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Saturday Cup Rules (Twenty20 Format)

1. Entrants & Eligibility

a) The Saturday Cup Competition is open to all Saturday League teams. In addition, the LCMC may invite non-league sides to enter and may amend the Cup format at its discretion.

b) The Saturday Cup and Plate Competitions shall be Twenty20 format.

c) All players must have played at least one Saturday League match for the team they represent in the Cup during the current season. This rule may be waived for non-league sides. However, the MDC shall be the sole judge of the eligibility and/or appropriateness of any players entering the competition under the ‘non-league’ category.

2. The Draw

The draw for each separate round of matches will be made by the LCMC Chairman (or his representative) and a minimum of three HKCA members appointed by him.

3. Competition Conditions

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

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

c) A team that concedes a walkover for any reason shall not enter the Plate competition and will be drawn as ‘bye’ for the Plate first round.

d) Teams losing qualifying round matches will not 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.

f) Teams giving a walkover in either the Cup, Plate or League games may be subject to action by the MDC.

4. Duration

The match will consist of one innings per side, each innings being limited to a maximum of 20 overs. A minimum of five overs per team shall constitute a match.

5. Hours of Play and Intervals

a) Unless announced otherwise by the LCMC all matches shall be scheduled as follows:

First Innings 1400 – 1515 (1 hour 15 minutes)
Interval 1515 – 1530 (15 minutes or no less than 10 minutes)
Second Innings 1530 – 1645 (1 hour 15 minutes)

Playing time per innings, excluding drinks break: 75 minutes
Required over rate: 16 overs per hour / 3.75 minutes per over

b) Interval Between Innings

If the innings of the team batting first is completed prior to the scheduled time for the Interval, the Interval shall take place immediately and the Innings of the team batting second will commence correspondingly earlier.

c) Intervals for Drinks

No drinks intervals are permitted. An individual player may be given a drink either on the boundary edge or at the fall of a wicket, on the field, provided that no playing time is wasted. No other drinks shall be taken onto the field without the permission of the umpires.

6. Length of Innings

a) In uninterrupted matches (ie. matches which are neither delayed nor interrupted) each team shall bat for 20 overs unless all out earlier.

b) If the team fielding first fails to bowl the required number of overs by the scheduled time, play shall continue until the required number of overs has been bowled and Rule 14 shall apply.

c) If the team batting first is dismissed in less than 20 overs, the team batting second shall be entitled to bat for 20 overs.

d) If the team fielding second fails to bowl 20 overs within the scheduled time, the hours of play for the match shall, subject to conditions of ground, weather and light, be extended until the required number of overs has been bowled or a result has been achieved and Rule14 shall apply.

7. Delayed or Interrupted Matches

a) When playing time has been lost the revised number of overs to be bowled in the match shall be based on a rate of 16 overs per hour (3.75 minutes per over) in the total remaining time available for play. This calculation must not cause the match to finish earlier than the original cessation time. If required the original time shall be extended to allow for one extra over for each team.

b) The team batting second shall not bat for a greater number of overs than the first team unless the latter completed its innings in less than its allocated overs. To constitute a match, a minimum of five overs have to be bowled to the side batting second, subject to the innings not being completed earlier.

c) In all reduced overs matches, the fielding team will be given one over’s leeway. For the avoidance of doubt, one over’s leeway means that the fielding side must be in position to bowl the first ball of the penultimate over by the scheduled or rescheduled cut off time.

d) If the second innings is not completed for any reason other than that of a result already being achieved, the game will be decided on Run Rate provided that the minimum five overs have been completed.

8. Number of Overs per Bowler

a) No bowler shall bowl more than four overs in an innings.

b) In a delayed or interrupted match where the overs are reduced for both teams or for the team bowling second, no bowler may bowl more than one-fifth of the total overs allowed.

c) Where the total overs is not divisible by five, one additional over shall be allowed to the maximum number per bowler necessary to make up the balance. (e.g. after 8 overs, rain interrupts play. Both opening bowlers have bowled 4 overs. The innings is now reduced to 12 overs. Two bowlers can bowl 3 overs and three bowlers can bowl 2. Bowlers 1 and 2 have already exceeded this limit. They count as the two bowlers who were allowed the extra over (3 as opposed to 2) and so any other bowlers are now limited to 2 overs.)

d) When an interruption occurs mid-over and on resumption the bowler has exceeded the new maximum allocation, he will be allowed to finish the incomplete over.

e) In the event of a bowler breaking down and being unable to complete an over, the remaining balls will be allowed by another bowler. Such part of an over will count as a full over only in so far as each bowler’s limit is concerned.

9. The Result

a) In the event that the scores are tied, the team losing the fewest number of wickets shall be the winner.

b) In the event that the same number of wickets have been lost by both teams they shall compete in a bowl out to determine the winner, as set out below:

i) The bowl out shall be between three bowlers from each side bowling two deliveries each (six balls) at the stumps.
ii) The same suitably acceptable ball will be used by both teams. If this ball becomes wet, it may be changed subject to the umpires’ approval.
iii) If a bowler bowls a No Ball it will count as one of his two deliveries but will not count towards the score of the team (i.e. if a wicket is achieved it will not count).
iv) The three bowlers to take part in the bowl out must be selected from the original 11 players named on the team sheet.
v) Each side will appoint a wicket-keeper to stand behind the wicket but out of reach of the stumps.
vi) The team who hits the stumps on the most occasions wins the match. If both teams have scored the same number of hits after all three bowlers have bowled, the remaining players (i.e. not the three bowlers already used) in each team will alternately bowl one delivery until a winner is determined by ‘sudden death’.

10. No Ball

a) Normal HKCA rules on No balls will apply except that the penalty for a No ball will be two runs.

b) Free Hit After A Foot Fault No Ball The delivery following a No ball called for a foot fault (Law 24.5) shall be a free hit for whichever batsman is facing it. If the delivery for the free hit is not a legitimate delivery (any kind of No ball or a Wide ball), then the next delivery will become a free hit for whichever batsman is facing it.

For any free hit, the striker can be dismissed only under the circumstances that apply for a No ball (e.g. run out), even if the delivery for the free hit is called a Wide ball. Field changes are not permitted for free hit deliveries unless there is a change of striker. The umpire will signal a free hit (after the normal No Ball signal) by raising one arm and moving it in a circular motion above his head.

11. Wide Ball

a) In addition to Law 25, umpires are instructed to apply a very strict and consistent interpretation in regard to this Law in order to prevent negative bowling wide of the wicket.

b) A penalty of one run shall be scored. This penalty shall stand in addition to any other runs which are scored or awarded.

12. Timed Out

Law 31 will apply except that the incoming batsman must be in position to take guard or for his partner to be ready to receive the next ball within 1 minute 30 seconds of the fall of the previous wicket. The incoming batsman is expected to be ready to make his way to the wicket immediately a wicket falls, and is expected to jog to the wicket.

13. Restrictions On The Placement Of Fielders

a) At the instant of delivery there shall be no more than five fielders on the leg side.

b) For the first six overs of each innings only two fielders are permitted to be outside the fielding restriction circle (i.e. 30 yards (27.5 metres) from each middle stump), and there must be a minimum of two stationary fielders (excluding the wicket-keeper) within a 15 yard (13.72 metre) circle from the striker’s wicket at the instant of delivery. When a fast bowler is bowling the two stationary fielders may be permitted to stand deeper than 15 yards provided only that they are standing in slip, leg slip and gully positions.

c) For the remaining overs of each innings (i.e. overs 7 to 20) there must be at least four fielders within the fielding restriction circle at the instant of delivery.

d) In circumstances where the number of overs for the batting team is reduced, the number of overs in regard to the restrictions above shall be reduced in accordance with the table below. For the sake of clarity, it should be noted that the table shall apply to both first and second innings.

e) If an innings is interrupted during an over and if on the resumption of play, due to the reduced number of overs of the batting team, the required number of fielding restriction overs have already been bowled, the remaining deliveries in the over to be completed shall not be subject to the fielding restrictions.

f) In the event of an infringement of any of the above fielding restrictions, the striker’s end umpire shall call and signal ‘No Ball’. 14. Over-Rate Penalties

a) All sides are expected to be in position to bowl the first ball of the last of their 20 overs within 1 hour 15 minutes playing time. In the event of them failing to do so, the full quota of overs will be completed, and the batting side will be credited with six runs for every whole over that has not been bowled. This will apply to both innings of the match. If the side batting second is credited with runs in this way and this consequently takes their score to or past their victory target then the match shall be deemed to be won by the side batting second. All penalties in this regard will be imposed immediately the ball first becomes dead after the scheduled or re-scheduled cessation time for the innings.

b) If the innings is terminated before the scheduled or re-scheduled cut-off time, no over-rate penalty shall apply. If the innings is interrupted, the over-rate penalty will apply based on the re-scheduled cessation time for that innings. The umpire shall inform the fielding team captain when taking the field for the first time and on every subsequent occasion if play is interrupted by the weather, the scheduled cessation time for that innings. The umpire at the bowler's end will inform the fielding captain, the batsman and his fellow umpire of any time allowances as and when they arise. (See also Rule 7c.)

c) Over-rate penalties apply only to innings of ten overs or more duration. In innings of less than ten overs duration, umpires shall apply the penalty run Laws for time wasting especially strictly.

d) This is the only penalty for a slow over rate.

15. Match Expenses

In all rounds, match expenses (the provision of match balls and refreshments) are to be shared equally between teams.