Nuneaton Ladies Bowling League 2022

President Tracey Wilcox, Chair Wendy Graham, Treasurer & Secretary Kath Philbin, Match Secretary Amy Evans

Updated January 2022

1. The league shall consist of 2 delegates from each club. A club can send as many delegates as they wish but only 2 can vote.

2. The Officers of the league shall consist of a President, Chair, Treasurer, Secretary and a Match Secretary. These shall be elected at the AGM.

3. Notices of any proposed alteration or addition to the rules, stating a reason for the proposition, must be in the hands of the secretary not later than 1st September each year.

4. All games shall be governed by the B.C.G.B.A. rules. Each team shall consist of 6 players. League and competition games shall be 21 up. Teams with players short shall forfeit 21 shots for each player short.

5. The dates of all matches shall be arranged by the Match Secretary.

6. All games shall be played to a finish; if abandoned or postponed the games shall carry on where left off and completed as per score sheet.

7. Any game cancelled or abandoned due to the green being unfit for play due to adverse weather conditions must be played within 42 days or 7 days, following the end of the season. Any cancelled games for any other reason must be played within 28 days of the original date or 7 days following the end of the season, whichever applies, even if the team is short of players. If not played according to the rule, a fine of £5 will be imposed. Failing to notify the League within 28 days incurs a further fine of £1. Should a game be cancelled and the game brought forward from the original date, this is not considered a cancellation.

8. In the event of any dispute arising during a match it shall be referred to the 2 captains. If a settlement cannot be effected in any way, it shall be declared as no end. 

9. Any games played before May and in September shall start at 6.30 pm and all other games to start at 7pm. September games to be brought forward to start at 6pm where possible, but this is at the Captain’s discretion.

10. In the league competitions, home and away matches to be played and points awarded as follows: 1 for each individual game won plus 2 for a home aggregate shots win and 3 for an away aggregate shots win. In the event of a tie on shots, the home team is awarded 1 point and away team, 2 points. Walkovers will be classed as won games and scores of 21-11 home and 21-15 away to be credited to individual averages.

11. All affiliated clubs must register their players by name and BCGBA number before the first game of the season. The playing of an unregistered player shall be deemed an offence and shall entail the forfeit of the game. A player can be registered with the Match Secretary any time during the season prior to the last 4 scheduled games of the season with a minimum of 24 hours’ notice in writing (email or letter) including full name and BCGBA number. Phone calls and text messages are not acceptable. A maximum of 2 players per game can move to another team within the same club during the season, except for the last 4 scheduled games. No player can play more than once on any fixture date. 

12. The results of each match, signed by the 2 captains, should be sent to the Match Secretary no later than Monday. Defaced score sheets are not deemed a true record of the game. Late score sheets (over 4 days) incur a £5 fine, doubled for recurring offences. (Use of MB Website recommended ) 

13. Committee meetings shall be agreed upon by the Committee, usually the second Tuesday of the month. Apologies for non-attendance will not be accepted from any club with more than one registered team and only one team is playing on the night in question. A £5 fine for non-attendance is imposed and this is doubled for consecutive absences. 

14. A copy of the rules shall be forwarded to each club who are members of the League specified herein, upon request. The rules will be available on the MB Website. 

15. No game shall be postponed without giving 7 days’ notice to the opposing team and to the Match Secretary. The team postponing the game are responsible for notifying the Match Secretary. 

16. No more than 2 postponements will be allowed in any one season. 

17. Any club lodging a formal complaint in writing or by email, must deposit the sum of £10 with the Secretary and in the event of the complaint, in the opinion of the Management Committee, not being justified, the club shall forfeit the £10 paid. If the Management Committee decides that the complaint is justified after hearing the whole matter, the £10 will be returned to the club. The procedure for dealing with complaints shall follow the BCGBA for disciplinary and appeals procedures. 

18. Any question not provided for in the foregoing rules shall be dealt with by the Management Committee. 

19. Any person, pair or team who, after qualifying in a competition, do not turn up to the final without any valid reason given to the Committee, shall be disqualified from entering the same competition for the following year. Under no circumstances, after names have been submitted for the pairs competition and the draw has been made, can partners be changed. All finals to be played on neutral green, i.e.no competitor should be a member of the club where a final is held. 

20. Fours competition. A maximum of 5 names may be submitted, any 4 can play throughout the competition. All players must be from the named club and registered League players. No names can be changed after the draw has been made. 

21. Prior to play, opposing captains are to exchange 6 score cards. These are to be shuffled, placed face down and covered by the opposing team’s score cards. If the full team is not present, one card may be left blank but must be completed and all players in attendance 1 hour after the scheduled start time. 

22. Visiting teams shall be allowed 15 minutes for practice and have exclusive use of the green for this purpose. No player shall practise after this time has been reached. For 6.30pm start home players off the green by 6.10pm and away team off by 6.25pm. For 7pm start, home team off the green by 6.40pm and away team off the green by 6.55pm. 

23. Players more than 5 minutes late for any competition shall be disqualified. 

24. Membership of the league shall be restricted to within a radius of 10 miles of the centre of Nuneaton. 

25. The officers of the league reserve the right to decide on the formation of the league following the addition or withdrawal of teams in order to ensure equity across the league. 

26. League invoices will be sent out four weeks prior to the end of the season and must be paid within 28 days. All monies to be paid directly to the League Treasurer. Any late payment will incur a £10 fine. 

27. Any team not registered at the November League Formation meeting shall be fined £20. Should this reoccur the following year, the consequence is exclusion for the ensuing year. 

28. When playing county, league or competition bowls a good standard of attire must be maintained. Tailored skirts or shorts just above the knee are acceptable, shoulders must be covered and flat, enclosed shoes must be worn. Cycling shorts, short shorts and low cut tops are not acceptable on the green. Anyone not adhering to these rules will not be allowed to play. 

29. Officers leave the room while honoraria are discussed. 

30. The cost of repair or replacement of any league trophy damaged or lost whilst in possession of any team or individual is their responsibility. 

31. Should a complete team fail to play a fixture without a valid reason, then all games that have been played and games that are due to be played by the offending team shall be declared null and void with all points gained or lost by the team and their opponents to be deleted. 

32. In the event of a team withdrawing from the league after league fixtures have been submitted for publication, the offending team shall be billed for the current league registration fee per player up to a total of 6 players. Deadline for withdrawal is January 31st. 33.

33. The Committee has the right to withdraw membership of any person bringing the game into disrepute on or off the green. 

34. Smoking cigarettes, e-cigarettes and using mobile phones are prohibited on the green. 

35. All league trophies to be returned for engraving by November meeting at the latest. Fine of £5 if rule not adhered to. However, the September meeting will be the last opportunity to return trophies this year as the presentation is in November. Please be aware of this. 

36. The League Committee will not tolerate any abuse, verbally or otherwise, including, but not limited to offensive or personal comments directed towards a League official. Any registered league member found to be in violation of this rule will be referred to the League Management Committee. Exclusion from the league may be a consequence. 

37. All rule changes passed at the January 2022 AGM will be ready to be implemented in the 2022 season. (This includes communication by email)