Birkenhead & Wirral Veterans Crown Green Bowling League 2025
CONSTITUTION AND RULES
1: TITLE
The combination of Clubs shall be called the Birkenhead & Wirral Veterans Crown Green Bowling League.
2: OBJECTS
The objects of the League shall be:
(a) To further the interests of bowling generally.
(b) To obtain uniformity in the game, as defined by the laws of the BCGBA under which rules all competitions shall be played.
(c) To promote League and Cup competitions for players aged 55 years and over.
3: AFFILIATION
(a) The League will affiliate to the Wirral & District Crown Green Bowling Association (WDCGBA), the Merseyside County Crown Green Bowling Association(MCCGBA), and the British Crown Green Bowling Association (BCGBA).
(b) The League shall be open to all bona fide Bowling Clubs directly affiliated to the WDCGBA,the MCCGBA and the BCGBA based on the Wirral orin adjoining areas.
(c) Applications for membership shall be made in writing/email to the League Secretary to be received by January 14th of each year. Such application shall give the name of the Club, the name of its Secretaryand Officers, and the location of theirbowling green.
(d) A Club intending to resign their membership, or withdraw a team(s), must notify the League Secretary not later than January 14th of each year. Failure to comply with this rule renders the Club concerned liable for all fees in respect of the forthcoming season.
(e) Any change of Club Secretary to be communicated to the League Secretary immediately the change is decided upon. Only Club Secretaries, or their appointed deputy in the Club Secretary’s absence, can contact the League Secretary.
(f) Any communication between Clubs should be via Club Secretaries only, or their appointed deputy in the Club Secretary’s absence, to avoid any possible misunderstandingsbetween, and/or within, Clubs.
(g) Any Club applying for membership of the League that is situated outside of the boundary of the MCCGBA must first apply to their own County Secretary forpermission to make application for membership of the League.
(h) The Code of Rules laid down by the League shall be binding on all member Clubs.
4: MANAGEMENT
(a) The Officers of the League shall be a President, a Chairman, and a Financial Secretary (or Secretary and Treasurer). The Chairman and Financial Secretary (or Secretary and Treasurer) shall be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting.
(b) The League shall be administered by a Management Committee consisting of the Officers of the League and at least four additional members elected by the Annual General Meeting. The Committee shall have authority to deal with all matters of administration according to the Rules. The Committee shall be empowered to fill any vacancy which might arise during the year.
(c) Any member of the Management Committee failing to attend three consecutive meetings, without submitting an explanation acceptable to the Management Committee, shall be declared no longer a member and the Committee may proceed to elect a successor.
(d) The Management Committee shall be empowered to elect sub-committees as they deem necessary. Their duties shall be defined at the time of election.
(e) No member(s) of the Management Committee to be allowed in the Committee Room if the Club of which they are a member(s) is concerned in a protest, unless called upon to give evidence.
(f) The Secretary shall keep minutes of the business conducted at all meetings.
5: GENERAL MEETINGS
(a) The Annual General Meeting shall be held in the month of Novemberor December of each year for the election of Officers, Management Committee, to approve the accounts and for the consideration of the rules.
(b) At all meetings, voting will be by voting card only and voting restricted to one delegate per Club, who must have been a registered player during the current year. Members of the Management Committee will not be entitled to vote, unless acting as their club representative. A delegate cannot represent more than one club. Any club failing to be represented at a meeting shall be fined £5.
(c) Any registered player of the League may attend the Annual General Meeting in addition to the appointed delegates but shall not be entitled to speak or vote on any matter.
(d) In addition to the Management Committee, Notices of Motion, in writing, will only be accepted from Clubs for consideration at the Annual General Meeting. These must be received by not later than September 30th of each year after which all clubs will be circulated with a copy. Amendments to these Notices of Motion may be submitted by Clubs not later than October 31st of each year. Any such amendment received not later than October 31st will be circulated to Member Clubs before the Annual General Meeting. All Notices of Motion, and any amendments, must be seconded by another Member Club before being heard at an Annual General Meeting.
(e) Any Club may send a requisition in writing to the League Secretary to call a meeting of the Management Committee. Such requisition shall state the nature of the business to be brought forward, and this shall be placed before the Committee, who, if they deem it of sufficient importance, shall instruct the Secretary to call a Special General Meeting of all Clubs. The notice shall state the nature of the business, and no other business shall be transacted at that meeting.
(f) No alteration or addition to the Constitution and Rules of the League shall be made except at the Annual General Meeting in November, notice of which must be given to the Secretary in accordance with Rule 5(g), or at a Special General Meeting as defined by Rule 5(e). Only registered clubs will be entitled to vote upon any matter under discussion as defined by Rule 5(b). No member of the Management Committee will be allowed to vote upon any item under discussion unless they are a nominated delegate from their club. No rule shall be altered or amended unless a majority decision is reached.
(g) Clubs shall receive at least seven days' notice of all Annual or Special General Meetings.
6: FINANCE
(a) The annual subscription for each team entered in the League shall be £55.00, payable by an initial instalment of £20.00 per Club in January of each year and a final payment in September of each year for any outstanding amount due by each Club. Clubs will receive an official invoice issued by the Financial Secretary (or Treasurer) at least fourteen days before the due date. Clubs outstanding in their payment after the due date will incur a fine of £5.00 plus £1.00 per week, or part of, until settlement.
(b) The financial year shall end on the September 30th of each year and all payments due to the League shall be settled by that date. Clubs not complying will be fined £5.00 with a further £1.00 for each week, or part of, that such payment remains unpaid.
(c) The funds of the League shall be lodged in a local bank in the name of the League. All cheques shall bear the signature of two Officers of the League.
(d) The accounts of the league will be subject to an annual independent examination by a responsible person nominated by the Management Committee.
COMPETITION RULES
7: GOVERNANCE
The Competition shall be governed by the Management Committee as defined by Constitution Rule 4(b).
8: PLAYER REGISTRATION
(a) A player will become eligible for registration once he has attained the age of 55 years. Proof of his date of birth may be requested. Any club or player found abusing this rule will be subject to disciplinary action by fine, deduction of points and/or withdrawal of the offending player(s) registration.
(b) Each Club intending to compete shall forward to the League Secretary the names of its players, alphabetically arranged and including their BCGBA registration number, on or before January 31st of each year. All players must also be individually affiliated to the WDCGBA. Clubs outstanding in returning their list of registered players after the due date will incur a fine of £5.00 plus £1.00 per week, or part of, until settlement.
(c) A club will have 10 days to advise of a player’s BCGBA Registration Number after acceptance by the League Secretary. Failure to comply with this rule will result in any games played by the offending player(s) becoming null and void with their opponent credited with 21 points. Furthermore, a fine of £3.00 will be imposed for an unregistered player and the player’s registration will be suspended until the League Secretary is in receipt of the respective BCGBA number.
(d) A player, having played for a Club during any season and who wishes to cancel their registration or transfer to another Club, may do so provided they notify their Club, in writing, on or before December 31st of each year and that their resignation is accepted by the said Club.
(e) The Management Committee expect a player to be registered for one club only during a season but, in very exceptional circumstances, can agree a transfer prior to the start of a season providing the agreement of the parent club is received in writing. A player who has not played for their club by 30th April of each year can request a transfer, in writing, after this date. The Management Committee will only consider such a transfer request with the written consent of the parent club. No player will be allowed to transfer their membership to another club unless all financial obligations have been met.
(f) No registration can be accepted without the consent of the League Secretary. A player must be registered before the day of a scheduled match. No registration can be accepted after the last day of August unless with the consent of the Management Committee.
(g) The Management Committee is empowered to refuse or cancel the Registration of any Club or individual player whose behaviour, in its opinion, has brought the League, or the sport of Crown Green Bowling, into disrepute.
(h) Any club who excludes a player from their premises, for any reason, must advise the League Secretary as soon as possible following the implementation of any exclusion and include full details. The League is not under any obligation to involve themselves in any dispute.
9: LEAGUE
(a) All matches to be completed as published in the fixture list, or as agreed by the Management Committee. Should a match not be played as scheduled, the offending team, or teams, will be fined £20 each. Breaches of this rule will be dealt with by the Committee, who shall have the power to penalise the offending team, or teams, further by fine or deduction of points.
(b) Matches shall consist of home and away games, 21up, singles only.
(c) Two points to be awarded for an aggregate win and one for a tie. One point extra will be given to the club with the highest aggregate score over both matches on the two matches played home and away. In the event of a tie on the overall aggregate score of the two matches the extra point will be divided. Teams will be awarded one point for each winning jack.
(d) In the event of a tie-on points on completion of fixtures between teams interested in Championship, Runners-up, or Relegation, the team with the most aggregate points will be placed in the higher position. If it remains a tie-on-points,then the team with the most individual winners will be placed in the higher position. If it remains a tie-on-points, then the team who gained the aggregate point when the sides met will be placed in the higher position. If it remains a tie-on-points, then a play-off will take place, by arrangement, between teams involved.
(e) At the end of each season the top two teams in divisions below Division 1 shall be liable for promotion. The bottom two, or more, teams in any division,except for the lowest division, will be liable for demotion. The Management Committee will have the power to restructure the divisions following the submission of Club Registrations in January of the following year. All clubs will be notified of the league structure prior to the commencement of each season.
10: MATCHES
(a) Competing teams shall consist of ten players a side.
(b) All players shall be drawn for, and in the event of full teams not being available at starting time,a sufficient numbermust be drawn to ensure a prompt start at the times laid down by Matches Rule 10(f).
(c) No Club will be allowed to play an unregistered or ineligible player under a penalty of £3.00 for each offence and a reduction of all shots such a player shall have made, the opponent to be credited with 21 shots.
(d) Starting times for all League matches shall be 1.30pm. In the event of any team not turning up to play a match as scheduled, the Management Committee shall have power to penalise the offending team at its discretion.
(e) No match to be called off before 12pm on the day of play and then can only be called-off by the home team.
(f) Fifteen minutes after all starting times, the minimum number of jacks on the green shall be four. Any team not having sufficient players to occupy the green by the required number shall, on the claim of the opposing Captain, forfeit 21 points for each player absent. Any player absent must be shown as Walkover on the match record. Any player not available when called on the green will be substituted and thereafter will not be allowed to participate in the match.
(g) Each player shall select a marker, and it shall be the duty of the home player's marker to seek out and check their cards every three ends with the visiting player's marker. No game shall commence until this has been done.
(h) The visiting player shall have first throw of the jack. No visiting player shall be permitted to play on the green on the day of the match, prior to the match. No player can play twice in the same match.
(i) In the event of matches being abandoned or postponed it is the responsibility of the home team to advise the League Secretary, within 24 hours, that the scheduled match was not played/completed.
(j) Any match which has started and is unable to finish, finished games will stand and unfinished games to be resumed, where left off, by the same players. Should a player from an unfinished game not be available on the rearranged date, a substitute player may take over from were left off with the match card/website entry showing only the name of the player who completed the game. To complete any remaining games, a club can use a player who has not already played in the original fixture or been used as a substitute, even if cards had already been drawn.
(k) Any match postponed or abandoned must be played within one month of the original fixture date.
(l) Failure to comply with 10(i) will result in a £5 fine.
(m) Clubs to agree within seven days to play/complete the match on another date and advise the League Secretary accordingly. If no date has been set within seven days, then the League Secretary/Management Committee will set a date on which to play/complete the fixture.
(n) The Secretary of the Home Team is held responsible for notifying the League Secretary immediately either of the new date or that agreement has not been reached. If no date has been agreed the Management Committee have the authority to set a date without appeal.
(o) Clubs shall ensure that their match result is entered accurately on the league website, within two days of the match being completed. Clubs shall retain all the match sheets for all their teams until the end of the season in case of any query. If a club does not have internet access, the winning team shall forward the result sheet, duly signed by both captains to the League Secretary which must be received within three days of the match being completed (excluding Sundays/Bank Holidays). A fine of £1.00 will be imposed for each failure to carry out this rule.
(p) If a team is short of the required number of players, each player short must be entered on the League website as Walkover and there will be a fine of £2 for eachplayer short.
(q) Falsification of a match sheet will result in a fine of £10 for each team.
11: STARRED PLAYERS
(a) Clubs with ‘B’ Teams shall star at least eight first team players who shall not be eligible to play in any ‘B’ and ‘C’ team match. Clubs with ‘C’ Teams shall star an additional eight players who shall not be eligible to play in any ‘C’ team match. No ‘A’ team cup Starred Player will be permitted to play in any ‘C’ team league match.
(b) These names to be forwarded to the League Secretary no later than 31st January of each year. Once Starred Players have been submitted no alteration can be made other than in exceptional circumstances as agreed by the Management Committee. Clubs outstanding in returning their list of registered players after the due date will incur a fine of £5.00 plus £1.00 per week (or part) until settlement.
(c) All Starred Players to be approved by the Management Committee who have the authority to add players, who in their opinion, should come under the Starred Player status.
(d) A Club must submit an additional player for each player who has not playedat least twice in their team's first six league matches. The player who has not played sufficient games will remainstarred.
(e) The Management Committee have the authority to star any player whose registration is received after a Club’s Starred Players list has been submitted.
12: CUP COMPETITIONS
(a) All League Competition rules, where applicable, shall apply.
(b) All competitions will be run on a handicap format. Handicaps will be decided by the Management Committee whose decision is final.
(c) The result of each match will be decided by aggregate which includes any handicap awarded.
(d) All teams will be included in the League Shield.
(e) All preliminary and first round losers in the League Shield are eligible to compete for the Centenary Cup.
(f) Any team who does not wish to be included in the Centenary Cup must notify the League Secretary, in writing, within three days following the scheduled date of The Shield Preliminary Round/First Round.
(g) The Preliminary and First Rounds will be drawn together with subsequent rounds up to, and including, the Semi-Final being redrawn each time.
(h) Any team that withdraws from a cup competition will incur a fine of £20 unless they have already knocked a team out of the competition where uponthe fine will be £30.
(i) In the event of a tie between two competing teams, the match shall be replayed in its entirety, by arrangement, on the same green if available.
(j) A player cannot play in both the Shield and Centenary Cup on the same day or play for more than one team within their club in the same round of either competition. Any transgression of this rule will result in the game being awarded to his opponent in the second match played by the offending player, 21 nil.
(k) A player must be registered before the semi-final round of a cup competition to be eligible to compete in the competition. A player must have played at least three league matches for a team that has qualified for the semi-final and final stages of a competition, or a lower team, to be eligible to play. Under special circumstances permission may be granted by the League Secretary. Any transgression of this rule will result in the game being awarded to his opponent 21 nil.
(l) All matches to be played on neutral greens and it is down to the host club to say if a green is fit for play. Once a green has been declared, no practice is allowed by any player of the competing teams, except in an authorised match or competition. Any player found in breach of this rule will render himself ineligible to play in the match.
(m) When their green is selected for a tie, clubs shall provide standard jacks, footers, a 19-metre measuring tape and all facilities for the playing of the game. Failure to comply will result in a £10.00 fine.
(n) Clubs entering more than one team shall star two additional players for each extra team. No starred player to play in a team of lower grading.
(o) Competing teams shall have equal number of leads with the jack. The two captains to toss at the commencement. Odd numbers in one team, even numbers in the other team.
(p) Both of the Competition Finalists shall submit their teams, in order of play, to the League Secretary when requested. The game shall start not later than 1.30pm. In special circumstances, Management Committee approval may be given to amend starting times.
(q) Any qualifier failing to appear on the Ben Webster Memorial Shield Finals Day shall automatically be suspended from the Competition the following Season and forfeit the right to any prize due to him. Any player who does not stay until the completion of the Ben Webster Finals Day competition shall not receive their prize money, which will remain in the League funds.
(r) The Dress Code will be adhered to for all finals:
● Trousers shall be full length andsingle coloured, (no track suits, shell suits, denims, or combat trousers).
● Tailored Shorts, in warm weather, shall be knee length andsinglecoloured.
● Shirts shall be collared and sleeved, long, or short.
● No inappropriate use of weather protection clothing.
● Suitable footwear must be worn. Hard or block-heeled footwear, or open-toed footwear, must not be worn whilst on the green.
• Female bowlers
• Trousers, tailored shorts, tailored cropped trouser or skirts shall be at least knee length and single coloured.
13: TROPHIES
(a) The trophies shall be the property of the Birkenhead & Wirral Veterans Crown Green Bowling League.
(b) The holders shall give an assurance to the League that they will refund the valuation cost if lost or stolen from their custody.
(c) All trophies must be returned to the League Secretary not later than August 31st of each year.
(d) Winning teams and runners-up shall receive prize money as determined by the Management Committee which will be presented at the Annual General Meeting.
14: DUTY OF CARE
The League has a duty of care to all players to ensure matches are played in a friendly, enjoyable, and sporting manner. Physical violence and/or intimidation/harassment in any form of opposition players, beyond what is acceptable as friendly banter, will not be tolerated. Should any complaint of such be lodged with the League Secretary, it will be viewed very seriously and could, at the worst, lead to the suspension of aclub or player(s) involved.
Similarly, any physical violence and/or intimidation/harassment of any League or Club official will be treated in the same manner.
15: DISCIPLINE
The League will adopt the Disciplinary and Appeals Procedures set out by the Wirral & District
Crown Green Bowling Association and the British Crown Green Bowling Association.
16: INTERPRETATION
(a) The Management Committee are the sole interpreters of these rules.
(b) The Management Committee have the power to amend any rules which do not change the meaning of a rule.
(c) Any request deemed frivolous by the Management Committee will be subject to a fine of £10.
Last Amended: AGM December 2024