Rules of the Hong Kong Cricket Association Competitions 2001-02.

• General
• Saturday League Rules
• Saturday Cup Rules

1. Except as specified in the playing conditions, the Laws of Cricket (Code 2000) 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 authority within the HKCA (subject to the authority of the Executive Committee) for all decisions regarding the playing of an HKCA league match, cup fixture, Summer 8’s or representative match or tour. 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:

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 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 Platypus 2 piece yellow balls. In the Sunday League Competition, balls will be HKCA recognised Kookaburra 4 piece red balls. In the Sunday Cup competitions, balls may be 2 or 4 piece, subject to the approval of both Captains. In all competitions, from December 1st 2001, only balls sporting the HKCA logo will be permitted to be used. Breaches of this Rule should be brought to the attention of the MDC for appropriate action.

Overs and Fielding

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.

d) At no time will more than 5 fielders be permitted to field on the leg side during a match.

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 HKCA office: Fax-2577 8486.

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 full pitch deliveries, shall be determined by the umpires in accordance with the Laws of Cricket (2000 Code).

Hours of Play

1. Matches will commence at 1315 hrs, or earlier if both Captains agree, except as in Rules 3 and 8 below. Matches will be of one innings per team. Each team shall receive a maximum of 35 overs.

Periods of Play and Intervals

2. a) The team fielding first shall bowl 35 overs, or complete the over which is in progress at 1530 hrs if this arises first, unless it dismisses its opponents in fewer than 35 overs.

b) The team batting second shall be limited to the same number of overs, unless the team batting first is all out in fewer than 35 overs, in which case the team batting second shall have the opportunity of batting for the full 35 overs.

c) Notwithstanding a) and b) above the team batting first may declare at any time before 35 overs are completed and then bowl the full 35 overs at their opponents. A team that declares is deemed to be all out so that the fielding team shall receive the full bowling points, if applicable.

d) If the team fielding first has not bowled 35 overs within the time allowed, the fact and circumstances may be referred to the MDC for action.

e) There will be a ten minute interval between innings.

f) If the team fielding second has not bowled the same number of overs as the team fielding first by 1755 hrs, the fact and circumstances may be referred to the Match Disciplinary Committee for action.

g) Captains shall agree before the match on the clock or watch to be followed during the match.

h) No bowler may bowl more than 10 overs.

Restricted Matches

3. For the purposes of attempting to achieve a result in rain affected match, bad light or in other circumstances where play is delayed or interrupted by circumstances beyond the control of the teams involved:

a) If the first innings has not been started or completed, or is interrupted on one or more occasions, one over shall be deducted from the total number of overs originally due to be bowled (normally 70) for every 3 minutes lost and the revised number of overs shall be shared equally between the two teams. In such circumstances, the first innings may extend beyond 1530 hrs (or 1045 hrs in a morning match).

b) The second innings shall consist of the same number of overs as the first, subject to reduction of one over for every 4 minutes lost due to any similar delay or interruption, subject always to Rule 4b). If the second innings is of fewer overs than the first for any reason other than that of a win/loss having already been achieved, the result shall be determined by the overall run rates.

Note: The intention of Rule 3 is to encourage games to be played where both Captains agree there is a prospect of play. Thus, a minimum 10 overs per side game could commence as late as 1625 hrs.

The Result

4. a) A result is achieved if both teams have had the opportunity to bat for the agreed number of overs as in Rule 2 above, or a lesser number in a restricted match (Rule 3 above). The team scoring the higher number of runs shall be the winner.

b) In the event of bad weather preventing the completion of the second innings the match will be declared No Result unless the team batting second has received at least 10 overs. If 10 or more overs have been bowled, the team with the higher run rate shall be deemed the winner, and bonus points allocated as in Rule 6 below.

c) Where both sides have had the opportunity to bat for the same number of overs and scores are level, the result is a Tie, no account being taken of wickets which have fallen.

Points

5. Points for matches will be awarded as follows:

a) 12 points for WIN (bonus points do not apply)

b) 3 points for a TIE (plus bonus points to both sides)

c) 0 points for a LOSS (plus bonus points)

d) Matches not started:

i) Due to adverse weather conditions or where no rescheduling is permitted or possible, 6 points each.

ii) Because a team is unable to raise a side, 12 points to the opposing team.

e) Matches not started because the ground is unavailable will be rescheduled at a later date, if at all possible.

Bonus Points

6. Bonus points will be awarded to the losing team, or both teams in a tied match, as follows:

a) one batting point for 125, 150 and 175 runs

b) one bowling point for 3 and 6 with a further bowling point if the opponents are "all out".

League Champions

7. At the conclusion of the season, if the top teams have the same number of points, the following will be the order of preference for deciding the League Champions:

a) Team with most wins

b) Team with fewest lost matches

c) Team with most bonus points

Should all the above be identical then the Championship will be shared.

Saturday Morning Matches

8. Under normal circumstances the League & Cup Committee will not allow League matches to be played on Saturday mornings. However, the MDC may, for special reasons and / or under exceptional circumstances, allow/order matches to be played on Saturday mornings. If authorised, such matches will be played under the Saturday League Rules with the following exceptions

a) Matches are to commence at 0830 hrs.

b) The team fielding first shall bowl 35 overs or complete the over which is in progress at 1045 hrs if that arises first.

c) The team fielding second shall bowl 35 overs or be limited to the same number of overs as the team bowling first, except that the last over of the match will be the over in progress at 1310 hrs.

d) Teams will be allowed 35 overs each for batting, if required, and will be penalised for slow bowling in the same manner as Saturday afternoon matches under Rule 2.

Short Pitched Bowling

9. In the Saturday 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 head high.

Entrants

1. a) The Saturday Cup and Plate Competitions are open to all Saturday League teams. Entries will be called for by the League & Cup Committee. The Committee may also invite other teams to enter the Competition.

b) The format of the Saturday Cup and Plate Competitions shall be decided by the League & Cup Committee.

c) Teams must notify the HKCA of the names of their players before the draw is made for the first round. No transfers or additions will be allowed without the prior approval of the MDC.

d) All players must be holders of a valid Hong Kong ID card.

e) The player eligibility rule will be strictly enforced.

Draw

2. The draw for each separate round of matches will be made by a minimum of 3 members of the League & Cup Committee or MDC appointed by the Chairman of the League and Cup Committee.

Competition Conditions

3. a) The Saturday Cup and Plate competitions will be on a straight knockout basis.

b) All matches are to commence at 1315 hrs or earlier if both Captains agree and will be of one innings for each team.

c) Teams losing first round matches will enter the Plate Competition.

d) Teams losing qualifying round matches will not be able to enter the Plate Competition.

e) Where possible, the MDC will reschedule a match abandoned as No Result due to inclement weather. Where this is not possible the match will be decided by the toss of a coin.

Playing Conditions and Intervals

4. a) Playing conditions will be the same as for Saturday League matches, ie 35 overs per innings.

b) The team fielding first shall bowl 35 overs or complete the over which is in progress at 1530 hrs, if this arises first.

c) The team batting second shall be limited to the same number of overs unless the team batting first is all out in fewer than 35 covers, in which case the team batting second shall have the opportunity of batting for the full 35 overs.

d) Notwithstanding b) and c) above, the team batting first may declare at any time before 35 overs are completed, in which case the team batting second shall receive the full 35 overs.

e) The team fielding second will be expected to bowl the same number of overs as the team fielding first by 1755 hrs. Complaints of slow over rates may be referred to the MDC under General Rule 13 c).

f) No bowler may bowl more than 10 overs. In the event of a bowler becoming incapacitated, Competition General Rule 13 a) will apply.

g) There will be a ten minute interval between innings.

h) A fielding circle shall be drawn or otherwise marked with disks by the home side in each game. Such fielding circle shall be 25 meters 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 delivery, he shall call and signal "No Ball". Said "No Ball" shall be construed and scored under the Laws of Cricket.

Result

5. a) The team scoring the higher number of runs in the allocated number of overs will be deemed the winner.

b) In the event of tied scores, the team losing fewer wickets will be the winner.

c) If both teams have scored the same number of runs and are all out, but the number of overs bowled is unequal, the winner will be the team with the overall faster scoring rate.

d) Where both teams have scored the same number of runs, lost the same number of wickets and bowled the same number of overs, the winner will be the team with the faster scoring rate at the end of 20 overs and, if still identical, at the end of 10 overs.

e) If the team batting second has not received ten overs, the match will be abandoned as No Result, provided the team batting second is not all out in fewer than ten overs. If the match is abandoned, Rule 3 e) above will apply.

Match Balls

6. The attention of Captains is drawn to Competition General Rule 9.

Match Expenses

7. In all rounds, expenses incurred by the home team will be shared by both teams.

Short-Pitched Bowling

8. 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 head high.