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Constitution and Rules

1. Designation
The league shall be known as THE WORCESTER & DISTRICT MEN’S SKITTLE LEAGUE.

2. Objects
The object of the league shall be to organize the game of skittles in Worcester and District by promoting competitions, interpreting and defining the rules under which the game of skittles shall be played by members of this league and in all other ways.

3. Membership
The league shall consist of up to 80 teams which shall be grouped into divisions not exceeding 18 in number. Membership of the league shall be confined to teams accepted at the Annual General Meeting of the league and who play their home games on an alley approved by the League Executive Committee. Before 1^st June in each year, teams already in membership of the league shall give written notification to the Honorary Secretary of their intention to continue their membership in the next succeeding season. Teams failing to send such notification in due time shall be treated as, and deemed to be, new applicants. Notification of intention to continue membership of the league will not be accepted from teams indebted to the league on May 31^st in any one year.

4. Officers
The league shall be governed by a Management/Executive Committee which shall consist of some or all of the following –President, Life Vice President, Vice President, Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, Results Secretary, Treasurer and 7 Committee Members. All Officers and Committee shall be elected for the period up to the next A.G.M. and shall be eligible for re-election.

5. POWERS AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE MANAGEMENT/EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Meetings shall be held monthly on the second Monday of the month or at any other time as deemed necessary by the chairman or secretary. The quorum of the Executive shall be five. The committee shall be under a duty to manage the affairs of the league in a prudent and businesslike manner, and in particular it shall deal with:

All infringements of these Rules and the Rules of the game of Skittles, as played by this league.

All protests lodged by teams.

Complaints of misconduct by teams or players. In such a manner as the Committee thinks fit. The Committee shall have the power to expel any team persistently breaking the Rules of the League, subject to the right of appeal by the team to a properly convened Special General Meeting.

The Committee shall have the power to:-

1. Form Sub-Committee and delegate functions thereto.

2. Join in skittles competitions organised under the auspices of other bodies.

3. Associate with other bodies one of whose main functions is the promotion of furtherance of skittles.

4. Select alleys on which the League’s competitions shall be played.

The proceedings of the Management/Executive Committee shall be reported to the Annual General Meeting.

6. COMMUNICATION
All communication shall be addressed to the Honorary Secretary or Person nominated to act, and that person or Honorary Secretary shall conduct the correspondence for the League.

7. FINANCE AND ACCOUNTS

League Fees of such an amount as is fixed by the Annual General Meeting shall be paid with the team registration. New Team applications, not accepted at the Annual General Meeting, shall have all monies refunded.

Failure to pay the league fees in force, or any outstanding fines, by the Annual General Meeting will result in the team concerned not being accepted into the League. The annual league fee in force shall cover the cost of registration of a team, the provision of score sheets; fixture books/playing rulebooks, and entrance of one team in all league competitions. Entry into K.O Cup and K.P. Cup, which shall be played on a Tuesday night, shall be automatic; otherwise entry into all competitions shall be on the appropriate entrance forms. Entry into the Six-a-side competition singles and doubles shall be on the appropriate entrance form. The fee shall be set at the Annual General Meeting. A team may enter a second team into the Six-a-side competition for a cost of £4.00, which must be sent with the entrance form. The Management Committee shall have the power to convene a Special General Meeting for authority to raise additional funds when necessary. The Honorary Treasurer of the league shall cause proper accounts to be kept and shall circulate a copy of the accounts to the Annual General Meeting. He shall report to the Executive Committee from time to time as instructed by the committee.

8. LEAGUE TROPHIES AND ASSETS
All trophies and assets vested in the league, whether by donation, loan or purchase shall be deemed to be the ownership of the President, Chairman and Vice Chairman as Trustees of the League for the time being. Trophies shall be held by teams or Individuals winning such competitions promoted by the League, providing that such trophies shall be returned to the Honorary Secretary or any other nominated officer not less than one month before than the end of the playing season. Any Team or individual that loses a trophy will be responsible for the replacement of such trophy. Teams or individuals failing to return trophies in accordance with this rule shall be liable to a fine.

9. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Annual General Meeting of the League shall be held each year at a venue and on a date to be fixed by the Executive Committee. Each team in membership of the League at the preceding 30^th April shall appoint one representative, and such Representatives, together with the members of the Executive Committee of the League shall be entitled to speak and vote at the meeting. One representative of each new applicant for membership of the League may attend the Annual General Meeting and, with the consent of the President or other person presiding, may speak but not vote.

10. SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
A Special General Meeting of Teams currently in membership of the League shall be held within twenty one days of the receipt by the Honorary Secretary of a written requisition, signed on behalf of not less than 25% of the teams’ membership of the League, specifying the business proposed to be transacted thereat.

11. DELEGATES MEETING
A Delegates Meeting shall be called at the discretion of the Executive Committee to advise teams of future events and discuss any business which may arise.

12. REPRESENTATION OF TEAMS AT MEETINGS
Teams not represented at a League Meeting shall be liable to a fine.

13. RULES OF PLAY
The executive Committee shall recommend to any general meeting of the League any amendment to the rules of play for the game of skittles within this League. The rules of play at the date hereof are set out in the schedule to these rules.

14. COMPLAINTS
All complaints shall be made in writing to the Honorary Secretary or named person or League Secretary within 72 hours of the cause of the complaint. All such complaints will be referred to the management executive committee for consideration. The committee is empowered to call before any team. Team representative or other individual to assist with its enquiries to resolve the complaint. The committee is also empowered after investigation to impose any penalties it deems fit.

15.
A team must advise any and all changes of Secretary and/or address to the results secretary promptly.

16.
That any notice of motion to be raised at any annual general meeting must be submitted not less than 21 days before that meeting and must have a “seconder” from a different team.

17.
Anything not specifically covered by these rules and regulations shall be referred to the Managements Executive Committee whose decision at all times shall be final and binding.

18.
If a team withdraws from the league, owing the League money, then the players signed on for that team may only sign for another team, within the following 12 months, if they pay their share of the outstanding debt.

19.
If for any reason, this League was not able to function, then all assets owned by the League shall be converted to currency and after all outstanding debts have been settled the money remaining shall be divided equally between the teams in membership at that time. If the League becomes insolvent before disbanding, then the teams in membership at that time shall share equally the outstanding debts.

20.
These rules and amendments to rules were adopted at the Annual General Meeting of the Worcester and District Men’s Skittle League held on 20^TH June 2012 and supersedes all existing rules and shall come into force for the 2012/2013 season.

THE SCHEDULE

13.1 ALLEY
The alley shall be clean and lit up. The “Diamond” shall be not less than 3ft 10inch or more than 4ft 2inch when measured between the centre of the wing pins and the centre of the front and back pins. The diamond shall be clearly marked with plates securely fitted to the floor or spots painted white. The plate or spot size shall be either 2 ½ inches square or 2 ½ inches diameter. A bowling line is to be painted 2-3 inches wide across the alley and approximately 33ft from the front ping of the diamond.

13.2 PINS
9 wooden pins of uniform size are to be painted white 1 ½ inches around the top. The front (king) pin is to be painted white 1 ½ inches wide from top to bottom, the painted part to face the bowler. All the pins to be set on the centre of the plates or spots.

13.3 THE BALLS
Wood, Tufnol or Rubber Balls may be used. The uniform size of which must not exceed 5 ¼ inches in diameter nor be less than 4 ¾ inches in diameter. One set of three balls are to be in the trough at the start of a match.

13.4 PLAYERS
A player must be male and registered with the League Secretary at least 48 hours before being eligible to play in any League or Cup game. Having once signed for a team, a player is not eligible to sign or play for another team unless officially transferred. MINIMUM AGE of a player shall be 14 and any player under 16 must be accompanied by a parent, guardian or responsible adult.

13.5 INELIGIBLE PLAYERS
Any team proved to have played an ineligible player will be fined and any points won in that game will be awarded to the opposing team.

13.6 TRANSFER
A player can transfer from his team to another team but he must inform his team secretary of his intention and both teams must inform the League Secretary. Transfer will only be accepted on Official Transfer Forms. No transfers can take place after 31^st December.

13.7 LATE ARRIVALS AND BOWLING ORDER
A player must be present before the commencement of his teams third leg, he must then bowl off the two legs he is behind, All players to bowl subsequent legs in correct order.If not present at the commencement of his team’s third leg, his place must be immediately filled by a reserve or his team play a man short.See also Rule 13.18

13.8 PIN OFF THE PLATE
If a pin is moved by a ball or another pin so that it is clear of its original plate, but still standing, that pin is down and must be removed, provided that the pin is not moved or floored by another ball or pin which rebounds off the back wall of the alley, in which case the pin(s) shall be reset and not counted.

13.9 NO BALL
A ball, which having left the bowlers hand, does not touch the floor before completely clearing the bowling line, or strikes the cushion before the pins, will be judged a NO BALL. Any pins floored by a NO BALL shall be reset and the ball will be deemed ‘lost’.

13.10 THE LINESMEN
All League and Competition matches MUST have linesmen. These are to be appointed by the Captains prior to the start of the match. During the time one team is bowling, the opposing team’s linesmen shall rule the line and shall be responsible for calling no-balls BEFORE the ball contacts the pin. The linesmen to sit two legs where applicable.

13.11 STICKER-UP
Each team shall provide their own Sticker-Up at all matches, and both shall be employed on the alley at the same time for the duration of the match. In case of dispute both captains to be consulted. No School Children may be EMPLOYED as sticker-up other than in accordance with the relevant Byelaws of the County of Worcestershire.

13.12 THE MATCH
All League matches shall be played on Tuesday nights. In the event of this not being possible, Rule 13.17 to apply. The match shall consist of five legs, and each team twelve players. Each player shall bowl three balls each leg in turn.

13.13 STARTING TIME
All League matches shall start NO LATER THAN 8.30pm PROMPT. The time of commencement must be recorded on the result sheet, which must be signed by both Captains. Late starts must be reported to the League Committee and, the offending team WILL BE FINED. Any subsequent offence WILL result in that team having POINTS DEDUCTED. The alley is to be open to the visiting team before the match, with match pins and balls, but this must not delay the start of the game.

13.14 LEAGUE POSITION
Six points are awarded for a win and three points for a draw and one point for each leg. Should there be a tie on points for either of the top two positions at the end of the fixtures, or the relegation places, the team with the greater number of pins floored in ALL of their away League matches will determine final positions. If teams remain equal the teams will bowl off on a neutral alley, on the Tuesday following the last arranged fixture. Extra legs will be bowled if required. Normal promotion or demotion will be two up and two down. Where there is a necessity to deviate from the norm due to teams leaving or new teams entering the League the League Management Committee will decide the promotion and demotion requirements in order to maintain, as far as possible an equal number of teams in each division.

13.15 THE RESULTS
All results sheets of matches must reach the Result Secretary within 48 hours. Failure to comply with this rule will result in the team concerned being fined. The HOME SECRETARY is held responsible for forwarding the result sheet.

13.16 THE CHILDREN
No Children are allowed on the alley of a licensed house during the course of a League or Competition match.

13.17 CANCELLATION OF FIXTURES
NO CANCELLATIONS will be allowed, except for an unplayable alley, or in exceptional circumstances. If a match is cancelled, then it will be rearranged within 14 days and will be played before the last League match.

13.18 BOWLING OFF
No player shall bowl off without prior permission of both Captains. Once permission is granted said player(s) will be excluded when interpreting Rule 13.7

13.19 KO CUP MATCHES
All games to commence by the start time specified on the competition Draw sheet. In the event of a tie, an extra leg must be bowled. If a player bowls off, then he must bowl an extra leg in case of a tie. If still tied after six legs, the game must be replayed on a date prior to the next round and, if possible, on the same alley. The K.O. Cup,Mick Potter Cup and King Pin Cup shall be played with teams of twelve per side. All Cup games must be played on the date drawn. The K.O. Cup, Mick Potter Cup and King Pin Cup competitions shall be played on a Handicap basis with division one teams playing off scratch; division two teams will receive 5 pins start; division three teams will receive 10 pins start and division four teams will receive 15 pins start.

13.20 CUP TIED PLAYER
A player having once played in any Team K.O. Competition will be considered cup-tied to that team and will be ineligible to play for any other team in that competition.

13.21 .a DOUBLES COMPETITION (King Pin Rules)
Both players must be from the same team and both must be present at the draws and play. However, if a pair who won the previous seasons competition have separated to different teams, then permission will be granted for them to play together to defend their title.

13.21.b TRIPLES COMPETITION (Ordinary Skittles)

Triples Teams will consist of 4 named players (from the same team) with any three playing at one time. Three players must be present at the draws and play. However, if a triple who won the previous seasons competition have separated to different teams, then permission will be granted for them to play together to defend their title.

13.21.c SINGLES COMPETITION (King Pin Rules)

The Singles Competition will not be run if there are less than 40 players entered. In the event of the competition not being run then all entrance fees will be returned.

13.22 KING PIN RULES

1. The King (front) Pin must be struck and floored by a direct delivery of a ball before it and any other pin can be counted to score.
2. Any pin floored before the King Pin shall be removed and not counted.
3. In the event of a spare, only the pins that count shall be reset.
4. If all the pins are floored with a legal ball which does not strike the King Pin first, then only the King Pin shall be reset.
5. NO BALL Only those pins floored by a no ball shall be reset.

STANDARD FINES

INELIGIBLE PLAYER ...............................................................£10.00

LATE MATCH START ..............................................................£ 5.00

NON-ATTENDANCE OF A.G.M................................................£15.00

NON-ATTENDANCE OF DELEGATES MEETING …...............£10.00

NON-PAYMENT OF FINE ........................................................£ 5.00

NON ATTENDANCE OF TEAM COMPETITION ......................£10.00

LATE RESULT SHEET .............................................................£ 5.00

IF A TEAM IS MISSING FOR 2 CONSECUTIVE MEETINGS, THEN THE FINE FOR THE SECOND MEETING WILL BE DOUBLED.

Farmers Boy available skittles alley

Next AGM Meetings

KO Competition Dates for 2012/2013

Constitution and Rules