Barclays Wealth Lancashire Knockout Competition

 Fixtures & Results - Full Draw see below

Match consists of 45 overs per innings and 9 overs per bowler

Rules for Cup Knockout Competition

April 2007

1.     Entry:

Cricket Clubs, from the following leagues, currently or historically affiliated to the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) through the Lancashire Cricket Board (LCB) are allowed to enter, provided that the league operates the LCB registration and transfer system, or other registration and transfer system approved by the LCB recreational cricket sub-committee:

·         Bolton & District Cricket Association

·         Bolton Cricket League

·         Central Lancashire League

·         Isle of Man Cricket Association

·         Lancashire Cricket League

·         Lancashire County League

·         Liverpool & District Cricket Competition Premier League

·         Manchester & District Cricket Association

·         Merseyside & Southport Cricket Alliance

·         Northern Cricket League

·         Palace Shield Competition

·         Ribblesdale Cricket League

·         Saddleworth & District League

Any club affiliated to the ECB through the LCB who play in a league not listed above, is allowed to enter the Knockout provided that: 

 

a.  The league in which they are playing operates the LCB registration and transfer system, or other registration and transfer system approved by the recreational cricket committee; and

b.  They have the written permission of the Executive Committee of their own league to enter the Competition; and

c.  They finish in the first four of their League, or are a finalist in their League's major cup competition.

The number of competing Clubs shall be limited to five from each League (two from the Isle of Man).  The two Finalists from the previous year's LCB Knockout Competitions shall have automatic entry into the next year's Cup Competition and these two places will not count against the five places allocated to their League.

A club shall only be allowed to enter a Knockout Competition in one county in any one season.

2.  The draw shall be an open draw and not on a regional basis.


 

3.  The closing date for the receipt of Entry Forms shall be 31^st October in each year and the draw shall be made in January of the following year.  Details of the draw shall be forwarded to all competing Clubs and Leagues as soon as practical, in accordance with the requirements of the sponsor.
 

4.  a) The LCB Recreational Cricket Sub-Committee shall determine the date by which matches in each Round shall be completed. The First Round shall be played on the Third Sunday in May each year.
NB:  It is possible to re-arrange the fixtures after this fixed date when the weather has prevented a result being obtained on the day.  It will be re-arranged in the following priority order:


 

i)   On 2 nights in the following week (where travelling distances will allow this).

ii)  On the following Sunday where both clubs are free.

iii)  In the event of rain on the second match date, the Competition rules about bowling at the stumps or tossing up will apply.  This clause may be applied on the first date provided both Captains are in agreement.

A minimum of 3 weeks shall be allowed for the playing of each subsequent round, other than between the Semi-Final and Final.

b.  Under normal circumstances, there will be no extension to play-by dates.

     NB: The Competition organiser will be able to give a week’s extension to the Play-by dates under exceptional circumstances i.e. Bad weather. 

c.  The Club drawn at home must offer at least two dates to the Visiting Club.  If the Home Club is unable to offer a Sunday for the fixture, the Visiting Club shall have the right to have the venue reversed.  Where a team agrees to play away, having been originally drawn at home, it then gives up all advantages applicable to the team drawn at home.  Similarly, the club taking over the home draw accepts all the responsibilities and duties of the home club.

d.  Clubs that cannot provide a facility other than a parks pitch or playing field must play on their opponents' ground, except when they are drawn against a club with similar facilities.  Where the venue is reversed, the cost of ground hire and provision of refreshments between the innings will be split between the two clubs. (The cost of ground hire is only to be split if the club has to hire a ground in order to reverse the fixture.)

e.  In all cases games shall be of 45 overs per innings.  Reduced over games shall not be arranged unless rain intervenes on the agreed date.

f.   Should there be no result achieved on the date arranged for the Final, the match shall be re-arranged for the following Sunday; the venue to be decided by the toss of a coin.


 

5.     Charges:

The admission charge shall be according to the custom of the ground where the match is played.

6.     Match Expenses:

The Away Club shall be responsible for their own travelling expenses.  The Home Club shall be responsible for providing up to 16 teas free to the Visiting Club.  In the event of a gate being taken and there being a balance, after all the expenses have been met, the balance shall be divided between the two Clubs.


 

7.     Umpires:

Each League represented shall nominate a minimum of four Umpires.  The Umpires appointed to officiate in each match shall each receive a fee of £23.00 (to include travelling expenses).  The cost of the fees will be shared by the two clubs and must be paid to the Umpires no later that the tea interval.

8.     Players:

Only regular bona fide playing members of a cricket club as registered with their club and league will be eligible to play in the competition.  A bona fide playing member is a player who has been formally accepted as a member by the committee of that club and who has fulfilled the subscription requirements for the current season.  This includes:

a.  the professional registered at the beginning of the season, providing that for an overseas professional a copy of his work permit, as issued by the Department of Education and Employment is lodged with the LCB prior to the start of the season; or

b.       where a club has no professional, an overseas amateur, providing:

i)   that he has not played first class cricket (as determined by the ICC) during the last 2 years, and

ii)  that a copy of his Official Visitors Permit has been lodged with the LCB prior to the start of the season.

The Club should complete the Overseas Player Notification form, have it signed by the Club Welfare Officer and lodge it with the Child Protection Office at ECB, prior to the start of the season.

No individual playing for any other club in any other Saturday/Sunday League shall be considered eligible at any time. 

Any amateur player who has not been continuously resident in the United Kingdom for a period of 12 months, prior to the start of a season shall not be eligible to play, unless he is the overseas amateur.  This rule shall not apply to expatriates of the UK.

A substitute professional or a player contracted as a player to another club shall not be allowed.

Young professional cricketers on the playing staff of a County Club, who are playing regularly for a club other than the one, which developed their youth cricket*, shall not be eligible to play in the LCB Knockout. 

Young professional cricketers on the playing staff of a County Club, who are playing regularly for the club which developed their youth cricket*, shall be eligible to play in the LCB Knockout, until they have played 10 First Class games in the County Championship, subject to the prior approval of the Executive. 

* - “Developed their youth cricket” – the player must have played for the club concerned for at least two full seasons between the age-groups of U11 to U19.

Any player currently banned by an affiliated club or league shall not be eligible to play in the LCB Knockout Competition for the duration of that period of ban

A player may only play for one club in the Competition in any one year, or in only one outdoor LCB Knockout Competition.

9.     Match Conditions:

All matches are to be played under the Laws of Cricket (2000 code) except as otherwise provided for in these rules, and in accordance with the Code of Conduct (see attached)

ECB Helmets and Fast Bowling Guidance:

In this Competition:

i)   All players under the age of 18 must wear helmets as per the ECB guidance.  Written parental consent will not be accepted as a reason not to adhere to this regulation which applies to all LCB competitions.

ii)  All players under the age of 19 must adhere to the guidance laid down in the ECB Fast Bowling Directives.

a)  Duration.

  i)      Whenever possible, with the exception of the Final, matches will commence at 2.00 p.m. and shall consist of one innings per side.

 ii)       Each innings shall be limited to 45 six ball overs.

iii)                The close of play shall be agreed by the captains and umpires prior to the toss for choice of innings.

 

b.      Interval.

     The tea interval shall be 30 minutes, between the innings.

 

c.  If prior agreement is reached to start later than 2.00 p.m., the number of overs per innings must not be reduced to a figure below 45 overs.

 

d.  Bad Weather.  If bad weather delays the start of the match, or play is suspended during the first innings, the number of overs will be re-arranged so that each side bats for the same number of overs.  This shall be calculated by deducting 2 overs for every full period of 7 minutes, to be deducted equally from each side.

 

e.  If play is suspended during the second innings, 1 over shall be deducted for every full period of 3½ minutes.

 

f.   Each team must bowl 10 overs to ensure a result unless the second innnings is reduced in length through a slow over rate (rule 9g) or the side batting second scores enough runs to win the match in 10 overs or less.

 

g.   If a match starts as a 45 over match, no bowler may bowl more than 9 overs; this allowance shall not be reduced if the number of overs is subsequently reduced.  If the start of a match is delayed and both teams are restricted to less than 45 overs, no bowler may bowl more than one fifth of the total overs allowed except when the number is not divisible by five.  Up to four bowlers may then bowl one extra over.  E.g. 32 overs - 2 bowlers may bowl 7 overs; maximum for others 6 overs.
If the team fielding first fails to bowl the required number of overs by the scheduled time for the cessation of the first innings (2 hours, 40 minutes for 45 overs), play shall continue until the required number of overs has been bowled.

Unless otherwise determined by the umpires, the team batting second shall only have available to it the number of overs that it bowled by the scheduled time for the cessation of the first innings.  The over in progress at the scheduled cessation time shall count as a completed over.

The Umpires shall have the discretion to increase the number of overs to be bowled by the team bowling second if both of them agree that events beyond the control of the team bowling first (including time wasting by the team batting first) prevented that team from bowling the required number of overs by the scheduled time for the cessation of the first innings.

h.  A new Grade 'A' ball shall be used at the start of each innings.  Each Club to bowl its own ball.

 

i.   Wide Ball – Judging a Wide:

     Umpires are instructed to apply a very strict and consistent interpretation in regard to this Law in order to prevent negative bowling wide of the wicket.

     The following criteria should be adopted as a guide to Umpires:

If the ball passes either side of the wicket sufficiently wide to make it virtually impossible for the striker to play a ‘normal cricket stroke’ both from where he is standing and from where he would normally be standing at the crease, the Umpire should call and signal ‘Wide’.

j.   Restriction on Placement of Fieldsmen:

At the instant of delivery a minimum of four fieldsmen (plus the bowler and wicketkeeper) must be within an area bounded by two semicircles centered on each middle stump (each with a radius of 30 yards) and joined by a parallel line on each side of the wicket.  In the event of an infringement, the square leg umpire shall call and signal ‘No Ball’.  The fielding circle should be marked by painted white ‘dots’ at five yard intervals, each ‘dot’ to be covered by a plastic or rubber (not metal) disc measuring seven inches in diameter.

k.  Covering of Pitches.  Captains and Umpires are reminded that they must agree on the covering of the pitch before the toss is made.  On grounds where facilities exist every effort must be made to protect the pitch before and during the course of the match.

 

l.   Result.  The side with the highest aggregate will be the winners.

 

m.  If the scores are equal at the end of the match, the side losing the least number of wickets shall be declared the winners.

If the number of wickets lost by both sides is equal, the result shall be decided on the average scoring rate overall.  Should this not bring about a decision, the scoring rate on the first 30 overs (20 overs; 10 overs; 9 overs and then reducing by one over) should be considered until a result has been realised.

 

n.  Should suspension of play prevent the team batting second from receiving its full quota of overs, the overall run rate of the side batting first must be exceeded by the side batting second provided that :

 

a)                 10 or more overs have been bowled, and

b)                 the side batting second has not lost wickets as follows :     

More than 2 wickets                           10 overs received

More than 3 wickets                           11-15 overs received

More than 4 wickets                           16-20 overs received

More than 5 wickets                           21-25 overs received

More than 6 wickets                           26-30 overs received

More than 7 wickets                           31-35 overs received

More than 8 wickets                           36-45 overs received

N.B.    If the side batting second loses more wickets (than set out in the table above) before it reaches the total number of runs required, then the games ends on the fall of the next wicket, with the side batting first winning the match, irrespective of the scoring rates.

e.g.

(i)  10 overs to be received.  The game ends at the fall of the 3^rd wicket, if the total number of runs required has not been reached.

(ii) 33 overs to be received.  The game ends at the fall of the 8^th wicket, if the total number of runs required has not been reached.


 

o.  Should play not be possible or no result is achieved under the above, the match will be decided by the teams bowling at the stumps to determine the winners, unless it is possible to re-arrange the match on a mutually agreed date which must be on or before the last date laid down for the playing of that Round.

The bowl out shall be organised as follows :

 

i)   The umpires shall be in charge, and their decision shall be final.  One shall stand at the bowlers end to check for no balls, one at the strikers end to check the bounce.

ii)  Each member of each side shall bowl alternately 1 ball overarm at the stumps.  No second attempts shall be allowed.

iii)  Full tosses shall not be allowed.

iv) The team scoring the most hits on the wickets shall be the winner.

v)  The result shall be notified to the Secretary in the usual way.


 

Should it not prove possible to bowl at the stumps, the match shall be decided on the toss of a coin on the date of the bowl out or the last date laid down for the playing of that Round.

10.  In the event of any disagreement, the decision of the LCB Recreational CricketSub-Committee, or its nominated representatives, shall be final.

11.  The LCB Recreational Cricket Sub-Committee shall have the power to amend these Rules from time to time.  Any amendment must be considered for ratification, at the next Annual General Meeting of the LCB.