A — General
A.1 — Annual General Meeting
The Sedgemoor Skittle League (SSL) shall hold an annual general meeting prior to commencement of each season, at which entrant teams shall be represented by at least one of their registered members, such represented teams being entitled to each cast one vote only on any voting issue arising at the meeting.
Teams failing to respond to the roll calls shall be declared absent and, should they so desire, shall forfeit their deposit as required by rule. The meeting shall elect to serve during that season the following officers: Chairman, Vice Chairman, Honorary General Secretary, Honorary Treasurer and if required Honorary Competitions Secretary.
The office of Chairman and Vice Chairman shall not be held jointly with that of any other office, nor shall the position of Hon General Secretary and Hon Treasurer be amalgamated or held jointly by the same person during any one season.
These elected officers, together with up to six duly elected members, shall form the League Management Committee (L.M.C.). L.M.C. meetings shall be arranged as required at any league venue by the Gen Secretary, and must be attended by a quorum — any 2 officers, together with any three other L.M.C. members. The L.M.C. will deal with all urgent matters and SSL business, and the L.M.C. decisions on all protests, complaints, disputes and any other matters arising shall be final.
A.2 — Nominations
Only registered members may submit themselves as officers and candidates for election to the L.M.C. and such members must do so on the official nomination form, returning completed forms 14 days prior to the election AGM to the General Secretary.
A.3 — General Meetings
General meetings shall be held at a designated venue, as required, and may be declared Extraordinary to assume the powers of an AGM should the occasion so demand.
A.4 — Trophies
All competition trophies are the sole property of the SSL. The SSL reserve the right to withhold from teams or players any trophies which are judged to have been unfairly won.
A.5 — Presentation
Teams and players gaining trophies are expected to attend the presentation ceremony in order to receive such trophies personally, or to have a proxy to collect on their behalf.
A.6 — League Structure & Promotion/Relegation
The league shall consist of as many divisions as entries permit, being not more than 16 teams in any division. At the end of each season, the two teams with the most points shall be promoted to the next higher division, and the two teams with the least points relegated to the next lower division. In the event of equal points, the final decision shall be determined by:
- Results (points) against each other in league
- Number of wins in league during season
- Pins difference
- Play off between the teams
A.7 — Protests
Any teams seeking to challenge a match result must submit a written protest to the Gen Sec within 7 days of the date the match was played and shall pay a protest fee as per rule D.2.
A.10 — Team Withdrawal
Should a team withdraw or be expelled from the league prior to the end of the season, all league matches already played by the team shall be declared void and deleted from the league records, and all its players shall be suspended from the league for the remainder of the season.
A.12 — New Entrants
New entrants to the league must always start in the lowest division.
A.16 — Home Venue
Teams shall secure a base venue on which to play their home matches, and may not change that venue during the season except in extreme circumstances and with permission of the L.M.C.
B — Registrations
B.1 — Entry
A registration date shall be set not less than 14 days prior to the A.G.M. All entries for that season should be submitted on a supplied registration form bearing the names of not less than 10 players to be registered, the name by which the team is called and the home venue, with the declared registration fee.
B.2 — Additional Players
Additional players may register for teams any time during the season by submitting their full name and the name of the team they wish to register for to the Gen Sec.
B.3 — Transfers
Transfer from one team to another may only take place once for each player during the season.
B.4 — Eligibility
All players registered must be male and 18 years old at the commencement of the playing season. Teams may also register not more than two players between 16 and 18 years of age, with the team captain accepting responsibility for such players' conduct and financial liabilities within the league.
B.5 — Ineligible Players
Any team playing an ineligible player shall be fined as per rule D.2. for each player concerned, and any points won in all matches such a player has played in will be awarded to the opposing team.
C — Playing Procedures
C.1 — Team Composition
The team playing in matches may use any six of its registered players. Once a player has delivered his first ball, he is deemed to have played and may not be replaced. If a player of any team is late and does not arrive until each side has played their two commencing hands, he shall not be permitted to play unless prior agreement has been reached between captains. Teams playing with one or more members short may use a "Sergeant Major" (SM), giving 6 pins per hand.
C.2 — Match Format
The home team shall start the game by playing two hands. The visiting team then plays two hands in reply, followed by the home team playing three, then the visitors play three in reply. The home team then plays their final two hands followed by the same by the visiting team — concluding the game of seven hands each.
C.3 — Ball Delivery
A player shall throw each of the three match balls once only per hand in any order of his choice. The player must deliver the ball from his hand on to the pitch board — only pins knocked down by a ball so delivered shall count.
C.4 — Back Balls
Any pins knocked down by a back ball or from balls first striking the walls shall not count and must be replaced. The decision of the HOME sticker up shall be final in any dispute on the night regarding the fall of pins.
C.5 — Start Time
All league and cup matches start at 20:15 unless otherwise authorised by the L.M.C.
C.6 — Result Cards
The home team is responsible for returning the result card to the address on the front by the following Monday. Results can be sent electronically to the web master by email, text or WhatsApp by any member of a team. Both home and away teams shall give the full names and scores of their respective players and must sign the score card.
C.7 — Points Scoring
Eight points shall be awarded for each league match won and one point for each hand won, making a total of fifteen. Where a hand is tied, the winner of the next hand will win the tied hand points. If the 7th (last) hand is tied, the winner of the 6th hand will win the points, then 5th and so on.
C.9 — Postponements
If for any reason a team is unable to play on the arranged date, 24 hours notice must be given to the opponents. The captains of the teams concerned must rearrange the fixture to be played within 21 days of the postponement, initiated by the home captain. Should they fail to agree a date the L.M.C. will arrange a definite fixed date.
D — Charges & Fines
D.1 — Fees
- Initial team entry fee — set by the L.M.C. at registration
- Players' contribution to sticker up fee — £4 per player minimum
- Returnable registration fee on attending the AGM — £5.00
D.2 — Fines
- Late arrival of result card — £1
- Incorrectly completed result card — £1
- Use of ineligible player — £5 per player
The B.W. Adams Challenge Cup
All teams gain automatic entry. All Division 1 teams will play all Division 2 teams on a home and away basis. There will be two league tables — Group 1 and Group 2 — with each team's points going on their relevant league table. At the conclusion of all matches, the top two from each group will play each other on a home and away basis in the semi finals. The two winning teams will play in the final, which will ensure a Division 1 and Division 2 team play in the final.
Irish Distillers 4-a-Side Competition
Teams shall consist of players currently registered in the SSL. Each team is entitled to enter up to two teams of 4 players. Each game shall consist of:
- 2 hands each of 9 pin
- 2 hands each of 8 pin (front pin removed)
- 2 hands each of Nomination
The competition shall be played on a mini league basis. The top two point scorers from each group will proceed to the quarter finals. The semi final and final will be played on the same night at a neutral alley.
Pairs Competition
- Seven hands of normal 9 pin skittles
- One point earned for every hand won
- Eight points awarded for winning the match (maximum 15 points)
- Sixes across the board if a player is missing
Tea Drinkers Trophy (Nomination)
The front pin standing shall always be regarded as the pin in play and this pin must be displaced by the ball before scoring commences. Pins count only when the pin aimed for (the nominated pin) is struck first. In the case of the player's first delivery, this shall always be the front pin.