Altrincham & District LV Bowling League

Affiliated to the Cheshire County Bowling Association

Contents

Constitution

The League shall be styled and known as the Altrincham & District L.V. Bowling League and shall be open to both male and female members of bona fide bowling clubs.

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Rules and Bye-Laws

  1. The Altrincham & District L.V. Bowling League shall promote, organise and govern the playing of Crown Green Bowls in compliance with the requirements of the British Crown Green Bowling Association laws and shall also implement its own laws, bye-laws, match and cup competition laws.
  2. This League shall consist of as many divisions as are deemed necessary by the Management Council. The League match nights shall be on a Monday and Friday evenings.
  3. The Annual affiliation fee for clubs taking part in the League Championship shall be £25 per team. To be paid in full by January 31st each year.
  4. Individual clubs may affiliate to the League without entering the League Championship, for an annual fee of £20.
  5. That 70p per player per match will be collected and paid on receipt of an invoice from the League Treasurer. This will also apply to all LV teams and LV competitions. All clubs must settle their accounts within 21 days from the date of the invoice (Treasurer to insert date on the invoice.) Failure to comply with this rule then the club concerned will be fined £20 and may also have any prize awards withheld until their account has been settled.
  6. Two General Meetings are to be held annually. The first meeting will be held in November, solely for the consideration of alteration to rules, bye-laws and match rules. The second one to be held in January for dealing with all other business including the Annual Financial Statement, election of Officers and arrangements for the coming season. Notices of motion affecting any rule or bye-law will not be considered unless received in writing by the Administration Secretary on or before 15th October. All clubs will be informed of Notices of Motion within 7 days of this date and will be allowed until November 7th to submit any amendment to any Notice of Motion. At both meetings each club that is represented in both the L.V. Evening League and L.V. Veterans League shall be entitled to one vote per delegate, each delegate to vote by card. Any club that is not represented at either November Rules Revision meeting, the January Annual General meeting or to any Extraordinary General meeting will be fined £20.
  7. All trophies and prizes in respect of each individual and team competition will be presented after the conclusion of each competition, but then retained for engraving and then re-presented at the Presentation Evening. Should any team or individual player fail to fulfil their obligations in either the semi – final or final of a team or individual competition, then any prize money that is due to that individual or team will be forfeited and it will be returned to the L.V. Bowling League Financial Accounts.
    All prize winners, whether they are individuals or a team, must either be present at or represented by a member from their club at the Annual Presentation Night to collect their prize money. Any team or individual who is not so represented, shall forfeit their prize money and it will be returned to the L.V. Bowling League Financial Accounts.
  8. The League shall be managed by the Chairman, Deputy Chairman, Administration Secretary, Fixture Secretary, Competition Secretary, Veteran's League Secretary & Treasurer, together with eight other members elected to the Council. The President and Deputy President will complete the Council. The President and Deputy President to be elected at 2 yearly intervals and to hold office for 2 years. The Deputy President to automatically follow the retiring President into senior office and a new Deputy President elected. They must all be elected at the January General Meeting. Nominations for office must be received in writing by the Administration Secretary on or before 1st January. At any meeting there must be at least 5 members present in order to form a quorum.
  9. The Management Council shall annually elect one representative to sit on the Management Council of the Cheshire County B.A.
  10. The accounts will be audited and a copy of the balance sheet sent to each affiliated club together with the notice calling the Annual General Meeting in January.
  11. Any club raising any objection or complaint against either the laws of the game, these rules& bye-laws or any recently played league or competition match must do so in writing or by e-mail to the Administration Secretary, BY THE SECRETARY OF THE CLUB MAKING THE COMPLAINT, within 7 days of any match having been played. The Administration Secretary will place the matter before the next available meeting of the Management Council and he will notify the clubs concerned of the date and place of that meeting. The Management Council shall have the power to fine or suspend any offending individual player or club, who, in their opinion, are guilty of ungentlemanly, insulting or improper behaviour likely to bring the game into disrepute. Should either of the clubs concerned in the objection or complaint have a member who is also a member on the Management Council, then that member shall not be eligible to sit on the Council whilst such objection or complaint is being considered.
  12. The Administration Secretary shall convene a special General Meeting within 21 days of receiving a request to that effect signed by the secretaries of not less than four clubs.
  13. Each club will be furnished with a copy of the rules and bye-laws and the laws of the game and shall be bound thereby. In the event of an infringement thereof, by any club or member, then such club or member shall be liable to either a fine or expulsion from the League. Each club will take and be charged for a minimum of 10 handbooks
  14. At any enquiry the Management Council shall have the power to require the production of any books, documents or other evidence which they may deem necessary or desirable. In the event of any club declining or neglecting to submit to or appear at or co-operate in any enquiry or furnish such evidence as may be required, the Council shall have the power forthwith to suspend such club or member, or otherwise during their discretion.
  15. A registration fee of 20p per member per annum shall be charged for all club members registered with the League.
  16. No player shall be eligible to compete in any L.V. matches or competitions unless he has been registered. A list of registrations together with the players B.C.G.B.A. & Cheshire County Numbers MUST be forwarded to the League Secretary at least 14 days before the 1st League Match or competition is due to be played. Thereafter, a player MUST BE REGISTERED AT LEAST 48 HOURS BEFORE BEING ALLOWED TO PLAY IN ANY MATCH. No registrations will be accepted without the players B.C.G.B.A. & Cheshire County Numbers at the same time.
  17. A supplementary list containing all players BCGBA & CCBA numbers must be received by the Administration Secretary, no later than the 30th June. These players will be eligible to play in League & Cup matches. Any registrations received after this date will be eligible to play in any remaining individual cup or pairs competitions only. All members playing in league matches and competitions must be selected from the list furnished to the Administration Secretary.
  18. Any application for the re-instatement of or consideration of any question affecting a player must be made by the player concerned to the Administration Secretary on or before 20th May.
  19. No rule, law or bye-law of the League shall be altered, rescinded or added to without the consent of a majority present at the November General meeting.
  20. Any club desiring to withdraw or enter a team into the League shall give notice to that effect before 30th November. Clubs wishing to withdraw and not complying with this rule shall be liable to the forthcoming season's affiliation fee and match fees.
  21. The Management Council of the League are the sole interpreters of these Match Rules, Rules and bye-laws which shall be strictly adhered to and from their decision, there shall be no appeal to law or otherwise.
  22. Each club to receive and pay for Five Presentation evening tickets.

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Match Rules

  1. In League matches, the Captains shall act as referees and have full control of the game. In the event of them opposing each other, they shall before commencing the games elect a referee to act in their stead.
  2. All matches must be played home and away as per fixture list. Teams will consist of 8 players a side in the 3 divisions of the league. Games to start at 7.00pm except matches played in April, August, and September when the start will commence at 6.30pm except for clubs who have floodlights. Captains of teams will name their team in the order in which they want it to play. If a player is not present when called upon to play then he must be replaced by another player but his replacement will not prevent that player from playing later in the match. Four jacks to be on the green at the agreed starting time and then maintained throughout the match.
  3. In all L.V games played including Veterans’ League games, the visitor shall lead the jack. Standard jacks to be used and games to be 21 up. THE HOME TEAM ONLY SHALL HAVE SOLE USE OF THE GREEN UP TO 20 MINUTES BEFORE THE STARTING TIME. THEREAFTER, THE AWAY TEAM SHALL HAVE SOLE USE OF THE GREEN FOR THE NEXT 15 MINUTES.
  4. League to be run on the following basis. The result of a match will be determined by the aggregate score. Promotion and relegation will be operated in all divisions at the discretion of the Management Council.
  5. In the event of a tie for the Championship, Promotion or relegation, then the teams concerned must play off on a neutral green at a time and place appointed by the Management Council. In the event of a play off for the first division championship and promotion or relegation in all divisions, the rules and the system of scoring shall apply as in league matches.
  6. All trophies shall be presented on the final day of a competition. After the event each trophy shall be returned to the League for engraving and finally re-presented at the annual Presentation evening in November. These trophies shall be held by the winners until 31st May of the following year. At this time it shall be the responsibility of each winner to return the trophy to the Competition Secretary IN A GOOD SOUND AND CLEAN CONDITION. Any clubs or persons who fail to comply with his rule will be held responsible for any damages and/or costs incurred in the event of any repairs and they may also be fined.
  7. The home team shall deliver a correctly completed match card in playing order for each league match played by direct access to the league website within 24 hours of the match being played and to retain a hard copy for their records for a minimum period of 28 days in case of any dispute. Failure to submit the result within the time frame allowed will result in a £5.00 fine. Any club who deliberately enters an inaccurate match card shall be fined £20.00 with a 50-chalk penalty also being applied.
  8. Any application by a player or players to transfer from one club will not be considered after the player has played 3 League games. If that player or those players have played in any LV cup competitions prior to the first 3 League matches then that player or those players will be deemed to be ‘cup tied’. They will not be eligible to play in the LV cup competitions if the transfer is successful. If, after a successfully agreed transfer has been made, then that player will be prohibited from playing any match for his original team under any circumstances.
  9. Defaulting members of clubs upon being reported to the Admin Secretary shall not be eligible to play for any other club until his obligations have been met in full.
  10. A full programme of fixtures of all matches to be played during the season must be arranged by the Management Council and a copy of those fixtures to be issue to all affiliated clubs.
    Where a club has two teams in the same division, fixtures must be arranged so that they play each other as near as possible to the commencement of each half of the season.
    Match postponements
    Matches must not be postponed under any circumstances other than the exceptions listed below:
    Inclement Weather Rules to determine whether a match should be postponed due to inclement weather:
    1. Both teams should be present prior to the start of the scheduled match. Matches should be called off as near to the start time as possible and no sooner than one hour before.
    2. The greens man for the home team involved has the final say on whether the green is fit to play on.
    3. If the greens man is not present, then the two captains should reach agreement on whether the green is suitable to play on.
    4. If agreement cannot be reached by the two captains, then the home captain will make the final decision.
    If after following the above rules, a match is postponed due to inclement weather, then the following applies:-
    The two team captains involved should agree a suitable date within 28 days following the date of the scheduled fixture, or within 7 days of the last fixture date (whichever is soonest). Once a date has been agreed, the home team captain / Bowling Secretary, should notify the Fixture Secretary immediately. If an agreement cannot be reached, then the Bowling Secretary from the home club involved must submit an application to the Admin Secretary, which will be discussed by the Management Council at the earliest opportunity and a suitable solution notified to each of the Bowling Secretaries concerned. Re-arranged fixtures must be played in their entirety and not split into two or more separate segments.

    Other extenuating or mitigating circumstances acceptable to the Management Council
    UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD A TEAM CONCEDE A MATCH TO THE OPPOSITION. EVERY ATTEMPT SHOULD BE MADE TO PLAY THE GAME IF A TEAM IS SHORT OF PLAYERS.
    If rearrangement is required following postponement, then the Bowling Secretary from the club seeking the re-arrangement must submit an application to the Administration Secretary which will be discussed by the Management Council at the earliest opportunity and their decision notified to the applicant.

    If the application is approved, the Bowling Secretary of the club seeking re-arrangement should contact the Bowling Secretary of the opposing team involved to arrange a suitable date within 28 days of the date of the scheduled fixture or within 7 days of the final fixture (whichever is soonest). Fixtures may be brought forward in exceptional circumstances. Re-arranged fixtures must be played in their entirety and not split into two or more separate segments. Once a date has been agreed, the Bowling Secretary from the club seeking re-arrangement should notify the Fixture Secretary immediately.

    If an agreement cannot be reached, then the Bowling Secretary from the club seeking re-arrangement must submit an application to the Administration Secretary which will be discussed by the Management Council at the earliest opportunity and a suitable solution notified to each of the Bowling Secretaries concerned. Teams failing to comply with any of the above rules will be fined £10 and will forfeit 50 chalks.
  11. Any team playing a defaulter or non-registered player shall lose chalks. The offending player's score shall be deleted from the match and his opponent's card shall read 21-0. A fine of £5.00 shall be imposed per player per offence. Clubs playing short of players, playing a defaulter or non-registered player to be responsible for opposing teams’ footer fees for those breaches of rule.
  12. A League individual merit will be held annually. The entry fee for this competition will be set annually by the Management Council. Clubs will be invoiced for all entries by the League Treasurer on the end of season invoice. No practice allowed on chosen greens 7 days prior to the commencement of play. When a player has drawn a bye through to the next round and then meets a player who has already played, he will be allowed to practice for 10 minutes. No league matches will be played on the night of the L.V. Senior Merit Final. Any club playing a league match on that night will be fined.
  13. An individual merit for second and third division players will be held annually. Registered members not having played four times for their club in the 1st division by the time stated on the entry form shall be eligible for this merit. All entries will be subject to the discretion of the Management Council. The entry fee for this competition will be set annually by the Management Council. Clubs will be invoiced for all entries by the League Treasurer on the end of season invoice. No practice allowed on chosen greens 7 days prior to commencement of play. When a player has drawn a bye through to the next round and then meets a player who has already played, he will be allowed to practice for 10 minutes.
  14. Where a green is selected for a match or an individual or pairs competition then that club MUST ensure that the green is ready and in match condition and all necessary equipment to be provided. Failure to observe this rule will result in the club being liable to a fine.
  15. Clubs with 2 teams: A player will be allowed to play 4 games for the 'A' team and still be eligible to play for the 'B' team at any time during the season. A player having played more than 4 games for the 'A' team will only be allowed to play for the 'B' team providing he has a minus average. Only 2 such players will be allowed to play in any one match. A player can only play in one match on the same calendar day. Penalty for infringement: Players score to be deleted and 21 points awarded to the opposing player. Offending team to incur a fine of £5 per player per offence.
  16. All games organised by the Management Council of this League, must be played under B.C.G.B.A rules.
  17. An Award of Merit prize will be presented to the player from each division who, according to the player’s averages as shown on the computerised web site pages has the most number of wins and the highest average in each division. These prizes will be presented at the Presentation evening.
  18. An Award of Merit handicap will be held after the completion of all league fixtures. This handicap will be for the player with the most number of wins in each team that participates in the League. Each club will automatically enter and be charged for 1 player for each team. The handicapping of all players will be fixed by the Management Council. Entry fee to be set annually by the Management Council.
  19. DRESS CODE- (COMPETITION FINALS DAYS ONLY)
    Suitable footwear must be worn. Hard or block heeled footwear, sandals or other open toed footwear or flip flops MUST NOT BE WORN by any player, male or female, whilst on the bowling green in any match played under the British Crown Green Bowling Association jurisdiction. Trousers must be full length, BLACK ONLY. Ladies MUST wear suitable footwear as above. Trouser tailored shorts, tailored cropped trousers or skirts shall be black in colour and be at least knee length. Shirts shall be collared and may be embellished with non-offensive logos or emblems. Where necessary, jumpers/sweaters which conform to the above or wet gear may be worn. Nothing in the above shall be interpreted to allow the wearing of tracksuits, shell suits or denims. Any player failing to conform to this standard will be prevented from playing in the competition and may be liable to forfeit any entry fee, or prize monies earned.

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Divisional League Knock-Out Trophy

  1. Entries to be submitted on the form supplied. The entry fee for this competition will be set annually by the Management Council. Clubs will be invoiced for their entries into this competition by the League Treasurer on the end of season invoice.
  2. All matches to be played on a handicap basis and played on neutral greens and will consist of 8 players a side. Teams in this competition will be handicapped annually by the Management Council subject to the following limits:
    • Each Division — minus to receive 48
  3. Teams will be selected from a list of up to 16 registrations and those names to be taken from the clubs’ league registrations and they must be submitted in writing on the form provided to the Competition Secretary by the specified date on that form. A maximum of 2 names may be altered from the list of registrations up until the 1st round game is due to be played, thereafter no changes will be considered. Teams having a bye in the 1st round may alter their registrations by a maximum of 2 players up until their 1st game is due to be played, but in both cases, the changes must be submitted in writing or by e-mail to the Competition Secretary before either game is played. Thereafter no changes will be considered. The Management Council reserve the right to adjust the squad handicapping accordingly.
  4. All dates and venues including the finals will be arranged by the Management Council.
    The result of each match to be decided by the aggregate score.
    The last 2 teams in the competitions will have their handicaps reduced as follows:
    Winners by 12 points, Runners up by 8 points.
  5. Those teams so penalised will have the deductions replaced at the rate of 4 points a year subject to their participation. A team having its handicap altered by virtue of promotion or relegation shall have this alteration made BEFORE penalty or restitution points are considered.
  6. The draw will be made by the Management Council and will play straight through as drawn on the handicap sheet, no re-draw.
  7. In all rounds, the Captain of each competing team shall place his team in the order in which he desires them to play - one to eight. The two Captains shall then toss a coin so that each team shall have an equal number of first leads of the Jack. Odd numbers on one team and even numbers on the other. Four Jacks to be maintained throughout.
    If after the completion of the match, the overall result is a draw, then the team Captains will select two players each to play off to decide the result of the fixture. (One quarter of any handicap will be taken into account for each team.) If the result is still a draw, then two more players will play off until a result is obtained. Once a player has played a second time, he may not play again in that match.
  8. On any matter not covered by these Rules, the decision of the Management Council shall be final.
  9. In the event of any postponed matches, then the 2 captains must amicably agree a date to play the match which MUST BE PLAYED before the date of the following round is due to be played. The Competition Secretary must be informed of this date before the match is played.
  10. In the event that a compromise cannot be reached, then the Captains of both teams must notify the Competition Secretary that a date cannot be agreed. The matter will then be put before the Management Council whose decision on when the match will be played and whereabouts will be final.
  11. Players playing in the final of this competition MUST adhere to the dress code that is depicted in match rule 19 and this will be strictly applied.
  12. Once the draw has been made, any club or team who fail to turn up to play that match shall be liable to pay the other teams footer fees.
  13. The first named Club in the draw is responsible for reporting the result to the Fixture Secretary within 24 hours of the match having taken place. Failure to do so will result in a fine of £5.

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Pairs Competition Rules

  1. Both competing players in any one pair must play for the same Club in the League. Failure to observe this rule will mean elimination from the Competition with loss of entry fee.
  2. Clubs will be invoiced for their entries into this competition by the League Treasurer on the end of season invoice.
  3. Entry fee for this competition will be set annually by the Management Council.
  4. A substitute will be allowed on the basis of one substitute for one player in any particular pair in the 1st round only.
    In LV Pairs Finals day, if one of the Pairs does not turn up and he has a legitimate reason, e.g. injury, illness or bereavement, then a substitute from the same club who has not played in the competition previously during the season will be allowed and his handicap will be set as per the handicapping criteria for the LV Pairs Competition.
  5. Players will be handicapped divisionally as follows:

    All division 1 players off scratch
    All division 2 players off 2, (4 for the pair)
    All division 3 players off 3 (6 for the pair)
  6. Players playing in the final of this competition MUST adhere to the dress code that is depicted in match rule 19 and this will be strictly applied.

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Veterans League Rules

  1. The annual affiliation fee for teams taking part in this League shall be £25 per team.
  2. That 70p per player per match be collected and paid on receipt of an account from the League Treasurer.
  3. Teams to consist of eight players on each side, games to commence at 1.00pm on Thursdays. Captains of teams will name their team in the order in which they want it to be played.
  4. The result of a match will be determined by the aggregate score of each team.
  5. In all games played the visitor shall lead the jack. Standard jacks to be used and games to be 21 up. THE HOME TEAM ONLY SHALL HAVE SOLE USE IF THE GREEN UP TO 20 MINUTES BEFORE THE STARTING TIME. THEREAFTER THE AWAY TEAM SHALL HAVE SOLE USE OF THE GREEN FOR THE NEXT 15 MINUTES.
  6. A maximum mark of 41 yards 1 foot 8 inches (38 metres).
  7. Qualifying age to play in this League to be 55 years in the current season.
  8. The home team shall deliver a correctly completed match card in playing order for each league match played direct by access to the league website within 24 hours of the match being played and to retain a hard copy for their records for a minimum period of 28 days in case of any dispute. Failure to submit the result within the time frame allowed will result in a £5 fine.
  9. Any application by a player or players to transfer from one club to another club will not be considered after the first 3 League Matches have been completed. If that player or those players have played in any LV Vets Cup Competitions prior to the first 3 League Matches then that player or those players will be deemed to be ‘cup tied’. They will not be eligible to play in the LV Vets Cup Competitions if the transfer is successful.
  10. Where a green is selected for a match or an individual or pairs competition then that Club MUST ensure that the green is ready and in match condition and all necessary equipment to be provided. Failure to observe this rule will result in the Club being liable to a fine.
  11. Clubs with 2 teams: A player will be allowed to play 4 games for the “A“ team and still be eligible to play for the “B” team at any time during the season. A player having played more than 4 games for the “A” team will only be allowed to play for the “B” team provided he has a minus average. Only 2 such players will be allowed to play in any one match. A player can only play in one match on the same calendar day. Penalty for infringement: Players score to be deleted and 21 points awarded to the opposing player. Offending team to incur a fine of £5 per player per offence.

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Veterans League Knock-Out Cup

  1. All matches to be played on a handicap basis and played on neutral greens and will consist of 8 players a side. Clubs can register a maximum of 16 players for each team they enter for the competition. Any vets league registered players must have played in a minimum of 3 vets league games to qualify to play in the vet’s league knockout cup semi-finals and final if their club reaches that stage of the competition. If a club has 2 teams playing in the LV Vets League but that club only submits one team to enter the vets knockout cup and it is a mixture of both 'A' and 'B' team players, then that team will be handicapped as the 'A' team A maximum of 2 names may be altered from the list of registrations up until the 1st round game is due to be played, thereafter no changes will be considered. Any changes to the named squads must be submitted in writing or by e-mail to the Competition Secretary before the 1st round game is due to be played.
  2. If after completing the match, the result is a draw, then 2 players will be selected by each Captain and one quarter of the awarded handicap will be allotted to those scores. Winners and runners up in this competition will have their handicaps adjusted as follows: Winners: 8 points, Runners up: 4 points. These teams so penalised will have their handicaps re-appraised by 4 points each year, subject to their continued participation.
  3. Clubs are requested to make their greens available when selected for competitions.
  4. Players playing in the final of this competition must adhere to the dress code as depicted in match rule 19 and will be strictly applied.
  5. Once the draw has been made, any club or team who fails to turn up to play that match shall be liable to pay the other teams footer fees.
  6. All matches to be played on a handicap basis and will consist of 8 players a side. Handicapping of teams to be made by the Management Council and shall be reviewed annually subject to the following limits:- Minus – 76
  7. The first named Club in the draw is responsible for reporting the result to the Fixture Secretary within 24 hours of the match having taken place. Failure to do so will result in a fine of £5.

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Veterans Merit

  1. A league individual merit will be held annually.
  2. Entry fee for this competition will be reviewed annually by the Management Council and clubs will be invoiced for their entries by the Treasurer on the end of season invoice.
  3. No practice will be allowed on chosen green 7 days prior to the commencement of play. When a player has drawn a bye and meets a player who has already played, he will be allowed 10 minutes practice.
  4. This competition is strictly confined to registered members of the Veterans League.
  5. All matches to be played to 21 up.
  6. The Veteran’s individual merit will be played on Thursday afternoons with 2 qualifying rounds on greens chosen by the Management Council. The final 8 qualifying players will contest the vets merit final on a Thursday afternoon at a venue chosen by the Management Council.
  7. Players playing in the final of this competition must adhere to the dress code as depicted in match rule 19 and will be strictly applied.

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Veterans Award of Merit

A veteran's award of merit handicap will be held with the top two players of each team with the most number of wins, then the player with the highest average from each team eligible to qualify.

Entry fee for this competition will be reviewed annually by the Management Council and clubs will be invoiced for their entries on the end of season invoice. Clubs will be invoiced for their entries on the end of season bill. All matches to be 21 up.

All matches to be played to 21 up.

Players playing in the final of this competition MUST adhere to the dress code that is depicted in match rule 19 and this will be strictly applied.