Devizes & District Skittles League Rules as at 7 August 1996(Updated 5th July 2016 & 2nd July 2019)1. LEAGUE ADDRESS1a. The League Headquarters shall be situated at the The Conservative Club, 30 Long Street, Devizes. 2. COMMITTEE RESPONSIBILITIES2a. The General Management of the League shall be conducted by a Committee comprising of:
2b. All Officers & Committee members are to be elected annually at The League Annual General Meeting (AGM). 2c. The Decision of the Committee will be final & binding in all League business. 2d. Five Committee Members, (inclusive of Office Bearers) shall constitute a Quorum for the holding of Meetings. 2e. A written summary of the business resolved by the Committee to be circulated by the Secretary to all member teams. 2f. Any dispute which may arise concerning League Rules shall be settled by the Committee, whose decision shall be final. 2g. Should a team have any complaints for settlement by the Committee, details of same must be submitted in precise terms in writing to the League Secretary by 19:00hrs on the Saturday prior to the meeting. 3. A.G.Ms3a. The League shall hold an AGM on a date to be stipulated by the Committee. This date to be published at least Six Weeks in advance of the same. 3b. All resolutions for discussion at the AGM are to be received by the League Secretary at least twenty-one days before the date fixed for the AGM, and must be seconded. 3c. All applications for discussion at the AGM are to be received by the League Secretary on or before 31 May. All applicants must be represented on the night of the AGM. The representative should report to the League Secretary upon arriving and then will be invited to join the meeting if the application is successful. 3d. The League Secretary shall publish and circulate to all Member Teams an agenda on the night of the AGM. 4. E.G.Ms4a. An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of this League may be called by the Committee or if a letter signed by a minimum of 6 Team Captains is given to the League Secretary, stating in precise terms the Matter or Matters that are to be discussed and resolved at the EGM. 4b. The Secretary shall convene the requested Meeting in writing to all Member Teams, stating the Matter(s) at issue, on a date which is as near as possible, three weeks from the date of such request being received. 5. A.G.M. – E.G.M. (ATTENDANCE & VOTING RIGHTS)5a. At AGMs and EGMs of this League, all Registered Players in the League are entitled to attend. Each Member Team must appoint as minimum of one player and a maximum of two players to represent their team. These elected representatives, who must be Registered Players for their relative Teams, are allowed to vote. Failure of any Member Team to be represented will, on all occasions, result in a fine of £20.00 being levied, by the League, on that team. 6. LEAGUE CONSTRUCTION – PROMOTION/RELEGATION.6a. The League is to consist of Three Divisions (Premier Division, Divisions 1 &2). 6b. Each Division is to consist of the same number of Teams. Should there be one odd Team, the Premier Division is to accommodate the same. If two odd teams, Division 1 is to accommodate the same number of teams as the Premier Division, and if three odd teams, Division 2 is to accommodate the same number of teams as the Premier Division and Division 1. 6c. All new teams accepted will commence in Division 2. 6d. Promotion and Relegation will apply. The two top teams in Divisions 1 & 2 (as appropriate to Final League Tables) shall be promoted to their respective immediate higher Divisions. The bottom two teams in the Premier Division and Division 1 (as appropriate to the Final League Tables) shall be relegated to their respective immediate lower Divisions. The question of Promotion and Relegation (No. of Teams) to be reviewed at each AGM. 6e. Positions within each Division to be decided by the following criteria in descending order: 6f. If a position within a Division that wins a trophy or that earns Automatic Promotion or Relegation can still not be decided, the League Management Committee will arrange a play-off, on a neutral alley. 6g. Teams may not change Home Alleys during the season unless approved by the League Management Committee. 7. LEAGUE MATCH FORMAT – RULES OF PLAY – SCORING.7a. League matches are to be played on the Wednesday of each week during the season on a home and away basis. 7b. The number of players per Team shall be nine plus reserves. 7c. Scoring in League matches is as follows: 7d. League matches shall be played over four legs. Each leg must be played individually i.e. players MUST NOT play four legs straight off unless permission to do so is obtained from the opposing Team Captain. 7e. All League Matches in the Premier Division ONLY are to be played to Front Pin First Rules, viz.: that the Front Pin MUST be struck first by the Ball and fall before any other knocked down Pins count. In the case of a Spare, ONLY the pins that were legally knocked down are to be set up again. 7f. All players must stand behind the line when bowling their balls. If a Player is seen to be standing on or over the line when bowling his balls, he may be given a score of Zero for that leg. 7g. THIS RULE HAS BEEN ADDED AND SUBSEQUENTLY REMOVED 7h. Sticker-ups must be in a position at least 1m forward (toward the bowling line) of the front pin before each ball is bowled. If a player releases a ball whilst the sticker up is not in this position that ball shall be deemed a no-ball and any pins knocked down with that ball shall be removed from play for that leg and shall not count towards that player’s score. 8. START TIME – NUMBERS PLAYING – SCORE SHEETS.8a. No League Match is to be started unless a minimum of seven players is present from each team. In the event of a team being unable to field nine players, then the team may field a reduced side. In this instance they may add one name, and one name only, to the end of their list of players. This name is to be A.N. Other. The score allocated to this player for each leg is to be determined by the lowest scoring player in that leg throwing again as an additional player and the score for these additional throws being allotted to A. N. Other. Once the first leg has been completed with a reduced number of players, with a score having been allotted to A. N. Other, then the remaining legs must be completed under this system, even if another registered player becomes available to play. 8b. All games must start NO later than 8:45pm, with the required number of Players present. 8c. Any Team failing to arrive with the required number of Players by 8:45pm shall forfeit three points in a League Match, or twenty Pins in a Cup Match. 8d. Any Player or Players shall be ineligible for play if they arrive after the Second Leg has been played. 8e. A Score Sheet must be compiled by each team in respect of each fixture played and signed by both captains. The home team captain shall be responsible for sending in both sheets to the Fixtures Secretary. If no match has been played (for whatever reason other than a Bye), the Home Team Captain must notify the League Secretary, in writing, the reason(s) why no match was played. The score sheets or "written reasons" must be in the possession of the Fixtures Secretary no later than noon on the Saturday following each League fixture; failure to do so will result in a fine of £1.00 for each offence. 9. LEAGUE FEES FOR YEAR & DATE FOR PAYMENT.9a. The appropriate main income, for the following season, at the current rate, and any other monies owing to the League are to be paid by all Teams on or before 31st May each year. Any Team failing to comply will be deemed non-members for the new season. 9b. The amount of any increase in League Fees as passed at the Annual General Meeting, will be payable by all Teams before 31 December of that year. 9e. Any Team applying to join the League must deposit with the Treasurer, funds to cover the Main income, at the current rate, prior to the start of the Annual General Meeting. 9f. Any fines incurred as a result of late return of score sheets, must be notified to the team A.S.A.P after being imposed. The fine must be paid within one calendar month of receipt of notification. 9e. If a Team leaves the League owing monies, NO member of that Team will be eligible to play in the League until he has paid his share of the outstanding monies. 10. REGISTRATION OF PLAYERS & AGE LIMIT.10a. A Team may register any number of Players. 10b. Membership of the League is restricted to men ONLY. Teams may register TWO juniors between the ages of 16 - 18 years, if desired. Team Captains shall be responsible for ensuring that all players are of the required age, and that any juniors in the team abide by Licensing Laws. 10c. No player shall be registered for more than one Team. 10d. Should it be proved that a Player has played for more than one Team in any One Season, he shall be banned from the League for the remainder of it, with the exception of section (f). 10e. Registration of a new Player MUST be in the hands of the Fixtures Secretary 48 hours before he becomes eligible for play. 10f. All transfers for residential reasons shall be subject to League Committee approval. 11. FAILURE TO PLAY A LEAGUE MATCH ON ALLOCATED DATE.11a. In the case of a Team being unable to play a League or Cup Fixture on the allocated date, forty-eight Hours notice of cancellation MUST be given to the opposing Team Captain. Failing to do so for a League Fixture, the offending team may be fined £10 and/or 10 points and reasonable expenses reimbursed to the opposing team, at the discretion of the League Committee. Failing to do so for a Cup Fixture, because of the time constraints, the offending team may be fined £10 and will forfeit the said Cup Game, with reasonable expenses reimbursed to the opposing team, at the discretion of the League Committee. Team Captains of both teams must submit actual blank score sheets to the Fixtures Secretary with the words 'POSTPONED' written across the Sheet (emails, if sent, must be followed up by the actual, physical copies). The Fixtures Secretary must receive these sheets by the normal deadline. 11b. Any League fixture not played on the allocated date must be played within One Calendar Month or by the Wednesday following the Last League Fixture of the Season, whichever is sooner. Any Fixtures not played within these time limits will incur a fine of £5 on the Home Team, at the discretion of the League Committee. The Fixtures Secretary will then arrange a date and venue for the Fixture to be played. Any Team failing to play on a date set by the League Secretary will be fined £10. 11c. Any fine that is NOT paid to the League Treasurer under this Rule within One Calendar Month of the Committee Ruling will result in automatic expulsion from League Membership. 12. RULES REGARDING PINS KNOCKED DOWN.12a. If a player knocks down a Pin and it stands up again, that Pin shall be deemed to be knocked down and shall be removed from the frame. The Sticker-up shall be responsible for giving the number of Pins knocked down. His decision shall be final. 12b. Should a Pin slide outside the frame to a distance of Three inches from the centre of any outside Pin positions, that Pin is deemed to be down and added to the score. 13. TEAM CAPTAINS RESPONSIBILITY RE.NOM OF HIGHEST SCORES.13. At the end of each League Season, Team Captains shall be responsible for submitting to the Fixtures Secretary, the Two Highest Individual Averages in Home Games, Away Games and All Games, who have played the minimum of two thirds of the Season's fixtures in each case. All averages sheets should be in the possession of the Fixtures Secretary by the second Saturday following the last fixture of the season. Team members could miss a prize if this schedule is not adhered to. 14. SKITTLES DIAMOND MEASUREMENT AND PIN SIZES.14a. All Skittles pins used in the League must have the Front Pin clearly marked with a band (at least one-inch wide) painted around the Top and Bottom of the same. These bands are to be white in colour where possible. Should the colour white not contrast with the colour of the body of the pin then they are to be of a suitable contrasting colour. If the Centre Pin is to be larger than the other pins then it must be clearly marked with a band (at least two inches wide) around the middle of the same. The comments regarding the colour of the bands applies equally to the centre pin bands. 14b. The Dimensions of Skittle Diamonds i.e.: the distance between the centres of Pin positions, shall NOT be less than Three Feet and Eleven inches and Not more than Four Feet and One inch. 14c. No Pins or Balls shall be changed during the League Season without the approval of the League Committee. 14d. Any change of Pins or Balls between League Seasons must be notified to the Fixtures Secretary and the Old and New Pins must be made available for inspection by at least three officers of the League. 14e. All New Pins for use in League must either be of similar size as the Pins they are replacing, or conform to the following dimensions:
14f. A KINGPIN may be used for the Centre Pin as long as it is no more than One inch larger in all dimensions than the other pins being used. 14g. All Balls for use in League Games must have a diameter of at least Four inches but not greater than Five inches. 15. LEAGUE TROPHY RULRS.15a. Any competition winners or runners-up (Kemp-Nomination-Novices-TSB-Jubilee-Eric Wheeler-Mixed Pairs.) who fail to attend the AGM, will forfeit their winnings. 15b. League Trophies CANNOT be won outright. 15c. Trophies shall be held by the winner(s) for approximately One Year, and then returned to the Fixtures Secretary by the second Saturday following the last fixture of the season. If any trophy is not returned by this day, a fine of £10 will be levied on the Team/lndividual per trophy. Furthermore, if the trophy is not returned in a suitably clean condition, a fine of £10 will be imposed. 15d. Any dispute that may arise in relation to League Trophies shall be settled by the League Committee. 15e. The Engraving of Winners names on all League Perpetual Trophies shall be the sole responsibility of the Fixtures Secretary. NO team or player is permitted to execute or order any engraving whatsoever to any of the same. 15f. Individual Trophies will not be awarded to winners of the Captain's Cup. 16. LEAGUE WINNERS – RUNNERS – UP IN EACH DIVISION.16a. Trophies shall be presented annually to the Teams that finish first and second in each Division at the end of each Season. 17. AVERAGE TROPHIES17a. The following Trophies shall be presented to the Player gaining the highest average number of Pins in League fixtures ONLY in the respective Divisions:
17b. In order to qualify for these Awards, Players MUST have played in a minimum of 17c. Any necessary play-off shall be arranged by the League committee. 18. HIGHEST SCORES TROPHIES18a. The following trophies shall be presented to the player attaining the highest individual score with Twelve balls in a League Match only on the respective alleys: - The Wakeman Trophy. - Neutral alley
18b. Any necessary play-off shall be arranged by the League committee. 19. T.S.B. GROUP TYPE COMPETITION19a. This competition is to be played for annually as ordinary skittles. 19b. Each Team to consist of Three Players who MUST all be registered members of the same League Team. 19c. The Three top scoring Teams in the final group will receive awards. 19d. The entrance fee per team shall be determined by the committee and reported to all teams prior to the entry date and is payable with the entries. 19e. All Players must be present at the published starting time for the group. Late 19f. All other details are to be resolved by the League committee. 19g. The value of the prizes will be dependent on the number of entries and will be self financing. 20. MIXED PAIRS COMPETITION20a. This competition to be played for annually as ordinary skittles. 20b. This Competition to be played as a knock-out competition with all games to be played over Three Legs with, in the event of a tie resulting, one extra Leg being played until a winner is resolved. 20c. One of the players MUST be a Registered Member of the Men's or Ladies Skittles League. 20d. The entrance fee per pair shall be determined by the committee and reported to all teams prior to the entry date and is payable with the entries. 20e. All Players must be present at the start time given on the published schedule of play. Late arrivals will NOT be allowed to play. 20f. All other details are to be resolved by the League Committee. 20g. No substitutes are allowed once a Pair has played a game in this competition. 20h. The value of the prizes will be dependent on the number of entries and will be self financing. 21. JUBILEE CUP COMPETITION.21a. This Competition is to be played for annually as an Individual Nomination knock-out with all games being played over Three Legs with, in case of a tie resulting, one extra Leg being played until a winner is resolved. 21b. The entrance fee per player shall be determined by the committee and reported to all teams prior to the entry date and is payable with the entries. 21c. The number of entries allowed per League Team is to be decided each year by the League Committee. 21d. ln all other matters, the appropriate rules of the League shall govern this Competition. 21e. All Players must be present at the start time given on the published schedule of play. Late Arrivals will NOT be allowed to play. 21f. The value of the prizes will be dependent on the number of entries and will be self financing. 22. TEAM KNOCK-OUT COMPETITION22a. Each Team is to consist of nine Players. 22b. All games in these Competitions are to be played over five legs with the result being decided on Total Pins scored at the end of the fifth leg. If there is a draw after five legs, one extra leg will be played until there is a winner. 22c. In Competitions where home dates are to be given by Team Captains, the League Committee shall decide the Closing and submittal dates for each round in the game. Home Team Captains shall submit to the Away Team Captains two alternate dates of play by the dates set by the Committee. Unless both teams concerned agree NO Saturdays or Sundays shall be included in the two alternative dates submitted to the Away Team from the Home Team Captain. 22d. When a Team reaches the Semi-Final or Final of any Team Knock-out Competition, the Captain shall at once inform the Fixtures Secretary, as to the most convenient days of the week, (other than Wednesdays) on which he could raise a Team to play the game. Failing to do so, the date and venue decided by 22e. The Semi-Finals and Finals are to be played on a neutral alley and date arranged by the League Committee. 23. NOMINATION KNOCK-OUT COMPETITION.23a. Each team must apply to enter this competition. 23b. An umpire (agreeable to both teams) will officiate at each match. 23c. The Game shall be that before each ball is bowled the player pin shall nominate the he intends to strike. Should a ball NOT hit the nominated pin but clears other pins on the frame, those pins to remain down for the remainder of that person's leg and Not count and Not be set up again in the case of a spare 23d. The rear wall behind the frame is to be clearly marked in white letters, a minimum of nine inches high, with the letters L and R on the Left and Right hand sides respectively, as seen from the point where the bowler stands when bowling. 23e. In all other matters, the appropriate Rules of the League apply. 24. KEMP SHIELD KNOCK-OUT COMPETITION24a. Each team must apply to enter this Competition. 24b. This competition is to be played as ordinary skittles. 24c. In all other matters, the appropriate Rules of the League apply. 25. NOVICES CUP KNOCK-OUT COMPETITION.25a. This competition to be played for Annually on a knock-out basis. 25b. All games must be played over five Legs of ordinary skittles with the result decided on total pins at the end of the game. In the case of a tie, an extra leg will be played until a result is achieved. 25c. Entry to be restricted to teams that have been beaten in the preliminary and first rounds of both the Nomination-cup and Kemp shield competitions. Conceding a game in either of the above competitions forfeits entry into this competition. In all other matters, the general rules of the League apply. 26. ERIC WHEELER 6-A-SIDE COMPETITION.26a. This competition to be played for annually on a knock-out basis. 26b. Teams must consist of three Men and three Women, of which at least three Team Members must be "Registered" Players with either the "Devizes & District skittles League" or the "Devizes and District Ladies Skittles League”. Registered players need not come from the same league team 26c. All games to be played over four legs or Ordinary Skittles with on the result decided total pins at the end of the game-. In the case of a tie, extra leg(s) will be played to achieve a result. 26d. The entrance fee per team shall be determined by the committee and reported to all teams prior to the entry date and is payable with the entries. 26e. The team drawn "Home" may choose which alley the game is to be played on. The "Home" Team captain must give the opposing team 2 alternative dates on which to play the game. 26f. In all other matters, the general rules of the League apply. 27. KNOCK-OUT COMPETITION PAYMENT OF STICKER-UP.27a. The payment to sticker-ups at the final of all team knock-out competitions will be arranged by the committee from league funds. At all other competition stages the competing teams shall be responsible for paying for sticker-ups. 27b. At all stages of any team knock-out competitions a total fee of £20 shall be paid to the sticker-up. This fee shall be jointly paid by the opposing teams unless an arrangement for payment from league funds has been made. |
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