Northern Premier Cricket League League Constitution

Rules 1) - Title and Constitution 2) - Management 3) - Registration and Amateur Players 4) - Professionals 5) - Umpires 6) - Scorers 7) - Distribution of Results 8) - Rules general to all competitions 9) - The Northern Premier League Championship 10) - The Thwaites Cup 11) - The Thwaites 20/20 Competition 12) - Discipline 1 - Title and Constitution 1 The League shall be called the "The Northern Premier Cricket League". 2 The First Division will consist of the first teams and the Second Division will be the Second Teams of the member clubs. 3 Subscriptions shall be £100.00 plus £60.00 for the two adverts each Club has to supply for the Handbook, giving a total of £160.00 to be paid before April 1st. of each year, this is an inclusive fee for both first and second teams. 2 - Management 2.1 A Committee consisting of One representative of each Club shall manage the League. Eight representatives to form a quorum. All clubs shall have the opportunity of attending all League meetings. All matters shall be decided by a simple majority of the vote of the Representatives of the clubs. The Chairman of the League Committee or his delegate will have a casting vote in the event of a tie. 2.2 The Chairman of the League Committee shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting. The League shall have a President, a Vice-Chairman, Hon. Treasurer, Hon Solicitor, Hon. Secretary, Hon. Assistant Secretary, and Hon. Assistant Secretary (Juniors) who shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting. They with the Chairman will act as the Executive of the League and will be responsible to the Management Committee for the running of the League. Members of the Executive cannot act as representatives from Clubs and vote> 2.3 The Exectutive can form Sub Committees to deal with specific areas of League business, e.g. discipline,playing conditions, etc,. Chairmen of such committees will either be members of the Exectutive or co-opted to the Exectutive. Members of the Sub-Committees can be recruited from the members of the League with a special interest or expertise in the topic. 2.4. The League Committee shall have the right to elect suitable persons as "Honorary Life Members" including "Life Vice Presidents" in recognition of services rendered to the League. 2.5. - League Management Committee Meetings There will be a minimum of a pre-season meeting in April, two meetings to be held in June and August and a pre AGM meeting Provisional dates and venues for League Management meetings and the Annual General Meeting to be fixed after the previous year's Annual Generl Meeting. Notice of each Committee meeting shall be sent in writing accompanied by an agenda and minutes of the previous meeting to reach each Clubs seven days before the date of the meeting. 2 .6 - Annual Meeting and Accounts The finacial year will end on the 31st October and the Annual General Meeting held as soon as practicable after that date. At the Annual General Meeting a Statement of Accounts duly audited for the previous year will be presented, Officers of the League elected and such other business transacted as may be appropriate to an Annual General Meeting such as changes to rules and any matter raised by the Executive. Notices of motion from Clubs for consideration at the AGM must reach the Hon.Secretary 14 days prior to the date of the Annual General Meeting. Proposals from Clubs must have a seconder Notice of the Annual General Meeting shall be sent to Clubs together with an agenda, the previous AGM minutes, a statement of accounts for the previous year, motions from the Executive and proposed and seconded motions received from the Clubs at least 7 days before the date of the AGM. 2.7 An Extraordinary General Meeting to consider rule changes or other matters can be called by the Exectutive either on their own behest or on the petition of at least half of the Clubs in the League. Clubs must be given at least seven days notice of such a meeting and provided with a notice of the business of that meeting. 2.8 Any alteration to the League Rules and the rules governing the playing conditions may only be carried by a two thirds majority of the clubs participating in the Northern Premier Cricket League. 2.9 Any Club which is not represented at a League Management Committee Meeting or an Annual General Meeting shall be liable to a fine. Such a fine to be £10 for the first Management Committee Meeting missed in any calendar year and increasing by £10 for each subsequent Management Committee Meeting missed in that year. For non-attendance at the Annual General Meeting, the fine shall be £25.00. 2.10 Disputes The Executive Committee shall have the power to adjudicate in all disputed matters in the competions and their decision will be final whether provided for in these rules or not. Protests to be made with a deposit of £10 within fourteen days and such a deposit to be forfeited if the protest is considered trivial 2.11 Applications and Withdrawals No Club in membership shall negotiate with any other league for participation therein without first obtaining written permission from the League Committee. The Club shall make a written application and permission shall not be withheld unless the Club has not discharged all its obligations to the League and other Clubs. Permission to negotiate shall not be regarded as either resignation or dismissal. Any Club resigning from the League must submit a letter of resignation to be received by the Hon Secretary no later than 5-00 pm on the 30th June in respect of the following season. A Club resigning from the League shall forfeit any claim to the Leagues assets. The attention of any Club wishing to join another League is drawn to the Procedure on the Recruitment of Clubs by a League as approved by the Lancashire Cricket Board and as such this procedure applies to the League and its Clubs. It should be noted that sanctions could be applied to Clubs and Leagues who breach this procedure. 2.12 Websites Websites in the name of the Club are the responsibility of the Club Committee who will be responsibile for the content of the site.(See rule 12 section 7) Clubs must supply the League Secretary with the name of the Webmaster, the website address and email address 2.13 Child Protection Clubs are responsibile for complying with the Law on Child Protection and abiding by any regulations issued by the ECB or LCB 2.14 Trophies The League Trophies will be vested in at least two trustees, who shall hold office during such committees pleasure and it shall be their duty to get any guarantees duly executed and to take whatever steps they deem necessary for the safe custody and return to them of the trophies.They shall be empowered to act on behalf of the League in all matters concerning the trophies The officers of the winning clubs shall, before taking possession of the trophies, give guarantee of their return in good condition. The League Committee shall decide on an allowance for the purchase of souvenirs for the winning clubs 3 - Registration and Amateur Players 3.1 Clubs must operate an active open door membership policy whilst respecting player qualification regulations and welcome players/members irrespective of ethnic origins and gender. 3.2 All Players must be registered with the League using Registration Forms issued by the League. New players to a Club must be registered forty-eight hours before the first match of the season. Any new registration thereafter must be made seven days before taking part in a match Prior to the start of the season the club must confirm the registration of players registered in the previous seasons on a form supplied by the Registration Secretary 3.3 The League will not accept the registration of a player who is transferring from another club either within the League or from another League without confirmation in writing from the releasing Club or League that the player has no financial or disciplinary matters outstanding. This confirmation is required for transfers occurring both in and out of season. 3.4 No player may play for a Northern League Club 1st or 2nd Team in a League or Cup game after the second Saturday in August who has not already played in the current season for that club in any team including Juniors in any League or Cup fixture. 3.5 Registration will not be granted to any amateur player who has not been resident in the United Kingdom for twelve months prior to the commencement of the League season. This rule does not apply to expatriates of the United Kingdom and United Kingdom passport holders. The Executive has the right to exercise some flexibility in the application of this rule. In this case eligibility will be restricted to 2nd XI games. 3.6 The League Executive acting on behalf of the League shall have the power to refuse to register any player. If this power is exercised the player shall be advised of the reason for the registration being refused. The player shall have the right to appeal against this decision and to attend the hearing and provide written submissions in support. The Club of which the player is a member or potential member has the right to attend the hearing and to speak in support.of the player The Appeals Committee shall be constituted in line with the Appeals Procedure outlined in Rule 19.9. 3.7 No former or current First Class Cricketer can play as an amateur in the League except for the Club where he played as an amateur before attaining First Class status, unless his sole/main residence is within 20 miles of any Club in the Northern Cricket League. No player may play for a club in a different league unless that League is all amateur. 3.8 A player shall be deemed an Amateur Player notwithstanding the fact that he has a Playing Contract with any County providing the following conditions apply:- (a) He is to play for the Club he was playing for at the time he was awarded the County Contract. (b) He does not act as a sub-professional. This shall have the immediate effect of losing his Amateur status. (c) He has played more than 10 matches in the County Championship 3.9 Any player registered as an amateur found to be receiving payments other than that approved by the League Committee will be banned from the League. These payments to be shown in the Club Accounts which will be available for examination by the League. 3.10 No player registered in the Northern League can play for a Club in a different League unless that League is all amateur 4 - Professionals 4.1 Each club must engage one professional who will be contracted to play for the Club in all 1st Division League and Cup games. 4.2 In the event of a professional being unable to play in a match or complete his contract through injury, illness, compassionate grounds or recall by his County, State or National organisations then a sub pro who has not played at a higher level can be appointed. 4.3 The League will support a Club with legitimate grievances with a professional breaking his contract by banning him from future engagements in the League and reporting him to County or National Authorities. 4.4 Professionals must agree to the Rules of the League before being registered and will be subject to the disciplinary procedures of the League. 4.5 A professional is defined as one who has received payment from his own or another Club, Country or County for playing cricket during the year commencing 1st April prior to the commencement of the season. 4.6 No registered professional can play for more than one Club during the course of a season. 4.7 An ex-professional shall not be reinstated as an amateur in the same season as he has been playing as a professional. 4.8 No League Club Professional can be approached with a view to engagement for the following season before 1st August, without the consent of his present Club. 4.9 A copy of the professional's contract must be forwarded to the League at least two weeks prior to the start of the season 5 - Umpires 5.1 The Umpires will have their own organisation with elected officials 5.2 The umpires will elect one of their body to represent the intrests of the umpires on the League Exectutive. That person or substitute is to attend League Executive and League Committee meetings. 5.3 The Umpires organisation will be responsible for: a) The recruitment of umpires. b) The training and maintance of the standards of umpires (It is hoped that umpires will aim to gain appropriate qualifications) c) Taking action on reports on umpires from Captains,Clubs or the Executive. d) Allocating umpires to games played under the League's jurisdiction. e) Nominating umpires for representative games f) Any other matters concerning umpires in full consultation with the League Committee under the juridiction of the Northern League must jointly complete a Match Report Card and send it to the League Secretary within three days of the game. The contents of the Match Report Card will be agreed by the League Committee in conjuction with the Umpires Federation but will include marking of the teams for the Fair Play Award. 5.5 In the event of a selected umpire failing to attend the match, the two Captains shall select a substitute. If the Captains fail to agree, then the umpire present must select a substitute. If the original Umpire officiates at both ends he will receive increased expenses. If both Umpires fail to turn up then the Captains must agree two substitute umpires and the match must be played. 5.6 Umpires will receive "out of pocket" expenses as agreed by the League Committee and Umpires Federation. 5.7 Captains must assess and record the performance of umpires on the league score sheet according to agreed guidelines. In the event of an umpire being given a low score for performance, the captain must either ring or send a report to the League Secretary within three days of the games giving details. It will be the responsibility of the League Secretary to collate information and pass it on to the Umpires Federation for action. The Umpires must report back to the League Secretary who will inform the club of any action taken. Captins and Clubs are encouraged to report particularly good performances by umpires in the same way. 6 - Scorers Clubs shall appoint their own scorers who should be of a level of competence for the game being played. Clubs without a scorer for a League or Cup match shall be liable for a fine of £20 and could be liable for a loss of points for repeated infringements 7 - Distribution of Results Immediately 1st and 2nd XI games are ended, the result must be phoned to the League Mobile phone. Clubs must have immediate access to a fax machine The League score sheet must be completed with full scorecards (identity of catches etc) and in the case of 1sr XIs brief information about the game and individual performances should be included. The score sheet must be faxed to the League, League Website and the Press before 9-00 pm on the day of the game. Phone and Fax numbers will be distributed to the Clubs before the start of the season Any Club failing to ring in or Fax the score sheets before the proscibed time (or forwarding incomplete score sheets) will be fined £10 on the first occasion, £20 for subsequent occaisions and could be liable for a loss of points for repeated infringements Playing Conditions 8 - Rules general to all competitions 8.1 All matches to be played under the latest edition of the MCC Laws of Cricket except as provided for under these rules 8.2 - Young Players The League will operate the current version of any of the ECB's regulations that affect young players and it is the responsibility of the Clubs through their captains to ensure that they are carried out. The Umpires must be given a full team list with the ages and restrictions on any young players before the start of the game 8.3 Cricket Balls The League shall supply cricket balls which shall be deemed the only official match ball in both First and Second Division League and Cup matches. The League Committee to select a suitable ball for each season. Each side to bowl its own ball which in the First Division League and Thwaites Cup must be a new one> 8.4 - Rolling of Pitches As MMC Law 10. 8.5 - Late Starts >The Club responsible for a late start or delay after the interval between innings will be fined £5.00, for up to 10 minutes lost and thereafter at the rate of £1 per minute up to a maximum of fine of £20.00. Clubs can appeal against the imposition of this fine using the Leagues appeal procedure. Umpires should report late starts on the match card and by phone to the League Secretary. 8.6 - Default in Fulfilment of Fixtures The Disciplinary Sub-Committee shall investigate the circumstances when a Club fails to turn up to their fixture and shall have the power to impose a fine and award the points to the other Club. The offending Club will also be responsible for any expenses incurred by the home club in preparing teas etc. The Disciplinary Sub-Committee shall investigate the circumstances when a Club fields a team of fewer than eleven players in a match and shall have the power to impose a penalty. 8.7 - Practice - Sightscreens - Overs Practice by players prior to a match shall cease ten minutes before the start of the game. No practice is allowed during the course of the game except at the tea interal. At all matches Clubs should place a board in front of the sight screen when it is on the field of play. An over will consist of six fair balls and no underarm bowling will be allowed If during a game a bowler is unable to complete an over, the remaining balls shall be bowled by another bowler 8. 8 - Drinks Drinks intervals shall be arranged before the toss. If the Captains and Umpires disagree then the decision will rest with the umpires 8.9 - Drying the Ball MCC Law 42 (iii) is extended to allow a player the use of sawdust to dry the ball as well as a towel 8.10 All matters arising in the competitions not covered by these rules shall be referred to the Executive Committee for a decision 9 - THE NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP These rules apply to Divisions 1 and 2 9.1 - Fixtures The First Division and the reverse Second Division League games between two Clubs will be played on the same day. All games will be played on the dates published in the fixture list and at starting times as agreed by the League Committee prior to the season. In extraordinary circumstances the Executive can sanction the move of a fixture to another date, venue or starting time. Where the move involves the separation of the 1st and 2nd XI fixtures normally played on the same day, a player cannot play in both matches. 9.2 - Points The points awarded will be as follows:- Fifteen points for a win by a side batting first Twelve points for a win by a side batting second Four points to the side batting first in a drawn game One point to the side batting second in a drawn game Five points to each side in the event of a tie in a game in which the side batting second is out Four points to each side when a game is declared void. Bonus points will be awarded in a drawn, tied or games lost as follows:- One point for taking five wickets Two points for taking seven wickets Three points for taking nine wickets One point for scoring 140 runs Two points for scoring 160 runs Three points for scoring 180 runs or more. The Clubs having the highest number of points in each division at the end of the season shall be considered the champions of their respective division for that year and entitled to hold the Championship Trophy for that Division for twelve months. In the event of two or more clubs gaining the same number of points, the side with the most wins will be champions. If sides have equal wins then the side with the most 15 point wins will be Champions The same principal will be used to determine the order in the League Tables. 9.3 Form of the game 1)Play will commence at 1-00 pm except for the 3 final fixtures when play will commence at 12-30 pm as decided by the League Committee. The interval between innings will be 30 minutes 2)The game will be a 100 over game with 50 overs each team but any complete overs not used in the first innings due to a side being bowled out or a declaration are added on to the overs for the second innings. If a side batting first has not received its maximum number of overs or if the side batting second has not received its designated number of overs by the time for the end of the innings, play continues until they are completed and the bowling side will be liable for a charge of slow over rate. 3)A match in which a side batting second is not bowled out will be a draw. A match in which the scores are equal and the side batting second is bowled out will be a tie 9.4 Minimum Over Rate 1)Overs will be bowled at an overall rate of 17 overs per hour. The time allowance for 50 overs will be 3 hours with any changes made at the rate of 3.5 minutes an over. 2)After making allowances for drinks intervals and any extraordinary events umpires must report any team not bowling their overs in the designated time for slow over rate. Any team bowling a side out before the designated time for the end of the innings will not be charged for slow over rate. 3)At the start of each innings the Umpires must inform the Captains and the scorers of the numer of overs to be bowled and the agreed time for the end of the innings or close of play. 4)Umpires are requested to advise Captains of the over rate at intervals during the innings but it is the captain who is responsible for the control of the over rate of his side. 5)Deductions will be 2 points for each of the first two offences, 3 points for the third, 4 points for the fourth and five points for the fifth and any subsequent offences. The deduction will be automatic but Clubs can appeal against the deduction using the League's appeal procedure. Umpires should report slow over rate offences on the match card, inform the Captain or an Official of the offending team and inform the League Secretary as soon as possible after the match. 6)The Scoreboard must have a display that shows the number of overs to be bowled in the innings and the over in progress. (A scorebox that counts down can display the number of overs to completion, but a scorebox that counts up must show the number of overs for the innings separately Normal Match Times 1st innings 1-00 pm to 4-00 pm. Tea 4-00pm to 4-30 pm. 2nd innings 4-30pm to 7-30pm. N.B. The finishing times may be slightly later to allow for dinks intervals and any exraordinary events. (If a team is bowled out or declares after 46 overs of the first innings, the the team batting second will have 54 overs and 14 (4 x 3.5) minutes will be added to the playing time of the second innings) 9 - 5 Delays in play 1 - The two captains shall at the outset of the game settle queastions of fitness of the ground and light for play. Should the captains disagree the umpires's decision is final. Once the game has commenced the Umpires shall be in control of all questions of the fitness of the ground and light for play 2 - Rain Delays a)In the event of rain during the 1st innings or delaying the start of the match, one over is deducted for every complete 7 minutes lost from both the 1st and 2nd innings. b)In the event of rain during the 2nd innings one over for every complete 3.5 minutes lost will be deducted. c)If tea is taken during a period that a match is suspended because of rain then the interval between innings will be 10 minutes. 20 minutes is saved and should be subtracted from the time lost in calculatingthe overs. d)The latest a game can start is 4-15 pm and a fifty over game is played. The side batting first must receive 25 overs to be bowled by 5-45 pm unless the batting Captain wishes to declare or the side is all out. The second innings will commence at 5-55 pm and the side batting second will have a minimum of 25 overs to be bowled by 7-30 pm. A game will be declared void if either the side batting first does not receive a minimum of 25 overs unless there is a declaration or the side is bowled out or the side batting second does not receive 20 overs. i.e. If the match is called off after 20 overs are bowled in the second innings the result is a draw. 3 - In the event of rain interfering during the hours of play the whole of the pitch will be covered if covers are available. 4 - If there is a delay caused by some event other than rain (e.g. a major injury) and the length of delay could lead to an unacceptable finishing time then the Captains can agree to treat the stoppage as a rain delay. In the case of disagreement then the Umpires decision is final. 6 - Extreme weather conditions Normally both teams must report to the ground before making a decision about the fitness of the ground for play. However in the event of severe weather conditions when there is no prospect of the match being played, the match can be called off two and a half hours before the scheduled start without the away team travelling subject to the following conditions: a) Officials of both teams agree. b) The weather forecast and the weather conditions are such that the state of the pitch and/outfield means that there would be no chance of the agme starting by the latest time allowable by the rules, even if the usual drying methods are employed. c) The ground is inspected and the decision confirmed by an independent Umpire. The Umpires Federation will provide a geographically based list of Umpires for the Clubs to contact. The Home Club must report the abandonment of the fixture to the League Fixture Secretary and inform the appointed Umpires and the Umpires Secretary. The Inspecting Umpire must give a brief report to the League Secretary by phone. The Umpire will be entitled to a fee for a void game. CUP COMPETITIONS Cup competitons are played under the rules of the Northern League unless they are replaced by rules specific to the Cup Competition (NB Secton 8 Rules General to all Competitions apply. For Cup Rules see - 10 - The Thwaites Cup Rules 11 - 20/20 Rules 12 - Discipline 1) For the purpose of these rules the expression "the player" shall through out these rules be deemed to mean and include not only any player, whether professional or otherwise, but also any member or official of any club or if appropriate any other person involved in any incident of possible misconduct occuring on the field of play, or on the premises of the club, as may be appropriate in the particular circumstances. 2)The League will operate a disciplinary procedure based on the current version of the ECB's Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct will be incorporated into the League Registration form which players must sign stating that they have read and will abide by the Code of Conduct and that they will accept any disciplinary action arising from a breach of the Code of Conduct as provided for in these rules. 3) The Code of Conduct The Code of Conduct incorporates the Spirit of Cricket, as set out below. It applies to all matches played under the auspices of the ECB and may be applied to cricket in general. A The Captains are responsible at all times for ensuring the play is conducted within the Spirit of Cricket as well as within the Laws. B Players and team officials must at all times accept the umpire's decision Players must not show dissent at the Umpires decision or react in a provocative or disapproving manner towards another player or spectator. C Players or team officials shall not intimidate, assault, or attempt to intimidate or assault an Umpire, another player or spectator. D Players and team officials shall not use crude and/or offensive language, (known as sledging), nor make offensive gestures or hand signals, nor deliberately distract an opponent. E Players and club officials shall not make racially abusive comments nor indulge in racially abusive actions against fellow players, officials and supporers. F Players and team officials shall not use or in any way be concerned in the use or distribution of illegal drugs. G Clubs must take adequate steps to ensure the good behaviour of their members and supporters towards players and umpires. 4) The Spirit of Cricket Cricket is a game that owes much of its unique appeal to the fact that it should be played not only within its Laws, but also within the Spirit of the Game. Any action which is seen to abuse this spirit causes injury to the game itself. The major responsibility for ensuring the spirit of fair play rests with the captains. The Spirit of the game involves respect for your opponents, your own team, the role of the umpires and the game's traditional values. It is against the Spirit of the Game, for example to show dissent against the umpires decision, to be abusive to an umpire or an opponent, to indulge in cheating or sharp practice such as appealing knowing the batsman is not out, persistent or aggressive appealing to intimidate the umpire or to attempt to distract an opponent. 5) Responsibilty of the Captains. (i) The Captains are responsible at all times for ensuring that play is conducted withinthe Spirit of the Game as well as within the Laws. (ii) In the event of a player failing to comply with the instructions of an umpire, criticising his decision by word or action, showing dissent, or generally behaving in a manner which might bring the game into disrepute, the umpire concerned shall in the first place report the matter to the other umpire and then the player's captain, requesting the latter to take action. 6 - Fair and Unfair Play According to the Laws the Umpires are the sole judges of fair and unfair play. The Umpires may intervene at any time and it is the responsibility of the captain to take action when required. 7 - It shall be a disciplinary offence for (i). Any player in the course of or in connection with a match to misconduct himself, to offend against the Code of Conduct (as outlined in Section 3) or at any time to engage in conduct which could bring them, their club or the League into disrepute. This includes comments to the media or on a website about players, clubs, umpires or officials. (ii). Any club to fail properly to control or dicipline its players or to engage in conduct which could bring the League into direpute. This includes comments to the media or on a website about players, clubs, umpires or officials. (iii) Failure to comply with the provisions of Section 3) and 4) may lead to disciplinary action, irrespective of an alleged breach being related to a match not under the jurisdiction of the League. 8 - Umpire Responsibilities If an Umpire decides that the Code of Conduct has been broken or an act of unfair play has taken place, the following options are available. There are four levels of action in addition to any actions provided for in the Laws of Cricket. Umpires can report teams as well as players. Level 1 This is made to the Captain asking him to control a situation warning him that unless improvement occurs a higher level action will be taken Action on a Level 1 Inform the Captain. Report on Match Card only. Level 2 Accumulated Bad Behaviour This is of the nature of a severe reprimand to a player by an umpire who gives a formal warning to the player and informs the Captain that a formal waring has been given. Action on a Level 2 report. a) The Umpires inform the Captain or Club Official on the day of the game. b) A Disciplinary Report with the front filled in and a description of the incident on the back is sent to the Chairman of Discipline within three days. The Chairman may ring for further details. c) The Chairman will write to the player and a copy sent to the Club Secretary. (One would expect in the majority of cases that a formal warning would have been preceded by an infomal warning, but the Umpire has the authority to issue a formal warning without having issued any informal warnings.) A formal warning will remain on the player's disciplinary file for 12 months from the date of the offence. The League Chairman of Disipline will impose a minimum automatic two match ban on any player having a total of two formal warnings in any twelve month period There will be no right of appeal Level 3 A Serious Breach of the Code of Conduct Where the seriousness of the offence makes an informal of formal warning inappropriate the Umpire shall inform the offending player's Captain that the player is being reported and immediately after the game shall: a) Complete the front only of the League Disciplinary Form and give it to the offending player's Captain or Club Official after the game. b) Ring the League's Chairman of Discipline as soon as possible after the game and give a description of the incident. c) Complete a second Disciplinary form with a discription of the incident on the back or attached and send it to the Chairman of Discipline within three days of the incident. Action on a Level 3 Report The Chairman of Discipline will contact the Club as soon as possible to enquire what steps internally the Club intends to take against the offending player(s). If the Club's action is not deemed satisfactory, the League Disciplinary Chairman will imposean immediate ban of a minimum of three matches on the offending player(s). The offending player(s) have the right to appeal against the penalties imposed by the Club or the League Disciplinary Chairman to an appeals procedure laid down (Unless an appeal is lodged penalties will become effective from the first game after the Club or League Hearing) Level 4 Violent or Extreme Behaviour For an act of violence or extreme and sustained verbal abuse/foul language on or off the field. The Umpire has the immediate option of suspending the game and awarding the game to the opposing side, 15 poiunts to nil, unless the offending player's Captain suspends the player for the duration of the game with no substitue being allowed. Action on a Level 4 Report The Umpires must report the incident to the League Disciplinary Chairman or other League Official as soon as possible by telephone followed by a written League Disciplinary Report within three days. Level 4 offences will be considered by a League Disciplinary Committee as soon as possible after the incident. In extreme circumstances the League Executive has the authority to withdraw the registration of a player for the games prior to the hearing or any subsequent appeal. 9 Disciplinary Hearings a) In addition to any proceedings initiated by umpire's reports nothing in these Rules shall prevent the League Executive from initiating disciplinary proceedings against a player or Club. b) Where the League Executive has decided that there are grounds for disciplinary action against a player or Club, then a Disciplinary Sub-Committee will be formed and the player and the Secretary of the Club will be sent: i) At least seven days notice of the date and venue of the hearing which will be within 14 days of the date that the League Executive decide that there are grounds for a disciplinary hearing ii) details of the alleged offence together with copies of umpire's report or equivalent documents decribing the offence and the composition of the Disciplinary Sub-Committee. The League Executive may call witnesses to the hearing c) The Player or the Club shall be entitled to attend the hearing (in the case of a Club by its Secretary or other official) to be legally or otherwise represented, to call witnesses, present written statements from witnesses The player or club may object with validity to any member of the Disciplinary Sub-Committee. The decision of the League Executive on the constituency of the Disciplinary Sub-Committee, after listening to the objections will be final. 10 - Penalties 7.1 The Disciplinary Sub-Committee shall have the power to impose one or more of the following penalties : a) in the case of a player i)expulsion from the League ii)a ban of one or more matches played under the auspices of the League, the LCB or ECB. iii) a period of time b) in the case of the Club or Team i) expulsion from the League ii) expulsion from any Cup competitions of the League iii) deduction of points in the League iv) fines c) The range of penalties for various offences are to be decided by the League Committee and to be made available to all in a document "Guidelines on Discipline" 11 a) The decision of the Disciplinary Sub-Committee can be given orally at the end of the hearing and the Secretary of the Club informed by telephone as soon as possible after the hearing, The decision of the Committee must be confirmed in writing to the player and the Secretary of his Club within seven days of the hearing. b) Unless a player or Club appeals then a ban becomes effective for the first game after the hearing 12 Appeals a) The Player or Club has the right to appeal. Notice of appeal against the conviction and/or the sentence must be given in writing within seven days of the date that the notice of sentence is given to the Player and Club (i.e. either from the date of the hearing or from the date of the receipt of written notification) together with a deposit of £50. Upon giving notice of appeal the penalty shall not take effect pending the hearing of the appeal. b) The League Executive will form an Appeal Sub-Committee which shall have a different composition from the Disciplinary Sub-Committee that heard the case. The Committee can call witnesses to the hearing. The appeal will take place within fourteen days of the date of the League Secretary receiving the appeal. c) The Player or the Club shall be entitled to attend the hearing (in the case of a Club, by its Secretary or other official), to be legally or otherwise represented, to call witnesses including Umpires or present written statements from witnesses and object with validity to any member of the Appeal Sub-Committee. The decision of the League Executive on the constituency of the Appeal Sub-Committee, after listening to the objections will be final. d) The Appeal Sub-Committee may cancel, confirm, reduce or increase the penalty imposed by the Disciplinary Sub-Committee. e) The Appeal Sub-Committee has the power if they consider the appeal to be without merit to order the forfeit of the deposit. If the appeal is upheld the deposit less expenses of the appeal will be returned. Composition of Disciplinary and Appeal Sub-Committees The Disciplinary and Appeal Sub-Committees shall each consist of three members selected from the members of the Executive and an Umpires representative: The Chairman of the Executive shall have the power to co-opt a suitably qualified person to fill any vacancy. 13 The Chairman of Discipline shall keep a record of all disciplinary proceedings. NOTICE TO ALL CLUBS The attention of all Clubs is drawn to the existence of a "gentlemens" agreement between The Northern Cricket League and the Lancashire County Cricket Club whereby any negotiations between a League Club and any professional in the empolyment of the County Cricket Club from whatever source initiated are strictly forbidden until written consent of the County Committee has been obtained, and the League Committee has undertaken not to sanction any agreement obtained in violation of the above conditions. Use of Advertising Logo's on Players Clothing. The League Committee recently agreed that the use of Logo's on players clothing should be in line with ECB Regulations. This means that only a Logo belonging to the Club and/or Sponsor or the manufacturer should be visible on any clothing or equipment worn or used by a player whilst on the field of play. Logo's may appear on the chest, sleeve or collar of shirts. On sleeveless sweaters Logo's must only appear on the chest whilst on long sleeve sweaters they can be on the chest or leading arm. The maximum aggregate area of each logo must not exceed 10 square inches. On trousers the manufacturer's logo must appear on the hip or trouser pocket only. Helmets must be a single base colour and the Club's or Sponsor's logo may appear on the front of the helmet and on the ear pieces. On bats the manufacturer's logo must be restricted to the top 9 inches of the bat. There are no restictions to the use of logos on the back or edge of bats. Players are not permitted to wear training clothing on the field of play and are expected to wear cricket clothing at any Presentation Ceremony. A copy of the full ECB Advertising Insignia Regulations has been issued to every Club for information.

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