2009 NCCA Standing Rules

Preamble

Any references herein to NCCA shall mean the NCCA, Inc., to the Board or Board of Directors shall mean the Board of Directors of the NCCA, Inc., and to the Executive Committee shall mean the Executive Officers of the NCCA, Inc. The NCCA is governed by the laws as set forth in the Constitution of the NCCA.

All games played under the jurisdiction of the NCCA, Inc. shall be governed by the official Laws of Cricket (1980 code including Year 2000 rule changes any subsequent revisions) laid down by the Marylebone Cricket Club, except as stated in the rules contained herein.

The NCCA will distribute a printed copy of these Standing Rules at the start of each season to all member clubs. Clubs must have these available for reference at all league games.

Secretaries of all clubs shall forward to the Association Secretary at least twenty (20) days prior to the start of a season, a simple map and clear directions to facilitate location of their home grounds.

Section 1: Conditions of Play

(a) Play shall commence at 10:00 am. Request for exceptions to this rule shall be notified to the Executive Committee, in writing no later than the Spring meeting of the Board of Directors. Such exceptions to be included in the schedule and Captains log book. Exceptions shall be granted on a limited basis and only to clubs which provide written documentation from the school or park authority stating why the cricket facilities are not available at 10:30AM. The calculation of the number of overs to be bowled shall be based on the average rate of fifteen (15) overs per hour in the time remaining, based on a scheduled close of play as follows: April – 6:30pm, May – 7:30pm, June & July – 8:00pm, August – 7:30pm, September – 6:30pm. Scheduled close of play times are stated only for the purposes of calculation, and do not apply in general.

(b) All league games shall consist of one innings each side. An innings shall be whichever occurs first: either the fall of ten (10) wickets, or the completion of a maximum of:

(i) Fifty (50) 6-ball overs for A-Division games.(ii) Forty-Five (45) 6-ball overs for B, C & D Division games.

(c) A team forfeiting two or more games during regular league season will be disqualified from all NCCA games for the season in question.

(d) In an uninterrupted game:

(i) The allotted time for completion of overs by the team fielding first shall be calculated for the maximum number of overs stipulated in (b) above, at the rate of 4 minutes per over. If the team fielding first fails to bowl the required number of overs within this allotted time, play shall continue until the required number of overs has been bowled.

(ii) The over in progress at the scheduled cessation time shall count as a completed over.

(iii) Unless otherwise determined by the Umpires, the innings of the team batting second shall be limited to the same number of overs bowled by it at the scheduled time for the cessation of the first innings.

(iv) The umpires may increase the number of overs to be bowled by the second team if they are of the opinion that events beyond the control of the team bowling first prevented that team from bowling the required number of overs by the scheduled cessation of time.

(v) When the second innings is limited under (iii) above, the maximum number of overs per bowler shall remain at twenty percent of the number of overs per inning agreed prior to the start of the match.

(e) In matches where the start is delayed or play is suspended by natural causes or force majeur:

(i) The object shall always be to rearrange the number of overs so that both teams shall have the opportunity of batting for the same number of overs (minimum twenty (20) overs each team). A minimum of twenty (20) overs shall constitute a game.

(ii) If, owing to a suspension of play during the innings of the team batting second, it is not possible for that team to have the opportunity of batting for the same number of overs as the team batting first, they will bat for a number of overs to be calculated as in (a) above. In this case, if the team batting second have neither been all out nor have passed their opponent’s score, the following shall apply.

(a) If the match is abandoned after the side batting second has faced at least twenty (20) overs, the result shall be decided on the average run-rate throughout both innings.

(b) If, due to suspension of play, the number of overs in the innings of the side batting second has to be revised, the target score shall be calculated by multiplying the reduced number of overs by the average runs per over scored by the side batting first.

(c) In the event of the team batting first being all out in less that their full quota of overs, the calculation of the average run-rate shall be based on the full quota of overs to which they would have been entitled and not on the number of overs in which they were dismissed.

(d) Matches in which one or both teams have not had an opportunity of batting for a minimum of twenty (20) overs shall be declared “NO RESULT” matches and points shall be awarded in accordance with Section 9.

(iii) Under extra-ordinary circumstances, and after written permission from the Match Committee, a game may be rescheduled if both teams agree. Should all league games on a specific weekend be abandoned or cancelled either due to natural causes, or force majeur, rescheduling will only be permitted if the entire weekend is rescheduled. Notification of the request to reschedule games must be received by the appropriate Match Secretary no later than the Wednesday preceding the game. It is the responsibility of both team captains to agree upon acceptable umpiring arrangements for such rescheduled games.

(iv) All teams shall provide both teams and ground unavailability dates to the Match secretary by the Spring Board of Directors meeting. To be eligible to compete in the NCCA league season, a team must be available to play at least 15 Sundays during the league season, excluding Sundays designated as League-wide byes.

Section 2: Penalties for Delayed Start

All league matches shall start at the time designated unless both captains agree to a change of starting time at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to the game. It shall be the responsibility of the home team’s captain to notify the umpires. Automatic penalties for late start of a match shall be as follows:

(a) Home side shall be penalized five (5) overs batting time if the ground is not ready for play by the agreed starting time.

(b) Either team without seven players in attendance by the agreed starting time shall be penalized five overs. An additional penalty of five overs shall be imposed if either team is unable to take the field with at least seven players within 15 minutes after the agreed starting time.

(c) If either team is still in violation of points (a) or (b) 30 minutes after the agreed starting time the offending team will automatically forfeit the game.

(d) In the event that neither team has seven (7) players on the ground thirty (30) minutes after the official starting time, the match shall be declared null and void and zero (0) points shall be awarded.

Section 3: Intervals

Unless otherwise agreed by the Captains, lunch intervals shall be taken between innings. Intervals shall be in accordance with Law 16 – Intervals, except as follows:

(a) The option of two drinks intervals at one third (1/3) and two thirds (2/3) of the total number of stipulated overs, shall be allowed by right to either side, such option to be elected before the commencement of the game. The time taken for drinks shall be added to the normal close of play.

(b) Drinks intervals shall not exceed five (5) minutes.

(c) The agreed times for intervals shall be strictly adhered to except that if a wicket falls within one over of the agreed time, then the drinks interval shall be taken immediately.

(d) The umpires may allow drinks to be consumed during play, providing they believe it will not waste time or delay the game.

(e) At any time during the match the Captains may agree to forgo any drinks interval. Once having agreed to forgo a drinks interval, it may not thereafter be re-claimed except by agreement of both Captains.

(f) Lunch intervals shall normally be taken between innings and shall not exceed 30 minutes.

Section 4: Ground Conditions

(a) The laying of an acceptable playing surface shall be required. It shall comply with Law 7 – The Pitch (7.4 – Non-turf Pitches). A natural turf pitch may be laid. The approval of such a pitch lies with the Grounds Committee.

(b) Ground and Umpire ratings must be completed and submitted via the NCCA website or via email to the appropriate individuals (as identified on the NCCA website) by the Wednesday following a league game. If the visiting team fails to send a report within this time, the ground shall be considered adequate by default. The Grounds Committee will make a judgment based on the ground rating sent in by both umpires and visiting captains as to whether the ground is substandard, including judgment of whether the rating is accurate or not. Benefit of doubt shall be given to the host team when appropriate.

(c) In the event that a team’s ground is judged to be sub-standard by the Grounds Committee, the problem areas will be identified and the team shall be given a specified time frame in which to improve ground conditions. In the event that a team fails to comply with the recommendations of the committee, the team shall be penalized points as specified in Appendix A for every game scheduled to be played at that ground for the period it is sub-standard. In addition, visiting teams shall have the option to require that any fixtures scheduled to be played at the sub-standard ground shall be played instead at the visiting team’s home ground. The visiting team must give the home team and the umpiring team at least 3 days notice of their intention to move the venue of the fixture in this case.

Section 5: Dead Balls

(a) For all matches played on pitches other than natural grass the following additions to Law 23-Dead Ball shall apply:

(i) Either Umpire shall call and signal "Dead Ball," when a ball delivered by the Bowler pitches on the bound edge of the matting or other material used as a playing surface, on a fastening string or strap or on any spike or other device used to secure the playing surface whether it be on the playing surface or not, or it pitches in a hole or area of disrepair within the playing surface whether the edges are bound or not.

(ii) Either Umpire shall call and signal "Dead Ball," when a ball delivered by the Bowler having pitched on an edge or seam of a repaired part of the playing surface, it takes an unusual bounce which in the opinion of the Umpire was caused by the edge or seam.

(iii) The ball shall become dead at the moment of occurrence of any of the events in (i) and (ii) above, whether the Umpire calls "Dead Ball" prior to the Striker receiving the ball or after.

(iv) The Bowler shall be allowed an additional ball for a "Dead Ball" called under 23.5 except when the Umpire has called "No Ball" or "Wide." A ball shall not be called "Wide" if, in the opinion of the Bowler’s-End Umpire the deviation wide of the Striker is caused by any of the events described in (i) or (ii) above.

(v) If the ball becomes dead under Law 23.5 after the Striker receives the delivery, i.e., the ball pitches after passing the Striker, "Dead Ball" shall be called but an additional ball shall not be allowed unless a "No Ball" or "Wide" has been called.

(vi) The penalty of one run for a ‘No Ball" or a “Wide" shall be scored from a ball subsequently called "Dead Ball" under 23.5 but no runs shall be scored otherwise.

Section 6: Umpiring

(a) The Match Committee shall designate non-participant (neutral) clubs to provide Umpires for each match. The clubs designated shall be responsible for the on-time attendance of their appointed Umpires. Certified Umpires provided by neutral clubs shall not be subject to veto by the Captains.

(b) In the event that only one NCCA-assigned Umpire is present, that Umpire shall officiate as Bowler’s End Umpire throughout the match. The Captain of the batting side shall be responsible for appointing an Umpire who shall stand as Striker’s End Umpire only.

(c) The NCCA Executive Committee shall define and implement a process for certifying Umpires. Certification cards shall be issued to Umpires that meet defined umpiring standards. Umpires must bring these cards to matches in which they officiate. Except as noted above, only certified Umpires shall be permitted to stand in a League or Cup game.

(d) Failure to provide Umpires for regularly scheduled games shall result in a point penalty and dollar fine per umpire per game, as specified in Appendix A. Point penalties shall apply only for the League Competition and not for Cup games.

(e) In the event that the appointed neutral Umpires do not attend the game, the Captain of the batting side shall be responsible for the appointment of Umpires. Both Captains shall be responsible for the good conduct and completion of the game.

Section 7: Registration of Players

(a) Before the first game of the league season a club must register at least eleven players per team, along with email addresses if available. They shall also identify players eligible to play in the under 23 team (age less than 23 as of Sept 1 during the current year).

(b) All players in any league game must be registered with the club for which they play. New players must be registered with the team before being eligible to play for the team. If the team fields a player that has not been registered with the team prior to the score-sheets being delivered to the respective match secretary, then the team automatically forfeits the game and full points shall be awarded to the opposing team. Registration of a new player playing for the team may be sent in along with the score-sheets, so long as all the required registration information is complete.

(c) All players participating in NCCA sanctioned events and representative teams shall be registered members of the Association. Membership status shall be granted to any individual who provides personal demographic information (“registration information”), agrees to abide by the NCCA’s terms and conditions of membership, and pays the appropriate membership fee as determined by the Board of Directors.

(d) Each registered player shall submit a completed registration form as provided by the NCCA.

(e) Each member shall agree to abide by the following terms and conditions:

(i) Comply with the “NCCA Inc., Standing Rules” and conduct himself in a manner consistent with “The Laws of Cricket, 2000 Code - The Preamble, The Spirit of Cricket”

(ii) Supply accurate personal demographic information to the NCCA, and notify the Association promptly of changes to this information.

(iii) Affirm that the member is not currently banned or suspended from play by the ICC or any Association affiliated with the USACA.

Section 8: Reporting of Results

(a) Results of all league games are to be notified by both participating Clubs to the match Secretary by the Wednesday immediately following the game. Results forms will be made available via the NCCA web site. Clubs must mail in their results if they are unable to input data on the NCCA web site. Names of all participating players must be provided. If an ineligible player is found to have participated in a game, the match result will be amended to reflect his team conceding a walkover to the opposition.

(b) Failure to turn in completed reports in time will result in the offending teams being assessed a one point penalty per game as specified in Appendix A. Official score-sheets should be turned in within 10 days of the played game.

Section 9: Competition Points for all divisions in NCCA

(a) Competition Points will be awarded as follows:

(i) Walkover or Forfeit = 30 points

(ii) Win = 20 points + Batting Bonus Points + Bowling Bonus Points

(iii) Loss = Batting Bonus Points + Bowling Bonus Points

(iv) Tie = 10 points + Batting Bonus Points + Bowling Bonus Points

(v) No Result = 15 points each.

(b) Batting Bonus Points, Team Batting First:

(i) One (1) bonus point for reaching each of 45, 90, 135, 180 and 225 runs, for 45-over games.

(ii) For 'A' Division 50-over games, or for matches of reduced duration, bonus points shall be scored on a pro-rata basis. For example, in a 50-over-per-side match, bonus points would be earned at 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 runs.

(i) Points will be awarded in the same manner as for a team batting first

(d) Batting Bonus Points, Team Batting Second and Winning:

(i) Points will be calculated based on the rate at which 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 (b)(i)above. This translates to:

(a) 5 bonus points for a run rate of 5 or higher

(b) 4 bonus points for a run rate of 4 or higher

(d) 2 bonus points for a run rate of 2 or higher

(e) 1 bonus point for a run rate of 1 or higher

(f) 0 bonus points if they pass the total slower than this.

(ii) Points are actually scored by reaching the ‘Target Score’ (First Innings Total + 1) within the ‘Target Overs’, NOT by raw run rate alone. To calculate the ‘Target Over’, divide the ‘Target Score’ by the run rates above, and truncate part overs. For example:

(a) The team batting first scored 129 runs. The ‘Target Score’ is therefore 130 runs.

(b) To score 5 points, the team batting second must pass this total within 26 overs (calculation: 130/5 = 26).

(d) To score 3 points, they must reach the target within 43 overs.

(e) If they win in more than 43 overs, they will score 2 points, as the threshold for 2, 1 and 0 points are all in excess of the 45- or 50- over limit.

(iii) If the same target over applies for multiple points levels, the highest applicable points level shall apply.

(iv) The points are not cumulative, and the side will score only the maximum attributable points.

(e) Bowling Bonus Points: One (1) point for taking each of: 3, 5, 7, 9 and 10 wickets (inclusive of players deemed ‘retired out’).

Section 10: Provisions for the Game

(a) In all League, Cup and representative games, the wearing of white/off white collared cricket shirts, white/off white cricket pants and predominantly white footwear is required. No batsman or bowler shall be permitted to wear footwear that has hard studs, spikes or cleats unless the game is played on a natural turf wicket. Shirts should be tucked in and non-white belts should not be worn. All protective equipment except leg-guards, gloves, arm guards and helmets should be worn underneath the players clothing. Thigh guards, abdomen guards, chest guards etc should not be worn on top of the shirt or pant. Any player contravening this Rule will be subject to a penalty as described in Appendix A.

(b) The team fielding first shall provide a new ball at the start of the game, and this shall become the game ball. The side fielding second shall have the option of providing a new ball for the second innings and this shall thereafter become the match ball. Unless an agreement to the contrary has been made before the game, either captain may demand a new ball at the start of each innings. The fielding side needs to provide the ball.

(c) All League and Cup games shall be played with a ball supplied by NCCA. No other brand or type of balls are allowed in any of the NCCA League and Cup games unless approved in writing by the Executives/Match Committee.

(d) The home team shall provide spare balls to be used if the game ball is lost.

(e) The home team shall provide lunch, and drinks for both teams for the full day; a first aid kit; adequate seating for the teams and spectators; a copy of the Laws of Cricket; a copy of these NCCA rules.

(f) If the home team's ground is unavailable for a league game, due to any reason, then any other league approved ground that does not have a NCCA scheduled game is acceptable alternative. It is the responsibility of the home team to determine such a ground for that fixture. The home team must give the visiting team and the umpiring team at least 3 day notice of the new venue(s) of the fixture; and the exact venue shall be communicated to the opposite team and the umpires no less than 24 hours before the scheduled start of the game.

(g) The umpires shall wear a collared white/off-white shirt, dark colored trousers. Failure to do so will be penalized as described in Appendix A.

(h) Teams should return perpetual (rolling) NCCA trophies by the last Sunday of September. The teams that fail to meet this requirement will be penalized as described in Appendix A.

Section 11: League Structure

(f) (a) The NCCA League Competition shall be contested in Divisions. The divisions shall be determined prior to the start of the season, with the upper divisions consisting of ten (10) teams and the lowest division consisting of between five (5) and fourteen (14) teams. Except in the last Division, no conference in a given division shall have more teams than the other in the same division (b) In Divisions where there are exactly ten (10) teams the League Season shall consist of thirteen (13) games, and the Divisions shall have: i. Two Conferences comprising of five (5) teams each shall comprise a Division ii. The league season shall consist of 15 weekends -- 13 weekends of regular league season games and 2 weekends of championship play-offs for the top two finishers in each Conference a. Each team in a Conference shall play the other four teams in its conference twice in a season, one home and one away b. Each team shall play all five of the teams in the second conference once in a season. The Match Committee shall assign at least 2 home games per team and shall use the ground rating to assign the remaining home game to the team with higher ground rating. iii. At the end of the League Season the top team in each Conference shall play the second-placed team in the other Conference; the winners shall then play each other in the Divisional Final to determine the Division Champion and Runner-Up. iv. The Division Champion and Runner-Up shall be promoted to the next higher Division as provisioned in Section 2 (e) (i). v. At the end of the League Season all teams in a Division shall be ranked in order of points received and the bottom two teams in the Division shall be relegated to the lower division vi. The order of finish each year shall determine the next year’s Conference make up. The team ranking shall be as defined in parts (d) and (e). Finishing a year as: a. An odd numbered Team shall be placed in Conference A b. An even numbered Team shall be placed in Conference B (c) As new teams join or existing ones leave, the last Division in the League shall be structured as follows: i. The Division shall consist of a minimum of five (5) teams. ii. The Division shall have two conferences only when the number of teams in the Division exceeds seven (7) iii. The Division shall have only one Conference when there are only 7 teams. iv. The number of games in the last Division shall depend on the number of teams in it and shall not exceed thirteen (13) Revision 3.0 10/08/08 4 of 24 a. The match Committee shall ensure each team plays a minimum of 12 games per league season v. When there are two conferences, each team in a Conference shall play the other teams in their conference a minimum of twice in a season, one home and one away. vi. A team in one Conference shall play teams in the other conference once such that the total number of games for a team shall not exceed thirteen (13) and all teams play equal number of games. (d) Division standings shall be determined according to the points accumulated by each team, as described in Section 6. In the case of a tie on points, teams shall be placed according to their number of wins. If the teams remain tied, they shall be placed according to the fewest defeats. Beyond this, teams are considered tied in the division, except for the purposes of promotion and relegation as described in part (e). (e) At the end of each season, the top two teams in each of the lower divisions shall be promoted to the next higher division. The bottom two teams in each of the higher divisions shall be relegated to the next lower division. If teams are tied according to the formula described in part (d), then the teams shall be ranked according to their head-to-head record in league games. If the teams remain tied after their head-to-head record is considered a play-off game shall be played on a neutral ground. i. The first place team being promoted shall be placed in Conference B of the next higher division and the second placed team shall be placed in Conference A of the next higher Division. ii. The ninth place team being relegated shall be placed in Conference A of the next lower division and the tenth placed team shall be placed in Conference B of the next lower Division. (f) If a new division is formed, the lowest placed teams in the lowest division shall be placed into this new division according to the division standings as described above. (g) Admission of new teams to League Competition shall be by approval of the Board of Directors, and only between league seasons. New teams shall be placed at the bottom of the lowest division. New clubs must provide a home ground that meets league standards. The Grounds Committee shall certify new grounds and submit the certification in writing to the Executive Committee on or before February 15 in the year in which the application is made. When new teams join the League, they must do so such that only two other team shares their home ground with them and the ground is available both Saturday and Sunday. New teams shall be automatically placed on probation for their first season in the league. At the end of the probationary period, the Board of Directors, at the next Annual General Meeting, shall review the facilities, standard of play and conduct of the team and approve its admission as a full member or rescind admission to the league. Revision 3.0 10/08/08 5 of 24 (h) If at least 11 bona fide players who played for a particular Team in a given season choose to leave and form or join a separate Club for the next season, they may do so (but only after the conclusion of the then-current cricketing season) while retaining their then-existing Team's Divisional position solely at the discretion of the Board and with the prior written approval of the Club they are departing (which former Club would thus be yielding its divisional position to the Team consisting of the departed players). The former Club shall not unreasonably withhold its approval. The NCCA shall defer to the Club's management's decisions prior to the conclusion of then-current season and may defer to the Club management's decisions thereafter. Any controversy concerning this rule shall be addressed by the Board no later than January 15, prior to the start of the NCCA regular season. (i) All existing teams must continue to maintain all league standards. If a team fails to meet league standards, including failing to substantially meet its schedule of league games, the Board of Directors may elect to place it on probation, suspend it, or expel it from the league immediately. If a team is expelled or has withdrawn for any reason during a season, any games they have played that season are considered null and void and no points shall be awarded. Individual statistics shall, however, not be affected. An expelled team, or a team that has withdrawn for any reason, may re-apply to join the league under part (f) above, in which event it shall be treated as a new team. (j) NCCA member clubs are responsible for timely return of the perpetual trophies presented to the team or its players. Such trophies shall be returned to the Match secretary by the last Sunday in September. Failing this the team shall be assessed a fine, as set forth in Section 7. (k) All existing and new NCCA member teams shall submit their application for the upcoming League Season by January 21. (l) The NCCA Match Committee shall announce the Season Schedule by March 1.

Section 12: Player Transfer

(a) Any player changing clubs must have their release approved by their former club before they can play in the NCCA Competition for another club. Such approval shall not be unreasonably withheld.

(b) Any player may only change club once per season. Any further change must be communicated to and approved by the NCCA Executive Committee. The new club must submit the transferred player’s registration before they are eligible to play.

(c) If a team is found to have fielded a player who is ineligible in accordance with these rules, they will automatically forfeit the game in question and points will be awarded in accordance with Section 8.

(d) In the case of a team disbanding, or being removed from the league for failure to meet their obligations, a player may join the club or team of his choosing, but may not play for them until his registration has been submitted by that club and accepted.

(e) No player is allowed to play for more than one team during a given weekend.

(f) Any player less than 19 years of age as of December 31 or or above 50 yrs of age as of the previous December 31^st of the current year, is exempted from the preceding subsections of Section 12.

(g) No player who has been suspended, by NCCA, for disciplinary reason will be allowed to play in league games until that player has completely served out the time of suspension in full. If the player is a part of a team that disbanded during the season, the games missed do not qualify as part of the sentence.

Section 13: Dispute Resolution

In the event that disputes arise on the field, the captain(s) and/or umpire(s) must submit a written report to the committee appointed by the Executive Committee. This committee shall be responsible for taking appropriate action or may forward the report to the appropriate committee for action. The results of the investigation (if any) shall be forwarded in writing to the club secretary, umpires and players involved.

Section 14: Penalties for unfair play

The following two laws will be enforced in addition to what are specified in Law 42.18 and the 'The Preamble - The Spirit of Cricket' in the 'MCC Laws of Cricket - 2000 Code', and will be applicable to all NCCA games.

(a) Add a section (iv) to Law 42.18 which reads:

(iv) Award an immediate 5 run penalty against the offending team, according to Law 42.17 (Penalty runs)

(b) In the event that either Umpire has awarded penalty runs as a consequence of an act of Unfair Play under the Laws of Cricket, the Umpires shall forward a brief account of the incident to the NCCA Match Committee, who shall in turn forward it to the NCCA Disciplinary Committee. The report should be received within 3 days of the incident, and in any case no later than one week after the game.

Section 15: Attendance at meetings of the Board of Directors

Each of the teams participating in the NCCA shall be represented at all scheduled Board of Directors meetings by an appropriate NCCA representative or an alternate representative nominated by the team. Clubs with multiple teams must have separate representation for each team. All Representatives must be present for the entire duration of the meeting unless permission is granted otherwise by the Executive Committee. Any team failing to comply as above shall be penalized $100 for each meeting.

Section 16: Law 41 - Fielder

(a) Restriction of the Placement of Fieldsman

(i) Two semi circles shall be drawn on the field of play. The semi circles have as their centre the middle stump at either end of the pitch. The radius of each of the semi circles is 30 yards (27.43 metres) by a straight line drawn on the field on the same side of the pitch.The field restriction area should be marked by continuous painted white lines or ‘dots’ at 5 yard (4.57 metres) intervals, each ‘dot’ to be covered by a white plastic or rubber (but not metal) disc measuring

7 inches (18cm) in diameter.

(ii) At the instant of delivery, there may not be more than five fieldsmen on the leg side.

(iii) For the first 15 overs only two fieldsmen are permitted to be outside the field restriction marking at the instant of delivery.

(iv) For the remaining overs only five fieldsmen are permitted to be outside the field restriction marking at the instant of delivery.

(v) Two inner circles shall be drawn on the field of play. The circles have as their centres the centre point of the popping crease at either end of the pitch.The radius of each of the circles is 15 yards (13.72 metres).The field restriction area should be marked by ‘dots’.The segment of the circles reserved for the slip positions shall not be demarcated.(R efer attached Appendix 1).In the first 15 overs there must be a minimum of two stationary fieldsmen within the 15 yards (13.72 metres) field restriction of the striker at the instant of delivery.When a fast bowler is bowling the two stationary fieldsmen may be permitted to stand deeper than 15 yards (13.72 metres) (in the undemarcated area) provided only that they are standing in slip, leg slip and gully positions.

(vi) In circumstances where the number of overs for the team batting first is reduced, the number of overs in regard to the restrictions in (iii) and (v) above shall be reduced proportionally in a ratio of 15:50 (30%) in accordance with the table below.F ractions are to be ignored in all calculations regarding the number of overs.

Total overs in innings No. of overs for which fielding restrictions in (iii) and (v) above will apply

20-23 6

24-26 7

27-29 8

30-33 9

34-36 10

37-39 11

40-43 12

44-46 13

47-49 14

50 15

Section 17: Law 42 - Fair and Unfair Play

(a) The following modifications to Law 42.6 shall apply:

(i) Law 42.6 (a) shall be replaced by the following:

(a) A bowler shall be limited to one fast short-pitched delivery per over.

(b) A fast short-pitched delivery is defined as a ball which passes or would have passed above the shoulder height of the striker standing upright at the crease.

(c) The umpire at the bowler's end shall advise the bowler and the batsman on strike when each fast short pitched delivery has been bowled.

(d) In addition, for the purpose of this regulation and subject to Clause 42.4.1 (f) below, a ball that passes above head height of the batsman, that prevents him from being able to hit it with his bat by means of a normal cricket stroke shall be called a wide.

(e) For the avoidance of doubt any fast short pitched delivery that is called a wide under this playing condition shall also count as the allowable short pitched delivery in that over

(f) In the event of a bowler bowling more than one fast shortpitched delivery in an over as defined in Clause 42.4.1 (b) above, the umpire at the bowler's end shall call and signal no ball on each occasion. A differential signal shall be used to signify a fast short pitched delivery. The umpire shall call and signal ‘no ball’ and then tap the head with the other hand.

(g) If a bowler delivers a second fast short pitched ball in an over, the umpire, after the call of no ball and when the ball is dead, shall caution the bowler, inform the other umpire, the captain of the fielding side and the batsmen at the wicket of what has occurred. This caution shall apply throughout the innings.

(h) If there is a second instance of the bowler being no balled in the innings for bowling more than one fast short pitched delivery in an over, the umpire shall advise the bowler that this is his final warning for the innings.

(i) Should there be any further instance by the same bowler in that innings, the umpire at the bowler's end shall call and signal no ball and when the ball is dead direct the captain to take the bowler off forthwith. If necessary, the over shall be completed by another bowler, who shall neither have bowled the previous over, or part thereof, nor be allowed to bowl the next over, or part thereof.

(j) The bowler thus taken off shall not be allowed to bowl again in that innings.

(k) The umpire will report the occurrence to the other umpire, the batsmen at the wicket and as soon as possible to the captain of the batting side.

(l) The umpires will then report the matter to the Executive Committee who shall take such action as is considered appropriate against the captain and the bowler concerned.(Refer also to Law 42.1 Fair and Unfair Play - Responsibility of the Captains.) The above is not a substitute for Clause 42.5 below which umpires are able to apply at any time.

NOTE: According to the above, the fast short-pitched ball is the responsibility of the Bowler’s end Umpire only. In all NCCA competition, however, the initial call of “No Ball” shall be made by either umpire. Any subsequent action to be taken, shall remain the responsibility of the Umpire at the Bowler’s end.

(ii) Law 42.6 (b) shall be replaced by the following:

(a) Any delivery (regardless of its pace) which passes or would have passed on the full above waist height of the striker standing upright at the crease shall be called and signaled ‘No Ball’ by the umpire at either end. A "fast" delivery which passes or would have passed on the full above waist height of the striker standing upright at the crease is deemed dangerous and unfair, whether or not is it likely to inflict physical injury on the striker.

(b) A slow delivery, which passes or would have passed on the full above shoulder height of the striker standing upright at the crease, is to be deemed dangerous and unfair, whether or not it is likely to inflict physical injury on the striker.

(c) In the event of a bowler bowling a delivery deemed dangerous and unfair as defined in Clauses 42.4.2 (a) and 42.4.2 (b) above, the umpire at the bowler's end shall, in the first instance, call and signal no ball and when the ball is dead, caution the bowler and issue a first and final warning. The umpire shall inform the other umpire, the captain of the fielding side and the batsmen at the wicket of what has occurred.

(d) Should there be any further instance by the same bowler in that innings, the umpire shall call and signal no ball and when the ball is dead direct the captain to take the bowler off forthwith. If necessary, the over shall be completed by another bowler, who shall neither have bowled the previous over, or part thereof, nor be allowed to bowl the next over, or part thereof.

(e) The bowler thus taken off shall not be allowed to bowl again in that innings.

(f) The umpire will report the occurrence to the other umpire, the batsman at the wicket and as soon as possible to the captain of the batting side.

(g) The umpires will then report the matter to the Executive Committee who shall take such action as is considered appropriate against the captain and the bowler concerned. (Refer also to Law 42.1 Fair and Unfair Play - Responsibility of the Captains.)

NOTE: According to the above, the high full-pitched ball is the responsibility of the Bowler’s end Umpire only. In all NCCA competition, however, the initial call of “No Ball” shall be made by either umpire. The subsequent decisions as to whether it was a fast ball, and any action to be taken, shall remain the responsibility of the Umpire at the Bowler’s end.

(b) Law 42.7 shall be replaced by the following:

Regardless of any action taken by the umpire as a result of a breach of Clauses 42.4.1, 42.4.2 and 42.6 the following shall apply at any time during the match:

(i) The bowling of fast short pitched balls is unfair if in the opinion of the umpire at the bowler’s end he considers that by their repetition and taking into account their length, height and direction, they are likely to inflict physical injury on the striker, irrespective of the protective clothing and equipment he may be wearing. The relative skill of the striker shall also be taken into consideration.

(ii) In the event of such unfair bowling, the umpire at the bowler's end shall adopt the following procedure:

(a) In the first instance the umpire shall call and signal no ball, caution the bowler and inform the other umpire, the captain of the fielding side and the batsmen of what has occurred.

(b) If this caution is ineffective, he shall repeat the above procedure and indicate to the bowler that this is a final warning.

(e) The bowler thus taken off shall not be able to bowl again in that innings.

(f) The umpire will report the occurrence to the other umpire, the batsmen at the wicket and as soon as possible to the captain of the batting side.

(g) The umpires will then report the matter to the Executive Committe who shall take such action as is considered appropriate against the captain and the bowler concerned.(Refer also to Law 42.1 Fair and Unfair Play - Responsibility of the Captains.

If the umpire considers that a high full pitch delivery which is deemed dangerous and unfair as defined in Clause 42.4.2 was deliberately bowled, then the caution and warning process shall be dispensed with. The umpire at the bowler's end shall:

(i) Call and signal no ball.

(ii) When the ball is dead, direct the captain to take the bowler off forthwith.

(iii) Not allow the bowler to bowl again in that innings.

(iv) Ensure that the over is completed by another bowler, provided that the bowler does not bowl two overs or part thereof consecutively.

(v) Report the occurrence to the other umpire, to the captain of the batting side and the Executive Committee who shall take such action as is considered appropriate against the captain and the bowler concerned.(R efer also to Law 42.1 Fair and Unfair Play Responsibility of the Captains).

(d) Action by the umpires for dangerous and unfair Bowling

Should the umpires initiate the caution and warning procedures set out in this Section, such cautions and warnings are not to be cumulative.

Appendix A : Penalties applicable to all the divisions in NCCA

(a) Umpires Not Sent:

(i) One Umpire : 3 point deduction and $50 fine.

(ii) Two Umpires : 10 point deduction and $100 fine.

(b) Umpire with Improper Attire:

(i) $15 per Umpire.

(i) Five (5) points deduction per home game and $50.00 fine per home game played on a ground designated as sub-standard by the Grounds Committe

(d) Scorecards, Umpiring Reports, Ground Reports Not Sent:

(i) One (1) point deduction per score-sheet per week for score-sheets not submitted on time. This penalty will continue to be assessed until the score-sheet is submitted. In addition there will be a penalty of $25.

(ii) One (1) point deduction per score-sheet for incomplete score-sheets.

(e) Improper attire:

(i) $15.00 fine per player.

(f) If the Association fails to invoice a team for a fine within 30 days of the infraction, the fine is revoked.

(g) All fines are payable within 30 days of Invoice.

(h) For each overdue fine, teams will be penalized five (5) points per game played per fine for every game played after 30 days after Invoice.

(i) Teams failing to return trophies, as set forth in Section 10 (h), will be assessed a fine of $200 in addition to the cost of replacing the trophy.

(j) If no member of the home team or visiting team shows up by game time and fails to communicate this to the umpires, match secretary and the other team's captain in advance, then the offending team will be fined $200 and 10 penalty points. These penalties will be applied in addition to the other applicable penalties. If this is a post-season game, then a fine of $300 will be assessed.

Appendix B: Cup Competition

The Price Cup

Section 1: The Competition

(a) The competition shall be called the Thomas H. Price Cup.

(b) The competition shall be played under the same rules as the league competition, except as described below.

(c) All full and associate member clubs of the NCCA may elect to take part in the competition. Full member clubs will be included in the competition unless they withdraw prior to the start of the season. Associate member clubs must notify the NCCA Executive Committee of their intention to take part in the competition prior to the draw.

(d) This shall be a knockout competition to be played on dates set by the Match Committee.

(e) In order to participate in the Price Cup tournament, a team should be in good financial standing with NCCA.

(f) A team forfeiting a game will be disqualified from all the NCCA tournaments for the season in question.

(g) We will commence by assigning all the A Division teams to one pool and the B Division teams to another. We will then select at random two A teams to play two B teams, all the other teams in both pools receiving byes. This will constitute Round One of the Price Cup. This Round will be included in the regular League season by the Match Secretaries, when they compile the League schedule. These two games need not be played on the same day, thus allowing more flexibility when designing the schedule. This will reduce the number of teams to 16 for Round 2, which will be played at the conclusion of the League Season. We will again attempt to match an A Division team against a B Division team in Round Two whenever possible. The remaining rounds of the Price Cup will then be drawn from the hat randomly.

Section 2: Seeding

The teams taking part in the competition shall be seeded prior to the preliminary round draw according to the following rules.

(a) The winner of the competition the previous season shall be seeded number 1.

(b) Full member teams shall be seeded next, according to their positions in the league competition the previous season. Promotion and relegation shall not be taken into account, so the bottom team in the A Division the previous season shall be seeded above the top team in the B Division, and so on.

(c) Associate members shall be seeded next, according to the round they were eliminated from the competition the previous season. Associate members eliminated in the same round of the Price Cup shall be seeded according to the round they were eliminated from the Bank of India Cup the previous season.

(d) Any teams expelled from the league under rule 10(g) the previous season, but re-admitted under rule 10(f) for the current season shall be seeded next.

(e) Any teams disqualified from the competition the previous season shall be seeded last.

(f) Where teams are seeded equally according to the preceding rules, their seeding will be determined by random draw.

Section 3: Preliminary Round

(a) The bottom-seeded teams shall play a preliminary round to reduce the total number of teams in the competition to an exact power of 2.

(b) The draw for the preliminary round shall take place prior to the start of the season. It shall follow the procedure described in section 4 below.

(c) The draw for each round of the competition shall take place at the first NCCA Executive Committee or Board of Directors meeting after the previous round.

(d) Teams shall be drawn at random in pairs. The first team drawn shall be considered the “provisional home team”. The second team drawn shall be considered the “provisional away team”.

(e) If two or more teams that share the same ground are drawn at home, the following procedure shall be used to determine the venue for matches:

(i) The matches shall be placed in a list, with the order of the list determined by the seeding of the provisional home team - the highest-seeded provisional home team shall be at the top of the list, down to the lowest-seeded provisional home team at the bottom of the list.

(ii) Working from the top of the list, each home team will be confirmed unless a team higher in the list is already using their ground. If the ground is already being used and the provisional away team’s ground is available, then the game shall be played at the provisional away team’s ground. If neither ground is available, the match is added to a new list of “homeless” matches.

(iii) Once the whole list has been considered, any homeless matches will be assigned to neutral grounds, or be scheduled to be played on a day as close as possible to the other matches, at the discretion of the Executive Committee.

(f) The Final shall be played on a neutral ground determined by the Executive Committee, unless the finalists agree to play on the ground of one of the clubs involved.

Section 4: Playing Conditions

(a) All matches shall be officiated by neutral Umpires appointed by the Match Committee.

(b) To be eligible to represent a club, a player must be a bona fide member of the club, not having played for any other team in the same competition during the same season, having played at least two games for the club, and not having since played for any other club in the league. For Preliminary Round games a player need not have played at least two games for the club.

(c) For clubs with two or more teams, a player from a lower division team, having played in a Preliminary Round game, is still eligible to play (irrespective of the result) in a subsequent Cup game for a higher division team (of the same club).

(d) In the preliminary round games of the Cup competition, the 'No Result' matches shall be decided by the 'Bowl Off' or the 'flip of the coin'. The 'Bowl Off' will take precedence to the 'flip of the coin' approach. 'Bowl Off' format is explained below. Should the umpires disagree on whether 'Bowl Off' is possible due to inclement weather conditions, the result will be decided by the 'flip of the coin'.

Bowl-Off Format:

(i) Only players selected in the final 11 are eligible to participate in 'Bowl-Off.

Round ONE: Each team select 6 players and bowl at stumps alternatively. Team with most hits wins.

Round TWO: If no results is achieved after round one. Teams select 3 new bowlers and repeat same.

Round THREE: Still no result, then final two players will bowl.

(ii) If no result is achieved after both teams use all 11 players, then same cycle start again from Round ONE until there is a result.

(e) The match secretaries will reschedule the 'No Result' semi-final and the final games.

Bank of India Cup

Section 1: The Competition

(a) The Competition shall be called the Bank of India Cup.

(b) The competition shall be played under the same rules as the league competition and The Price Cup, except as described below.

(d) All C Division teams will compete amongst themselves by random draw in a knock-out fashion for the Bank of India Cup.

Section 2: Seeding

(a) Teams shall be seeded for the competition in the same way as for The Price Cup.

Section 3: The Draw

(a) A preliminary round shall be played to reduce the number of teams in the competition to an exact power of 2. The top-seeded teams shall receive a bye through to the first round proper.