LIGA NACIONAL De CRICKET De ESPAÑA
NATIONAL ESPANA CRICKET (CE) LEAGUE 2018
ECCL Divisions One, Two and Madrid League
PART ONE
LEAGUE COMPETITION RULES
A. GENERAL
A1. The Competition shall be held under the auspices of Cricket España (CE), and it is the wish of CE that all players, officials and spectators enjoy the Competition and enjoy Cricket in the way it should be played.
A2. The Competition shall be managed by the CE League Chairman and a Secretary appointed by the CE Director of Cricket. They will be responsible for the strategic management of the CE Regional Leagues and will report back to the CE Executive Committee through the CE Director of Cricket. Decisions made by the CE League Chairman shall be final and binding. However, any disputes that arise must be reported to the Director of Cricket before imposing any penalties. Any club disputing or contesting the decision made by the CE League Chairman, may appeal to the CE Director of Cricket who will appoint an Independent Committee to look into the appeal and report back to the CE League Chairman with the findings. The report and the findings will be forwarded to the clubs concerned and the report, which will be independent of the Director of Cricket, will be final and binding. There will be no second appeal. The above procedures are required to take place within 10 days of the complaint being received by the League Chairman.
Eastern and Central Cricket League will be known, in this document, as the ECCL.
Subject to the above Conditions the ECCL will be conducted as follows:
A Regional Committee headed by the ECCL Chairman will be formed in order to run the ECCL. The Committee will consist of a Chairman, a Secretary, Umpires Representative, Membership Secretary and any Ordinary Members that the Committee sees fit. These Members will be elected at the Annual meeting of the ECCL Clubs held between November and January of the following year.
This Committee will be responsible for the day to day running of the ECCL Leagues and taking any disciplinary action as appropriate. Any such decisions shall be final and binding. However, any Club wishing to challenge the decision may appeal in the first instance to the League Chairman and subsequently, if still not satisfied with the decision, to the CE Director of Cricket.
However, any such action should only be taken after careful consideration as sanctions may be increased as well as decreased.
Note: This Committee is subordinate to the CE League Committee referred to in Paragraph A2 above.
A3. Each Club shall be responsible for ensuring that its players and officials are familiar with Competition Rules and Playing Conditions. Team Captains are reminded that they are responsible for the conduct of both their team and individual players.
A4. Fixture lists will be issued by the Regional League Committees. The team whose name appears on the left side of the list shall be designated the ‘home team’. Unless otherwise agreed by the League Committee all games shall be played on the dates and at the venues specified.
A5. Fees to enter the Regional Leagues are to be decided by the Regional League Committees. In addition, all players must be registered with CE at a cost of 6 Euros per person and all Clubs registered at a cost of 70 Euros per Club. (Subject to a total cost to the Club of 150 Euros). All fees must be paid by 28th February 2018. Non-payment of fees at the specified time shall attract the following excess payment:
Payments after the 28th February 2018 Excess of €30.00 (Thirty Euros)
Teams not paying their registration fees by 1st April 2018 shall be eliminated from their respective Regional League.
CE Bank details are as follows:
Account name: Asociacion Espanola de Cricket
Account Number: 2100 4453 84 0200029304
Address: Bank Caixa C/Valencia Alfas del Pi
A6. There shall be a Match Fee of €90.00 (Ninety Euros) per ECCL league game per team payable to ECCL. This fee includes the cost of the match ball. Ideally, match fees should be paid six days in advance or, alternatively, before the game is played, to the Home Team Captain or the ECCL Official. Match fees are to be paid into the Bank Cajamar account using the fixture as the Reference when paying in (e.g. Reference: La Manga, or Valencia).
Bank details are as follows:
Account Number: 3058 0370 62 2720008207
Address: Bank Cajamar, Los Belones
B. CLUB AND PLAYER ELIGIBILITY
B1. All clubs participating in the League must be registered with CE.
B1.a ECCL require full information from clubs on their players, and a copy of NIE or passport details to be forwarded to the membership secretary before the start of the season and before the issue of ID cards.
B2. All players participating in the League must be registered with their club and with the CE.
Note! A player may be registered for a number of clubs but can only play League Cricket for one club in the current year.
B3. All players must be registered with CE by the 28th February 2018. A player not registered with CE by the 28th February 2018 must get special dispensation from the League Committee before playing in any League game. Clubs shall give a minimum of 7 days notice before a newly registered player may play for the Club. The ECCL League Committee shall allow two emergency player registrations per club per year to overcome any last minute player unavailablitiy but the registration must be received by the ECCL League Chairman at least 48 hours before the start of the next match in which the said player will participate.
B4. Normally a player shall only play for one League team in the Competition. However, a transfer of a player between Clubs or Regions will be allowed as follows:
(a) Transfer between Clubs at the discretion of the Regional League Chairman.
(b) Transfer between Regions at the discretion of the Chairman of the CE
Leagues.
An application for transfer must be submitted in writing to the CE League Chairman or the Regional League Chairman for a decision. Once approved the player will be able to play league cricket for the new Club within 7 days of registration providing that the player has not represented his/her previous Club for more than 2/3rds of the current League fixtures and he/she has no outstanding financial debts to the club he/she is leaving or outstanding equipment leant to him by the club he/she is leaving and not returned in reasonable condition. In the case of a transfer between Regions the same rule will apply but
only for the play-offs for the Spanish League Championships.
If a player wishes to transfer to and register with another club at any time after the season has finished then he/she may only do so if he/she has no outstanding debts with that previous club or any equipment leant to him/her has been returned in a reasonable condition.
NOTE: The CE Leagues Chairman’s, or the Regional Leagues Chairman’s, decision shall be final and binding with no appeal.
B5. No player under the age of 15 (fifteen) years on 1st January 2018 shall participate in the Competition, unless prior approval has been obtained from the League Committee. Applications for that approval must be submitted to the League Membership Secretary at least 7 (Seven) days before the first match in which they have been selected to play.
B6. The list of registered players shall be held by the CE Membership Secretary who shall provide details of player registration and membership on request. Neither the League Chairman nor the League Committee can give Special Dispensation to any club or player without first notifying the Membership Secretary.
B7. Disciplinary Matters
Any alleged breach of the CE Code of Conduct for Players and Officials for matches played under the auspices of the ICC Development Program will be dealt with in the following manner:
(a) Disciplinary matters will be dealt with by the League Committee and the Director of Cricket will be kept Informed at all times.
(b) If a Decision has to go to an Appeals Committee the appropriate Committee will be appointed by the Director of Cricket and will be Independent of the League Committee.
(c) All Complaints will be heard within 10 days of the complaint being received by the League Chairman.
In addition to the above any public critcism of any player, match official, CE official or ECCL official in any form at any time by any form of communication shall be dealt with as a level 1 offence of the CE Code of Coduct.
CE ANTI-RACISM POLICY.
This Code – one of the toughest in world sport – confirms a level of commitment from the CE and its Members to promote and encourage participation at all levels (regardless of race, colour, religion, national or ethnic origin) and to ensure that there is no discrimination in the game of Cricket. To this end all Clubs and players are to sign the ‘Code of Conduct Acceptance Form’ attached to these Rules. Team Captains are required to hold these forms for inspection when required by CE.
The Code requires CE Members to impose punishments on spectators found guilty of racial abuse, from ejection from the venue to a life ban, and deliver preventative measures at League or Friendly matches.
To assist Members with the adoption of the new Code, the ICC introduced an implementation template and check list shortly after the Code was adopted and since the start of 2007 it has begun to monitor the application of these measures around the Cricket World.
Members failing to uphold the Code face penalties if racist incidents happen at a venue under their control. These penalties range from warnings through to fines and the possible withdrawal of League status for a venue.
The CE’s commitment to ensuring the diversity of the sport is respected by its participants is also enshrined in the Code of Conduct for Players and Officials where on-field racism is considered one of the most serious acts that can be committed, with the possibility of a life ban for anyone found guilty of such an offence.
C. DRESS CODE
All items of apparel shall be consistent with the traditions of the game of cricket. Specifically, players shall adhere to the following dress code:
a) Shirts shall be mainly white or cream with a collar. The wearing of ‘T’ shirts is not allowed. Shirts may be embellished only with the players’ club names and/or logo, and club’s official sponsors’ names.
b) Long trousers shall be white or cream. Shorts and non-white tracksuit trousers are not permitted.
c) Footwear – Spikes are not permitted.
d) No player should be permitted to take the field without any white clothing unless approval is given by both the Umpires and the opposing Captain.
The CE appointed umpires shall be responsible for enforcing the dress code. Non-compliance may result in the player in question being deemed ineligible to take part in the game.
NOTE: In matches of less than 25 overs coloured clothing may be permitted.
D. PLAYING CONDITIONS
D1. The Laws of Cricket (2017 Code) shall apply. Games should be played not only within the Laws but also within the spirit of the game. The major responsibility for ensuring the spirit of fair play rests with the Captains. (The Preamble – Spirit of Cricket refers)
(a) No current Spanish International cricketer is eligible to play in any Division Two Fixtures.
(b) No cricketer is eligible to play for his club in Division One and Division Two Fixtures on the same weekend without special dispensation from the ECCL Chairman.
(c) Clubs with 2 or more teams in the League are requested to avoid, whenever possible, the inclusion of regular first team players in Division Two Fixtures. It is in the best interest of the development of cricket in Spain to comply with this request and it totally conforms to the Spirit of Cricket. It is not always about winning.
(d) “Double Header” Fixtures – Two 1st XI or 2nd XI Matches played on the same weekend.
When these particular fixtures occur it is permissible for players to play both Saturday and Sunday.
(e) Any player/players under the age of 18 shall be permitted to play within any of the club’s teams at any time.
(f) Confirmation of Dispensation will be given in writing – conventionally or by electronic mail.
(g) Teams with less than 6 players ready at the start time will be deducted 4 points.
(h) (i) Rearranged games will only be allowed for legitimate reasons not lack of players. However, if the game cannot be re- arranged, the defaulting team will be deducted 20 points. The opponents will be awarded the match and 20 points.
(ii) Clubs wishing to cancel any ECCL fixture MUST inform the ECCL Chairman 8 days or more before the said fixture. Should this ruling be disregarded the offending club will be expected to pay the full Match Fee for both clubs. There will be no rearrangement of the fixture. The offending club will incur a 20 point penalty their opponents will be awarded the victory and 20 points. Notice of a cancelled fixture received by the ECCL 8 days or more before the fixture date will NOT be subject to financial penalties. The ECCL will endeavour to rearrange the fixture but if this is not possible the offending club will incur a 20 point penalty their opponents will be awarded the victory and 20 points Fixtures cancelled by a Ground Authority will NOT be subject to financial penalties. The ECCL will endeavour to rearrange the fixture but if this is not possible both clubs will be awarded 10 points each. Each club to pay 2 Match Fees in advance of each season. If a cancellation occurs within the 8 day period the 2 Match Fees will be paid direct to the relevant Ground Authority. An IMMEDIATE payment of 2 Match Fees will be required as replacement. If this amount is NOT PAID before the 8 days DEADLINE of the club’s next fixture the ECCL will have no option but to cancel that match. The offending club will incur a 20 point penalty their opponents will be awarded the match and 20 points. At all times the ECCL must hold 2 Match Fees of a Club’s money to ensure that a Ground Authority can be paid if necessary. For a club that does NOT cancel any fixtures the 2 Match Fees held by the ECCL will cover the final 2 matches of the season.
The above ruling amendments were discussed, proposed, seconded and unanimously voted by the ECCL Member Clubs at the AGM January 2018.
(i) Breaches of ECCL Competition Rules will incur a severe penalty to be decided by
the ECCL Committee.
(j) The ECCL Committee decision on any breach of the League Competition Rules
appertaining to this paragraph will be final and binding.
D2. Ideally, the CE Regional Development Officer (RDO), or the CE appointed Umpires Representative for the Region, shall appoint two Umpires for each game. The Umpires shall resolve any disputes that may occur during the game and their decision shall be final and binding.
D3. Each team shall provide a scorer for each of their games. The scorer for the Home Team shall be responsible for completing the official CE Score book or the home team CAPTAIN if no Scorer is appointed. The Score book should be provided by CE and lodged permanently at all playing venues. On completion of the game it shall be checked and signed by both umpires and then handed to an ECCL League or Regional Representative.
In addition the home team is responsible for forwarding a completed form (Annexe A), conventionally or electronically, to the CE Secretary within 72 hours.
D4 The collection of Match fees and payment into the ECCL Bank Account (Cajamar) will be done by an appointed ECCL Match Official at the grounds. Team Captains will be responsible to pay the 90 Euros before the toss and before the start of the game, any team not complying with this rule will not be permitted to take the field of play, the match awarded to the opposition and the league penalty of 180 Euros for not completing the game will be applied. A receipt will be given for the funds by the match official. Teams intending to pay match fees into the ECCL account in full for all league games or the 90
Euros match fee for the coming weekend must let the league chairman or secretary know six days before the weekend of the game. The home team will be responsible for the erection and removal of sight screens, positioning and repositioning of tables and chairs and the disposal of litter before and after the game.
D5. Each team shall submit a list of the full names (Surname and Given name) of its selected players and twelfth man, to the Umpires at least 30 (thirty) minutes before the scheduled start of play for each game. See Annexe B.
D6. Regional Leagues shall provide two new Grade A league balls for each match. These shall be handed to the Umpire before the ‘toss’.
D7. The ‘toss’ shall take place 15 (fifteen) minutes before the designated starting time for the match. If the representative of one of the competing teams is not present at that time, the other team shall have choice of innings.
D8. Only one tactical change of wicket keeper may take place in an innings.
E. LEAGUE STRUCTURE
E1. All Games will take place in their given Spanish Regions.
E2. The CE League Champions for 2018 will be decided as follows:
(a) The Regions taking part to decide the Champions for 2018 will be:
(i) Costa Blanca
(ii) Barcelona
(iii) Costa Del Sol
(iv) Lanzarote
(b) The Spanish Champions will be decided by a play off between each of the
Regional League winners.
NB: ELIGIBILITY: To take part in the League Finals players must have participated in at least 25% of their respective Club matches. However, if a club feels it has cause for special dispensation then a case is to be submitted to the Director of Cricket for consideration at least 21 days before the finals are due to take place.
F. MATCH AND LEAGUE RESULTS
See Part Two
G. MEDIA COVERAGE
G1. The Home Team shall be responsible for completing the Match Report Form and sending it to the CE Secretary within 72 hours of the match being completed by post (Correos) or by electronic mail.