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May 2006 Newsletter of the Cheltenham Area
Civil Service Sports Association
In this issue ...
A New Manager for CACSSA
Jo Green
Brian Fowke
Swans FC
Loughborough Table Tennis Competition
Rugby
Skittles
Members’ Offers
Social Events
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Mrs Susan Brown, wife of Alan, has started taking over the post of
manager of CACSSA from 3 April 2006. As well as handling all the bookings,
accounts and looking after the staff at the club, Sue's most pressing job is to
rearrange the office so there is somewhere for her to sit. We might have to move the
walls of the office.
Former manager Reg Rowley has been trying to retire since the middle of last year
but stayed on until a replacement could be found. Apart from completing
the handover he says he is to redecorate his home. We wish Reg well in his
retirement.
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250 breakfasts
Around 250 breakfasts have been served in the clubhouse over the 4 days of Festival
Racing in Cheltenham (87 on Gold Cup day), and on three of those days we have had
Conferences in the Function Room as well.
It is only correct to commend the Staff for a sterling effort, particularly during
the hectic mornings. Everyone mucked-in as required. General Assistant, Simon
Moon, probably never reckoned that his job could include table-waiting! The plaudits
received from the customers have been many and lavish. Clubhouse manager, Reg Rowley,
says it's been a good week.
| Sunday lunches are always popular in the club and the lunch on
Easter day was no exception. You need to book early. The event was a sell-out; 79
diners were attracted by the special menu at just £6.95 a head. |
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|
 CACSSA
proudly presents
Soul Artist
WARNER BAKER
and
DJ Gary G
Friday 5th May 7:30 till late
Come and have a great night!
Tickets £4 from the Bar
or from
Gary Goodhall on
01242 228559 |
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We regret to report that Jo Green died recently. She was Assistant Secretary of CACSSA,
and as such a member of the Management Committee of the Club. The following is taken from
the address given by our Chairman, Malcolm King, at the wake held in honour of Jo at the
Club.
“I am honoured that Pete [Jo’s husband] should have asked me to say a few words
about Jo, who was of course a member of this Club for many years. It is tempting to
say that I wish we had more members like Jo, but that is a vain hope, because Jo was a
quite unique person, who contributed hugely to the wellbeing, prosperity and friendly
atmosphere of this Club.
I have only come to know Jo well in recent years, and I wish it had been longer. I
am grateful to Brian Partridge for many things, but none more than his proposal that
Jo be invited to join the club’s Management Committee. From that time onwards, I have
had the pleasure of getting to know Jo well, and my regard for her has accordingly
grown and grown. As soon as she became involved in the management of the club, her
influence for good rapidly took effect. Her level of commitment, enthusiasm and energy
never ceased to surprise me. She just kept on exceeding my expectations by going that
extra mile. She produced impeccable minutes, she produced posters and tickets for our
social events, and she was always first in line to volunteer to help out.
But Jo’s first priority was all of you – she was always at her happiest when
surrounded by her family and friends. Many of us who are involved in running this club
find that this commitment can cause some competition and friction with family
responsibilities. But not Jo – she was far too well organized for that. Her response
was to involve her family in the club. An example of this was when I asked Jo if she
could help me out, collecting entrance money and checking tickets at our annual
fireworks display. No sooner had I asked than I found a small army of Greens and
Wilsdons on the gate, with everything in hand and rendering me quite redundant.
Last year we launched a restaurant service in the lounge bar, and asked committee
members to support this venture to help get it off the ground – under Jo’s influence,
I think it’s fair to say that many of you have since found yourselves eating for
CACSSA.
All of which is very understandable given the difficulty of resisting Jo’s
enthusiastic and persuasive charms. But this could result in some interesting outcomes
– ask Pete whether he really expected to end up as a qualified arsonist - he has the
certificate to prove it. And did Pett [Jo’s mother] really expect to become the club’s
chief bouncer - I can assure you that bolshie youths are onto a loser from the start.
Jo loved her skittles, and she was very good at it too, but just how many family
members have now been recruited for the Odds and Ends? My answer is too many, but I’ll
admit my view is coloured by the many losses my team has suffered at their hands since
Jo signed you all up.
Jo was just as keen on the quizzes held regularly here at the club, but unlike
other enthusiasts who organized a team, Jo entered 2 or even 3 teams, and then
persuaded others to organize yet more teams; when a scorer was required, Jo stepped up
to take on that role; and then she herself put together music quizzes, famous in
particular for the round she devised of mobile phone ringing tones. That was typical
of Jo – involved, committed, taking others along with her, and fun to be with. Even
when her illness confined Jo to a wheelchair, she insisted on attending our quiz last
month and I’m delighted to report that her team won a prize for the first time. I
understand that many of you are continuing the pattern set by Jo, and hopefully at the
recent standard, by attending tonight’s quiz – I wish you well, and I know Jo would
approve.
We have all been devastated in recent times by Jo’s illness, but this has
demonstrated even more clearly the strength of Jo’s personality. Remember how positive
she remained - still thinking of others first, determined to enjoy every opportunity,
resolute in making the effort to keep the good times going, and to inspire those
around her. It is of course a terrible tragedy that Jo’s life has been cut far too
short, but let us be glad that there have been 47 years during which she has lit up
our lives. Quite simply, Jo was one of the nicest people it has been my privilege to
know. She made the sun shine on those around her. Our lives have been enriched by
knowing Jo.”
We regret to report that Brian Fowke, former Treasurer of CACSSA, died recently.
Brian’s working life started in the Royal Marines, and with distinguished service in
both war and peace, Brian seemed set to continue to rise in those ranks. But in the
early 1950s, he had the misfortune to be struck down by polio, which ended that
career, but it was the consequential need to find a new career which then brought him
to Cheltenham.
Brian’s love of sport soon led him to CACSSA, and in particular to the Rugby Club.
His desire to be involved, not only meant he was an ardent supporter, but also that he
was very willing to give of his time in the administration of the club. He served as
Chairman of CCSRFC from 1957 to 1959, and was later elected as a Vice President.
Having demonstrated his administrative flair with rugby, Brian moved on in the
1970s to widen his commitment by becoming Treasurer of CACSSA, a post he continued to
fill until his retirement in 1982. He oversaw the Association’s finances at a critical
stage in the preparation for the development of the Club’s premises at Tewkesbury
Road. Together with Geoff Hardy, who was then Chairman, they put the Club on the sound
financial footing which enabled the rebuilding project to be approved and to go ahead.
The facilities which members now enjoy have their roots in the contributions which
Brian made to the financial health of the association all those years ago – we have
much to thank him for and to remember him by.
was formed in Hong Kong in the 1950s, and for over 30 years provided civil servants
from Cheltenham with their fix of footie far from home, with regular matches against local
expat teams, and sometimes full professional sides. In 1967 Swans played in a
curtain-raiser at the HK Government Stadium in front of a 28,000 crowd who had come to see
the touring Manchester United team that were to cover themselves in European Cup glory a
year later. Swans folded in 1988, but an invitation to enter a team in the Hong Kong
Football Club International Soccer Sevens meant that the team was to re-emerge over 15
years later.
 In
May 2004, Tom Banks, a HKFC member who had played against Swans on numerous occasions, was
invited to enter a team in the "Masters" category of the event. Tom had been running "The
Camels" in the Inter-Departmental Football competition for a number of years, and he began
recruiting for the event from within the IDF. With generous assistance from both CACSSA,
and CSSC South West, 6 other members made the trip - Paul Brown, Jimmy English, Colin
Hewitt, Martin Phipps, Mark Jordan and Neil Rees.
Tom Banks writes We met up at Royal Well bus station for the coach
trip to Heathrow where all the British teams travelling out for the tournament had
gathered in the bar. Following a 13 hour flight and a brief session with the HK Sports
Press, we were whisked by coach to an express check-in at the 5-Star Park Lane Hotel
in Causeway Bay. That night we were invited to a BBQ and stayed up to the early hours
to watch the dramatic Champions League Final between Liverpool and AC Milan. Colin
Hewitt had given up a ticket to watch his team in the Istanbul final in order to take
part in the HK event, so it was partial compensation for him to celebrate an English
victory alongside former Liverpool stars John Wark and Paul Walsh.
The next day we had a training session in the pouring rain, and that evening,
attended a welcome dinner. On the Friday we managed some sight-seeing and a light
lunch by the HKFC pool, followed by another training session which was taken by former
Aston Villa and England winger Tony Morley. During a practice match, with Morley in
the Swans line-up, he crossed the ball for life-long Villa supporter Paul Brown to
head home - now there's a story for the grandkids.
We kicked off our tournament on the Saturday at 9:00am with a match against Team
Bondi of Sydney. Bondi had been Runners-Up in the Masters event in 2002, so it was a
tough opening match to have. Although the Swans lost 1-0, we gave the Australian
goalkeeper plenty to do, and it indicated that we were not going to be outclassed.....
but we were wrong!!' When we took to the field for our second group game against
Lorenz All Stars - we looked up the pitch to see Uwe Bein - a World Cup winner with
Germany in 1990, and another former German International - Michael Rumenigge ( left
with Tom Banks). Bein was to score 15 goals in 6 games as LAS won the
tournament... 4 of these were against Swans in a 6-0 victory (they scored 7 against
Bondi). A 0-0 draw with local expat side USRC saw us into the Plate Quarter-Finals
against Bexton, a team from the Manchester area which included Tony Morley in their
line-up. Martin Phipps cancelled out the threat from Morley, and a 2-0 win with goals
from Jimmy English set up a Semi-Final clash with Southampton veterans. A superb goal
from Paul Brown put Swans into a half-time lead, but they were left to rue two
glorious chances as Southampton brought on an ex-pro to score two late goals to send
Swans out of the competition. There was consolation at the Gala Presentation dinner
where Brown's goal was included in a montage of action on the cinema-sized screen
alongside goals by former professional stars such as Luther Blissett, Frank McAvennie
and Dean Holdsworth.
With a built in tour-guide (Tom had lived in HK for over 20 years) we took in some
of the sights - Stanley Market, up the famous funicular railway to The Peak (above),
and a Tram trip the length of the Island. We took some time out for a shopping trip to
the infamous Temple Street Market, and from the middle of the Harbour on board the
famous Star Ferry we caught the nightly laser show. At 8pm every night most of the
office towers on HK Island set their lights off for an amazing 10 minute free light
show. Neil Rees took time out to revisit some old haunts as he-had spent 3 years of
his childhood in HK.
The glass trophy presented to Swans FC to mark their attendance is on show in the
display cabinet at the CACSSA clubhouse in Tewkesbury Road. The team have been invited
back to this year’s event where we are hoping to reach the Quarter-Finals of the main
competition this time. These matches are likely to be shown on SKY Sports some time in
June - wish us luck. We'll post results with some photos in a future edition of CACSSA
News.
Guy Greening writes: John Atkinson and I departed for Loughborough after
work on the Friday evening for a leisurely drive to our accommodation at Loughborough
University. Upon reaching the outskirts of town, we were pleasantly surprised to see
"AA" signs directing us to the CSSC games. This was the beginning of what turned out
to be absolutely first-class organisation.
Upon reaching our accommodation we found it reasonably basic, but very clean and
tidy - only down side was the shared shower/toilet facilities, but even these were
clean and at least there were plenty of them. We then went for our Friday evening
meal, bringing back school memories (long tables, school chairs). Unlike my school
days, however, the food was excellent, as it was throughout our stay!!!
The following morning I met John and we departed for what turned out to be an
excellent breakfast, excited about the Table Tennis Tournament ahead and wondering how
we might perform, particularly in the Doubles as we felt we had a good chance of
winning it.
Upon reaching the Table Tennis building, we were pleasantly surprised at the
conditions, which were more or less perfect. However, some tables were not used due to
the sunlight streaming through a window. This inevitably caused the day to slightly
overrun.
So, on with the tournament!! The first event was the Men's Doubles, for which we
had high hopes of winning. This was played on a group basis and unfortunately our
hopes were dashed at the first hurdle. We came second in the group, having lost to a
pair from Strike Command, and didn't qualify for the knock-out rounds. At the time of
this defeat we were disappointed, believing that we had not performed well. We still
think that we could have done better, but it was some consolation to learn that the
pair we lost to eventually went on to win the Men's Doubles event.
Then on to the singles. The good news was that John and I were in different groups;
the bad news is that both were fairly difficult. John played particularly well and
easily qualified as group winner, comfortably beating one of the expected
quarter/semi-finalists along the way. I had more of a struggle, with last year's
finalist (and this year's favourite) in my group. I won most of my games comfortably,
but had a titanic struggle with the favourite, who I eventually beat 13-11 in the
fifth and deciding game. This put both John and me into the knock-out stages and
luckily we were once again in different halves of the draw.
Both John and I had a comfortable passage to the semi-finals. John's opponent was
Sanny, who would have got my vote for winning the tournament. Unfortunately, John
lost, but from a spectator's point of view, the game was exciting, with lots of
outstanding rallies. I won my semi-final with ease and then had to face John's victor
Sanny in the final, where I have to say he completely outplayed me - far too quick,
far too young, and far too aggressive!!
Participants in the games came from various government departments (Work and
Pensions, Child Support Agency, Post Office, and Strike Command, MOD). During the rest
periods, John and I took the opportunity of viewing the other activities and everyone
seemed to have been provided with first-class conditions and facilities for their
sport.
John and I really could not say more about this event. It was fantastically
organised, friendly and very competitive. Although disappointed in our Doubles event,
we were both pleased to have done as well as we did in the Singles - John reaching the
semi-final and my being a runner-up. Additionally, the cost was minimal and we
qualified for Special Leave to participate!!! It's just a shame that there were so few
GCHQ folks taking part in this great event.
Guy and John were financially supported by CACSSA
25 February 2006
Cheltenham Saracens (5) vs Cheltenham Civil Service (20)
It turned out to be a scrappy but enjoyable game on a windy, international Saturday,
with both sides struggling to get out full strength teams. Service made the best of the
first half with a good run to the line by debutante wing Rob Parker.
The second half saw both sides settle down a little and play a more structured game.
Service fired first with another good run in for Parker. Then No. 8 Dan Jones finished off
a good spell of possession for service by crashing over the line. Saracens raised their
game and put some good phases of rugby together to get a try back, but it was too late to
change the result. Service finished off the game by scoring another try through
ex-Saracens player Chris Pockett.
4 March 2006
Cheltenham Civil Service (22) vs Frampton Cotterell (40)
Cheltenham Civil Service started the game knowing a win would bolster their chances
of survival in Gloucester League One. An unforced error by Service allowed the visitors an
easy score. Further infringement allowed Frampton Cotterell a penalty that was easily
converted. Service rallied and replied through a Dan Jones (open side) drive for the line.
Paul Ogden (stand off) narrowly missed the conversion. The visitors dominated the loose
and Service lacked the necessary defence, Service leaked two further tries to trail 18-10
at half time after a well taken Rob Parker (winger) debutant try just before the break.
The second half mirrored the first, Service scored two tries through Dan Bailey
(centre) and Ogden, one of which was converted by Ogden who had an off day with the boot
in windy conditions. Frampton Cotterell confirmed their place near the top of the league
winning 40-22.
11 March 2006
Cirencester (55) vs Cheltenham Civil Service (0)
A disastrous game for Service in their fight to stay out of the relegation zone in
Glos 1. Weak tackling in mid-field from Service allowed a dominant Cirencester to run
tries in all game. When Service lost their captain, prop Gareth Jenkins, to injury things
didn't improve. Cirencester showed why they deserve to be top of the table by taking
advantage of every Service mistake and finished the game comfortable winners 55-0.
The winter season for the Skittles Club ended on Finals Night, 6 April 2006. This was
a successful evening with free drinks and a buffet. The Muffin Men met the
Hangovers in the final game of the President’s Shield and the Muffin Men won
492 to 475. On another alley the 9 players from the Pensioners battled with the
Fiends to secure the Wooden Spoon. Having lost all their league games, the
Pensioners comfortably won 341 to 305. The Muffin Men had already secured their
position as Champions of the Winter League, just two points ahead of the
A-Bombs. The trophies for the winners were presented by Gerald Wynn, one of our Vice
Presidents.
 Earlier
in the week we held the final rounds of the Player of the Year knock-out
competition. Congratulations to Toby Cox! He is this year's Player of the Year.
The competition qualifying games were played on Tuesday 28 March and the final games
were held on Monday 3 April 2006.
You can see all the results and pictures of the winners on the CACSSA Skittles
website http://www.cacssa.co.uk/skittles
The Summer League will take place between June and August. We shall play with
teams of 9 players. It’s always very pleasant at the clubhouse and grounds in the light
evenings. I’m sure your office can raise a team of 9 each week. Enter your team by the
closing date, Wednesday 10 May 2006.
For each team we require:
- a unique team name
- contact details (name, phone, e-mail) of two people connected with the team
(captain and someone else to cover for holidays etc)
Contact Brian Wood, skittles cacssa couk
or on 01242 515941. If you would like to play but are not part of a team get in touch,
there’s room for everyone. More details are available on our websites:
www.gchq/societies/cacssa/skittles/ and
www.cacssa.co.uk/skittles
Angling Club
Following two meetings on 29th March and 5th April it was decided an Angling Club
within CACSSA would not be a viable concern at this time. The few who were
interested will meet for social fishing trips. Ask for Gary Shepherd at the club if you
are interested.
 Cheltenham
cinema lovers will not have failed to notice a new Cineworld multi-screen cinema has
opened in the town. CACSSA members can get standard tickets at £4.15, a substantial
discount, through the southwest region.
We will soon be able to offer these at the clubhouse and through Sarah Surgenor at
GCHQ.
More offers can be found on the Southwest region’s website
http://www.cssc.co.uk/southwest/
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CACSSA proudly presents
Soul Artist
WARNER BAKER
and
DJ Gary G
Friday 5th May 7:30 till late
Come and have a great night!
Tickets £4 from the Bar
or from
Gary Goodhall on
01242 228559 |
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Monkey Face will be returning Friday 2 June by popular
demand. Look out for details soon.
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 very popular and
you are advised to book your team to avoid disappointment. Contact Brian Partridge
(01242 704720 or quizcacssacouk)
or Linda Davies (lcdaviegchq).
When put to the vote it was agreed there should be no smoking at these events. The next is
on Friday 12 May; others this year are on 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 and family 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 14 May and 11 June.
Rob Peacey is the Guest Saxophonist on Sunday 14 May. Don’t miss him.
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 Tuesday 9 May, and Tuesday 6 June. Why not have dinner while
you listen?
Watch the FIFA World Cup games on the BIG SCREEN in the Clubhouse
June 10, 15, 20, 24, 25, 30 July 1, 4, 5, 8, 9
Restaurant
Service
The Restaurant offers a high class of cuisine every Monday to Thursday from 7:00 to
9:30pm. Call the Manager on 01242 680424 to book your table.
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.
Many of the visitors to this website will be retired civil servants and associate
members or civil servants from departments other than GCHQ. They will not have
access to the grand websites there so please send news and information to this website
using newscacssacouk
For What’s On
and all the latest news as it happens visit
www.cacssa.co.uk
• Offshore Regatta • 2006 October • 2006 May • 2006 March • 2005 December • 2005 May • 2005 April •
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