Life membership for Dave Sykes

Veterans League

I was really pleased to learn that the Huddersfield Veterans League has awarded David Sykes life membership. David has been a cornerstone of the League for eight years now since taking on the role of Competition Secretary in 2016. He has held the dual role of Competition and League Secretary on and off over that period when no-one else would fill the roles.

I am particularly pleased that David has received this recognition at this time instead of the usual procedure of making the acknowledgement upon retirement from a position in office.

David and I started in our membership of the Management Committee at the same time in 2014 and we both took up secretary positions on the same day in February 2016. He was Competition Secretary and I was League Secretary. He took his office very seriously and we worked togther to such a degree that David phoned me every day, and I mean every day including Christmas Day, for the first 18 months that we were in office together. He just wanted to talk about bowling but in particular about the future of the Veterans League.

Even four years later after I had stepped down from my role we have kept in regular touch with the same subject matter prevelant and as David had taken on the responsibilities for running the League's Bowlsnet service he was in regular contact with me as he came across the nuances of the system.

Bowlsnet is seen as a pre-requisite for any reputable league nowadays and I am not sure how the League would have filled that gap if David hadn't stepped into the breach. I know from talking to him that David was keen to reduce his commiment to the League by dropping his Competition Secretary hat but he has always come forward to fill the basic responsibilities of that role whenever there was no one else to take it on.

David is still as keen as ever to serve the Veterans League despite health restrictions meaning that he has been unable to bowl for the last three years. He has always been a good servant to the League and fully deserves the recognition that this award offers. Congratulations David.