Mkt Drayton Bowling League 2022

RULES
ADMINISTRATION OF THE LEAGUE
1. GENERAL
a. The League shall be known as the Market Drayton and District Bowling League, (hereafter known as MDBL) and shall be affiliated to the BCGBA. This may be altered to meet the conditions of any sponsorship. All member clubs must be affiliated to SCGBA.
b. All games and activities of the League will be governed by the rules of the BCGBA and SCGBA, with the addition of these local league rules. No rule of the League shall be altered, rescinded, or added to without the consent of the majority at the Annual General Meeting. (hereafter known as AGM). Requests for New Rules or alterations to Rules must be sent in writing to reach the League Secretary not later than November 30th.
c. Each club shall be responsible for paying match fees for each player per match including walkover games and forwarding the total amount to the League treasurer on receipt of the annual invoice. Clubs with outstanding dues NOT paid by 31st October will be fined £20.00 monthly until paid.
d. Prize money for Division winners etc., plus Match and Competition fees shall be decided at the League's AGM each year.
e. Presentation Evening to be reviewed annually by the League Management Committee (i.e. date, venue, cost of tickets and guests). All ticket monies must be paid at least ONE week prior to the function.

2. OPERATION OF THE LEAGUE
a. The number of teams to compete in each division of the league shall be decided by the League Management Committee, who shall also have the power to deal with any unforeseen circumstances. Applications for a club to join the league must be sent in writing to the League Secretary not later than the 30^thNovember in the preceding year. Applications for a team(s) to join the league for the forthcoming season must be sent in writing to the League Secretary by 31^st March at the latest. Any new team applying to enter the league will start in the bottom division and a second team will also start in the bottom division.   
b. Any Club with only one green cannot play in another League unless they guarantee to fulfil the Market Drayton League fixtures
c. Clubs having two teams in the same division of the League shall be programmed to play each other between the first and fourth fixture date of the season (if able).
d. Clubs having two or more greens, each team shall nominate the green on which they intend playing all home League matches.
e. Each team shall play home and away matches with all the other teams in the same division. Teams consist of ten players. Games to be 21 up. In the event of a club failing to field a full team, the score shall stand 21-0 in favour of the opposing team for each player absent.
f. No League match can be played other than on the date fixed and stated in the Fixture List, except for cancellation due to inclement weather or another exceptional circumstance. In the event of poor weather the home captain shall decide if the green is fit to play not earlier than 5.30pm and if not fit shall immediately notify the opposing captain, and inform the League Secretary within 24 hours.(Failure to inform the League Secretary will result in a fine of £10.00). All matches not played on the correct date must be played within twenty-eight days of the original fixture date. The Clubs concerned shall mutually agree a date in consultation with the League Secretary. Should teams fail to make such arrangement they must submit to the League Management Committee's ruling on the matter. Any other exceptional circumstance should be notified to the Secretary as soon as possible to discuss a alternative arrangement.
g. Promotion / Relegation to operate in the Divisions on a two up and two down basis.
        Promotion shall be decided as follows:-
          a. the team scoring the most points
          b. in the event of a draw the teams with the most games won
          c. in the event of a draw, the team having the highest aggregate in the two games played between them
        Relegation shall be decided as follow:
          d. the team scoring the least number of points.
          e. in the event of a draw, the team with least number of games won.
          f. in the event of a draw, the team having the lowest aggregate in the two games played between them.

h. Prizes will be awarded to the first, second and third placed teams of each Division. The value of these prizes shall be decided at the previous AGM. These must be collected in person at the League presentation evening. Any monies not collected will go to a charity of the President’s choice.
i. Best Individual Performance Prize' for both male and female will be awarded in each division of the League. The Best Performance being the player with the most wins. In the event of a tie, this will be the player with the highest points average in all games played (i.e. total chalks divided by total games played).
j. All protests and complaints by clubs or individuals regarding a match must be endorsed by the secretary of the club concerned and must be in the hands of the League Secretary (in writing) within three clear days (Sundays excluded) and must be accompanied by a protest fee of £25.00 which will be returned if the protest is upheld. Representatives of the club which has lodged a complaint or dispute shall not be allowed to be present at any League Management Committee meeting whilst the matter is discussed, other than to present information that the Committee may need.
k. If a club wishes to withdraw a team (or teams) from the League this must be their lowest team(s). Applications to withdraw a team before the season starts must be sent in writing to the League Secretary not later than 1^st March. Clubs withdrawing a team or teams once the fixtures have been published will pay all dues owing to the League for that season. Should the club subsequently wish the team to re-join the League then it will be required to start in the bottom division. Once the season has started a club wishing to withdraw a team that is not their lowest team must submit their request giving full reasons the Management Committee for consideration.
l. Clubs whose greens are selected by the Management Committee as venues for League and County Competitions shall upon request place their greens at the disposal of the League Management Committee. A club member to be in attendance for the duration of the match. This person should provide four standard jacks, four mats and a 19-metre tape. In all League competitions played on a neutral green all teams must pay 50pence per player to the Host club for cutting and preparing the green.

3. ORGANISATION OF MATCHES
a. Clubs may be allowed to enter one or more teams. Clubs shall register all players as members of the MDBL. A player is only allowed to play for one team during the week (a week means Friday to Thursday inclusive). Players can only play for ONE CLUB per season in any game organised by the MDBL.
b. Any player without a BCGBA registration number is only allowed to play 5 League games. Proof of application to the SCGBA registrar will need to be seen by the Secretary or the players registration entered on the Club's list of players, (only the Secretary can enter a player onto the list after the season has commenced). PENALTY: If no proof of application is subsequently made available, all games already played will be 21-0 to the opposing teams and classed as an ineligible player. Only one deduction of 40 chalks to apply in this matter.
c. A member of a League club not paying their monies to their club shall not be allowed to become a registered player of the league until they have paid.
d. Any team playing an ineligible player in a League game shall lose 40 chalks from the League table, and the opponent awarded the game 21-0.
        Ineligible Player defined as: -
          a. A player playing for more than one club during the season,
          b. A player not registered,
          c. A player playing for two (2) different teams in a playing week, (i.e. Friday -Thursday)
          d. A player playing under a false name.
          e. A player who has been caught practising on their home green or their opponent's green before a match.
e. Players or supporters of visiting teams are NOT allowed to consume alcoholic drinks NOT purchased on the premises of the home club, during League matches or competitions, (if they have a bar licence). The PENALTY for infringing this rule will be a fine of £25.00 imposed on the offending Club, which will be passed to the host club. The individual found breaking this rule may be asked to leave the premises immediately.
f. Swearing and abusive language will not be tolerated. Any incident of this by a player on the green should be immediately reported to the Captains, who will issue a warning to the offending player. Any repetition of the offence will result in the offending player being disqualified and the opponent awarded the game 21-0. Any incident of this by a spectator will result in that person being told to immediately leave the club premises. All such incidents must be reported to the League Secretary within 24 hours, with details of the offence and name(s) of the person(s) involved.
g. Smoking including the use of E-Cigarettes is not allowed whilst playing the game. The offending player shall receive no further score and the opponent the maximum score.

4. MATCH PROCEDURES
a. Practice will not be allowed by either team within an hour of the commencement on the green on which the match is being played. No player shall practice on an opponent's green on the day of any League fixture. N.B. This does not apply to players in other League fixtures, which may have been on the same green. Contravention of this rule will lead to the opposing team being awarded 21-0 for each player found practising.
b. Unless both Captains agree otherwise, the home team captain to name first four (4) cards and place them face down. Visiting team captain will then place their own four (4) cards on top, this being the draw for the first four games. This to be repeated for the middle four (4) and the last two (2). The home captain will number his cards in playing order. A player who is not present or unavailable to play in the first two sets of four shall not be named to play at time of the draw. If a team cannot field a full team in the lower divisions 4-7 only then that team will be able to play up to a maximum of 2 players twice. The Captain must nominate the player(s) who have agreed to play twice and inform the opposing captain before the start of the game. The players who play twice must have also played at least 50% of their games for that team to date – this will be monitored by the Results Secretary and if they have not played the required number of games up to that date of the match the result will be declared a Walk Over for the opposing team. The individuals score from their second game will not count in their individual averages and 6 points per player who has played twice will be deducted for the clubs aggregate score in the match. 
c. Matches to COMMENCE at 7.00pm. Not less than four games shall be in progress by 7.15pm and no more than 15 minutes shall elapse between completion of one games and commencement of the next.
d. The visiting players shall have the first jack in all League matches. All clubs shall supply four standard jacks as approved by the BCGBA for the use in all League fixtures and other competitions organised by the League. All jacks must be test dated and only used prior to the expiry date marked.
e. The captain of each team shall act as arbiters (referee) and appoint measurers and the vice-captain shall act while the captains are playing. In case of dispute in which both captains fail to agree in five minutes, they shall mutually agree to call in a responsible person to give a decision on the disputed end.
f. One representative of each team shall mark each game. In the event of any disagreement in the score, which cannot be settled amicably, the score in the game must revert back to the last end where both representatives agreed.
g. In the event of a postponement, due to bad light or bad weather, completed games shall stand, and uncompleted games shall be completed within 14 days and with the same players. The points scored by each player shall count and the position of the jacks be marked. N.B. No player will be allowed to play in a re-arranged match if they have already played for another team in his/her club during the week in which the original fixture should have been played.
h. The Home team must ensure that the result sheet is entered online (MDBL Website) no later than 2 days after the match is played or is in the hands of the secretary. Failure to comply with this rule will result in the team concerned paying a £20.00 fine.
i. The result sheet must be fully completed and signed by both captains. If the result sheet is not available when required by the League Secretary, they must submit to the Management Committee's ruling and a fine of £25.00 will be imposed.
j. BCGBA registration numbers. Both captains to ensure that team players registration number (including prefix and Christian names) must be on all result sheets whether being entered on the League web site or going to the League secretary in case the result sheet needs to be seen because of any dispute. The league secretary may at any time request to see a result sheet.
k. Premier League bowlers can only play on a Friday night. A player is deemed to be a Premier League bowler if they have played three or more games in the Premier League in the current or previous season.
l. League games re-arranged due to Premier League clash i.e. Friday match played on a previous Wednesday would be deemed to be that following weeks match.

5. LEAGUE COMPETITIONS
Team Knockout Doubles Competitions
a. Matches must be played on a Neutral Green (any green other than their own) in Market Drayton League area.
b. All clubs must enter teams by the closing date and all teams must play in the preliminary round of the competition. Winners of the preliminary round go into the Main Cup (Jim Swire), and the losers go into the Consolation Cup (Bernard Lazarus). Any team receiving a bye in the preliminary round will be top of the Jim Swire cup first round draw to ensure any team can only receive a single bye. Withdrawing from this competition after the draw has taken place, will result in the club concerned being fined £10.
c. Teams to consist of ten players (five pairs). All team players must have played at least one (1) league team game before playing the first round or have played at least two (2) league team games by the quarter final stages. (Not including any competition games).
d. Players who have played all their League games to date, in the current season, for a higher team in the League, are not eligible to play for a team in a lower division. Contravention of this rule will lead to the opposing team being awarded 21-0 for each ineligible player.
e. Each team shall be handicapped before the draw for the first round is made.
f. Handicap- Division 1 scratch, Division 2 +10, Division 3 +15, Division 4 +20, Division 5 +25, Division 6 +30. The handicap is applicable to all rounds including the final.
g. All matches to commence at 7.00pm. The third games must commence by 7.15pm. Should 15 minutes elapse between the end of one game and the beginning of the other, 21 points to be forfeited by the offending team. The 15-minute period shall commence after the third game has been completed. All games must be completed. Match to be completed in one evening. (Weather permitting).
h. Any team failing to fulfil a fixture without notifying the following: League secretary, opposing team captain and the secretary of the host club, at least 24 hours before the event will be liable to a fine of £25.00. Half to go to the club involved compensating the grounds man / bar steward etc., and the other half to go to the League.
i. The result sheet must be fully completed and signed by both captains. if the result sheet is not available for inspection when required by the League secretary, they must submit to the League Management Committee's ruling and a fine of £25.00 will be imposed.
j. No player to play for more than one team in the same year's competition.
k. Captains will place their pairs in order of play 1 to 5.
l. If the match ends in a draw, the team who has won the most games will be declared the winner.
m. Captains will toss for the first jack, remaining games to be played on odd and even basis.
n. Winning captains to be responsible for entering their result on the League's web site or sending the result sheet to the League secretary. If sent to the League secretary, the result must be received within two days of the match being played, to enable the next round draw to take place.
o. Dates for each round to be published on the MDBL website.
p. The Dress code for all League Merit Competitions and all Cup  Finals for the Jim Swire Cup & Bernard Lazarus ( Consolation Cup ) will be as laid down in the BCGBA Official Handbook for the current year and should be adhered to by all players. 

Individual Merits and Doubles.
a. All competitors must be current playing members of the League. i.e. Registered with the League and having played at least one (1) league game by the end of May in the current season or have played three League games in the previous season. Any individual League competition played after the end of May, competitors must have played three League games in the current season.
b. No entries will be taken after scratch time of any competition.
c. There will be a handicap if playing on your own green.
d. All entrance fees shall be paid on the day of each competition.
e. Anyone receiving a bye or walk-over shall be allowed 10 minutes practice.
f. All matches to commence at time stated by the Competition Secretary and are 21 up.
g. Entry fee £5.00 per person per competition. There must be at least four (4) entries / pairs in merits or doubles competitions for the tournament to be valid and prizes awarded.
h. The Ladies and Men's Merit shall be confined to competitors who are 18 years of age or over as of 1st January of that year.
i. The Junior Merit and Junior Doubles shall be confined to competitors (Boys and Girls) who have not reached the age of 18 years by 1st January of that year.
j. The Men's and Ladies Doubles shall be confined to competitors who are 18 years of age and over as of 1st January of that year.
k. The Individual Merit will be open to juniors and seniors.
l. The Mixed Doubles shall be open to any playing member of the League whether junior or senior
m. The Triples will be open to juniors and seniors
John Barber Cup.
The John Barber Cup shall be confined to competitors who are 60 years of age and over as of 1st January of that year. All games to be 21 up with each player starting with 3 on their card.

Dress Code
This is the MDBL’s abbreviated version of the BCGBA handbook dress code:
GENTS: Grey or black trousers (no jogging bottoms, jeans or shorts allowed). A short sleeved shirt or collared polo shirt in any colour.
LADIES: Grey or black trousers, a skirt or tailoered cropped trousers of knee length. A collared polo shirt in any colour.