Redditch Skittles League

NB: These are league rules.  For other competition rules please see their respective rule sheets.

KEY INFORMATION:

When?

• Matches start at 8pm, on either a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.
• The league season runs from September to June (with breaks for Christmas & Easter).

Where?

• The three league venues are South Redditch Sports & Social Club, Redditch Borough Community Sports & Social Club and Lodge Park Social Club.

Format

• League matches are played 10-a-side.
• Five legs of three balls per player.
• Points are awarded for scoring more total pins than the opposition team and for winning each leg.

League Executive

1. Executive
   1. The Chairman, Secretary, Fixture Secretary, Competition Secretary and Treasurer shall comprise the league’s Executive and be empowered to make decisions on the league’s behalf.

Rules of Play

• Team size and player numbers
  • Each team shall comprise a maximum of 10 players and a minimum of 7 players.
  • If team numbers are unequal, scores are adjusted to compensate – see rule 6.
  • An additional two players are entitled to bowl as reserves, but their scores shall not be counted towards the team’s match pin total.
• Legs and bowling order
  • Each league match shall consist of five legs of three balls per player.
  • A leg is completed when each player from each team has bowled once.
  • Captains will toss a coin to determine which team bowls first.
    • The team that bowls first in the match shall bowl first on legs 1, 3, 5.
• Match points (subject to rule 6)
  • The team with the most aggregate pins after five legs is awarded 5 points.
  • The team with the fewest aggregate pins after five legs is awarded 1 point.
  • In the event the teams score equal pins after five legs, teams are awarded 3 points each.
• Leg points (subject to rule 6)
  • The team with the most pins per leg is awarded 1 point.
  • In the event of a tied leg, teams are awarded 0.5 points each.
• Matches with unequal team numbers
  • In the event team numbers are unequal, the team with more player(s) shall drop the lowest score(s) in each leg until team numbers are equal.  The new total shall be used to determine the awarding of leg points (rule 5).
  • The total of the dropped score(s) from rule 6a shall be deducted from the team’s total pins.  The new net score is compared with the opponent’s total score to determine the awarding of match points (rule 4).
• Unfulfilled fixtures
  • In the event a team fails to fulfil a fixture they will receive 0 points.  The opposing team shall be awarded 10 points (subject to rule 16b).
• Starting time, late arrivals & early leavers
  • The starting time for all league games is 8pm.  Teams should encourage their players to arrive early to ensure matches start promptly.
  • A player arriving late may be permitted to play providing the opposing team’s captain agrees and is informed of the player’s name.  The player must arrive before the completion of leg 2.
  • A player is permitted to “bowl off” early providing the opposing team’s captain agrees.
  • A player arriving late or leaving early shall not bowl consecutive legs to “catch up” or “bowl off”.  Instead, a minimum of two other players must bowl between each “catch up” or “bowl off” leg and the opposition captain must be informed of each.
  • Once a player has bowled as a reserve (rule 2c) they shall not be allowed to bowl in the match team in that same fixture in the event an expected late arriving player does not arrive.
• Alleys, pins & balls
  • At the Redditch Borough venue, the alley to be used for league matches is Alley 2 (the alley furthest from the entrance).
  • The line at all venues is a foot line (not a ball line).  Whilst players should do their best to not cross the line when bowling, some leniency is permitted due to the limited bowling space available (particularly at the South Redditch venue).
  • The line to be used at the Lodge Park venue is the line furthest from the pins.
  • In the event a match is scheduled for Alley 1 at the Redditch Borough venue, the line to be used is the line closest to the pins.
  • The pins and balls to be used for matches are provided by the league and locked in boxes at each venue.  Team captains shall be provided with keys to the boxes.
  • It is the responsibility of the team captains to ensure that the pins and balls are safely locked in the boxes and stored away at the end of each fixture.
  • The League Executive shall ensure that the pins and balls are in good condition and shall be responsible for purchasing and providing new equipment as necessary.
• Stacking
  • The opposition team shall provide a minimum of two stackers while the other team is bowling.
  • Pins shall be set squarely on the spots at the start of each bowler’s set of three balls.
  • The white pin is the kingpin and shall always be placed on the spot at the front of the diamond.
  • All skittles knocked down must be removed from the alley after each ball, prior to the next ball being bowled.
  • A ball that touches the side of the alley before it reaches the pins shall be a no ball.  Any pins knocked down by a no ball shall not be restacked, nor the ball returned.
  • Pins knocked down by a no ball do not count.
    • In the event of a first ball no ball, and a second ball that knocks down all remaining pins, only those pins knocked down by the second ball shall be restacked.
  • Pins knocked down by a ball bouncing back from the end of the alley after passing the diamond shall not count and shall be restacked to their original positions. Pins knocked down by a pin bouncing back from the end of the alley do count.
• Re-standing pins
  • Any pins that end standing on or inside of the painted diamond line are considered live.
    • A live pin shall be left where it is.  It is not to be replaced to its spot, nor removed from the alley.
  • Any pins that end standing outside of the painted diamond are considered dead.
    • All of the base of the pin must be outside of the diamond to be deemed dead.  There must be “clear daylight” between the pin and the diamond line.
    • Pins that are touching the line of the diamond are considered live.

1. Conduct & sportsmanship
   1. Teams are expected to behave in a sportsmanlike manner.
   1. Barracking, gamesmanship, foul and abusive language shall not be tolerated and should be reported to the League Executive for disciplinary action.
   1. At the end of a match players are encouraged to give “three cheers” to their opposition and/or shake hands.

Scoresheet Submission

1. Scoresheets
   1. Scoresheets are required to be completed and submitted for all league fixtures.Team captains are responsible for the correct and satisfactory completion of the scoresheet and its prompt submission.Scoresheets must be emailed to both the League Secretary and Press Officer.  Alternatively, scoresheets can be submitted using the scoresheet submission page of the league website (www.redditchskittlesleague.co.uk/scoresheet-upload).Photographs of the alley blackboard or scoresheet are acceptable providing they are legible and readily understood.
   1. The deadline for scoresheet submission is the Friday of that week’s fixture.

League Standings

1. League positions
   1. Once all fixtures have been completed, the winner of the league shall be the team with the most points.
   1. In the event multiple teams have equal points, the team with the higher aggregate pins shall receive the higher league position (subject to rule 14c).
   1. In the event multiple teams have equal points but have played a different number of games due to an opposing team not fulfilling a fixture, the team with the higher average pins shall receive the higher league position (subject to rule 14d).
   1. If the reason for an unfulfilled fixture lies with one of the tied teams, then the average pins is determined by dividing the team’s total pins by the number of games played plus the unfulfilled fixture.

Fixtures & Rearrangements

1. Fixtures
   1. The appointed Fixture Secretary is responsible for the formulation of, and all matters relating to, the fixture list.
   1. The Fixture Secretary shall provide a list of fixtures at the start of each round of fixtures (Sept & Jan) with no less than two weeks’ notice before the first fixture of each.
2. Rearrangements
   1. Once fixtures have been issued, teams should raise any potential scheduling issues with the Fixture Secretary within one week for consideration of a reschedule.
   1. After this time rearrangements are only permitted for issues arising from venue impediments or at the discretion of the League Executive.

Trophies & Awards

1. Highest team score (George Jones trophy)
   1. Awarded to the team with the highest pin total in a game.
2. Highest individual average (Doreen Clarke trophy for men / Les Clark trophy for ladies)
   1. Decided by averaging the best 12 scores of each player over the season.
   1. Only those players who have played a minimum of 12 matches are eligible.
   1. Scores by reserves (rule 2c) are counted towards the award.
3. Highest aggregate pins (Ken Hepherd trophy)
   1. Awarded to the player with the highest aggregate pins across all games that season.
   1. In the event a player cannot play a match because of an unfulfilled fixture on the part of an opposition team, that player shall be awarded his/her average pins at that venue for that fixture at the end of the season.
   1. Scores by reserves (rule 2c) are counted towards the award.
4. Highest individual match score (Roger Colley Trophy)
   1. Awarded to the player with the highest score in a single league match.
   1. Scores by reserves (rule 2c) are counted towards the award.
5. Presentation Evening
   1. The League Secretary shall arrange an awards Presentation Evening each season for the purpose of distributing awards and celebrating the league season.
   1. Every team is expected to be represented by its players at the Presentation Evening.
   1. Captains of players who receive trophies are responsible for the prompt return of those trophies when requested by the League Secretary and to return them in a satisfactory condition.
      1. Failure to do so may result in the team being liable for the cost of cleaning, repairing or replacing the trophy.

Team/Player Registration & Fees

• Team registration
  • Annual subscriptions to enter the league each season shall be set by the team captains at the preceding A. G. M.
  • Fees are due by the end of the calendar year.
  • The appointed Treasurer is responsible for the collection of fees and fines.
  • Any team not having paid their subscription by the rule 22b deadline shall not be permitted to enter the additional competitions (eg: singles, doubles, triples etc) until the subscription is paid in full.
  • In the event a team does not pay its full subscription by the time the end of the season that team shall be automatically expelled from the league.
    • Match points and player scores already gained by teams against the expelled team shall still count towards league positions and individual awards.
    • Match points and player scores gained by the expelled team shall not count.
• Player registration
  • No formal player registration is required.
  • When a new player first plays for a team, the team captain shall provide the player’s full name on the scoresheet.
    • Subsequent scoresheets need not display the full name, providing that the player is readily identifiable.
  • A player can only play for one team in a season subject to approval by the Committee.

Disciplinary Matters

• Disputes & complaints
  • In the event of a dispute arising during a game, the matter should be raised between the team captains and only the team captains should be involved.
  • Any unresolved dispute or complaint arising in, or from, a game shall be referred to the League Secretary in writing within 3 days of the game.
  • The Secretary shall convene a meeting of a Disciplinary Committee as soon as possible to consider the dispute/complaint.
• Disciplinary Committee
  • A Disciplinary Committee shall comprise three team captains not concerned in the matter to be considered and a neutral member of the League Executive.  The captain and/or representative of the team(s) involved in the dispute/complaint may attend and present their case at the meeting.
  • The Disciplinary Committee shall have the power to decide any disputes/complaints and to stipulate any appropriate resolution including, but not limited to, point deductions/awards and costs/expenses/fines.
  • The Disciplinary Committee’s decision is final.

Miscellaneous

Any decision made by the League Executive shall be final.

Rule changes

• Any proposals for altering or amending the rules shall be sent to the League Secretary 28 days before the A. G. M.

• The League Secretary shall circulate a copy of the proposals to all team captains.

Urgent matters may be referred to the A. G. M. subject to approval of the Chairman.

Captains to ensure their team members are aware of, and understand, the rules.

Any matters not covered by these rules will be dealt with by the League Executive.