League and committee

1 The League shall be known as the Evesham and District Skittles League

2 A President shall be elected at an AGM and remain in office until he/she resigns

3 A Management Committee comprising at least 9 members shall administer the League It shall include a Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Website Coordinator, Cup and Fixture Secretaries, League Results Coordinator and Divisional Coordinator These representatives shall be elected annually at the AGM, which will be held on or before 1 August

4 All nominations for positions on the committee must be made in writing to the Secretary 14 days before the AGM and countersigned by the nominee Only one vote per team is allowed to elect members to the Committee

5 Nominations for the position of Honorary Vice President must be made in writing and in confidence to the Secretary, before the last delegates meeting in each season The nominations are expected to be for outstanding and meritous service to the League and will be discussed in a closed meeting by the Management Committee In the event that any person is successfully accepted, it will be announced at the AGM The Committee’s decision is final and no discussion or correspondence will be entered into

6 Any proposed rule changes must be lodged with the Secretary 14 days before the AGM

Teams

7 Applications to join the league must be made in writing on the form provided by a date set by the Committee at the start of the season The appropriate fee, which will be set annually at the AGM, must be paid prior to the AGM

8 Additional players may be registered at any time, including at the match by putting their names on the score card. Captains are required to confirm the registration in writing within one week to the Results Coordinator. Failure to do shall mean the player is deemed ineligible.

9 All teams shall attend meetings announced by the Committee When the meeting has been called to order, a roll call will be taken At the end of the roll call any team who has not registered their presence will be deemed to be absent and they will be liable to a £20 fine, which will be donated to the League’s chosen charity 

10 a)  A player should not play for more than one team in any one season However, if the player has not played for that team during the season, and the Committee grants written permission, a player may change teams 

b)  Any player whose team has withdrawn from the League during the season will be allowed to sign on and play for another team Prior approval will need to be sought from the Committee 

Matches

11a) In the event of late arrivals for any match a player’s position may be left open until the end of the second leg He/she must then bowl off the legs that they are behind or his/her place must be filled by a reserve 

b) Teams will normally comprise of 10 players All League and Cup matches involving 6 or more team players shall start at 830 pm prompt If the game has not started by 830 pm the opposition are entitled to claim the game

c) All other Cup competitions to start at 800 pm with a roll call Late arrivals will not be allowed to participate

d)  Singles, pairs, and 4-a-side are to be played on a knockout basis for the final only

e) The 5-a-side competition is Kingpin, with the highest score going through to the next round  All teams will be put on the board and play will be straight down the board

12 A ball touching either side of the alley before striking the pins shall not count and the pins shall be re-set to their position prior to delivery of the ball All pins must be down FLAT or clear of the diamond to count In Kingpin games if the Kingpin is knocked down by another pin, the hand will be over

13 If a team resigns from the league after the season has commenced, the committee reserves the right to expunge the results of their games from the league tables 

14 The Home Team is responsible for providing the sticking-up in all League matches In Cup matches the sticking-up is shared between the teams

15 In the event of a player being injured during a match the opposing Captain could nominate any registered member of the team to finish the match

16 In the event of a team playing an ineligible player, that team will be declared the loser and shall lose the points gained from the match and have a further 12 points deducted  The non-offending team will have the full 12 points awarded

17 All protests/complaints must be made in writing to the League Secretary within 14 days The Evesham Skittle League expects games to be played in an enjoyable and sportsmanlike atmosphere Personal barracking or intimidation will not be tolerated Any team found guilty of misconduct, which in the opinion of the committee is detrimental to the interests of the League, may be fined and/or their membership terminated, after both offender and complainant appear before the Committee to explain their actions

RESULTS

18 a)   For all League games it is the responsibility of the Home Team to complete a result card in full The result card must reach the League Results Coordinator within 72 hours of the end of the match Failure to do so will mean a 6-point deduction 

b)   For all Cup games, involving 6 or more players, it is the responsibility of the Winning Team to complete a result card in full The result card must reach the Cup Secretary within 72 hours of the end of the match Failure to do so will mean disqualification from the competition

c)   For all other cup matches ie the 5-a-side, 4-a-side, pairs, Gents and Ladies singles, the Winners must ring the Cup Secretary (no later than 10 pm) with the result within 72 hours of the end of the match  Failure to do so will result in the team or person being excluded from the competition

d)   Results signed for on the result card will stand and will not be altered under any circumstances

MATCH CANCELLATION OR POSTPONEMENT

19 If a League match or Cup match, involving 6 or more players is cancelled, the team who forfeit the game must advise the opposition as soon as possible prior to the game, to avoid unnecessary travel The forfeiting team must advise the alley that the game has been cancelled and must submit a signed result card, clearly indicating the cancellation If a League match is cancelled the League Results Coordinator must be notified and in Cup matches the Cup Secretary must be notified Failure to do so will result in a minimum £10 fine Maximum points will be awarded to the non-offending team if a League game is cancelled In Cup competitions the non-offending team will advance to the next round

20 Postponement of matches is not acceptable unless:

a)   The alley is unavailable The opposing Captain, and the League Results Coordinator/ Cup Secretary must be notified, where possible, no less than 48 hours prior to the game

b)   Weather conditions are such that it would be dangerous to travel  Both Captains must agree as soon as possible

c)   A team who cannot fulfill a fixture for any reason (eg death of a team member) If both Captains agree, then the match may be postponed  

d)   Unless sub-clause 20 (a), 20 (b) or 20 (c) apply, Cup matches can only be postponed by the Cup Secretary, so as to avoid possible fixture congestion

e)   The Captain requesting postponement under sub-clause 20 (b) and 20 (c) must inform the alley, and the League Results Coordinator/Cup Secretary as soon as possible The Captain requesting postponement under sub-clause 20 (d) must advise the alley Failure to do so will incur a minimum £10 fine

21 Postponed matches must be completed as follows:

a)   All league games postponed before the turn around, must be played before the second half of the season begins

b)   All league games postponed in the second half of the season must be played within two weeks of the finish of normal League matches

c)   In the event of opposing captains being unable to agree a date to play a rearranged match they will both contact the Fixture Secretary who will rule on a date for the game to take place If a team does not turn up at the rearranged venue the 12 points will be awarded to the opposing side 

d)   Postponed Cup games must be played on the alley and date as re-scheduled by the  Cup Secretary

GENERAL

22 Should the teams in the promotion and relegation positions in any division be level on points at the end of the season, their placing shall be decided by a play off between them  This match will be played on a neutral alley and on a date decided by the Fixture Secretary  If teams are not available the game can be forfeit

23 The top two teams in each division (except the 1^st) shall be promoted to the next higher division, and the bottom two teams shall be relegated to the next lower division in the following season unless, for special reasons, the Committee decide otherwise

24 Any team failing to send a representative to the League’s Annual Presentation Evening to collect their trophies shall be expected to contact the League Secretary prior to the start of the following season to arrange collection Failure to do so shall mean the League reserves the right to retain the trophies for use the following season

25 Pre-season information is distributed prior to the start of the new season on a date and venue announced by the Committee This information is to be collected by all participating teams on the appropriate date Any team failing to comply  shall be expected to contact the League Secretary to arrange collection

26 Guidelines for new alleys entering the League:

      a)   38 feet from the line to the middle pin;

      b)   12 feet from the line to the back of the alley;

      c)   7 feet width of the alley;

      d)   40 inch diamond;

      e)   10 inch Gloucester pins;

      f)    4 ¾ inch diameter ball

      g)   Quarter pins and Kingpins must be marked to ensure the same pins are used  throughout the game

27 There will be a £1 fee for the Ladies and Gents singles competitions There will be a £2 fee per couple for the Pairs competition, the proceeds of which shall be donated to charity

28      In order to qualify for the Highest League Average award, away matches only are taken into account  A minimum of 8 away matches must be played to qualify and all away matches are taken into account