The Meller Braggins Home Page Cheshire Cricket League

Cheshire Cricket League Logo

League Constitution

  1. TITLE
    The League shall be called 'The Meller Braggins Cheshire Cricket League' and shall consist of as many Clubs as the League shall decide at the Annual General Meeting or at a Special General Meeting.

  2. MANAGEMENT
    The League shall be managed by a Management Committee (hereinafter referred to as 'The Management Committee') consisting of one Representative from each member Club, plus a Representative of the Umpire's Association Committee who shall attend in a non-voting capacity. Nineteen representatives shall form a quorum. The League Officers shall comprise a Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, a Fixtures & Results Secretary and a Representative Cricket Secretary, together with a Deputy Chairman and an Assistant Secretary, all of whom shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting. Officers, other than the Deputy Chairman and Assistant Secretary, shall not be counted as Representatives of the Clubs of which they may be members and shall have no voting powers, except in the case of a voting tie on any matter, in which case the Chairman shall have the power to give a casting vote only to facilitate progress. The League shall elect a President at the Annual General Meeting and shall be empowered at such meeting to elect as Honorary Vice-Presidents individuals who have given especially meritorious service to the League.
    There shall also be an Executive Committee (hereinafter referred to as 'The Executive Committee') which shall manage the routine business of the League on behalf of the Management Committee. The Executive Committee shall comprise the Officers of the League other than the President, together with a Representative from one of the member Clubs playing in each Division of the League and a Representative of the League Umpires and Scorers Association. Six members of the Executive Committee shall form a quorum. Decision of the Executive Committee shall be by a simple majority. In the case of a voting tie on any matter the Chairman shall have a casting vote.
    The Executive Committee shall have the power to co-opt as it deems necessary and as relevant to specific agenda items. Co-opted members shall not be entitled to vote. The minutes of the Executive Committee meetings shall be circulated to the Management Committee.

  3. THE SECRETARY
    The Secretary shall be responsible for convening meetings as required by the Constitution, keeping the minutes of all meetings of the League and administering such decisions as the League may make from time to time. All correspondence, except where provided for otherwise in the Constitution or Match Rules shall be addressed to the Secretary and the Secretary shall address all correspondence on behalf of the League.

  4. THE TREASURER
    The Treasurer will keep requisite books of account of the League's financial affairs in respect of which he will submit an audited statement at the Annual General Meeting. He will be responsible for receiving all moneys due to the League and he will be responsible for making all payments due by the League.

  5. THE FINANCIAL YEAR
    The League's financial year shall end on 31st October.

  6. HONORARY AUDITOR
    An Honorary Auditor shall be appointed at the Annual General Meeting.

  7. GROUND INSPECTION
    The Management Committee shall, at their first meeting after the Annual General Meeting, appoint a ground inspection sub-committee consisting of eight representatives. Each season they shall inspect the grounds and facilities of all member Clubs and report back to the Management Committee with their findings and recommendations. The ground inspection sub-committee may also and from time to time recommend for consideration and (if thought fit) adoption by the Management Committee, criteria for all or any of the facilities of the member Clubs.

  8. LEAGUE REPRESENTATIVES
    All Clubs must advise the Secretary, no later than one month following the Annual General Meeting of the League, of the name, address and telephone number of their appointed Representative on the Management Committee.

  9. CHILD WELFARE OFFICER
    Every Club shall be obliged to appoint a Child Welfare Officer.

  10. SUBSCRIPTIONS
    All Clubs shall pay an annual subscription of an amount to be fixed at each Annual General Meeting for the following year. Such subscription falls due for payment on 1st January in any year and should be submitted to the Treasurer on demand.

  11. FIXTURES AND RESULTS
    The Fixtures and Results Secretary may recommend to the Management Committee at any appropriate time that an Assistant Fixtures and Results Secretary be appointed to deal with any additional workload.
    The Executive Committee shall arrange all fixtures and set the dates for such fixtures no later than the 31st of August in the year prior to the season in question and the Results Secretary shall receive all results and arrange for the publication of those and league tables in the press, submitting copies to the member Clubs. No fixtures shall be rearranged except by permission of the Executive Committee.

  12. REPRESENTATIVE CRICKET
    The Representative Cricket Secretary may recommend to the Management Committee at any appropriate time that an Assistant Representative Cricket Secretary be appointed to deal with any additional workload.
    The Representative Cricket Secretary shall be responsible for arranging and staging all matches including the co-ordination of the Selection Committee. Notification of Representative Matches arranged, together with the composition of the selected teams, shall be forwarded to all member clubs 14 days prior to the date of each fixture.

  13. PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS
    1. Member Clubs may not engage the services of a professional player or play a professional of any other Club in league fixtures or other Competitions organised by the League. A player is deemed to be a 'Professional' if he has been remunerated for playing cricket during the current season, either in cash or in kind and whether by a cricket club or any other body or person or persons.
      Any Club found to have contravened these provisions shall forthwith cease to be a member of the League.
    2. Clubs shall, each season, submit to the Secretary of the League a declaration signed by their Chairman stating that none of the players registered by the Club are Professionals under Rule 13a) above. The wording of such declaration shall be determined by the Management Committee. The deadline for submission of the declaration shall be the 1st April each year. Clubs whose declarations are not received by the Secretary of the League on or before the deadline shall automatically incur a fine of £20.00. clubs who subsequently fail to submit the declaration before the 1st June in any year shall be excluded from the League.

  14. TROPHIES
    Trophies shall be offered for Competetions organised by the League and presented to the respective winners and runners-up annually. In event of a tie in any Competition, the winner's trophy shall be held by the joint winners for an equal period of time as directed by the Management Committee. All trophies will be insured by the League and the holders must return such trophies to the Secretary on request for representation at the appropriate time, in a good state of repair. Engraving of trophies shall be the sole responsibility of the League.

  15. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
    The Annual General Meeting of the League shall be held not later than 31st December in any year. Notice of such a meeting shall be given by the Secretary offering members twenty-eight days notice in writing and will include therewith a copy of the detailed agenda, audited financial statement and (if any) a copy of proposed alterations to this Constitution or the Match Rules governing any Competition organised by the League. All Clubs should be represented at the Annual General Meeting. There should be no limit to the number of individuals who may attend such meetings but each member Club shall only have one vote on all matters arising.

  16. SPECIAL GENERAL MEETINGS
    A Special General Meeting shall be called at the written request of not less than twelve member Clubs or by the Management Committee or the Executive Committee. The notice convening the meeting shall state the business of the meeting and only such business shall be considered. A Special General meeting must be held not later than 28days after being requested; Members to be given 14days notice of such meetings. All Clubs should be represented at Special General Meetings.

  17. ALTERATIONS TO THE CONSTITUTION ETC.
    No alterations to this Constitution or the Match Rules governing any competition organised by the League shall be made except at Annual General Meeting or Special General Meetings called for the purpose and then only by a majority of not less than 2 to 1 of the votes recorded. Proposed alterations to this Constitution or the said Match Rules must be in writing and submitted to the Secretary to arrive not later than 31st October in respect of the Annual General Meeting. The only exception shall be voting in respect of promotion and relegation between divisions of the League where a simple majority only of the votes recorded will be required.

  18. DISCIPLINE
    1. Disciplinary matters shall be dealt with by a Disciplinary Sub-Committee in accordance with the regulations in that respect from time to time laid down by the League in Annual or Special General Meeting and the provisions of paragraph 17 shall apply to such regulations.

    2. In addition to a Disciplinary Sub-Committee there shall be an Appeals Sub-Committee and at any meeting of either Sub-Committee three members shall constitute a quorum. Each sub-Committee shall appoint one of it's members to be it's Chairman and they shall also appoint a Secretary who shall not be entitled to vote at any hearing.

    3. The members of the Disciplinary and Appeals Sub-Committees shall be elected by the Management Committee at it's first meeting held after each Annual General Meeting of the League. There shall be five members of each Sub-Committee and in each case three members shall form a quorum.

  19. FINES AND PENALTIES
    The following fines will be levied :-
    1. For non-attendance at Annual or Special Meetings - Fine £15.00.
    2. For non-fulfilment of 1st XI fixtures a fine payable to the League not exceeding £30.00 and a points deduction on the following basis:-
      For a first offence in any season - Points Deducted 50 and Fine £15.00.
      For a second offence in any season - Points Deducted 50 and Fine £22.50.
      For a third or subsequent offence in any season - Points Deducted 50 and Fine £30.00.
      In addition (and this shall apply to both 1st and 2nd XI fixtures), tea expenses, at cost, must be paid to opponents where applicable.
    3. Non-attendance at the Management Committee Meetings by the Club Representative (or a deputy) - Fine £15.00.
    4. Where any Club does not fulfil a 2nd XI fixture 5 points shall be deducted from the points earned or to be earned (as the case may be) by it's 1st XI.
    NOTE: All fines referred to above shall be subject to ratification by the Managment Committee.

  20. APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP
    All applications for membership must be in writing to the Secretary and accompanied by the entrance fee of £20.00 which will be returnable in the event of any application being unsuccessful. All applicant Club grounds and facilities will be inspected by Ground Inspection Sub-Committee or a Special sub-Committee appointed by the Management Committee or (in the case of emergency) by the Executive Committee before their applications are considered by the League and applicant Clubs must receive a two-thirds majority of all member Clubs for such an application to be successful.

  21. RESIGNATIONS
    Resignations from the League must be in writing and received by the Secretary no later than 30th June to be effective for the following season. Resignations received after the relevant date will make the Club liable for their league subscriptions for the following season. Any Club resigning from the League shall forfeit any claim on the League's assets.

  22. EXPULSION
    Any proposal to expel a Club from membership of the League must be made in writing to the Secretary with reasons for such a proposal clearly stated and must be seconded by another member-Club. Any Club, the subject of such a proposal, should be given every opportunity of answering such proposals at an Annual or Special General Meeting, and for such a proposal to be effective it must receive a majority of not less than 3 to 1 of all member Clubs present and voting at the relevant meeting.

  23. LEAGUE AVERAGES
    All Clubs will be required to submit to the League, the batting and bowling averages of their leading players for all Divisions (First and Second XIs) for inclusion in the League Handbook subject to any qualification limitations the League may impose.

  24. INTER-LEAGUE PROMOTION & RELEGATION
    Subject at all times to compliance with the ground criteria of the appropriate League from time to time in force, the top two teams in each season of the First Division of the League shall be promoted to the Cheshire County Cricket League, the bottom two teams of that League shall be relegated to the First Division of the League. The two bottom teams in the Third Division of the League shall be relegated to the Cheshire Cricket Alliance and the top two teams in that League shall be promoted to the Third Division of the League. Provided that in the event that any Club shall not meet the appropriate ground criteria or if for any other reason inter-League promotion and relegation shall in any season not be possible on the above basis, the Management Committee or (in an emergency) the Executive Committee, shall make such other arrangements in relation to such matters as shall be deemed appropriate.

  25. ENGLAND AND WALES CRICKET BOARD
    The Management Committee shall have the power to incorporate in the rules governing the matches played in any competition organised by the League, any Directives, Guidelines, Recommendations and other publications from time to time issued by the England and Wales Cricket Board, either in full or with such modifications as it deems appropriate.

  26. OTHER MATTERS
    The Management Committee, or (where appropriate) the Executive Committee shall have the power to decide on all matters not specially provided for in the Constitution and the Match Rules.


Back to Home Page