LEVEL OF FINES UNACCEPTABLE - CLUBS NEED TO ABIDE BY RULES.

Date: 29th October 2016

A Paul Edwards copyright exclusive for L&DCC Official Website.

Concern expressed at End of Season Meeting; Minutes are released, see link at end of article

Clubs in the Liverpool Competition are to be given a chance to vote on whether teams that repeatedly fail to follow the league’s rules and regulations should be allowed to remain in their current division.

Competition Chairman John Williams raised the possibility of taking severe action against repeat offenders during the end of season meeting at Sefton Park CC when it was disclosed that £7900 had been raised by fines for teams who fail to do things as simple as filling in match result forms, paying umpires prior to games and even attending meetings as well as breaching playing regulations.

Abiding by the rules would be considered alongside the existing ground and facilities criteria used to determine playing levels.

“I think we’ve got to do something about this,” said Williams. “If other clubs toe the line, we have to ask whether those who don’t obey the rules should be able to carry on playing their cricket in the same division.”

The league’s management committee will give clubs a chance to vote on such a proposal at the league AGM in January

In other respects Williams declared himself broadly satisfied with the progress made by the league in 2016, but Ray Rigby, the Merseyside Cricket Umpires Association representative, alerted clubs to a shortage of umpires and appealed for volunteers to attend the two training courses being held this winter.

The first of these takes place at New Brighton CC on three successive Sundays on November 6, 13 and 20 from 9.30-4.30. (Anyone wishing to attend should contact Rigby on 07710-416692)

“Out of the 51 umpires on the 2014 list, only 23 are still active,” said Rigby. “That means that some games only had one official available last season and we urgently need clubs to ask for volunteers to be trained as Level One officials.

In other news, it is likely that the 2017 season will start on April 22, a week later than had been anticipated, to avoid clashing with the Easter Saturday, when many clubs might find it difficult to raise full strength teams.

Bobby Denning, the managing director of the Lancashire Cricket Board confirmed that the final of the 2017 Lancashire Knockout Cup would be held at Emirates Old Trafford providing the game did not clash with the arrangements for any county matches.

Full minutes of the meeting

http://www.lpoolcomp.co.uk/uploaded_files/documents/2016__EoS__SGM_25_10_16_Minutes_.docx