MIDAS GROUP SHIELD

1 NAME: The competition shall be known as the Midas Group Shield and shall be open to all cricket clubs in the area covering Torquay, Paignton, Brixham, Newton Abbot, Totnes and Bovey Tracey.

2 ADMINISTRATION: The competition shall be governed by a committee consisting of the president, chairman, secretary, treasurer and five other members as elected from the general committee at the annual meeting. The executive committee shall have the power to co-opt members for specific purposes.

3 CONSTITUTION: The general committee referred to in rule two shall consist of the above mentioned officers plus one representative of each competing club.

4 POWERS: The executive committee shall be empowered to:

b) Arrange fixtures by means of a draw or draws.

c) Arrange insurance and any other business that may be urgent.

d) Consider appeals or protests. In these cases the club or clubs concerned may be represented by an official, but such representative shall not be allowed to vote, or be present while the committee arrives at its decision.

e) Rule on the eligibility of players.

5 FINANCE: Finance shall be dealt with by and through an account with a bank and any cheques shall be signed by two of the following officials: The chairman, the secretary or the treasurer.

Subscriptions shall be in the form of an entrance fee of £5 and shall be payable no later than the date of the annual meeting. The level of subscriptions will be fixed at the annual meeting.

The financial year for the competition will end on September 30 each year.

6 ANNUAL MEETING: The annual meeting shall be by December 31 in any year or later than February 28 the following year.

7 PLAYING CONDITIONS: Rules of play shall be those of the 2000 Code of the Laws of Cricket with the following exceptions.

a) Each innings shall consist of no more than 15 eight-ball overs.

b) No player may bowl more than four overs.

c) The bowler's run-up is restricted to 15 yards – this point to be clearly marked on the field of play.

d) The side scoring the greatest number of runs shall be deemed the winners.

e) In the event of a tie the side losing the least number of wickets will be declared the winner. If the wickets fallen are the same the side scoring the greater number of sixes shall be the winner. And if there is still no outcome the winner will be the side scoring most fours from the bat.

f) All matches must start by 6.15pm on the day arranged. If either side is not at full strength or ready to commence at the same time, that side must begin batting or fielding with as many players as are ready. No substitutes for late arrivals will be allowed and a player arriving more than 15 minutes late will not be allowed to bowl until the same period of time has elapsed. Substitutes for injured players will be allowed, as per the 2000 code.

g) In all rounds up to and including the quarter-finals, the club drawn first will be responsible for the provision of balls, not necessarily new, stumps and bails. The competition will supply a new ball for the semi-finals and final. Each club will provide their own spare ball, which must be approved by and lodged with the umpires before play commences.

8 ELIGIBILITY: Eligible players. These are bona fide playing members of each competing club. A player may play for only one competing club in the same season. Players who play for one club in the Devon Senior League will not be allowed to play for a different one in this competition.

Guidelines for eligibility

a) No player who has played more than eight 1^st XI games in the Devon Senior League Premier Division the previous season will be allowed to be registered.

b) However, any player who is eligible to play in the South Devon Colts League will be permitted to play in the competition, regardless of the number of first-eleven matches played the previous season.

c) No player who has played cricket at Minor Counties level or above in the previous or current season shall be eligible for registration to play in the competition.

d) Overseas players. Clubs should apply the criteria and spirit implied in the above rule.

e) The executive committee undertakes to scrutinise lists prior to the commencement of the competition. Such vetting should take place in the first week of May.

8 REGISTRATION Each club shall be limited to a registration list 24 players. An initial block of no less than 12 players should be submitted to the competition secretary by May 1. Additional players may be registered for matches up to but not including the semi-final and final. Additional requests for registration must be received by the secretary at least seven days before the player named can play in a match. Failure to comply with this rule will mean automatic expulsion.

10 ENTRIES: Closing date for entries. All entries must be received in writing by the date of the annual meeting.

11 UMPIRES. Umpires will be appointed to all matches by the DCU&S. Umpires are entitled to claim £6 each for standing in a match, the fee to be paid by the captains of the two sides.

12 THE DRAW. The first-round draw will be made at the end of the annual meeting. Draws for subsequent rounds all the way to the semi-finals will be made on the same night. Matches to be played on Thursday nights starting from the second Thursday in May. The semi-final and final will be played on a date and at a venue determined by the executive committee.

The side drawn first will have home advantage, unless otherwise specified by the executive committee. The semi-finals and final will be played on neutral grounds. The Recreation Ground at Torquay and Queens Park, Paignton shall be considered as neutral grounds for all matches.

13 SCORERS: Each club shall appoint a scorer for its own matches. For the final, the executive committee will nominate an official scorer.

14 DRESS; All players must be appropriately dressed.

15 BATSMEN: The ingoing batsman must pass the outgoing batsman on the field of play. The only exception to this is when two or more wickets fall from consecutive balls.

16 RESULTS: The results of all matches must be sent to the secretary on the official card provided within 48 hours of the match. Both captains must sign the card. It is the responsibility of the winning captain to ensure the card is sent. Failure to send the card in within the allocated time will result in a fine of £10.00

17 ABANDONED/CANCELLED GAMES: For all abandoned games up to the semi-final stage, where a reserve date has been fixed, a replay shall take place within 10 days. Home clubs must inform the competition secretary within 24 hours of any cancellation due to weather conditions.

18 AWARDS: The two teams competing in the final will receive suitable mementos of the occasion. The Aaron Printers Narracott Cup will be presented to the captain of the winning side. The Ted Dickinson Trophy will be awarded to the Man of the Match.

19 PROTESTS: All protests must be made in writing to the secretary within 48 hours of the match ending.