Junior Rules

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Bacup Cricket Club is fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the well being of all its members. The Club believes that it is important that members, coaches, administrators and parents believes that it is important that members, coaches, administrators and parents/carers or guardians associated with the club should, at all times, show respect and understanding for the safety and welfare of others. Therefore, members are encouraged to be open at all times and to share any concerns or complaints that they may have about any aspect of the club with any committee member. As a member of Bacup Cricket Club you are expected to abide by the general rules of the Club, our

code of conduct for cricketers and by following Junior Club rules.

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All members must play cricket within the laws and in the spirit of the game.

> All members must respect the rights, dignity and worth of all participants regardless of gender, ability, cultural background or religion.

> Members should keep to agreed timings for practice and matches or inform their coach or team manager at the earliest possible opportunity if they cannot play or are going to be late.

> Members must wear suitable kit for training and match sessions, as agreed with the coach/team manager.

> Members must pay any fees for training or events promptly.

> Junior members are not allowed to smoke on club premises or whilst representing the club at competitions.

> Junior members or not allowed to consume alcohol or drugs of any kind on the club premises or whilst representing the club.

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Lancashire Junior Cricket League Rules of Play

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General

•All matches will be played in accordance with the laws of cricket as set down by the MCC, except where these have been varied by these rules.

•Any amendments to the rules of play can only be made only at an AGM / EGM, with any such amendment requiring a simple majority to be deemed a s carried.

•Specific rules apply to certain age groups:Code of Conduct & The Spirit of Cricket

•The following amended versions of the ECB “code of conduct” and “spirit of cricket” will apply within the league, and in accordance with ECB guidelines, any failure to comply with the provisions of section 2 of these rules of play, within or in connection with a fixture organised by the league may lead to disciplinary action.

•ECB code of conduct (including amendments which apply within the league).

•The ECB and the league are committed to maintaining the highest standards of behaviour and conduct. This code of conduct incorporates the spirit of cricket, as set out in section 3 below.

It applies to all matches played under the auspices of the ECB and the league.

•Captains (within the ECB Code of Conduct) are responsible at all times for ensuring that play is conducted within the spirit of cricket as well as within the laws.

Within the Lancashire Junior Cricket League this responsibility at all times will rest with team managers, not with captains.

•Players and team officials must at all times accept the umpire’s decision. Players must not show dissent at the umpire’s decision or react in a

provocative or disapproving manner towards another player or a spectator.

•Players and team officials shall not intimidate assault or attempt to intimidate or assault an umpire, another player or a spectator.

•Players and team officials shall not use crude and / or abusive language (known as “sledging”) nor make offensive gestures or hand signals nor deliberately distract an opponent.

•Players and team officials shall not make racially abusive comments nor indulge in racially abusive actions against fellow players, officials,

members and supporters.

•Clubs must take adequate steps to ensure the good behaviour of their members and supporters towards players and umpires.

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. (In the ECB Code of Conduct). Within this league, this major responsibility will rest with team managers, not wi

the captains.

•There are two laws which place the responsibility for the team’s conduct firmly on the captain team manager as indicated in 4 and 5 below:

Responsibility of team managers

•The team managers are responsible at all times for ensuring that play is conducted within the spirit of the game as well as within the laws.

Player’s conduct:

•In the event of any player failing to comply with the instruction of an umpire, criticising hisdecision 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 to the player’s team manager, requesting the latter to take action.

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 team manager to take action where required.

•The Umpires are authorised to intervene in cases of

•Time wasting

•Damaging the pitch

•Dangerous or unfair bowling

•Tampering with the ball

•Any other action that they consider to be unfair.

The Spirit of the Game involves RESPECT for:

•Your opponents

•Your own captain and team

•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

•To appeal knowing the batsman is not out

•To advance towards an umpire in an aggressive manner when appealing

•To seek 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.

•(Attention is drawn to the fact that breaches occurring in respect of this clause (v.) are specifically referred to by the ECB in section 1b of the sentencing guidelines.)

Violence

•There is no place for any act of violence on the field of play.

Players

•Team managers and umpires together set the tone for the conduct of a cricket match. Every player is expected to make an important contribution to this.

Player Membership

•Players must hold membership of the club for which they play.

•Players must be under 17,15, 13, 11 or 9 years of age at midnight on 31st August in the year preceding the current season to compete in the U17, U15, U13, U11, U9 competitions respectively.

•Once registered that registration will apply until the player ceases by age to be eligible for the Lancashire Junior League or until a transfer to another Lancashire Junior League club takes place.

•No player can register for more than one club in the Lancashire Junior League at any one time.

•Any player wishing to transfer to another Lancashire Junior League club must inform the club holding their registration before transferring.

•Clubs holding a players registration can object to a transfer on the grounds of outstanding subscriptions.

•Girls may be aged up to one year older than the age group that they play in.

Bowling

•The ECB fast bowling directives will apply in all matches, to all players.

Fielding / Wicket Keeping

•All wicket keepers will wear a helmet when standing up to the stumps when keeping wicket in matches and in practice. Under 9 wicket keepers must wear a helmet at all times.

•At Under 9, 11 and 13 all fielders standing in front of the batsman must be a minimum of 11 yards (10 metres) from the bat when the batsman strikes the ball. At Under 15 and 17 fielders must be a minimum of 8 metres away. Should a player come within the restricted distance, the umpire must stop the game immediately and instruct the fielder to move back. This distance applies even if the player is wearing a helmet.

Batting

•All batters will wear a helmet when batting against a hard cricket ball in matches and in practice.

Winning Team

•The team who score the most runs wins a match.

•A match will be tied if the runs scored are equal at the end of the match.

Points

•The winning team will be awarded 4 points

•2 points will be awarded for a tie

•1 point will be awarded where there is a ‘no result’ e.g. where a game has been unable to take place as a result of poor weather or other extenuating circumstances and every effort has been made to play the game.

•If a team fails to honour a fixture it will receive no points and the opposition will be awarded the points for a winning match plus one additional point at the discretion of the league executive.

Umpires and Scorers

•Each club is responsible for appointing a competent scorer and umpire for each match, with these preferably being persons who have received some form of training to enable them to carry out their duties effectively.

•In the event that only one team can supply an umpire, this official will be asked to officiate at the bowlers end throughout, but may decline to do so at their discretion.

Administration

•The League Executive has the mandate to decide all match and administrative issues as they arise.

•The League season will finish on August 31st or if that date falls Monday to Thursday inclusive, the season will finish on the first Friday in September.

•The League executive may penalise clubs for failing to report results to the League secretary within 7 days of the fixture being played or

cancelled.

•The winning team is responsible for communicating the result to the League Secretary Matches, cancellations and selection criteria

•Managers or coaches whether umpiring or not can only ‘coach’ when the ball is dead. Mid match coaching should be brief and not hold the game up particularly when failing light is an issue.

•In pairs cricket where a side is reduced to an uneven number through injury or arrives with 7 players, the ‘odd ‘player shall bat 2 overs and take strike for each ball. The game will therefore be of 14 over duration not 16 overs. The reduced side will decide who is the ‘odd’ player.

•‘A’ teams and ‘B’ teams should be seen as first teams and reserve teams. ‘A’ team players should not play for ‘B’ teams simply to fill in. Players can drop to the lower team on performance criteria only.

•Where a team is short of players it must recruit from its B team, and/ or younger age groups to fulfil the fixture unless the health and safety of players is an issue. We would not expect to see under 9s playing u13 cricket, nor u11 playing u15 cricket. No manager should feel compelled to risk the safety of an under age player in order to fulfil a fixture. However we expect clubs to have sufficient players for each age group. Cancelling a match because there are insufficient players because a younger age group is playing on the same day is not an acceptable reason.

•Match cancellations are for weather/pitch reasons only and should be communicated to the opposition in sufficient time to prevent travel where possible.

•Any cancellation for other reasons can result in a penalty of the number of points allocated for a win plus one additional point at the discretion of the league executive.

•All cancelled matches should be replayed where possible

•Home sides should offer a replay date. That date can only be refused where it clashes with an already fixed fixture for that side.

•Away sides can offer to host the fixture if the home side cannot find a suitable date

•Where one team believes that the opposition are refusing to play or replay a game, that team can appeal to the league executive for the awarding of a the win points

•Where a game has been cancelled for an unacceptable reason and adverse weather conditions or the end of the season prevents a replay the non-cancelling team can appeal to the League Executive for the awarding of points.

Lancashire League Junior Cricket League

UNDER 9 RULES

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•Unless otherwise stated the matches will conform to the under 11 rules.

•The pitch shall be 18 yards in length.

•Junior size stumps should be used, however normal stumps may be used.

•The ball used will be a youth Incrediball.

•Team managers may agree to play either a 12 over innings or a 16 over innings (6 ball variety).

•In a 12 over game, batters receive 3 overs per pair and bowlers will bowl one over minimum, two overs maximum.

•4 runs will be deducted per loss of wicket.

•The wicket keeper cannot bowl.

•Balls which bounce more than twice will not be considered no balls. However, if the ball comes to rest before reaching the line of the strikers wicket it will be called a no ball unless the batsman chooses to play at it.

•No balls and wides will be called at the discretion of the umpires however no more than 8 balls will be bowled in any over.

•The wearing of batting gloves and abdominal protectors is compulsory for batsmen. The wearing of wicket keeping gloves and abdominal protectors is compulsory for keepers. It is strongly advised that batsmen wear helmets and pads

Wicketkeepers must wear helmets whether standing up to the wickets or back.

•In pairs cricket where a side is reduced to an uneven number through injury or arrives with 7 players, the ‘odd ‘player shall bat 2 overs and take strike for each ball. The game will therefore be of 14 over duration not 16 overs. The reduced side will decide who is the ‘odd’ player.

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ECB Fast Bowling Directives

Injury prevention for fast bowlers

These directives apply to girls and boys, and any reference to he/his should be interpreted to include she/her. For the purpose of these Directives a fast bowler should be defined as a bowler to whom a wicket keeper in the same age group would in normal circumstances stand back to take the ball.

All coaches are urged to identify those players with the potential to bowl fast and to ensure they follow the Directives in all cricket throughout the season.

There are four main areas to be aware of when assessing injury risk to fast bowlers:

1. Overbowling 2. Technique 3. Physical Preparation 4. Equipment

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                                                                                                                                                                 Updated - March 2023

                                                                                                                                                                 Committee