1. TITLE
The League shall be called the Brighton. Hove and District Bowling League [BH&DBL] and shall be open to all Bowling Clubs playing within the City of Brighton and Hove and surrounding area.
2. OBJECTS
a] The objects of the League shall be to arrange Competitions between Member Clubs and any other matches as may be approved by the General Meeting, such competitions to be restricted to male members only.
b] It will be a policy that any person playing for an outdoor fixture against the BH&DBL for another Association or League [this excludes the Sussex County Bowling Association [SCBA], English Bowling Association [EBA] and the London & Southern Counties Assoc.] will not be considered for selection in BH&DBL Representative Matches.
3. MEMBERSHIP
Clubs desiring to become members must notify the Hon. Secretary in writing, not later than 30th September or otherwise at the discretion of the Executive Council Meeting each year. New Members shall be elected by the Members at the Annual General Meeting [AGM].
4. SUBSCRIPTIONS
Each Affiliated Club shall pay an annual subscription for each team entered, at a sum to be decided at the Annual General Meeting. Payment shall be made by cheque to the Treasurer by 31st January. No receipts will be sent unless requested. Failure to comply could mean, at the discretion of the Management Committee, that the defaulting Club[s] place could be allocated to another club.
5. MANAGEMENT
The League shall be managed by the Executive Council consisting of the Executive Officers and one Delegate from each Club. The Executive Officers shall be the President, Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Hon. Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Hon. Treasurer, Hon. Match Secretary and Hon. Competitions Secretary, who shall be nominated by the Delegates at the Executive Council Meeting or in writing to the Hon. Secretary at least fourteen [14] days before the AGM where they shall be elected. Any person elected President shall stand down after three years and shall not be eligible for election as President until a further three years have elapsed.
A quorum for any meeting shall be deemed to exist when 25% of the Member Clubs are represented. At least fourteen [14] days notice shall be given of any meeting of the Council except where the matter to be discussed is declared an emergency by the Chairman when twenty-four [24] hours may be given.
Vacancies may be filled by vote of the remaining Members of the Executive Council. In the event of a tie, the President or in his absence the Chairman shall have a casting vote.
A Management Committee comprising, The League Executive Officers and two Delegates elected from the League Executive Council shall meet from time to time to deal with matters that may arise between Executive Council Meetings.
The Executive Officers shall meet when the Chairman and Hon. Secretary considers necessary. Five present shall constitute a quorum. The Executive Officers shall have full power in respect of the following:
(a) to transact all the business of the League except such matters as are herein reserved to the Annual General Meeting,
(b) to fill vacancies in respect of any office that may occur between Annual General Meetings, and to co-opt for special experience such additional member/s as they may deem appropriate,
(c) to appoint Sub-Committees for such purposes as they deem desirable
6. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Annual General Meeting shall be held in December or January as the Executive Council may decide, to receive the Annual Report and Financial Statement. At least fourteen [14] days notice shall be sent to Member Club Secretaries together with copies of the Annual Report and Financial Statement. The Executive Officers and two Delegates from each Club shall have the power to vote at all Annual General Meetings. Notices of motions may be submitted by the Executive Council or any Affiliated Club, to reach the Hon. Secretary by the 30th September of each year.
7. SPECIAL GENERAL MEETINGS
A Special General Meeting may be called at any time by the Executive Council or within twenty-eight [28] days on receipt of a request in writing to the Hon. Secretary signed by not less than four [4] Member Clubs specifying the purpose of the meeting. This shall be the only business of the meeting.
8. COMPOSITION
The League shall consist of one or more divisions as the Annual General Meeting may decide. Each club shall play the remaining Clubs in its division, home and away, teams comprising of three fours, each to play twenty-one ends. Four points will be awarded for a win and two points for a tie, with two further points awarded for each winning Four and one point for a tie. In the event that two or more teams have the same number of points at the conclusion of the League Season, then the shots difference will decide the winner. In the event that two or more teams have the same number of points and the same shots difference a ‘play off’ match between the Teams will be held on a neutral ground.
When the League consists of two or more divisions the Club/Team in the higher division[s] with the lowest number of points will transfer to the next lower division, and the Club/Team in the lower division[s] with highest number of points will transfer to the next higher division, at the discretion of the Executive Council.
All Clubs/Teams entering or re-entering the League shall only be permitted to do so at the lowest division. The bottom team of the lowest division must apply for re-election in writing [as per Rule 3]. This along with any other applications for entering teams will be voted on at the next Annual General Meeting as per Rule 3 and any adjustment necessary regarding the number of Clubs/Teams in each division shall be made between existing Clubs/Teams.
9. MATCHES
a] All matches will be played under World Bowls Laws unless otherwise specified and all bowls must bear the BIBC/IBB stamp.
b] All fixtures will be issued by the Hon. Competition Secretary to the League Club Delegates at the Annual General Meeting prior to the new season. All matches shall be scheduled for Tuesday evenings starting at 6.00pm allowing for the statutory 30 minutes [World Bowls Law 46.2 : 2], subject to Rule 9c. Only one trial end shall be played.
Except in the case of Rules 9 [c] and [d] no matches shall be re-arranged without the prior written consent of the Competitions Secretary. No matches, except in the case of Rules 9 [c] ‘green unfit for play’ and [d] in relation to a terminated match on the last day of the season, shall be played after the final date of the scheduled league programme.
c] In the event of the home team’s green being reserved for a game of higher priority [e.g. County Matches or County Competitions] or if the green is declared unfit to play, those matches, by agreement of the teams involved, must be played within fourteen [14] days of the original date, but if necessary on a neutral ground, the HOME TEAM to be responsible for any green fees incurred.
d] Where a match is not played, the Hon. Competition Secretary MUST be informed by TELEPHONE that same evening [see 9h], the new date to be conveyed to the Hon. Competition Secretary as soon as agreed by both teams.
In the event that any match is terminated by mutual agreement of the relevant team captains due to very adverse weather conditions, that match shall be resumed within fourteen [14] days and the Hon. Competition Secretary notified in accordance with Rule 9d. World Bowls Law 50 : 1, 2, 3 and 4 shall apply.
e] If any team fails to appear within the statutory thirty minutes of the time fixed for the match, or resumption of any suspended match, their opponents shall be entitled to claim six points and the defaulting team shall have four points deducted from their final total.
f] Where a team is short of a player the following rule will apply:
1] Any team turning up with only three players will play their opponents’ team of Four.
2] Method of play:
a] Leads from each team to bowl in the usual manner
b] The number 2 from each team of four will then bowl his woods consecutively.
c] The 3’s and skips from both teams will then complete the end in the normal way.
3] It will be a case of 6 woods against 8; there will therefore be no deduction of shots from the team of 3.
g] In the case of inclement weather or a late start the respective captains MUST, before the start of play, agree whether to play eighteen or twenty-one ends.
h] Team CAPTAINS shall be responsible for their teams signed legible score cards, which must reach the Hon. Competitions Secretary by the Saturday following the match.
In the case of re-arranged matches, four days will be allowed.
10. REGISTRATION
a] Every club playing in competitions under the jurisdiction of Brighton, Hove and District Bowling League must register its players with the League’s Competitions Secretary by the 14th may, annually. In the case of a player joining a club after this date his name, together with the date on which he joined and details of any previous club, must be submitted to the Hon. Competition Secretary at least 24 hours before a match in which he is selected to play. All bowlers playing in either league or Bill Hawkins cup matches must be “bona fide” members of the one club for which they are registered to play.
b] In league matches any player who in the same season plays three times in the same Division shall not be eligible to play in any lower Division. Where a club has more than one Team in the same Division, once a player has played twice for one Team, he is NOT eligible to play in the other. Any player who in the same season plays three times for a club shall NOT be eligible to play for any other club in a lower Division that season.
PENALTY for any breach of this Rule, the offending Club/Team shall lose two points from their final points total at the end of the season and 25% of the shots scored in the rink on which the ineligible player was playing.
11. ALTERATIONS OF THE RULES
Alterations or additions to the foregoing rules shall be made only at the Annual General Meeting or at a Special General Meeting called for that purpose, after fourteen [14] days notice has been sent to the Hon. Secretary.
12. INTERPRETATION
Any matter arising in the interpretation of the foregoing Rules or which is not covered by them, shall be dealt with by the Executive Council whose decision shall be final.
Amendments:
Amendment Rule 8 Shots difference 15th December 1992
Amendment Rule 10 Revised wording: Penalty 10th December 1996
Amendment Rule 10 More than one club in a division added 9th December 1997
Amendment Rule 9a EBA Rules unless otherwise specified 8th December 1998
Amendment Rule 9f Team short of a player 8th December 1998
Amendment Rule 10 Eligibility to play - three times 8th December 1998
New Rule 2b Selection for representative matches 8th December 1998
Addition Rule 9d Abandoned match - inclement weather 5th December 2000
Amendment Rule 9c Sub clauses removed. New sentence added 4th December 2001
Amendment Rule 9h Deletion of results by telephone 4th December 2001
Amendment Rule 9d Abandoned match - inclement weather 11th December 2002
Amendment Rule 6 Date change: 30th September 10th December 2003
Amendment Rule 9b Only one trial end 10th December 2003
Amendment Rule 9d inclusion of Resumed matches 10th December 2003
Amendment Rule 10 Clarification to cover players changing clubs 10th December 2003
Amendment Rule 8 Clarification to cover promotion / relegation 8th December 2004
Amendment Rule 1 League Titla: Boroughs to City 7th December 2005
Amendment Rule 9 b Written agreement of re-arranged matches 7th December 2005
Amendment Rule 8 Introduction of ‘Play Off’ matches 6th December 2006
Amendment Rule 10 Re-written. Registration for League and Bill Hawkins matches 6th December 2006
Amendment Rule 5 Executive Officers Meetings and powers 21st January 2008
Amendment Rule 9 World Bowls for E.B.A. 21st January 2008
