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The ESMBA - A Damp Squib?
The ESMBA - A Damp Squib?
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It is with some sadness that I write this article but my disillusionment with
the way that aspects of the ESMBA have been run for some time runs very
deep. The magazine is not and never has been a method of voicing my
personal opinions and I have made great efforts not to say what I feel ex-
cept for the odd comment but I can no longer stay silent in our great sport.
When we changed our Chairman I thought we had got through the
wilderness years and little seems to have changed. We appeared to have
become a money collection agency with the grandiose plan of having our
own headquarters. By 2014 we had amassed something like £133,000
and I am given to understand that we had a substantial financial loss in
the last year. The idea of a headquarters is not a bad idea but not at the moment for a tiny sport
like ours. I was sadly unable to attend the AGM owing to another commitment. I am given to un-
derstand that many questions were asked about the accounts and there was a deal of shuffling
of papers but that any answers were not to everyone’s satisfaction.
I well remember the very early years and the work put in by Norman Dickenson, Harry Lock-
ett, Geoff Buchanan and Reg Kett, the latter put together our rule book, which has obviously been
amended a little but is still substantially the same as Reg compiled.
Anyone involved at the time will tell you I had very major differences with Norman, Harry
and Geoff but not for one second would I ever knock the work they put in and whilst they may be
new names to all readers, I remember them, along with Reg, who is no longer with us. The ESMBA
was formed earlier in 1984 and I joined in the Autumn of that year and finally left the committee in
the Autumn of 1998, as I thought we had already started to lose our way.
The bottom line of our sport is that we are to a large extent made up of an aging group, of
which I am one. The lament I have heard for a number of years is “what happens after we have
stopped playing”. The bottom line of which is that a number of clubs will cease to exist. My own
club in Devin (Ideford, pronounced Idford), struggles for members and we are typical of the aging
clubs but everyone plays with great enthusiasm, even though we finished bottom of the league
last season and may well do so again this season.
For me the number one priority should be the promotion of our sport to increase the numbers
and ease the pressures on clubs. With no disrespect to the ESMBA committee, they are (like me)
amateurs when it comes to promotion and much else besides and just seem to create more and
more competitions without really addressing the age problem which will undoubtedly come home
to roost over the coming years.
They should take some serious advice from a professional agency. This could be done via
the sports council without spending too much on consultancy, taking on board that advice we can
do at a reasonable cost and put anything else on the back burner to look at later. However, my
view on the ESMBA is that they have no interest whatsoever in publicity and seem too busy run-
ning their competitions and claiming their expenses. The lack of publicity also sadly goes to most
of our clubs, as can be seen in the magazine - If they don’t care, why should the ESMBA?
I know very little about what the ESMBA does at present, except by the things other people
tell me, which is not a lot. The ESMBA of course has the right not to use the magazine but they
don’t seem to bother with any other publicity and as far as I can see and some of them don’t ap-
pear give a toss for the long term future of our sport. I am also surprised that there has not been
a breakaway movement at some point but I know the subject has been broached by some counties
in the past.
This article in the end has not been as hard on the ESMBA as intended but I found it hard to
translate the steam coming out of my ears into useable printable words. It matters little what they
think of me but some serious new PROFESSIONAL blood may well give the ESMBA and our
sport the boost it so desperately needs - That’s my opinion of course! So what about yours, or
don’t you care?
Bobbyweaf