for the MacLeod Cup and Alex Stewart bonspiels. Sheila D then took the opportunity to report on forthcoming 12th Province events.  The Province weekend will be held on 25/11/11 at Stranraer.  A Burns supper will be held on 4/2/12, which will also have twenty US tourist curlers present.  The province will also organise a Curler's Court in 2012. Under "Any Other Business", various topics were discussed, and the following actions arose for the committee / members to consider :- Amalgamation with another club or clubs (Kilbarchan, other?) Prize costs (currently approx. £10 each) should be looked at.  Average costs could be reduced, and "novelty" prizes should be considered for bonspiels. Sponsorship should be looked at - the "Skins" competition being an obvious starting point. Greenock Ladies CC are organising a barn dance - £17.50 per head - details TBA. The meeting then drew to a close, and Bill C proposed an order of thanks to everyone present for bringing it to a successful conclusion.  Club members then adjourned to the bar to reminisce over events of the season, and look forward to Season 2011-12.

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