Hambledon Club Constitution

Agreed by the Members on 27th October 2018

  1. The NAME of the Club shall be: THE HAMBLEDON CLUB
  2. The AIMS of THE HAMBLEDON CLUB are:

    • a. To honour the memory and great achievements of those men of THE HAMBLEDON CLUB, 1750-1796.
    • b. To provide for meetings of people who have a keen interest in the history of cricket.
    • c. To hold a luncheon at The Bat & Ball Inn, Broadhalfpenny Down, at the beginning and end of each cricket season.
    • d. To encourage and support youth cricket, especially in the Hambledon area.

  1. Membership
    • e. Membership is open to anyone who has an interest in cricket and who is proposed by an existing member.
    • f. Membership is restricted to one hundred paying Members. This ceiling excludes Honorary Members and Members under the age of 18. No Members will be admitted to the Club below the age of 12 years.
    • g. The annual subscription for Membership is three guineas (£3.15) payable by standing order on the 1st April each year. Any revision to this subscription will be agreed by the Committee and put to the Members at the up-and-coming meeting.
    • h. Membership will begin as soon as the completed Membership form and first annual payment have been received.
    • i. The Committee may, in special circumstances, propose to the Members the election of an Honorary Member who will not be required to pay a subscription.
    • j. A database of all Members, and a waiting list of prospective Members, will be kept by the Club Secretary who is the Club Data Controller. How this information is stored and processed is identified in the Club’s Privacy Policy (annexed to this document).
    • k. All prospective members will identify on the Membership Application Form whether they (the applicant) permit the storage and management of personal data for the purposes of managing the Club but for no other purpose.

  1. Ceasing to be a Member
    • l. Members may resign at any time in writing to the Secretary.
    • m. If in any year a Member’s standing order is not processed by the end of April, the Committee will consider this to be a cancellation of Membership and the Secretary will remove their name from the list of Members accordingly.
    • n. If in any year, the Committee considers the conduct of any Member to be such as would bring the Club into disrepute, the Committee may suspend or exclude such Member at its absolute discretion.

  1. Equal Opportunities
    • THE HAMBLEDON CLUB will not discriminate on the grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, sexuality, disability, religious or political belief, or marital status.

  1. Officers and Committee
    • o. The administration of the Club will be carried out by an elected Committee, which will take place at the pre-season meeting each year. The Committee will meet as necessary in order to perform the administration of the Club.
    • p. The Committee will consist of five Members who will be officers of the Club.
    • q. Up to two additional Members may be co-opted onto the Committee at the discretion of the Committee. The officers and their roles are as follows:

      • The President shall Chair each Club meeting and arrange for a speaker at that meeting, as appropriate. [This role will be held for a period of three years unless otherwise stated by the Membership.]
      • The Secretary shall be responsible for maintaining an updated Club database of all Members and prospective Members, arranging and communicating with Members with regard to meetings, and taking the Minutes of those meetings.
      • The Treasurer shall be responsible for the collection of subscriptions, arranging disbursements, and maintaining accounts.
      • The Steward shall be responsible for arranging the food and wine for each meeting.
      • The Club Chaplain shall be responsible for opening each meeting with Grace.
    • In the event of an officer standing down during the year, a replacement will be found by the Committee and subsequently be elected at the next Meeting of Members.

  1. Finances
    • r. An account will be maintained on behalf of the Club at a bank agreed by the Committee. Two cheque signatories will be nominated by the Committee (one to be the Treasurer). The signatories must not be related nor be members of the same household.
    • s. All cheques will be signed by the two signatories.
    • t. For other payments (such as BACS and debit card payments) a requisition note will be signed by the two signatories and held by the Treasurer.
    • u. The records of income and expenditure will be maintained by the Treasurer and an annual financial statement prepared for each year ending 31st March. Accounts will be available to any member upon request.

  1. Amendments to the Constitution
    • v. Amendments to the Constitution may only be made at a meeting of the Members.
    • w. Any proposal to amend the Constitution must be given to the Secretary in writing. The proposal must then be circulated with the Notice of Meeting.
    • x. Any proposal to amend the Constitution will require a two-thirds majority of those present and those entitled to vote.

  1. Dissolution
    • y. If the Committee considers that the Club should close down, they must propose this at the next meeting of Members. Should that meeting decide, based on a simple majority, to close the Club, the Committee must act accordingly.
    • z. If it is agreed to close down the Club, all remaining monies, once outstanding debts have been paid, will be donated to the Hambledon Cricket Club youth section.

  1. Interpretation
    • The Committee shall be the sole authority for the interpretation of this Club Constitution, and the decision of the Committee upon any question of interpretation, or upon any matter affecting the Club and not provided for, shall be final and binding on the Members.
    • This Club Constitution was agreed upon at the meeting of the Club on 27th October 2018.

A signed copy is available from the Club Secretary.

Membership Policy