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Rules of the Hong Kong Cricket Association
Competitions
General
1. Except as specified in the playing conditions, the Laws of Cricket (1980 code, 1992 Second Edition or any subsequent revision) will apply.
Fixtures
2. The scheduled fixtures and normal starting times will be as printed in the HKCA Rules Handbook or as circulated by League & Cup Committee during the season.
Postponement of Matches
3. a) Postponement of competition matches and changes of venue will not be normally permitted, and requests for blank dates and other particular arrangements must be made before the season commences except as provided for in the rules for knock-out competitions. In extraordinary circumstances, requests may be made to the Match And Disciplinary Committee (MDC) whose decision shall be final.
b) If Saturday or Sunday League matches are affected by adverse weather conditions to the extent that a result cannot be achieved, the points for that match will be evenly split between the teams. In the event of disagreement, the matter shall be referred to the MDC whose decision will be final.
Ground, Weather and Light
4. Before the Toss has taken place, the decision with regard to the fitness of the ground will rest with the authority responsible for the maintenance of the ground, or in the absence of the ground authority, Umpires appointed by HKCA, or in their absence, the team captains. Once the Toss has taken place:
a) The Umpires appointed by HKCA shall be sole judges of the fitness of the ground, weather and light for play. However, before deciding not to start, or to suspend, or not to resume play after an interval or stoppage, the Umpires shall establish whether both Captains (the batsmen at the wicket may deputise for their Captain) wish to commence or to continue in the prevailing conditions; if so, their wishes shall be met. In addition, if during play the Umpires decide that the light is unfit, only the batting side shall have the option of continuing play. If, after agreeing to continue to play in unfit conditions either Captain subsequently wishes play to be suspended, he may appeal to the Umpires, who shall uphold the appeal only if, in their opinion, conditions have deteriorated since the arrangement to continue was made.
b) After any suspension of play, the Umpires, unaccompanied by any of the players or officials, shall, on their own initiative, carry out an inspection immediately the conditions improve, and shall continue to inspect at intervals.
c) Immediately the Umpires decide that play is possible, they shall call upon the players to resume the game.
d) In the event that no official Umpires are present it will be the responsibility of the two Captains at all times to decide on the fitness of the prevailing conditions for play to proceed. If the two Captains are unable to agree, the teams shall remain at the ground for one hour after the scheduled start, at which point the home Captain will decide on the suitability for play.
Note: For Saturday League games, see Saturday League Rule 3.
Disputes
5. All disputes during a match shall be determined by the Umpires appointed by HKCA or in their absence, by the team captains. If they disagree the existing state of affairs shall continue. Rulings given by the MDC on any disputes brought before them shall be final.
Match And Disciplinary Committee (MDC)
6. A Match Disciplinary Committee shall be elected annually by the HKCA League & Cup Committee and shall consist of three members elected by the League & Cup Committee. This committee shall be the final authority within the HKCA for all decisions regarding the playing of an HKCA league match or cup fixture. The MDC is empowered to make retrospective decisions on any of the above and impose whatever sanctions it deems appropriate.
Registration and Eligibility of Players
7. a) Individual membership of the HKCA is available in the following categories:-
- Life Member
- Ordinary Member
- Junior Member
b) Prior to the start of the league season, each team is required to register a minimum of 11 players and pay the requisite individual membership and team fees. The names and addresses of all players to be registered must be submitted at this time.
c) Should the said individual and team membership fees not to be made by the team, prior to the commencement of the season, consideration will be given to removing the team from the League or Cup competitions for the current season. Any matches played prior to payment of the membership fee may be declared null and void. The MDC may award full points to the non-offending team.
d) Playing a non-registered player may result in the deduction of league points. However, an individual may play a maximum of 3 games in the League/Cup without being required to be registered. The MDC shall be the final authority.
e) No non-member of the HKCA shall be chosen to represent any Association side in representative games. It shall be the responsibility of the Chairman of Selectors to ensure that all representative players are members of the HKCA.
Transfer of Players
8. A player shall not, without the prior permission of the MDC, play for more than one team in the same competition. Applications for transfer must be submitted in writing to the Chairman of the MDC at least 72 hours before the transfer is required to take effect. This must be accompanied by the written approval of the Captain of the player’s previous team. Breaches of this rule will be referred to the MDC who may impose appropriate sanctions including, the deduction of league points or removal of the offending team from the Cup competition.
The Ball
9. Home teams shall supply identical HKCA approved balls for the match. Only one new ball shall be used in each innings. In the Saturday competitions, balls will be HKCA recognised 2 piece yellow balls. In the Sunday League Competition, balls will be HKCA recognised 4 piece red balls. In the Sunday Cup and Plate competitions, balls may be 2 or 4 piece, subject to the approval of both Captains.
Overs
10. a) Should a bowler become incapacitated, another bowler may complete the over. A part of an over counts as a complete over for the purpose of calculating how many overs a bowler has bowled in matches where bowlers are subject to restrictions on the number of overs they may bowl. A part of an over does not count as a complete over for any other purposes (eg total number of overs bowled by the team; statistical purposes).
b) It shall be the responsibility of the Captain of the fielding side to ensure that no bowler exceeds any permitted number of overs.
c) All teams are required to bowl at an average rate of 16 overs per hour. Umpires and/or Captains may refer any rate less than 16 overs per hour to the MDC, who may take any action deemed appropriate.
Match Result Cards
11. a) A match result card for each match shall be submitted to the HKCA office by the winning team or, in the event of a tie or a No Result, the home team. These result cards shall be sent by fax to the Sports House: Fax-25778486.
b) The full names of all players taking part in a match must be entered on the match result card. This includes any match started but abandoned as No Result due to adverse weather conditions. Such a match counts as a game for registration purposes. In matches where a team plays less than 11 men, the word "ABSENT" shall be written on the match results card in the corresponding location.
c) In a match started but abandoned as No Result due to adverse weather conditions, players’ individual batting, bowling and fielding figures count towards their season’s averages, and, if applicable, should be shown on the Match Result Card.
d) Failure to submit a Result Card by noon on the first Monday after a game may result in the deduction of league points. The HKCA office will bring breaches of this rule to the attention of the MDC who will decide on the appropriate action.
Dangerous Bowling
12. In all HKCA competitions, dangerous or intimidatory bowling, & the bowling of fast full pitch deliveries, shall be determined by the umpires in accordance with the Laws of Cricket (1980 code, 1992 Second Edition or any subsequent revision).
Additional rules related to short-pitched bowling are included in the rules for the separate Saturday & Sunday League & Cup competitions.
Sunday League Rules
Hours of Play
1. All matches shall commence at 10.30 hrs latest or as near as possible to that time depending on field usage and shall be of maximum 100 overs duration and of 50 overs innings per team.
Periods of play
2.
10.30 - 11.30 or 17 overs first session
11.35 - 12.35 or 34 overs second session
12.40 - 13.40 50 overs third session (or over in progress at that time)
13.40 - 14.10 Lunch
14.10 - 15.10 or 17 overs second innings 1st session
15.15 - 16.15 or 34 overs second innings 2nd session
16.20 - end second innings last session
Playing Rules
3. a) Games to commence as shown above but may commence earlier, should both captains and umpires agree.
b) There will be a maximum of 50 overs allowed in both innings. A lunch break will take place at 13.40 hrs or immediately after conclusion of the first innings and shall be of 30 minutes duration.
c) It is the responsibility of the side bowling first to endeavour to complete the full allocation of overs for the first innings inside the designated time. If the side bowling first has not completed the allotted overs by the designated time, rule 4 shall apply :
4. a) Unless there has been "Good Cause" (see (c) below) the team batting first shall be permitted to complete their full allocation of overs, even if this takes time past the designated lunch break. All runs scored shall count towards their final total. Lunch will then be taken, although Captains & Umpires may agree to adjust the duration of the interval.
b) The team batting second will then only be entitled to receive the number of overs which they had delivered at the time that the luncheon break was originally scheduled. This number of overs includes any over which had commenced at the time of the scheduled break.
c) The umpires shall be responsible for keeping time pertinent to this rule. In addition, the umpires shall make allowance for legitimate losses of time which have prevented the bowling team from delivering all allotted overs within the scheduled time. Examples of such "good cause" include, but shall not be limited to, the following :
- Injury to players of either side
- Inability to locate & retrieve a ball struck over the boundary line or fence. A maximum of 2 minutes will be allowed for this, after which the bowling side must produce a replacement ball for use.
- Delays caused by the batting team e.g changes of equipment.
Note that in instances of inclement weather, Rule 7 below shall apply, NOT the provisions of "Good Cause".
d) During the innings, the umpires will inform the Captain of the fielding side, & both batsmen, when they are making a judgement of "Good Cause", and advise the number of whole minutes they have allowed for this. All "Good Cause" minutes will be totalled over the course of the innings. For every 3 minutes, or part thereof, of the total "Good Cause" minutes, the bowling side will be given relief from 1 of the overs required to be bowled prior to the scheduled lunch break.
(e) The Captain of the fielding side may appeal for "Good Cause", but the umpires decision is final. Such appeals should not be incessant or capricious.
(f) The umpires will make all calculations related to this rule known to both captains, at the completion of the over underway at the time of the originally scheduled lunch break. In the event of dispute, the official umpire’s decision shall be final. If no official umpire is present, both Captains must agree, and any disputes arising in this situation should be referred to the MDC at the completion of the game.
(g) Late commencement of the game will not normally be considered "Good Cause" unless the delay is the fault of the batting side. It is the responsibility of both sides to be ready to deliver the first ball of the first innings at the appointed start time.
Please see the following example for clarification:
In a 50 over a side game, lunch was originally scheduled at 1.40 pm. At exactly 1.40pm, the team bowling first had completed 47 overs, and had bowled 2 balls of the 48th. At the end of that over, the score is 6 wickets for 160. There was no "Good Cause" (see below) for this other than slow over rate. The batting side is then allowed to complete their full 50 overs, and finishes at 8/200 runs. Lunch is then taken. The side batting second must score a total 201 runs to win the game, and will have only 48 overs available to do so.
If there had been 2 injuries, each of 2 minutes duration, (total 4 minutes) during the innings, this would provide "Good Cause" for a total of 2 overs (1 x 3 minutes, plus 1 x part 3 minutes). Consequently, the bowling side need only deliver 48 overs inside the time before lunch is scheduled. As they had done so, then the innings closes and lunch is taken. The score at the end of the 48th over (6 for 160) is the total to beat. The Team batting second has 48 overs to reach 161 for a win i.e there is no penalty.
h) In the second innings, sides who bowl their overs slower than the required 16 overs per hour may be reported to the MDC by the Umpires and/or the Captains, who may impose penalties including deduction of points on the offending team.
5. There will be a limitation of 15 overs on the number of overs each bowler may bowl per innings subject to the existing laws of cricket regarding a bowler becoming incapacitated.
6. Previous provisions allowing the side batting first to declare after 25 overs are repealed. There will be no provision for declarations.
Procedures in Weather, Light or Unforeseen Delay Restricted Matches
7. a) To constitute a game, the side batting second must receive a minimum of 15 overs unless dismissed in less than 15 overs or if the opposition total is reached in less than 15 overs.
b) During the first innings, for every full 6 minutes lost, the total number of overs in the Match shall be reduced by 2, and the maximum number of overs in the first innings reduced by one.
c) In the second innings, for every full 3 minutes lost, the second innings shall be reduced by one over. Under these circumstances and in order to calculate a result, the first innings total shall be divided by the actual number of balls delivered and the higher run rate shall decide the winner. Bonus points shall of course count to the loser.
Points
8. Competition Points will be awarded as follows :
Walkover = 20 points for a walkover.
Win = 10 points plus batting & bowling bonus points.
Loss = Batting & bowling bonus points only
Tie = 5 points for each side, plus batting & bowling bonus points
No Result = 10 points each.
Batting Bonus Points
9. Batting Bonus Points shall be attributable to sides as follows:
a) For the team batting 1st, & the team batting 2nd (if it ultimately loses the game) :
- One (1) bonus point for reaching each of 160, 190, 220, 250 & 280 runs (max. 5 points).
- The above points thresholds relate to a first innings of 50 overs. If a match is of reduced duration due to weather or other factors, bonus points shall be scored on a pro-rata basis i.e divide the thresholds above by the number of overs available. In calculating this, truncate all part runs.
e.g In a 44 over per side match, points would be :
1 point at 140 runs ( 160 / 50 x 44 = 140.8, truncated to 140), plus
1 point at 167 runs ( 190 / 50 x 44 = 167.2, trunc. to 167), plus
1 point at 193 runs ( 220 / 50 x 44 = 193.6, trunc. to 193), plus
1 point at 220 runs ( 250 / 50 x 44 = 220.0, trunc. to 250), plus
1 point at 246 runs ( 280 / 50 x 44 = 246.4, trunc. to 246)
b) Team batting 2nd (if it ultimately wins the game).
- Points are calculated based on the speed that the side batting second passes the first innings score, inside a certain number of "Target Overs". The calculation for this is based on run rates derived from the batting thresholds in a) above, as follows :
- 5 bonus points based on a rate of 5.60 runs per over or higher.
- 4 bonus points based on a rate of 5.00 runs or better
- 3 bonus points for a rate of 4.40 runs or better
- 2 bonus points for a rate of 3.80 runs or better
- 1 bonus point for a rate of 3.20 runs or better
- 0 bonus points if they pass the total slower than this.
- Points are actually scored by reaching the "Target Score (the 1st innings total + 1 run) within the "Target Overs", NOT by raw run rate alone.
- To calculate the "Target Over", divide the "Target Score" by the run rates given above.
- All part overs are truncated (i.e ignore the decimal points to the next lowest whole over).
See the following example :
The team batting first scored 149. "Target Score" is therefore 150 runs for the team batting second (149 plus 1 run).
- To score 5 points, the team batting second must pass the 1st innings score within 26 completed overs. (Calculation = 150 / 5.60 = 26.785, truncated to 26 overs).
- 4 points = Must reach the Target of 150 within 30 completed overs (150 / 5.00 = 30.000000. Truncated to 30)
- 3 points = Must reach the Target of 150 within 34 completed overs (150 / 4.40 = 34.090909. Truncated to 34)
etc etc.
- If the side batting second reaches 150 in 30 completed overs, they would score 4 points. If they reach 150 in 30 overs & 1 ball, they would score 3.
- If chasing a very small target, it may occur that, after truncating overs, the same target over applies for different points. In this case, the team that reaches the target in this time shall receive the highest applicable points.
- The points are not cumulative i.e the side only scores the maximum attributable points.
Note : Captains of both sides should calculate the number of points earned by each team & include them on the score sheet submitted to the HKCA after each game. These will be verified by the HKCA by checking the information on the scoresheet. The HKCA determination will be final. Therefore, it is important to clearly indicate on the score sheet which over the team batting second scored the target runs, if they won the game. This should be done in the remarks section of the form as follows :
Team (e.g LSW), batting second, scored the target of (e.g 150) runs in (e.g ) 26 overs, equals (e.g 5) batting bonus points.
Bowling Bonus Points
10. Bowling Bonus Points are attributable to both sides as follows :
One point for 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 wickets including players deemed "retired out" (maximum 5 points).
Fielding Circles
11. A fielding circle shall be drawn or otherwise marked with disks by the home side in each game. Such fielding circle shall be 25 metres in diameter measured from the base of both centre stumps.
Four fielders, the bowler and the wicket keeper shall remain within the fielding circle at the point of delivery of the ball by the bowler throughout the game.
The square leg umpire shall monitor the position of the above players and should any fielder or fielders be outside the fielding circle at the point of deliver, he shall call and signal "No Ball". Said "No Ball" shall be construed and scored under the Laws of Cricket.
Tied Matches
12. A tie occurs when the scores are level at the conclusion of the game.
Walkover
13. At the discretion of the MDC, a WALKOVER shall be granted to a team whose opposition is unable to raise a side.
League Champions
14. At the conclusion of the season, if the top teams have the same number of points, the following will be the order of precedence for deciding the League Champions:
1. Team with most outright wins
2. Team with fewest lost matches
Should all the above be identical, then the Championship will be shared.
Short-Pitched and Wide Bowling
15. In the Sunday League competition, either umpire shall call and signal NO BALL for any short pitched ball passing or having hit his bat or person, which would have passed the batsman in his normal batting stance above shoulder high.
16. Umpires shall strictly enforce the Wide Law, especially on legside deliveries.
Scoring of Runs from Wides & No Balls
17. In the Sunday League, if an umpire adjudges a wide or no-ball for any reason under the Laws of Cricket or HKCA Rules, any runs scored from that delivery shall be counted in the total in addition to scoring one run for that wide or no-ball.
For example:
- If two (2) runs are struck from a no-ball, the batsman is credited with the two (2) runs, plus sundries with an additional one (1) no-ball, for a total of three (3) runs scored. Three (3) no-balls are recorded against the bowler’s analysis.
- If a bye is run from a delivery after the call of wide, sundries are credited with one (1) bye and one (1) wide, for a total of (two) 2 runs scored. The bowler’s analysis is credited with one (1) wide. |
