A new proposal submitted by the ESMBA Management Committee for the next ESMBA AGM could well have the unintended effect of making it more difficult to recruit members to the NCSMBA and in turn the ESMBA. The proposal to reword section 3(j) of the Constitution means that if the proposal is passed any new bowler wishing to register with Norfolk and the ESMBA can only do so if they are a member of a club. In recent years a number of prospective new bowlers have started in the sport by first attending the fortnightly NCSMBA Over 60’s Days at Hingham which is open to all NCSMBA members over 60 years old. As beginners those bowlers were obviously not registered to a club at that time. The bowlers were then registered individually with the NCSMBA and the ESMBA by Norfolk’s Over 60’s Organiser Teresa Goldsmith as obviously non members are not allowed to take part. In all cases those bowlers, once they got to know and play with regulars attending, went on to be invited to join various clubs and become active members of the short mat bowls scene in Norfolk. If the proposal put forward by the ESMBA is passed, no people who individually approach the NCSMBA Over 60’s in the future would be allowed to play as they could not be joined up as individuals. As the Norfolk Over 60’s is part of the NCSMBA activities, and not a club as such, they could not join via that route and would have to be sent away potentially losing a prospective member. This is something the sport can ill afford as membership numbers continue to decline across the country. While the rationale for the change proposed by the ESMBA refers to recognising and supporting the importance of the club environment, the actual effect of the change could actually be detrimental to clubs such as Taverham and Wymondham for example who have benefited by recruiting new members through the Norfolk Over 60’s Squad Days. Another proposal by the ESMBA, if passed, seeks to ensure that all members are adequately protected by County Associations being required to have an appointed Safeguarding Officer. The ESMBA have also put in a proposal to change the date for Fees and Subscriptions to be received by the ESMBA Registration Secretary from 30th November to 15th October. Greater Manchester CSMBA have submitted a proposal to amend the Chairman’s voting rights in section 5F and section 6D. The proposal would mean that each member of the ESMBA Management Committee present, with the exception of the Chairman, would be entitled to vote with the Chairman having a casting vote in the event of a tied vote. Their intention is to bring these sections in line with what they feel is the accepted normal voting procedure for modern day committees.