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Rules & Bye-Laws |
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1. The Association shall be known as ‘The Greater Manchester County Crown Green Bowling Association’. Membership is open to all leagues, associations and clubs who have to be directly affiliated to the County Association. 2a) The business of the Association shall be transacted by a Management Committee comprising of the President, Deputy President, Secretary, Competition Secretary, Treasurer Registrar and Development Officer and an Executive Committee, comprised of a Delegate from each affiliated League. Five members to form a quorum. All Past Presidents shall be considered ‘Members of the Executive’, provided that they take an active part in the Association. Should any Management or Committee member have any connection with any club with a dispute or protest, the said member shall not be eligible to sit on the Council while such dispute or protest is being considered. b) The AGM shall take place during the third week in November. c) At the AGM the President will be elected into office for two years, automatically succeeded by the Deputy President, who shall be nominated every second year on a rota system, involving each Association/League in Membership. d) Secretary, Competition Secretary, Treasurer, Registrar, Development Officer and Auditors shall be elected annually. All nominations to be in the hands of the Secretary by October 1st. Officials will be re-elected if unopposed. e) All leagues must have a representative to attend the AGM. A fine will be imposed if not in attendance. This fine is to be £5 and monies collected to be added to the County’s Charity Competition Fund. f) County meetings are to be held in January, March, June, September and October. The venue, dates and times of these meetings will be set by the Management Committee following the AGM. All leagues will be notified in writing by December 15th, with full details included in the Diary of Events in the County Handbook. Any Official unable to attend a meeting is to submit a written report to the secretary in advance of the meeting where necessary. g) The Management Committee shall have the power to elect Life Members of the Association, whose service in the interests of the Game shall entitle them to this distinction. Such Life Members shall be permitted to attend General Meetings and have the power to vote. 3. No Rule or Byelaw shall be altered, rescinded or added to without the consent of a straight majority of an AGM. One representative from each Club or League/Association affiliated will be allowed a vote. Notice of any proposed alteration or amendment to existing Rules is to be sent to the Secretary by October 1st. Extraordinary General Meetings may be convened at the discretion of the Executive or on the written request of at least five affiliated Leagues. 4a) All clubs playing competitive crown green bowls under the rules of the British Crown Green Bowling Association shall be directly affiliated to their respective County Association. Any club which refuses to directly affiliate to its County Association shall be suspended, along with its registered members, from playing any form of competitive Crown Green Bowls, until the affiliation fee is paid. b) The Association will not accept Clubs, Leagues or Associations into their membership unless they are covered by Public Liability insurance that complies with BCGBA Bye-Law 5(b) (vi). c) Existing Clubs, Leagues and Associations have until May 1st each year to either i) renew their PLI through the BCGBA/Endsleigh scheme, or ii) inform the County Secretary, through their return of the NR1 form, or otherwise, of who holds their PLI. Failure to do so will result in immediate suspension until the requirements are met. d) Registered players only will be eligible for league and competitive bowling. 5a) All Clubs are to affiliate through one of their respective Leagues or Associations in membership of the County Association, and shall pay an Annual Fee, which shall be decided at the AGM. The fee for veteran Clubs and Leagues shall not exceed 50% of the annual fee b) Each affiliated Club / League will be supplied a copy of the GMCCGBA Handbook and a copy of the BCGBA Handbook free of charge. c) The bowling greens of affiliated Clubs shall, if required, be placed at the disposal of the County Association, a reasonable number of times during the season. 6. Any proposed amendment to BCGBA Byelaws or Laws of the Game shall be sent in writing to the County Secretary by October 1st, for consideration by the Executive Committee. 7. Clubs, Leagues and Associations must settle the Accounts by April 30th to the County Treasurer. Any Club, League or Association failing to comply shall be fined £5 if not paid within 14 days, and the Club/League/Association and its Members will be suspended from competitive Crown Green Bowling under the auspices of the GMCCGBA. 8. No player owing fees or money to an affiliated Club will be allowed to play for any other affiliated Club or compete in any County competition. Responsibility for proving settlement of the debt shall rest with the individual who will then forward all the relevant documents to the County Secretary. 9. The County Secretary shall keep a record of all business transacted at all meetings of the County Association. 10. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the funds of the County Association. Wherever possible, Accounts should be paid by cheque, which will bear the signatures of two from three of the nominated signatories. The Treasurer will keep all documents etc, in relation to finance; prepare statements of Accounts, plus a balance sheet for checking of the same (Half Yearly and Final). On retirement from office, the Accounts, Books, Cheque Books, Bank Statements and Monies will be handed to the President, Chairman or a successor. The Accounts of the Association shall be audited annually and a printed copy of the balance sheet sent to the County Secretary before the AGM. 11. Each League/Association Secretary in membership shall forward to the County Secretary the names, addresses and telephone numbers of the Bowling Secretaries within their League/Association. This information is to be in the hands of the County Secretary by February 14th each year. A penalty will be imposed if not forthcoming (£5). All Leagues affiliated to the GMCCGBA shall send to the County Secretary their official fixture list or handbook by the end of April of said season. 12. The appointed County Bowls Coach and Referees Co-ordinators shall have their expenses reimbursed by the County Treasurer. 13. The code of rules laid down by the County Association shall be binding on all affiliated Clubs and League Members. All disputed points shall be referred to the Management Committee, whose decision shall be final (There is a right to appeal to the BCGBA Management Committee). It is the duty of every member of every club affiliated to the Association, to acquaint themselves with the rules and byelaws of the Association. The Executive Committee of the Association will at no time accept a plea of ignorance to such rules and byelaws. 14. Should the Management Committee, by a majority, decide, on grounds of expediency or otherwise, to dissolve the association, it shall call a meeting of all members giving 21 days notice. At the meeting, if a two thirds majority of those present and eligible to vote decide to dissolve the Association, the Management Committee shall have the power to dispose of the assets of the Association after all liabilities and debts have been cleared. The beneficiaries of all such assets shall be such charities as decided by a majority of the members. 15. The Executive Committee shall have the power to deal with any matters not provided for in these rules.
COMPETITION RULES
1. General 1.1 All games are to be played in accordance with the British Crown Green Bowling Association rules and byelaws. 1.2 Entry into all county competitions will be limited to teams and players from affiliated Clubs, Leagues or Associations only. The Executive Committee has the power to refuse entries into any of the Association’s Competitions. 1.3a) On the final day of ALL County Contests (Senior and Junior) and Team Events, a Class ‘A’ referee will be appointed by the GMCCGBA Referees Society. b) The fee shall be the same as for a County Match as per BCGBA Rules. To eliminate travel costs, officials should be appointed from the area where the finals are to be held. c) Where no qualified referees are available, the County Executive shall nominate an official for the day.
2. Team Competitions (Premier Cup & Dale Cup) 2.1 Any affiliated club can enter teams in the Premier Cup. In addition all ‘senior’ leagues will enter, and pay the entrance fee for, any club of their choice affiliated to that league. To play in the final, a player must have played three matches in total for the club in a GMCCGBA competition and/or an affiliated League competition, and/or represented the county in the Senior County Championship, during the year of the competition. The winner and runner-up of the Premier Cup will be invited to represent the county in the All Britain Team Championships for which the county will pay the entrance fee.Note that teams may enter only one County (e.g. Cheshire or Greater Manchester) team competition. Entry to the Dale Cup is restricted to clubs/teams that play in divisions other than the top division in any league. To participate in the Dale Cup a player must NOT have represented the club in the top division of any league during the year of the competition. Clubs may enter as many teams as they desire. All teams to consist of ten players, with all games being 21 up. In the final, and semi-final if both held on same day, all players must conform to the GMCCGBA dress code (This is the BCGBA dress code with the exception of trousers which can be of any colour).Note - the dress code is listed in full in the BCGBA handbook bye-law 25. 2.3 Team entries and player registrations for each Team Competition must reach the Secretary by the appointed date. No player may bowl for more than one club in any County Competition during the season. Additional players may be registered with the Competition Secretary no later than 24 hours before the first match in which the player is required to play. 2.4 With the exception of the final all Premier and Dale Cup ties will be played on a ‘5 home – 5 away’ basis. Away team only to have 15 minutes practice immediately prior to the commencement of the match, the away team captain to have practice earlier, to allow for administration tasks, but only for 15 minutes. The away team to have lead of the jack in all 5 individual matches. The two halves of the tie do not need to be played on the same day. 2.6 In the event of any team failing to arrive at the appointed venue, the team that turns up automatically goes through to the next round, provided the match secretary receives confirmation from the team in attendance. Any club declining to appear at the approved venue shall be excluded from the competition, and they shall also be dealt with as the GMCCGBA sees fit. A club may postpone a Premier or Dale Cup match by giving at least 72 hours notice to the County Competition Secretary, to their opponents and to the club at which the match is scheduled to be played. Clubs can only resort to this rule on one occasion during the season, unless very exceptional circumstances apply, and then only with permission of the County Competition Secretary. 2.7 It is the responsibility of the winning team to return the result sheet by first-class post to reach the Secretary no later than 48 hours after the match. A fine of £5 will be applied for non-compliance. 2.8 Any club raising an objection must deposit £5 with the Secretary within 72 hours of the match being played and must notify the Secretary of the Club against whom the objection is being made and the nature of the objection, such deposit to be forfeited if the objection is considered frivolous or groundless. 2.9 Any club playing an ineligible player will be disqualified and the match will be given to their opponents. 2.10 There shall be no draw. Captains to name their players in order of play on the team sheets in all rounds. 2.11 When a player is called to the green by the official in charge and is not present or fails to take up his stance on the footer, his Captain must make a substitution to take the defaulting player’s place. In the event of a substitute not being present at the time, the game will be awarded to the player present when called to the green. Score to read 21-0. 2.12 In all matches where an official referee is not appointed, the Captains of the teams shall be referees and have sole control of the games. If the Captain is playing, he shall appoint a deputy for the duration of his game and shall notify the name of the deputy to the opposing Captain. 2.13 All clubs must, as part of their standard equipment, have pegs, callipers, tapes (19m) and 5 standard jacks of a type approved by the British Crown Green Bowling Association. 2.14 Entry fees: Premier £12, Dale £12. Prize money will be fixed by the Executive Committee.
(Senior, Junior and Veterans’ Merit, and BLESMA Cup) 3.1 All games are to be 21-up. All players on final’s days must conform to the GMCCGBA dress code (This is the BCGBA dress code with the exception of trousers which can be of any colour).Note - the dress code is listed in full in the BCGBA handbook bye-law 25. 3.2 The qualifying rounds for the County Merit will be held as advertised on the competition flier. The Final is to be played on a date advertised in the Official Handbook and confirmed on the Competition Entry Form. Affiliated Clubs may apply to have the Final on their green. 3.3 Players can only compete for one county in the Individual Merit Competition. Any player in membership with clubs in more than one county shall be allowed to enter in one county only. A player having been selected for, or given allegiance to play for, another County Association, rather than GMCCGBA, will not be allowed to play that season in contests which go forward to represent GMCCGBA in BCGBA events. Once a green is selected for a competition, no practice is allowed on that green. No player may play on a green of Membership unless approved by GMCCGBA Executive. Said player will then concede two points. In the Junior/Senior Pairs Competition the jack, at every end, will be delivered by the junior member of the pair.
4. County Matches 4.1 The cost of providing teas for Players, Referees, Measurers and Officials at both home and away venues, shall be paid for by the County Association. 4.2 Players invited to play for GMCCGBA, either Senior or Junior, are expected to wear BLACK PLAIN TROUSERS and UNIFORM SHIRT. Upon receipt of the match card a player will inform the County Secretary or Team Manager of his acceptance. 4.3 Clubs, Leagues and Associations desirous of staging a County Match must make application to the County Secretary in writing. 4.4 Clubs wishing to nominate players for County representation shall do so in writing to the County Secretary. 4.5 An Individual Merit Prize will be awarded for the senior competition. The winner will have played in all County Matches, having won the most games. In the event of a tie the prize shall be awarded to the player with the highest average.
5. Open Competitions 5.1 A fee of £50 is payable to GMCCGBA for each ‘open’contest, but this fee will be waived if the promoter applies for approval at least 28 days before the start of the competition. No approval for an ‘open’ contest will be given if the finals’ day for that competition is the same as the county’s Senior Merit finals’ day (for 2012 this date is Saturday 23rd June). 5.2 Promoters of bowling contests inviting or accepting entries from outside the County area, must apply to the BCGBA and pay an Annual Affiliation Fee of £7, at least 28 days before the commencement of the Contest. The application must state the name of the Club and venue plus dates where the Contest is being held. The GMCCGBA must also be notified in writing. Such contests shall be deemed an ‘Open Contest’. No alteration to the approved dates and venue may be made without the prior consent of the GMCCGBA. Promoters of such contests must display on the entry forms and all forms of publicity relating to the event ‘Affiliated to and approved by the Greater Manchester County Crown Green Bowling Association’, the maximum number of entries, the entry fee and the total prize money. 5.3 Any promoter, club or player taking part in a contest not affiliated as described in clause 5.2 above and played under the rules of the BCGBA shall be liable to a fine not exceeding £50, or suspension, or both by the GMCCGBA and reported to the BCGBA. Failure to notify GMCCGBA of such a contest will incur a fine of £20. 5.4 No Open Contests in GMCCGBA will be allowed to be played at the same time as Inter-County Matches, County Merit competitions, or qualifying finals for BCGBA competitions.
6. Player/Club liability for entrance fees 6.1. – Any player(s) and/or club entering a competition organised by the County, a League or a Club, have 21 days from entering the competition to pay any entrance fee due, if no payment made then their entry into the competition is rescinded. Nothing in this rule can contradict any rule regarding entrance fees already in existence, or introduced in the future, by an individual league and/or club, for competitions organised by the respective league or club. |
