RULES

Changes made at the 2009 AGM are underlined.

1.	TITLE: The League shall be called the Ram Surrey Cricket League (hereinafter referred to as the League).
2.	INTENTION: The intention of the League shall be to: · promote and organise cricket on a league basis, with the object of playing club cricket competitively; · maintain the spirit of the game as it exists both on and off the field; and · ensure a duty of care to all players in the league by adopting and implementing the ECB “Safe Hands – Welfare of Young People in Cricket” policy and any future versions of the policy.
3.	COMPOSITION: The League shall consist of an unlimited number of clubs, and a minimum of ten, whose grounds for cricket purposes are considered to be in the County of Surrey. ___ In the event of a club wishing to change its home ground either permanently or for any League match, it shall first seek the approval of the League Executive Committee. Clubs with no home ground shall not be admitted to the League. Each club must be affiliated to its Cricket Board.
4.	ADMINISTRATION: The general administration of the League shall be vested in the Executive Committee who shall consist of the following officers: Chairman; Vice-Chairman; General Secretary; Treasurer; Fixtures Secretary Umpires Panel Chairman; Disciplinary Committee Chairman; and one other member. No club may have more than one of its members serving on the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall have power to conduct any business, other than that required to be transacted at a General Meeting. They shall be empowered to provide for any contingency that may arise. The Executive Committee shall appoint members to the following sub-committees: Fixtures and Statistics – to arrange the league fixtures and co-ordinate players statistics; Disciplinary – to hear and investigate all disciplinary matters and any alleged breach of rules and playing conditions; Match Officials and Rules/Playing Conditions – to appoint and support the panel umpires and keep under review and propose amendments to the rules and playing conditions; Press, Social and Welfare – to produce the annual handbook, arrange publication of results and tables in local papers, to arrange the annual presentation dinner, and eal with welfare issues; and Grounds and Pitches – to oversee the quality of clubs’ playing facilities. The Executive Committee shall act as the Appeals Committee as and when necessary. The Executive Committee shall meet as they deem necessary, and a quorum at such a meeting shall be five members. Any officer holding two posts may only have one vote. In the event of a vacancy occurring on the Committee, it shall be filled by invitation.
5.	GENERAL MEETINGS: The Annual General Meeting shall be held during November. The General Secretary shall give not less than three weeks’ written notice to member clubs’ League Representatives together with a copy of the League’s financial report. It may be attended by any current member of a member club. The following shall be the normal business of the Annual General Meeting: (i) to receive audited accounts for the year ended 30 September. (ii) to elect Executive Committee members for the ensuing year, and to appoint auditors. (iii) to consider applications for entry into and withdrawals from the League. (iv) to consider items submitted to the Honorary Secretary, in writing, at least four weeks prior to the date of meeting. The Spring Meeting shall be held during April at which the League handbooks, result cards and match balls shall be distributed. The General Secretary shall give not less than three weeks’ written notice to member clubs’ League Representatives. The Meeting may be attended by any current member of a club. A Special General Meeting may be called at three weeks’ notice by the Executive Committee or on application to the League Secretary in writing. Such application shall bear the signature of the secretaries of not less than five member clubs, and shall state the purpose of the meeting. The meeting shall take place within four weeks’ of the receipt of such an application. A quorum for any General Meeting shall be not less than half of the member clubs.
6.	VOTING: Voting at all meetings and special meetings shall be decided by a simple majority, except when relating to admission of clubs, when a two-thirds majority of those clubs present shall apply. Each club shall have one vote. The Executive Committee shall have one vote. In the event of a tied vote the Chairman, who shall not otherwise vote, shall have the casting vote. The Vice-Chairman can only have a casting vote in the absence of the Chairman.
7.	FORM OF THE LEAGUE: Each game shall be played according to the Laws of Cricket as issued by the MCC and in accordance with playing conditions of the League. The organisation and the playing conditions of the League shall be laid out under “Playing Conditions” attached. With the exception of the Premier Division, the bottom three teams in each division shall be relegated to the next lower division (if any) and their places taken by the promotion of the top three teams from the next lower division. The bottom two teams in the Premier Division shall be relegated to Division One and their places taken by the promotion of the top two teams in that division. In the event of a club(s) withdrawing or being expelled from the League during the season they shall have their record expunged, be regarded as having finished bottom of their division and shall be relegated to the next lower division. Any suspended club will get no points for the game(s) they are suspended but the game(s) will count in calculating their average points. The promotion and relegation provisions set out in this Rule may be varied for any season, provided this is determined in consultation with member clubs before the season in question.
8.	FINANCE: Finance shall be provided by annual subscriptions from each member club as agreed at the AGM. Subscriptions for clubs with teams in the Premier Division shall pay £150 plus an additional £300 per team which shall be held in a fund for the fees and expenses for League umpires. Clubs with teams participating in the lower divisions shall pay an annual subscription of £150. All clubs shall pay an additional £50 for each extra team. Annual subscriptions shall be paid by 1 March. No club shall be entitled to participate in the Competitions until the said subscription or any other monies due to the League are fully paid. Any club unable to participate in the Competitions under this rule shall get no points for games forfeited but the games will count in calculating their average points. This subscription includes 20 free handbooks for clubs with one team and 10 extra books for each extra team. All member clubs shall purchase at least two tickets for the League Annual Presentation Evening.
9.	FINES: A fine of £50 will be incurred for failure to attend the AGM, the Spring Meeting, or a Special General Meeting. A fine of £25 will be incurred by a club which fails to: · attend the annual awards evening to receive an award won by its team or player. · return to the Executive Committee the AJ Cup and AJ Trophy by 30 June and the divisional winners and runners-up cups by 31 August. A fine of £25 will be incurred for failure to submit the following by the due date, providing three weeks notice is received: League fees. details of club officials form. home fixture dates form. cricket ball order form. presentation evening tickets form. A fine of £10 will be incurred for the non or late: submission of a result card. telephone of a result. submission of a written report in support of a sportsmanship mark of “1”. submission of a written report in support of a pitch mark of “1”. Failure to deal with all other League business by the required date shall incur a fine of £10. A fine must be paid within 14 days of issue. The fine shall be doubled if it is not paid by the due date. Any club failing to settle outstanding payments to the League after 28 days shall be suspended from playing within the League until full payment has been received by the League Treasurer.
10.	ENTRY INTO AND WITHDRAWAL FROM THE LEAGUE: Application for membership of the League shall be made in writing to the General Secretary not later than 30 September of the year prior to the year in which membership of the League is to commence. The application must be accompanied by a deposit of £100, returnable in the event of non-election. Any club leaving another league must give that league 12 months notice or a shorter period of notice agreed with the league. Applications shall be decided by a vote of the member clubs at the AGM, the Spring Meeting or a SGM. The Executive Committee shall have the power to consider an application received after the AGM but prior to the arrangement of the following season’s fixtures, and accept a team into the League subject to vacancies. Such membership shall commence from the AGM prior to the year of participation. All clubs newly elected to the League shall be required to pay a non-returnable joining fee of £100. Newly elected teams shall be allocated to a Division at the discretion of the Executive Committee. Withdrawal from the League shall require notice in writing by 30 September prior to the season commencing. Withdrawal after that date will incur a fine of £100. ___ A club or a certain eleven from a club may be expelled from the League on the recommendation of a Disciplinary Committee, subject to a right of appeal to the Appeals Committee, whose decision shall be final. Members of the Executive Committee who sat on the Disciplinary Committee which made the recommendation to expel may not be present when the Appeals Committee decides the appeal.
11.	ALTERATION TO RULES: No alteration shall be made except at the AGM, the Spring Meeting or a SGM. Any proposed alteration must be received by the General Secretary in writing by 30 September prior to the AGM or 28 February prior to the Spring Meeting. The proposed alteration shall be circulated with the notice convening the meeting.