• Grand Final day has come and gone. We were certainly fortunate with the weather with heavy rain falling in the Parramatta and surrounding areas in the morning – yet no rain fell at Benson’s Lane. The day was uneventful although I had a feeling that there were less people there – however there was one less game this year with the Grand Final of Douglass League being played a week earlier to fit the Champion of Champions timetable.

The results for the season were :-

[Data not available - See the Hills website Library instead]

Our sincere thanks are extended to both Hawkesbury and Kellyville for the manner in which the respective diamonds were presented for the Grand Final fixtures. The minor problems that were encountered the previous year were corrected although no plan with defeated ignorant people when it comes to parking vehicles.

• We have moved into our Development phase. Under 12 development has already commenced with 23 players accepting invitations. Tonight was to be the second week. The Development activities have been expanded this year. The plan which is ambitious has been sent to clubs and has been placed on the web site. It is considered necessary as the playing standard continues to fall. Basically the plan is

• The Under 12 on Tuesday night commencing on 7th April. Invitations have been issued.
• Catchers program for 10, 11 and 12 year old. Clubs have been given the opportunity to nominate players for this program.
• A program for players with a 1999 or 2000 D.O.B. Will also train on Tuesday evening but earlier. Clubs have been asked to nominate players for selection.
• An addition to our normal Development Program we have expanded it to include a program for older players on Thursday night at Kellyville. The target age is players eligible for next season's Under 14 Representative team/s and next season’s Under 16 pitchers. These programs are all by invitation.

There is a small charge for these programs. Details of costs and activities will be given to participants. The Development Sunday morning program will continue this winter. This program is available to all players registered in the Hills Associations. The program is targeted at players with 2000 or 2001 D.O.B. and it is a combination of teaching and a scrimmage game each week. This activity on Sunday is offered free of charge and is tentatively scheduled for 9am at Castle Glen commencing on 26th April.

• Jeff Catt and Greg Robinson have completed a Level 0 course. There were five people attending including four of the six coaches for Little League. Our forward planning is to conduct two Level 0 coaching courses in Mid August (Sunday and Monday night). We will stay within our requirements of six coaches per Level 0 Instructor to ensure the maximum benefit to the attendees. Included among some of the detail as to what is required to be a member of Hills it is intended that all T Ball and Mod Ball coaches will have to attend (yes compulsory)

 T.Ball and Mod Ball coaching and rules morning planned for 30th August or 6th September. It is also intended that each team in Live ball be represented in the Rules night to be held prior to the commencement of the season which is tentatively scheduled for September 12th - although the first division competitions may need to commence a week earlier. Team nominations will required by 30th August This means the Dispensation Assessment day will need to be 22nd or 23rd August.

• Eagles club has applied for Membership of Hills. Having already accepted Quakers Hill and Blacktown there appears no reason not to accept Eagles. The question of Holroyd is subject to rumour. I certainly have not spoken to anyone from the club nor will I as I would like to believe Hills would not chase clubs to join it. My opinion is that the club is considering moving to Bankstown but is wary of the future of Bankstown and Macarthur. The long term future is assured to my way of thinking as it is clear that forces to be clearly want a complete merger of the two Associations. Joining at representative level is only the initial step. I really feel sorry for Bankstown in relation to the position they have been placed in and it will take a great deal of skill to keep the Association together. There are certainly forces working against them.

• The Winter competition has increased in the number of teams. I am unsure who is intending to actually nominate teams compared to who were considering entering teams. Under 13 - Kellyville, Quakers Hill, Cumberland Misfits, Winston Hills, Castle Hill x 2, Kings Langley, Rouse Hill, Dragons and Baulkham Hills. I could almost split the Under 13 competition into an Under 12 and 13 but unsure who many actual Under 12 there are compared to Under 13 as at 31 December, 2009. Kings Langley, Castle Hills and Dragons I know are Under 12 teams.

Under 15 - Quakers Hill, Baulkham Hills, Manly. Both Kellyville and Castle Hill has players but not enough for a full team even between them. That competition is ‘in trouble’ as I am not really prepared to conduct a competition for two Hills teams.

Under 16 - Quakers Hill x2, NSWJBL, Kellyville, Castle Hill, Baulkham Hills The teams in bold have confirmed the team nomination.

Baulkham Hills has vacancies in both Under 13 and 15 (correctly) it will not enter teams unless it has a base of 10 or 11 players.

• Peter Schmidt has issued the rule changes for next season. They are to be discussed tonight. It has to be said that it is extremely disappointing that Coaches and even Umpires do not bother to learn the existing rules – one can almost claim that they have not even read the rules. Hence our insistence that every Live Ball team must be represented at next season’s Rules Night An Umpire in the Grand Final made teams change catchers after three innings. Wrong that is not in any rule book – nor is it proposed. What was worse still that the Coaches of either team did not know any better!

• We are back in the market of selling baseballs. Wilson 1010 Baseballs are available @ $59 a dozen. They will be sold on a first come, first served basis. We will not reorder until August.

• There are a number of outstanding matters from last meeting that require at least discussion at tonight’s meeting. Club Territories, part of the BSC recommendations …Umpire Development as part of BSC recommendations, the change to the way that the Club Championship is calculated.

• Little League starts this coming weekend with play scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. We are as organized as we can be. BNSW still has not issued its local rules for the tournament. We will have Greg Robinson address the parents during the week that playing time will not be equally shared among the players. Some players are only going to receive the minimum playing time of one at bat and one innings in the field in each game. The North team is already disadvantaged by having to play one extra game. We are an Umpire ‘short’ so if there are any Level 1 umpires out there that are prepared to officiate please contact me.

• I have had a ‘fleeting’ thought of having an award for the best player leaving Hills Juniors each year. Apart from suggesting the name of the medal to be the Barry Shipley Medal the how the recipient is selected has not been thought through. Should not be a coaches award due to the fact that the award should take into account the players entire time in Hills. As an indication I would have thought that this year’s recipient if there was such a reward would have been Jacob Younis. Players develop at different times some of Hills’ better players in history achieved more as a 17 or 18 year old than a 15 year old.

• Finally a note from NSWJBL that it now has an invitation to send both an Under 12 and Under 13 to Japan. As a result they will accept nominations up until next Sunday 19th April. The 19 players already nominated for are assured of selection in one of the two teams. The Under 12 team will go to Nagahama in late July and Under 13 team to Osaka in early August.

Mr. Yard added that Baulkham Hills have set a record in the Champion of Champions that will take a lot of equalling. Not only did it have a team in each age group, it was successful in each age group

The Secretary’s report was accepted.

Mr. Yard reported that the Penrith Club will host the Pan Pacifics tournament in August.

Japan has agreed to an extra 12 year old team to tour Japan.

NSWJBL are now seeking additional players.

Mr. Whatson reported that there have been three meetings of the JLSC.

• The first was to be a review of the representative season but that was overshadowed by BNSW Position Paper to change the structure of the representative competition.

• With that review recommending that Bankstown and Macarthur merge and the Association Cup competition be abandoned. This resulted in two additional meetings as Associations clearly disagreed with the proposals.

• Bankstown has advised it will not be merging with Macarthur. The representative season is to be completed prior to Christmas.

• Ryde, Cronulla, Greater Western and Bankstown are unhappy that the Association Cup competition is being abandoned. Associations can run the competition.

• Little League rules were again promised but were not available.

• Information re Level 1 and Level 2 coaching accreditation courses is to be placed on the website.

• The playing of innings games without a time limit has been modified.

  • Under 16 will be seven innings or 2½ hours.

  • Under 14, 2¼ hours and Under 12, 2 hours.

  • The mercy rule applies after five innings.

There will be a Rules Committee, which will include Mr Schmidt, to formulate the rules for the proposed structure.

• Statement of Financial Position was presented.
• Payments were approved.
• Debtors and liabilities were disclosed.

Winter Competition: Mr. Yard advised that Kings Langley has withdrawn its Under 12 team and Castle Hill its Under 15 team. The Under 15 competition may no longer be viable.

Laptop: Mr. Schmidt reminded the meeting that the laptop is a ‘Hills asset’. It is available to clubs for shopping centre displays, Try Me Days etc. The laptop now has a wireless connection.

Identification Cards: Mr. Niemi advised Castle Hill were in favour of the photo introduction cards into the Association. There were queries whether the Association really has a problem with player identification. Mr. Whatson queried how big the problem was and is it worth the resultant increase in work load? Mr. Petrone advised that Kellyville insist on sighting a birth certificate for every new registration in the Club. Mr. Schmidt stated that the ‘tricky’ bit is making the link between the data included in ‘My Club’ and the photo I.C. card. Also who does it? Associations or clubs? Is it every year or every three years? There was a suggestion that team rosters be made available to all clubs. Mr. Schmidt summarized that it maybe possible to do something but without photos.

Standard of Play: Mr. Niemi stated that the standard of play in Hills is falling. He considers that the umpires are too ‘tight’ in their interpretation of the strike zone. Mr. Niemi was suggesting that Hills phase in the introduction of Soft Toss machines for Mod Ball. Mr. Yard stated that clubs have been negligent over the past few years in not ‘equipping’ Mod Ball teams with capable pitchers. He believes the Mod Ball concept remains strong.

Rules: Mr. Schmidt had issued the proposed rule changes for next season. Baulkham Hills queried:

• The new rule re reply of washouts – want to see the wording
• Compulsory attendance at rule meeting, querying how can clubs enforce attendance? It was agreed that the rule remain unchanged.
• The change to ‘all available players must bat’, made the previous rule of ‘first nine batters to be first nine fielders’, complex.
• The ‘dump’ from My Club to act as Team Registration Sheet – Baulkham Hills already do this.
• Players changing address and clubs: The rule provided a window where a player could change chubs and residential address without penalty in relation to representative baseball.

Club Championship: Mr. Yard advised that he is recommending a change in the method that the Club Championship is determined. The question is whether the points gained in first division competitions are multiplied by four or three. There are no changes proposed for the Incentive Shield, the question for that competition is the number of teams that a club must field to be eligible. That number has been five – however that is a ‘throwback’ to when Under 8 were played for points. Maybe the ‘new’ number should be four – representing the four main age groups – Under 17, 14, 12 and 10.

Club Territories: Mr. Schmidt advised that Kings Langley continue to be concerned with the possible encroachment by Quakers Hill into schools in the Glenwood area. There are only three schools in conflict. Mr. Schmidt advised that we use Schools to describe a Club’s territory. We have only had three problems in over 200 plus schools. The only problem is where clubs claim the same school as a ‘principal school’ – only happened with Kellyville and Kings Langley – now Quakers Hill ‘join in’, with Glenwood. At least the policy provides a territory - without it, it would be ‘open season’. All Clubs have a Primary Club and a Shadow Club attached to it. Mr. Schmidt advised that the only school that Quakers Hill was adamant was ‘its territory’, was Hambledon Road School. It was agreed that the Club Territories schedule remain as presented.

Little League costs: It was agreed that the cost of player registration for Holiday Little League competition will be paid for from the Co operative fund.

Umpire Development: Mr. Schmidt advised that Hills would introduce a Yellow Shirt program for new umpires. Clubs that have an Umpires Convenor comply with the recommendations of the BSC.

Eagles: In the correspondence was a letter from Eagles Club seeking permission to “play across Association” with Hills next season. Mr. Yard advised that he had written to Eagles seeking clarification.