| Spirit Of Cricket | I |
| Player's conduct | II |
| Fair and unfair play | III |
| Violence | IV |
| Players | V |
| Big Bend Cricket League | VI |
| Rules of Play | VII |
| Ready To Play | VIII |
| Results | IX |
| Points | X |
| Results Service | XI |
| Player Registration | XII |
| Provisions for the Game | XIII |
| Conduct | XIV |
| Disputes | XV |
| Umpires | XVI |
| Home Ground | XVII |
| Match Reports | XVIII |
| Averages | XIX |
| Substitutes | XX |
| Meeting Attendance | XXI |
| Playoffs | XXII |
| Awards | XXIII |
| Miscellaneous | XXIV |
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 and the umpires.
There are two Laws that place the responsibility for the team's conduct firmly on the captain.
Responsibility of captains:
The captains are responsible at
all times for ensuring that play is conducted within the spirit of the game
as well as within the laws.
Responsibility of umpires:
On the field of play, the
umpires are in full control of the game and are responsible for establishing
fair play in accordance with the Laws of Cricket and of the Rules
established by the League. Captains should report their concerns to the
umpires who shall consult in order to effect fair play. Their decisions on the
field shall be final.
In the event a player fails to comply with instructions by an umpire, or criticizes by word or action decisions of an umpire, or shows dissent, or generally behaves 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 to the player's captain who shall take appropriate action to restore orderly 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 to do so by the umpires.
The umpires are authorized to intervene in cases of:
Time wasting
Damaging the pitch
Dangerous or unfair bowling
Tampering with the ball
Any other action considered to be unfair
The Spirit of the Game involves RESPECT for:
Team's opponents
Team's own captain and other teammates
The role of the umpires
The game's traditional values
It is against the Spirit of the Game:
To dispute an umpire's decision by word, action or gesture
To direct abusive language towards an opponent or umpire
To indulge in cheating or any sharp practice, for instance:
appealing knowing that the batsman is not out
advancing towards an umpire in an aggressive manner when appealing
seeking to distract an opponent either verbally or by harassment with persistent clapping or unnecessary noise under the guise of enthusiasm and motivation of one's own side
There is no place for any act of violence on the field of play. Any player who acts violently towards another or an umpire shall be reported to the executive committe who shall take appropriate disciplinary measures.
Captains and umpires together set the tone for the conduct of a cricket match. Every player is expected to make an important contribution to this.
Cricket season in Big Bend Cricket League starts 3rd Week of September and lasts into the first week of December. All teams shall play one game against other teams in the League. Immediately following the League Season the Annual Knock-out (Play-Offs) Championships start.
Top four teams shall play for the championship.
Regular Starting Time
All matches start at 10:30 a.m. and end at 5:30 p.m.
All matches shall be of one innings duration of 35-overs per team.
The coin toss occurs at 10:20 a.m. If a team is not "ready to play" at that time, the toss shall be awarded to the team that is "ready to play". If the toss is delayed due to inclement weather, then the adjusted starting time set by the umpire shall determine when to spin the toss and all the below shall apply at the adjusted time.
Any team not ready to play at 10:30 a.m. (or adjusted start time) loses 1 over for every 5 minutes of delay. Any team not ready to play at 11:30 a.m. loses the match, provided the other is ready to play. If both teams are not ready to play at 11:30 a.m., the match shall be considered a "loss" to both teams.
Adjusted Starting Time
In the event of bad weather prior to the scheduled start of the match, the umpires shall adjust the starting time of the match at their discretion.
In the event that bad weather caused the starting time to be adjusted, then the innings duration of the match shall also be adjusted as set out below.
Starting Time: 10:30 to 12:00. Innings Duration: 35-Overs
Any team not ready to play at the adjusted starting time loses the match.
At the instance of delivery, there may not be more than 5 fieldsmen on the legside and no more than 2 backwards of square on the legside.
A 30-yard inner circle rule shall be in effect during the first 10 overs (30%) of each innings. During this period of time no more than 2 fielders are allowed outside the circle. After the 10 over (30%) period expires, no more than 5 fielders shall be allowed outside the circle.
Wide balls
Any off-side or leg-side delivery which in the opinion of the umpire does not give the batsmen a reasonable opportunity to score shall be called wide. As a guide, on the leg-side a ball landing clearly outside leg stump going further away shall be called wide.
Lines shall be drawn 24 inches from the off stumps and 9 inches from the leg stump so as to assist Umpires in determining the off-side wide and leg side wide respectively.
A penalty of one run for a wide ball shall be scored. The penalty shall stand in addition to any other runs, which are scored or awarded. All runs, which are run or result from a wide ball, which is not a no ball, shall be scored as wide balls.
Bowlers shall be limited to a set number of overs each, arrived at by dividing the total overs in the innigs by 5.
A minimum of 13 overs must be completed during 60 minutes of game play.
There shall be no limit on the bowler's run-up.
Breaks for drinks shall take place twice during one teams batting/fielding. These breaks shall be shall be 5 minutes and held after the 13th and 26th over.
There shall be a 30-minute break between Innings.
Each side should get no more than 2 hours and 45 minutes during their innings. This includes the 5 minute breaks taken (two of them).
After the start of the match it is mandatory that the Home team use covers when ordered to do so by the Umpires. The covers must cover the entire mat and at least six feet of the bowler's run-up i.e. from the stumps back.
All communication (official) shall take place between Captains of the teams playing. All other communication shall be considered informal and shall not be admissible in the event of a disagreement leading to decision making by the Referee/Executive Committee.
The ICC Wide & No-Ball scoring rule shall be in effect for this competition.
A penalty of one run for a wide plus any runs scored from the delivery.
A penalty of one run for the no ball plus any runs scored from the delivery.
No Ball
The bowler's back foot must land within and not touching the return crease.
The bowler's front foot must land with some part of the foot, whether grounded or raised, behind the popping crease. If the umpire at the bowler's end is not satisfied that both these conditions have been met, he shall call and signal No ball.
A bowler shall not be allowed to bowl any short-pitched delivery. We are aware that in One Day International Cricket one bouncer is allowed in an over. For our purposes in the Big Bend Cricket League where many of players are students without adequate insurance, the bouncer is prohibited purely as a safety measure. We expect that every bowler should appreciate this prohibition and act in accordingly.
A short-pitched delivery is defined as a ball that passes or would have passed above the shoulder height of the striker standing upright at the crease.
In the event of the bowler bowling short-pitched delivery in an over, the umpire shall call and signal no ball. The penalty shall be one run for the no ball, plus any runs scored from the delivery.
A no ball shall be called for any full-pitched delivery, which passes or would have passed on the full above waist height of the striker standing upright at the crease. This delivery is deemed to be dangerous and unfair, whether or not is likely to inflict physical injury on the striker.
The home team must have a minimum of 9 players present and properly dressed by 10:20 a.m. to be considered as being ready to play.
In addition to 9 players, the home team must also have the mat and stumps down, necessary creases marked and boundary markers in position to be considered ready to play.
The away team must have minimum of 7 players present and properly dressed by 10:20 a.m. to be considered as being ready to play. Even after this the away team has a maximum of 45 minutes to get at least 9 players into the game. If they cannot get 9 players within these 45 minutes of time then they are compelled to forfeit the game.
In order to be considered 'properly dressed' wearing of white/off white cricket shirts, white/off white cricket pants and predominantly white footwear is required. No batsman or bowler shall be permitted to wear footwear that has hard studs, spikes or cleats unless the game is played on a natural turf wicket. Shirts should be tucked in. All protective equipment except leg-guards, gloves, arm guards and helmets should be worn underneath the players clothing. Thigh guards, abdomen guards, chest guards etc. should not be worn on top of the shirt or pants. Umpires have been given the authority to disallow a player if he is not properly dressed. All bowlers must wear 'white' clothing that shall not distract the batsman. The batsman can complain to the umpire in case the bowler's clothing is distracting.
The captain of each team shall give his counterpart in writing the playing 11 at the time of the toss.
The team that scores the most runs in their innings wins the match, provided both innings have been completed to the maximum required overs and/or the team has been bowled out.
If after one side complete their innings, the other side batted more than 50% (18 overs) of their overs but were unable to complete their innings due to bad weather or bad light, the winner shall be the team with the comparative faster run rate, based on the same number of overs completed at 18 overs or more. If the side batting second could not complete 18 overs, then rule IX C applies.
If it was not possible to start the match at all, or if the team batting first was unable to complete their innings, or if the team batting second were unable to complete 50% (18 overs) of their overs, all due to bad light or bad weather, then the match shall be considered abandoned.
Abandoned matches shall be replayed. The date for the replay shall be decided by the Executive Committee.
If both teams complete their innings and the score is the same, then the following tie-breakers shall be applied:
The team that lost the least wickets in the match;if the same then
The team that bowled the lesser number of overs;if the same then
The points will be shared.
Forfeited games shall have the following rules applied:
If a team forfeits the game before a ball is bowled then their opponents should be awarded 10 points. Forfeiting team gets -5 points. The minus points shall prevent a side forfeiting, so that another side might not get into the playoffs.
There should be no forfeiture of the game once it has started (if a team walks out in the middle of the game they lose the game no matter what. The other team gets maximum possible points from this inning and shall retain points accumulated from the previous inning, if any). If some controversy arises during the game, the teams should continue playing under protest, making it known to the other captain that it is playing under protest. Once the game is completed, the Executive Committee shall adjudicate the protest. The Executive Committee decides on the merits of the protest. Also the protest should be procedural in nature and should not include umpiring errors. If the protest is upheld, and if the team lodging the protest has lost the game then the Executive Committee shall decide if the controversy did in fact have an effect on the result. If it decided so, then a replay may be ordered. If the protest is declined, then the result of the game stands.
Abandoned games shall have the following rules applied:
These are games that are to be replayed mainly due to weather related reasons. When it is rescheduled:
Game should take place at the original venue.
Executive Committee and the captains shall decide when the match is to be replayed.
Postponed games shall have the following rules applied:
Any team is allowed to postpone a maximum of two games provided that valid reasons are presented to the Executive Committee.
The committee shall decided when the game is to be reschduled.
All postponed games shall take place on or before January 15.
Maximum 12 points
Win - 10 Points
Loss - 0 Points
Tie - 5 Points
Batting Bonus Points - 1 Point
If a team scores 200 runs or above during their innings 1 point.
This shall apply whether batting first or second.
Bowling Bonus Points - 1 Point
If the bowling side captures all 10 wickets 1 point
A side batting less than 11 men which loses all available wickets is deemed to be all out (i.e. bowling side gets 1 point)
League tables shall be compiled on the basis of average points per match. In the event of more than one team having the exact same average then the team that satisfies the following criteria (in descending order) shall be deemed to be the higher placed team.
The team that accumulates the highest points average in the matches played between the respective teams.
The team that accumulates the highest points average in the matches played between the respective teams plus the team in the next highest position. (Additional teams shall be added until the teams can be separated).
As soon as possible after close of play, both home and away teams must e-mail the webmaster details of the match, including any that might have been cancelled or abandoned.
Should the Executive Committee consent to a match being played on another day, the result must be notified on the same evening of the day that the match is played.
ALL teams must send correct results sheets, signed by both captains, to the webmaster after each match so as to arrive no later than the Thursday following the match day. This can be done by fax or mail.
Completed results sheets are required for all matches that are abandoned but not for those that are postponed altogether. There shall be a web site where all teams can submit their scores after each match.
Each club must be registered as a club and have all their players registered five (5) days prior to the beginning of the League season. Additional player(s) must be registered on-line by 8:00 p.m. on the Thursday prior to the scheduled date of the match in which the player(s) shall be playing and the Secretary must be provided with his name via email/ mail/ fax. Players shall not be considered registered until payment of the appropriate registration fee, which must be received by the Wednesday following the date of online registration.
Clubs that play unregistered players shall automatically lose the game and shall also be subject to any other penalties as set by the general body.
Any player that has played in at least one match of a league season for a club is not allowed to play for another club during the same season.
The team hosting the game shall provide a new ball at the start of the match, and this shall become the game ball. The side fielding second shall use a new ball for the second innings and this shall thereafter become the match ball.
All League matches shall be played with balls approved by League Committee. No other brand or type of balls is allowed in any of the League and Cup games unless approved in writing by the Executives/Match Committee.
The home team shall provide lunch, and drinks for both teams for the full day; a first aid kit; adequate seating for the teams and spectators; a copy of the Laws of Cricket; a copy of these league rules.
If the home team's ground is unavailable for a league game, due to any reason, then any other league ground is acceptable alternative. It is the responsibility of the home team to determine such a ground for that fixture. The home team must give the visiting team and the umpiring team at least 3 days notice of the new venue(s) of the fixture; and the exact venue shall be communicated to the opposite team and the umpires no less than 24 hours before the scheduled start of the game.
It is expected of all players to demonstrate proper conduct, discipline and sportsmanship.
It is the responsibility of all players to obey all Park, Ground and School rules, in order to maintain good relations.
Captains shall be held responsible for the conduct of their players.
Players who by action, words or deeds discredit the League or the game of Cricket shall be subject to disciplinary measures by the Executive Committee.
The Executive Committee shall deal with all disputes that cannot be resolved either by the umpires or Referee.
Disputes must be submitted to the League/Referee before the next scheduled game for a given team.
Clubs shall be allowed the opportunity to represent their case.
The Executive Committee shall render a decision no later a week from the dispute submittal.
Decisions arrived at shall be binding on all teams.
Umpires are the officiators of the match and enforcers of the rules. They should be given full respect and cooperation, and they are expected to be of proper conduct and to provide fair decisions.
Each team is given a quota of 2 chances to change Umpires, during the first round. More can be granted after approval from the Executive Committee. This means that in case some team (while bowling) thinks that the umpire is not acting in a just manner, it has the option of asking for a change. But this can only be done twice during the course of the first round. A written report must be submitted by the Captain of the team asking for the change to the Executive Committee immediately after the game explaining the situation leading to the removal of the Umpire. Any person removed from umpiring position twice is not allowed to umpire (officiate) another match until allowed by the Committee.
Availability of a Home Ground is the responsibility of the individual Club. All game shall be played on matting wicket.
If no report is received by Thursday immediately following the match the offending club shall be deducted a point from the total earned points for that match. If no points are earned then the team shall be awarded a negative point.
The names of the 11 players of both teams declared for the match must be listed on the match report. This shall be the only means by which playoffs eligibility shall be determined.
In the instance of an abandoned game due to rain both teams should submit a match report as normal for eligibility purposes.
In the case of a forfeit, the team forfeiting may not submit a match report/list of players.
To be eligible for Batting, Bowling or Fielding Averages Awards, a player must have played in a minimum of 2 of the scheduled matches in that competition.
A player must have played in a minimum of 2 of the scheduled matches in the League to be eligible for playoffs.
Any person may act as a substitute, provided that he is properly dressed. The substitute cannot be member of another league team.
Each club must have representation at the general meetings. If a club plans to be absent an email/ letter must be forwarded to the League (in writing) prior to the meeting.
Any player who has not played in at least 2 matches in the preliminary round shall not be eligible for the playoffs.
Match Reports shall be the only means by which playoffs eligibility shall be determined.
For the purpose of playoffs eligibility the 12th man shall not be counted.
Any player who has been included in the 11 declared for the match and who did not participate in the match shall not have that match counted towards eligibility.
The Executive Committee may grant playoffs eligibility exemption due to injury and/or other exceptional circumstances.
Neutral umpires shall be provided for the playoffs.
Man of the Match Semi-Final 1
Man of the Match Semi-Final 2
Man of the Match Final
Best Batsman
This award will be based upon the highest number
of runs scored during the preliminary round games.
Best Bowler
This award will be based upon the highest number
of wickets taken during the preliminary round games.
There is a $50 (Fifty Dollar) fee per team to join this League.
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