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December 2005 Newsletter of the Cheltenham
Area Civil Service Sports Association
Farewell to …..
At a dinner held in their honour on 26 August 2005 we bade farewell to three people who
have served CACSSA for many years. The dinner was attended by the CACSSA President,
committee members, staff and representatives from the affiliated clubs and their spouses.
Roger Merrick (left above) has been our
groundsman for 30 years. He maintained the grounds to a high standard and regularly
received praise from the visiting teams. He was presented with a set of coloured bowls and
life membership of the association in recognition of his long and valuable service. He is
succeeded by Martin Saunders.
Jeff Watson (right) resigned as Club Steward after
12 years with the club. He has been responsible for many of the improvements at the
clubhouse including suggesting the restaurant service which is a regular feature every
Monday to Thursday evening. The new steward is Phil Lewis who started on 21 November.
Dave Wilson (centre) retired as Manager of the
clubhouse, a role he held since he retired from GCHQ. His duties have passed to Reg Rowley
who lately has been co manager with Dave. We have not seen the last of Dave. He continues
to work with the committees and liaises with other Civil Service departments in the area,
and is Treasurer and past-Chairman of South-West Region of the CSSC. Instead of a gift the
Management committee conferred on Dave the honour of Vice President in recognition
of his past and continuing services to the club.
Also Gerald Wynn was given the honour of Vice President in recognition of
his long and valuable service. Gerald is a former Chairman and President of CACSSA. He
continues to represent the club in its negotiations with the local authorities over the
lease of the clubhouse and the grounds. Geoff Hardy was our first Vice President.
Social Events
Monkey Face Concert – Saturday 3 December
Come listen to Monkey Face – tickets are £3.50. Doors open at 8:00pm and Monkey Face
perform at 9:00pm
 New
Year’s Eve Dance and Disco
Catering for a wide variety of tastes: there will be a dance with the Manhatten
duo in the Function Room and Gary G’s disco in the Geoff Hardy Room.
£12 for members and £17 for non-members – 8:30pm till late.
General Knowledge Quizzes
These are held monthly on Friday evenings starting at 7:30pm at the Tewkesbury Road
Clubhouse. There is a
 maximum
of 4 people in a team and costs £2 a head. These are getting popular and you are advised
to book your team to avoid disappointment. Contact Brian Partridge (01242 704720 or quiz cacssa couk
or bapartr gchq
). When put to the vote it was agreed there should be no smoking at these events. The next
is on Friday 9 December. For 2006 they will be on 13 January 2006; 10 February; 10 March;
7 April; 12 May; 9 June; 4 July; 11 August; 8 September; 6 October; 10 November; and
8 December.
Do you know a little about music? Then come with your friends to the
Music Quiz: on Friday 23 June 2006 at 7:30pm:
booking details as for General Knowledge quizzes.
Jazz on a Sunday evening with the JB Quintet
Playing to a high standard under their leader, John Beckingham, the JB Quintet covers
jazz and blues from the 30s, 40s and 50s; visit
www.jbjazzandblues.com to learn more
about them. The admission charge is £3 for members and £3.50 for non-members. They will
play on the second Sunday evening of each month: next on 11 December. This will be a
Christmas “do” featuring Bridget and the Big Girl’s Blues, with jazz, jive and a taste of
R&B. The dates for beginning of 2006 are 8 January 2006; 12 February; 12 March;
9 April; 14 May and 11 June.
Jazz in the Lounge Bar at Tewkesbury Road featuring Peter Davies
The sound of acoustic guitars and clarinet is to be heard once a month in the bar
playing quiet, tuneful music in an informal setting to accompany the eating, drinking and
chatting. The music includes popular melodies of the Swing era, with a touch of Django and
a smattering of Latin.
Starting around 8:00 pm on Thursday 15 December.
Cricket
With the season now behind us, the club experienced a difficult time. Throughout this
second season in their respective divisions, the 1st and 2nd XI encountered some strong
opposition, and unfortunately have struggled. Both teams were unable to avoid relegation.
However, despite some early concerns about availabilities, both have fielded teams and not
had to cancel very many games. A full list of fixtures and results, and league tables, can
be found on our web site at GCHQ.
In the Curtis Bennet competition we achieved some success, and were good enough to make
it to the Quarter-Final stage. At this point the team came up against DSRA, who proved to
be too strong on the day. Well done to all those involved. Results of this competition can
be found using the link above.
The club has again entered a team in the indoor sixes competition held at Pittville
Recreation centre. The club has had some success in this competition in the last couple of
years, but it was not to be this season. As at the end of October the team was second from
bottom in their division, with only one league fixture left to play.
We are still keen to recruit new players for the 2006 season. Players of all ages and
standards are welcome, although we are particularly keen to recruit players to represent
the 1st and 2nd XIs. Both these teams play on a Saturday. We also have Sunday and Midweek
XIs for those interested. If you are looking for a club to join, or just require details
regarding any aspect of the club you can find all the information and contact numbers on
our web page at:
http://www.gchq/societies/cacssa/cricket/index.html
or contact one of the club officials at:
http://www.cawsnet.gchq/~mwturne/ccscc/officials.html
Rugby
Mark Butler (Chairman), Phil Cox (VEGA) and Terry Cann (Club President)
with the 1st XV, 2004/5 Inset is Player of the Year: Phil Whitehead.
The Cheltenham Civil Service Rugby Club (CCSRFC) has a new major sponsor for this season
in System and Assurance group VEGA. The sponsorship has been made possible thanks to the
effort of CCSRFC player and VEGA employee Phil Whitehead. Last season Phil was awarded
Player Of The Year by the committee and also won the respect of fellow club mates who
voted him Players’ Player Of The Year. On Saturday 22 October the sponsor’s account
manager Phil Cox was invited along to the first of the season’s two Vice Presidents days
and to watch the first team play against Gloucestershire Division One rivals Bream. Before
the game Phil presented club chairman Mark Butler with a new set of team shirts (see
picture). Although CCSRFC lost, Phil says he will be a spectator at many of the team’s
games during the season.
 Civil
Service, newly promoted into Division One for 2005/6, got off to a flyer at the start of
the season with a hard fought win over Cirencester but have yet to replicate that form in
other league games. Injuries have taken their toll on the club and, with depleted numbers,
have only been able to field two teams each week. A new recruitment drive is currently
under way with the aim of bolstering club membership enough to field three sides on a
regular basis.
Chairman Mark Butler has been with the club for over 25 years and is confident that, with
injured players back, the first fifteen will soon be back into winning ways and that just
a small influx of new blood into the club will strengthen the two lower sides.
If you are interested in competitive rugby and believe you have the skills to aspire to
the first or second fifteens, or if you are interested in third team social rugby, then
please give Mark Butler a call on 01242 522328.
Skittles
 The
Player of the Year knock-out competition held
on Wednesday 15 June 2005 was won for the third time by Bill Leach. He is shown
here (left) just before the final game in which he beat Tim Masling
(right).
Odds and Ends won the Presidents
Shield. They beat SAS 509 to 474 on Finals Night on Friday 17 June 2005.
The Summer League final on 3
September 2005 was fought between the two teams who came top in the summer league.
A-Bombs beat Over the Odds 509 to 469.
Congratulations to all the winners!
So the 2004 and 2005 seasons ended successfully. We were disappointed that only 10 teams
entered the winter league for the 2005-2006
season. At the time of writing Muffin Men are top of the
table followed by A-Bombs with the same
number of points.
Contact Brian Wood, skittlescacssacouk
or on 01242 515941. If you would like to play but are not part of a team, there’s room for
everyone. More details are available on our websites:
http://www.gchq/societies/cacssa/skittles/index.shtml and
www.cacssa.co.uk/skittles
Ladies Hockey
CHELTENHAM CIVIL SERVICE LADIES HOCKEY CLUB
This is a well-established club with a good reputation. We run two sides, one in Severn
Division I league and the other in Severn Division III. We play on astroturf pitches and
most of our games are played on Saturdays and are local. We have a good, friendly club
atmosphere and welcome new players. It doesn't matter if you haven't played for some time
you'll soon get back into it. Why not come along to one of our training nights at East
Gloucester club in Old Bath Road on Wednesday evenings at 20:00 - 21:30 and give it a try
with no obligation to join? At these sessions we offer excellent coaching at very low cost
(£2 per session). If you're interested (or if you know someone who might be) and would
like further information contact Carol Febry on 01242 221491 ext. 33773, home 01242 242160
or Lorry Butler on ext. 30427 or home 01242 522328.
Restaurant Service
Have
you tried the new menu yet?
The Restaurant is open every Monday to Thursday from 7:00 to 9:30pm.
There is no smoking in the Lounge Bar Mondays to Thursdays.
A three-course Christmas dinner with a cracker and a mince pie is being served for
£14.50. Booking is advised for large parties. Call the manager on 01242 680424.
The bar snack menu of basket meals and extras, which has become so popular in recent
years will continue to be available until later in the evenings and at weekends.
If you like you may pay using debit and credit cards.
Civil Service National Skittles Finals
CACSSA was once again pleased to host the Finals of the National Skittles competition
on Saturday 14 May. Seven teams from around the country took part, having won their
Regional contests. All three alleys at the Clubhouse were used and stickers, in two
shifts, were provided by CACSSA.
The Midlands team emerged as victors, winning five of their six games, and losing only
to Wales. Northern Ireland were runners-up with four wins, followed by Wales with three
wins and the only tie of the day, against Scotland whose additional two wins left them
just behind the South-West and South (each with three wins). This left the North West
holding the wooden spoon, having lost all their matches!
Prizes were presented by Marion Holmes, Chief Executive of C.S.S.C. and the event was
organised by John West of the Plymouth Club. Great enjoyment was evident throughout,
enthusiasm for the games being complemented by the challenge of choice at the Bar!
Reg Rowley
• Offshore Regatta • 2006 October • 2006 May • 2006 March • 2005 December • 2005 May • 2005 April •
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