THE controversial question of girls playing in club teams in Halifax-Huddersfield Union Junior League matches will be aired at the annual meeting of the union at Meltham on March 3 – but it will be open for discussion only.
A vote to change the union’s Constitution and Rules, in order to permit girls to compete alongside boys, will not be allowed which means the matter remains a non-starter.
Just one proposal in favour of the move has been received by the Union, from Bradley Park, and a minimum of three would be required for a vote to take place, and for any vote to succeed would require a two-thirds majority.
“By placing the matter of girls playing in junior league matches on the agenda for discussion makes it clear that we are not sweeping it under the carpet, but there will be no vote on the question” said union secretary John Lawrence.
There has been support for girls to join junior league teams, but have those supporters looked at the bigger picture?
The health and safety aspect would need to be studied closely, as would the extra funding that would be required.
And should junior league teams be allowed to include girls, the Union would have no powers in any disciplinary matters that may arise, while importantly three key positions on the Executive would need to be filled – and that would be no easy task – as the holders, elected under the present Constitution, would resign.
There are currently six vacancies for elected members to serve on the Executive. Any club wishing to nominate a playing member as a candidate for election should submit their names to the Union secretary in writing no later than first post on Monday.
Meltham’s Philip Walton will become Union president at the annual meeting, succeeding Halifax’s Steven Wild. Geoff Ralph, from Queensbury, will step up as president-elect.
Mr Wild’s proposal that the trophy for the Union’s showpiece event, the matchplay championship, be renamed in honour of the late John Crawshaw, a fellow member of Mr Wild’s at Halifax (Ogden), has been welcomed.
It was a proud moment for John’s widow Margaret and son Clive, himself a prominent player at Ogden. Clive and John’s brother Alan attended the union’s annual meeting this week when Mr Wild announced the honour to John’s memory.
The silver salver, to be known as the J R Crawshaw Memorial Matchplay Trophy, is a prize won by John Crawshaw (who died last year) on four occasions and is sure to be fondly known as the ‘J R Crawshaw’, like the strokeplay trophy is referred to as the ‘P S Cockcroft’.
Geoff Horrocks-Taylor, a long-time playing pal of John’s and past union president, said no player had been as prominent in union golf as was John.
“I think his record, if it was weighed up on a points scale – points for playing for Yorkshire and the Union team and Union scratch league matches – you would see he had twice as many as anyone else. To have the matchplay trophy named after him is an honour well deserved.”.
