Wallasey Crown Green Bowling Association
Constitutional Laws and Competition Rules 2008
The Association shall be titled 'Wallasey Crown Green Bowling Association' and be open to any bona-fide club in the Merseyside area.
2 COMPETITIONS
All competitions shall be conducted under the British Crown Green Bowling Association rules and each member club shall put its green, when required, unreservedly at the disposal of the Association.
3 OBJECT
To promote the game of Crown Green Bowls.
4 MEMBERSHIP
A Club applying for membership of the Association shall furnish any information if and when required. Clubs wishing to withdraw from the Association shall give seven days notice, prior to the Annual General Meeting, or render themselves liable to the following years subscriptions. All affiliated clubs must be registered with the Wirral & District Crown Green Bowling Association.
5 SUBSCRIPTIONS
The Annual Subscription shall be £90 for each team entered. Each club will be invoiced on two occasions of equal amounts, with payment to be received by 31st January and 30th September. Any accounts outstanding on these dates will be fined £5.
6 FINANCIAL YEAR
The financial year shall end on 30th September and any accounts outstanding at this date will be fined £5.
7 ADMINISTRATION
An Executive Committee consisting of a President, Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Competition Secretary and seven members elected at the Annual General Meeting, will administer the Association. The bank account of the Wallasey Parks Crown Green Bowling Association shall be kept in the names of the President, Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer.
8 THE EXECUTIVE
Shall meet each month to: elect Clubs, to exercise financial control over all affairs of the Association, to nominate sub committee's to report to the Executive on any questions referred, to appoint officers and fill any vacancies that may occur after notice to each member, to make bye laws to meet cases not laid out in these rules, to be responsible to print the Associations handbook, to fine or suspend any club or individual who breaches these rules, to decide the true meaning of any rules or anything relating to the affairs of the Association, to recommend annual honorariums to the Annual General Meeting.
9 THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The President will open the meeting that will then be conducted by the chair. He will have the authority on point of order and will have the casting vote.
(a) To be held on a date set by the Secretary.
(b) Notices of motion must be received in writing by no later than 30th September. These will then be circulated to all clubs. Amendments to these notices of motion may be submitted by no later than 31st October.
(c) Every club will have two votes (non-attendance fine £5), Officers and Life Members will have one vote. The vote will be on a majority count.
(d) The meeting will elect its Officers, Executive, Life Members and Vice Presidents.
(e) The Secretary will submit a full report on the season's workings and the Treasurer will submit a financial report (audited by two elected members).
10 EXTRA GENERAL MEETING
Shall be called by 25% of affiliated clubs or by the Secretary on the instruction of the Executive. The request must be in written form, the meeting is to be called within 28 days and only business written down will be discussed.
11 DISCIPLINARY HEARINGS
Any person or club refusing to appear before the Executive, or to furnish such information requested by the same, may be liable to suspension, at the discretion of the Executive.
TEAM COMPETITION RULES ( Page 1 )
GENERAL (applicable to both league and/or cup)
1 Each competing club must register through the Secretary of the Association a list alphabetically arranged of its members, from which all teams are to be selected. Also each competing club must register the green it is to use the forthcoming season; this may only be changed with full permission of the Executive Committee. Names of starred and registered players must reach the Secretary by the 31st January.
2 All players must be bona fide members of their respective clubs and be registered with the Wirral & District Crown Green Bowling Association. No player will be permitted to compete on behalf of more than one club during a season.
3 A player having played for a club during a season shall not be eligible to play in a league or cup match for another club in the current season, with the exception of a player of a club withdrawing from the league competition, without having tendered his resignation as a league player to his club and notified the League Secretary not later than the 14th January. The Secretary of each club shall be responsible for notifying the league re resignations, new members and registered players. No player can be registered after July1st unless with the consent of the Executive Committee.
4 Clubs with ‘B’ Teams shall star twelve players who will not be eligible to play in any ‘B’ and ‘C’ team fixture. Clubs with ‘C’ Teams shall star a further eight players who will not be eligible to play in any ‘C’ Team fixture. In all cases, the starrings should be the strongest players a club can field. All Starred Players to be approved by the Executive Committee. In the event of any Starred Player not playing in the first five matches an additional name must be submitted by the respective club.
5 Any club playing an ineligible player shall forfeit the full number of points, which may have been gained through him, and 21 points awarded to his opponent. They shall be fined £5.00 for the first offence, and for subsequent offences be fined or excluded from the Association, as the Committee may decide. In the event of an ineligible player, in either league or cup competition being discovered the Association Secretary shall inform the offending club immediately.
6 Matches are to commence not later than 6.30pm (April and August 6.15pm). Any club not having sufficient players to keep the green fully employed after 15 minutes from the stated time, i.e. four jacks to be a minimum shall have the full number of points deducted for every absent player. The penalty in all cases must be strictly enforced.
7 Progressive scores in all games are to be recorded in duplicate by markers chosen by respective captains. The winner must signal the number of points scored at each end, both players being near the jack. Scorecards to be checked every three ends.
8 In any game where one or both teams are unable to play the full number of jacks, the absentees must be shown as absent on the score sheet. Each absentee registered, fined £2.00. Any club found guilty of falsification of a match sheet will be fined £5.00.
9 The two captains are to have exclusive control over play and all matters in dispute are to be decided by them without favour. Should they be unable to agree on a matter, they may appoint a competent neutral party to arbitrate. In the event of deadlock an appeal may be made to the Committee. An appeal under this rule must be in writing with a full description of the circumstances through the Secretary of the Association within 48 hours, accompanied by a deposit of £5.00, which may be forfeited if the Executive considers the protest to be trivial or groundless.
10 It shall be the duty of the Secretary of the winning club to send the match sheet within 48 hours, signed by respective captains. Any club failing to comply will be fined £2.00. Team sheets incorrectly filled in or not on an appropriate match sheet will be fined £2.00.
11 Any club failing to play as appointed, will be scratched and required to concede the full number of points to its opponents and render themselves to a fine, such fine being determined by the Executive Committee. Only if the greens are unplayable (or from any proper just cause) in which case the clubs concerned are mutually to agree upon another date and advise the Association Secretary within three days. Should they fail to make such arrangement they are to submit to the Committees ruling in the matter. In the event of an adjournment the completed games stand and the partly finished games shall be concluded from the scores at the adjournment.
12 All matters in dispute, including suitability of green to be decided by the appointed referee, whose decision shall be final and binding. No protests may be lodged.
13 It shall be incumbent on all members of affiliated clubs to report to the Executive through the Secretary, any wilful infringement of these rules and the Executive will take such action as they consider warranted by circumstances.
14. The League and Cup trophies are to remain the property of the Association, with the League Winners receiving their trophy at the Annual General Meeting. The Association will be responsible for all the engraving of trophies, with the winning clubs being debited for the amount in their 2nd Account of the year. All trophies to be returned to the Association Secretary by no later than 2 weeks before the Cup Final of the following year or in the case of League Championship Trophies, 2 weeks before the Annual General Meeting.
Team Competition Rules ( Page 2)
2 Teams shall consist of twelve players a side and the games played in singles only, 21 points to a game. The names of the opposing players must be drawn. All matches will be played with standard jacks, which are to be supplied by the home team. Visiting teams shall lead the jack.
4 Any club failing to play as appointed, will be scratched and required to concede the full number of points to its opponents and render themselves liable to a fine, such fine being determined by the Executive Committee. Only if the greens are unplayable in which case the clubs concerned are mutually to agree upon a date, such date being within one month of the said fixture and advise the Association Secretary within three days. All matches must be completed by the 1st September. Should they fail to make such arrangement they are to submit to the Committees ruling in the matter. In the event of an adjournment the completed games stand and the partly finished games shall be concluded from the scores at the adjournment.
5 All competitive clubs in the Association shall provide standard jacks, mats, a tape no less than 19 metres and appropriate measures.
6 No practice by visiting teams will be allowed prior to commencement of a match.
7 In the event of a club withdrawing from the league competition at any time during the playing season, irrespective of the number of games played, the record of that club shall be expunged from the league.
CUP
1 The competitions shall be open to all members of the Association. All Cup Competitions will be run on a Handicap basis.
2 Any club entering a team must place its green unreservedly at the disposal of the Association.
3 When their green is selected for a tie, clubs shall supply jacks, mats, measuring tapes and all facilities for the playing of the game. Clubs failing to comply will be fined £5.00.
4 The Competition Secretary will select greens for all matches and play is prohibited on these greens when the venue has been selected, except bona fide competitions.
5 The game shall be played in singles only, 21 points to a game. The names of opposing players must be drawn. Competing teams to have equal leads with the jack, Captains to decide at the commencement of the match.
6 In the event of a tie between two competing teams the match will be replayed in its entirety, by arrangement, on the same green if available.
7 Non Starred Players will not be eligible for “B” or “C” teams after 30th June unless they have played more league/cup games for the lower team(s) than the higher team(s) in their club by this date.
8 Teams will be handicapped in Cup Matches on the strength of players registered with the club.
9 No Player to play for more than one of his club’s teams in the same round of any cup competition.
10 Once the Starred list of players has been submitted to the League Secretary, any changes to the list must be put before the Executive Committee for approval.
Individual and Doubles Competitions
1 Entry shall be open to all bowlers registered with the Association on payment of the entry fee, which must be paid in advance and sent with the Competition Entry form to the Competition Secretary.
2 Any player having put his name on an entry form submitted to the Competition Secretary, will be deemed as having entered the Competition and if he fails to turn up for the Competition and has not paid his entry fee, his Club will be billed for the entry fee in their 2nd Account of the year.
Peter Dodd
Secretary
12th January 2008