The MINUTES of the EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Meeting held at Henfield
Cricket Club on Tuesday 6th July 2004
Present: N Teague (Chairman), D Semmons (Treasurer), L Claydon (Competitions Secretary), N Nolan (Secretary & Selsey), P Tolchard (Results coordinator), D Horsman (Vice-Chairman & Wisborough Green) and representatives from Burgess Hill Felbridge & S, Henfield, South Bersted & B and Southwick.
Absent were Scaynes Hill (fined
£10). Apologies were received from P
Graves (President).
The Minutes of the Executive
Committee Meeting held at Henfield CC on Tuesday 1st June were approved and
signed.
A further presentation was made of the Changes to Rule proposed
by Linfield and Arundel Cricket Clubs (see below). East Preston had advised that the venue for their 1st XI fixture on August 7th v Selsey would be Fernhurst
Drive at Goring.
Following opinions expressed at
the previous meeting, Malcolm Page (Lindfield) presented revised proposals for
Rule Changes which were further amended during a lengthy discussion. It was agreed that he should prepare a
further draft in the form of a
questionnaire to clubs, subject to vetting by the League's officers that would
need to be sent upon completion to Mr Claydon for collation. It was agreed that a fine of £10 should be
imposed upon any club failing to do so.
The main proposal would be for the creation of a single competition of eight divisions (numbered from 1 to 8) of nine teams each (rather than the ten originally proposed) with two spare dates or for the top four divisions to comprise ten teams each with one spare date and the remainder nine teams each. [For a ten-team division, the appropriateness of playing on two April Saturdays, or one plus one in September was debated] Coupled with this would be the acceptance into the League of single-team clubs and 3rd XIs of existing member clubs, also that the Annual Subscription and Deposit would be charged per team instead of per club. [Rule 9a (3rd sentence) would also need amendment]
Additionally:
No Club shall have more than one
team in the same Division. At the end
of the season, the top two teams in Division 2 to 8 shall be promoted and the
bottom 2 teams in Divisions 1 to 7
shall be relegated. (Only Clubs with two or more teams in the league may participate in Divisions
1 and 2, single Club teams, 2nd Xl's
and 3rd Xl's may only participate in Divisions 3 to 8). If a team which would otherwise qualify for
promotion is debarred because there is a higher team from the same club in that
division immediately above or whereby a single team, 2nd XI, 3rd XI is unable
to progress, the next highest side/s shall be offered promotion
Clubs will be asked whether these and/or other proposals should take effect from the end of the season or from a year later.
Also proposed:
That matches should consist of a maximum of 94 overs, with a
first innings maximum of 49 overs.
[Amendments would be needed to Rules lOa, lOb, lOc and lOd and ie would
need to be deleted]
That matches should commence at 1.30pm, either from August
1st or throughout.
That the tea interval should be reduced from 30 minutes to
25 minutes.
That adjustments be made for time lost to bad weather [to be re-defined]
That a team batting first must have received 25 overs to
constitute a match.
That no matches be played on artificial wickets.
That pitch covers, where available, may be used prior to a
match commencing and, with the agreement of the umpires, during a match.
That a side batting first should receive 2 batting points at 100, 125, 150 175 and 200 and that the side batting second should have 1 batting point at 100, etc
That the award for bowling points should change to the
extent that the side fielding first having won the toss should gain 2 points at
the fall of 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 wickets, including absent players.
That a batting side with less than eleven players should not
be allowed to declare at the fall of what would have been the last wicket.
That a team scratching four league matches in one season should be automatically suspended (and their record expunged) and have to apply for re-election for the following season.
Middleton had written expressing their concern at the
reported possibility of East Preston being unable to use their ground due to the
need for an access road through it to reach a development adjoining the north
perimeter. They urged
clubs to write to the Council in protest but it was agreed
that it should be up to East Preston to contact clubs to enlist their help if
considered necessary.
Two letters had been received from Keymer & Hassocks: the
first questioned the calling off of their 2nd XI match at Storrington on 3/7 as a
wicket couldn't be prepared; the second
referred to a 1st XI fixture called off at Crawley by the
Council on 10/7, although both Ram and Eagles played home
matches, and the club asked that they be awarded 30 points as Rule 9c had been
breached. Both the requests for 'winning' points were turned down and the award
in both cases of 8
points for a cancellation was confirmed.
Mr Semmons announced the quarter-final draw: Crawley Eagles v Arundel; Wisborough Green v Broadwater; Portslade v Crawley; Ifield v Billingshurst.
With the matches to be played 11/7 and notice given to clubs
immediately following the June 20th matches, he advised that he had received a
call from Arundel that they had called off their original fixture for that day only
to be advised 5/7
by Eagles that they couldn't play, suggesting the 18th which Arundel couldn't accept. Mr Semmons
would explore the possibility of delaying the semi-final and was empowered to take such action as he deemed
appropriate. He expressed his
dismay at Pagham writing to the ECB regarding the
Committee's decision re East Preston 1/6 and Mr Teague undertook to write to Pagham
regretting they couldn't accept the decision.
Mr Semmons questioned whether to continue with the compe-
tition in 2005 and it was suggested that clubs be asked as
to their intentions in the questionnaire to be prepare by Mr Page.
Mr Semmons reported a balance of £2,868-61, with £815 in
Deposits and fines to date of £255. Mr
Claydon reported 16 late match forms so far and that there had been 20 abandoned games on the past three Saturdays. Clymping II had scratched for the third time 3/7 and were fined £10. Nothing had been heard from Easter-
gate and Rustington with regard to the Annual Dinner.
The introduction of a Code of Conduct on the lines of that
of the Sussex League was considered to be advisable and it was agreed to form a
small sub-committee
at the September meeting.
Awards for winning clubs would be as last season, ie plaques for the champions' headquarters, also for the
individual trophy winners.
Mr Nolan indicated a willingness to continue as Secretary
next season, but with Mr Semmons not continuing in his two posts after next season
Mr Teague felt it imperative to find new officers to enable the League to
continue. Lords Cricket
Balls had sent six balls for clubs to test in matches.
The Meeting closed at 9.45pm.
The next Meeting of the Executive Committee will be on Tuesday 3rd August.