North Shropshire Crown Green Bowls Association League Rules
1. Organisation and Membership of the Leagues
1.1.
The Leagues shall be known as the Whitchurch & District Bowling League & Market Drayton & District Bowling League, and any other league wishing to join. (This may be amended to meet the terms & conditions of any sponsorship.) The composition of each League shall be determined by the Management Committee, who shall also have power to deal with any exceptional circumstances.
1.2.
All clubs competing in the leagues must be affiliated to the Shropshire Crown Green Bowls Association (hereinafter called S.C.G.B.A.)
1.3.
Applications for a Club to join either League must be sent in writing to the Secretary not later than the 31st December of the preceding year. All clubs on making an application for membership shall pay a deposit of £10.00 per team, such deposit to be forfeited if fixtures are not completed.
1.4.
A club which has only one green will be limited to a maximum of 4 teams entered in either League. In the case of a club having two or more greens each team shall nominate a green on which they intend playing all home league matches.
Any club with only one green cannot play in another league unless they can guarantee to fulfil either the Whitchurch or Market Drayton Leagues fixtures or both, unless they can do this on another night as approved by the Management committee.
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.
1.5.
Applications for a team(s) to join either League for the forthcoming season must be sent in writing to the Secretary by 14th February at the latest.
Any new team(s) including a second team, applying to enter either League will normally start in the bottom division or as determined by the Management Committee.
1.6.
Applications to withdraw a Club from either League must be sent in writing to the Secretary not later than the 14th February of the current year.&
1.7.
If a Club wishes to withdraw a team (or teams) from either League this should be their lowest team(s).If this is proving difficult for the club please contact the Management Committee who will consider whether there are alternative options. Applications to withdraw a team from either League before the season  starts must be sent in writing to the League Secretary not later than 14th February of the current year. Clubs withdrawing a team after that date but before the fixture list has been published will be responsible for paying for any outstanding monies due to the Leagues. Clubs withdrawing a team or teams from either League during the season will be fined £50 and pay all dues owing to the League for that full season.i.e. Annual subscription, Match fees, Affiliation fees, Competition fees and any Fines payable. Players from that team may apply for a transfer to another club but permission MUST be sought in writing or email by the player to the Management Committee which may be granted at their discretion.
Should the Club subsequently wish the team to re-join the League then it will be at the discretion of the Management committee in which division they are entered. NB. 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 to the Management Committee for consideration.
2. Operation of the Leagues
2.1.
A player is allowed to play for ONE CLUB per season in the Whitchurch & District Bowling League and/or the Market Drayton & District Bowling League. A player whose subscription for the current season to their present club is unpaid shall not be eligible to play for another club in subsequent seasons until they have discharged that liability. A player moving to a new area in the Leagues may apply to the Management Committee for a transfer, providing all fees due to date to any league club have been paid (but no more than three (3) games must have been played)
2.2.
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 League Secretary or the players registration entered on the Club's list of players.
2.3.
Any team playing an ineligible player in a League game shall lose 50 chalks from the League table, and the opponent awarded the game 21-0
Ineligible player is defined as:
I. A player playing for more than one club during the season (unless they have transferred clubs)
II. A player not registered
III. A player playing for two different teams in a playing week
IV. A player playing under a false name
V. A player who has been caught practicing on the home green or their opponents green before a match.
VI. A player is only allowed to play for one team in each league during the bowling week. (a week in the Whitchurch League means Tuesday-Monday inclusive, and a team in the Market Drayton League means Friday-Thursday inclusive).
2.4.
All clubs shall pay an annual subscription per team and shall pay a match fee per player per game as proposed by the Management Committee and voted upon by the Executive Committee annually at the AGM. These fees shall be paid by all clubs to the Treasurer by 31st October each year. Clubs with any outstanding dues not paid by 31st October will be fined £20.00 per month or part thereof until paid.
2.5.
Clubs are to ensure that their teams are lettered in descending order according to their place in the League.
2.6.
Promotion/Relegation will normally operate in the Divisions on a two up two down basis.
Promotion shall be decided as follows:
i. the team scoring the most points
ii. in the event of a draw the teams with the most games won
iii. 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:-
iv. the team scoring the least number of points.
v. in the event of a draw, the team with least number of games won.
vi. in the event of a draw, the team having the lowest aggregate in the two games played between them.
The Management Committee have the discretion to have the final say on this should any teams withdraw from the leagues.
2.7.
Prizes will generally be awarded to the first, second and third placed teams of each Division in each respective league. The value of these prizes and number of places shall be decided by the Management Committee annually. These must be collected in person at the League presentation evening or by a member of the same club. Any monies not collected will go to a charity of the President’s choice. Best Individual Performance Prize' for both male and female will be awarded in each division of the Leagues. 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). Any trophies taken from the League presentation must be returned by the March Executive meeting. Failure to do so will incur a £10 fine.
2.8.
All games and activities shall be played in accordance with the laws of the game as approved by the British Crown Green Bowling Association (hereinafter known as BCGBA.) with the addition of these local league rules. All clubs must have a copy of the current BCGBA handbook available.
2.9.
Each team shall play home and away matches against all other teams in the same division. The number of players per team will be decided for each league and Division at the AGM. All games shall be 21 up and the scoring system adopted for each league and division will also be decided at the AGM.
2.10.
In the event of a club failing to field a full team the match score shall stand 21-0 in favour of the opposing team for each player absent. A player given a walk over due to a club not fielding a full team must have been present at the time the game would have been played. They will be considered to have played in that League match and will be awarded 21-15 towards the division aggregate individual most wins award.
If a team cannot field a full team in the lower divisions (for 2026 divisions 3 and below) but to be determined each season at the AGM, only then that team will be able to play up to a maximum of 2 players twice. If the club have 2 teams in the same lower division, then only the lowest named team can play twice. The captain must nominate 4 players in the front four, all of whom are willing to bowl twice. The cards must be face down and the opposing captain then has the option of which player(s) will play twice. The opposing captain will then draw out 1 or two of these cards. 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 Management Committee 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. The opponent of a player that is playing twice may have 15 minutes practice before their game if they haven’t already played that night.
2.11.
Failure by a whole team to fulfil a League Fixture will result in the match being forfeited and incur a penalty of £100 to be given to the opposing club. The team that was available and ready to play will be awarded a complete walkover score of 252 (210 in a division that consists of 10 players).
3. Match Procedures
3.1.
All matches must be played on the published fixture date (see Rules 3.2 and 3.4 for the only allowable exceptions to this rule). Matches shall commence at 7.00pm and shall be completed in one evening (weather permitting). Not less than four (4) games shall be in progress by 7.15pm and no more than 15 minutes shall elapse between completion of one game and the commencement of the next.
If a player is not available to play within the 15 minutes allowed then the opponent will be awarded the game 21-0 unless there are exceptional circumstances, which are agreed by both captains.
In both leagues (Divisions 1-3), the home team captain must 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/four (2/4). 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 the time of the draw.
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.
The captain of each team shall act as arbiters (referee) and appoint measurers and the vice-captain shall act while the captains are playing.
3.2.
A league match may be postponed due to inclement weather no earlier than 17.30pm when a green is deemed unplayable by the host club. In the event of a postponement due to inclement weather, the opposing team captain and the League Secretary must be informed immediately. The league match must be re-arranged and played within fourteen days of the original fixture, unless an exception is agreed with the Management Committee. If the match cannot be rescheduled within the period, the League Secretary must be informed, and the committee will decide a new deadline/extension.
3.3.
If a match is adjourned part-played due to inclement weather, the League Secretary must be notified within 24 hours. The completed games shall stand, and the uncompleted games must be played within fourteen days of the original fixture with the same players. The date of the re-arranged match is to be notified to the League Secretary as soon as possible. NB No player will be allowed to play in a re-arranged match if they have already played for another Team in the League during the week in which the original fixture should have been played. Failure to follow the procedure will result in the match being awarded to the opposition.
3.4.
If a Team wishes to postpone a match due to bereavement in the Team or Club, they must first seek agreement from the opposing Team captain as far in advance of the fixture as possible. If the postponement is agreed, the re-arranged match must normally be played within twenty-eight days of the original fixture but may be arranged on another date with the permission of the Management Committee. The Team Captain cancelling the fixture is responsible for notifying the League Secretary of the cancellation immediately and the re-arranged date as soon as practical. NB No player will be allowed to play in a re-arranged match if they have already played for another Team in the League during the week in which the original fixture should have been played.
3.5.
Should teams fail to make arrangements to reschedule within fourteen or twenty-eight days matches postponed under Rules 3.2, 3.3 or 3.4 they must submit to the Management Committee’s ruling on the matter who will deduct 50 chalks from the offending team(s) league table(s) and will dictate the date on which the fixture is to be played.
3.6.
Each game shall be marked by a representative of each club. Markers should check each other’s card every third end to signify agreement. In the event of any disagreement in the score, which cannot be settled amicably, the score and the game shall revert to the end when the cards were last checked.
3.7.
The Home Team Captain shall ensure the match results are entered onto the League website immediately no later than 24 hours after each match.
3.8.
Members’ correct names must be entered on the website results page when entering scores following a match, which should be completed within 24 hours of the match being played. Both Team Captains will be responsible for ensuring that the results entered on the website are correct and verified accordingly.
If a players’ name is incorrectly entered on the Results page or a BCGBA registration number is missing a message will be shown stating “unregistered player” which must be investigated and corrected.
Any player without a BCGBA registration number may play five league games only. If the BCGBA registration number has not been received within five weeks, proof of submission of an application to the SCGBA registrar must be shown to the League Secretary. If no such proof is available, all five games lready played will be 21-0 to the opposing teams and the individual classed as an ineligible player.
3.9.
Bowlers cannot play in both the Premier League and the Market Drayton league in the same bowling week, including any rearranged matches and are only allowed to play for a team in Divisions 1 & 2. Any team fielding an ineligible player under this rule will be deducted 21 points from the match score.
3.10.
No practice by either team shall be allowed within one hour of the commencement of the match, 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. Contravention of this rule will be classed as playing an ineligible player and will lead to the opposing team being awarded 21-0 for each player found practising. NB. This does not apply to players in fixtures for other leagues which may have been on the same green that day ie. Over 60’s leagues.
3.11.
Floodlights must be switched on at the official lighting up time or by request.
3.12.
All protests and complaints by clubs or individuals regarding a match must be endorsed by the League Secretary of the club concerned and must be in the hands of the Secretary (in writing) within three clear days (Sundays excluded) of the match and must be accompanied by a protest fee of £25.00 which may be refunded at the discretion of the Management Committee. Parties to a protest or complaint shall be afforded the opportunity to attend a special meeting with the Management Committee.
3.13.
All Code of Conduct complaints will be subject to the policies and procedures to be followed as stipulated by the BCGBA. A copy of this will be available on the website.
4. Other General Administration Rules
4.1.
Any club failing to be represented at a NSCGBA Executive meeting or the Annual General Meeting shall be fined £10. If all three Exec meetings and the AGM are missed the club will be fined £50
4.2.
No rule of the leagues shall be altered, rescinded, or added to without the consent of the majority at the AGM. Request for new rules or alterations to rules must be sent in writing to reach the League Secretary no later than November 30th of the preceding year.
4.3.
GDPR forms and Club Contact details forms must be completed and returned to the League Secretary by 31st March of the current year.
4.4.
Smoking, including the use of electronic cigarettes, is not allowed whilst playing your game. Mobile phones and Smart watches will also need to be turned off during the game unless they are used for medical monitoring. The offending player(s) shall receive no further score and the opponent(s) shall receive the maximum score.
4.5.
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. The penalty for infringing this rule will be a fine of £25 imposed on the offending Club, which will be passed to the host Club.
4.6.
The Leagues have signed up to the Shropshire CGBA Code of Conduct. Any player in either League who is found by the Management Committee to have infringed the Code of Conduct in any way, including through the use of social media, may be required to attend a disciplinary hearing in accordance with the policies and procedures set out by the BCGBA which may result in the following sanctions and/or others, being considered and applied:
4.7.
The Presentation arrangements to be reviewed annually by the Management Committee (i.e date, format, venue, cost, tickets & guests). All Prize-winners are expected to attend to collect their prizes. If unable to do so their prizes may be collected only by a representative from the same Club. Any prize monies not collected at the event will become forfeit and donated to a charity of the President’s choice. Raffle prizes for the event will be purchased by the League Secretary and will be made up of 1st Prize, 2nd Prize, 3rd Prize and wine and gifts. A fee of £10.00 per Club will be collected from each Club via their yearly invoice.
4.8.
All fines will be reviewed annually by the Management Committee and the value of the fines for the season will be communicated to clubs at the March Executive meeting.