League Rules

WELLS AND DISTRICT SKITTLES LEAGUE RULES

RULES FOR SEASON 2023 – 2024

  1. That the league shall be called The Wells and District Skittles League, open to teams within a 7 miles radius of Wells. The headquarters of the league is the Tramways club.
  1. A committee consisting of Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and TEN members, from all divisions, to be elected at the annual general meeting. A representative from each team (not necessarily the captain) must attend the annual general meeting. Failure to do so will incur a fine of £10 (which will be donated to a charity of the league’s choice) unless an apology is registered with the secretary in advance of the meeting. 
  1. The committee shall reserve the right to accept or reject any application to enter the league, shall be empowered to arrange fixtures for league matches, and draws and alleys for all competitions. They shall have the power to decide awards for winning teams, individual and four a side competition, and runners up to the afore mentioned, and to arrange for such awards to be presented. The committee is also empowered to arrange the secretary’s and treasurers’ honorariums, consider all protests, to elect an independent examiner to verify the league accounts at the end of the season and to deal with any matter not covered by these rules, such decisions to be final.
  1. Each team entering the league shall pay an entry fee of £1-00, plus a competition entry fee of £1-00.
  1. Players can be registered at any time. The secretary to be informed of the signing as soon as possible. A registration fee of 10 pence per player to be paid. Any players will be allowed one transfer per season, a transfer fee of £1-50 to be paid by the new team. Any player transferred, having taken part in a cup match, shall not be allowed to play in further cup games for his new side.
  1. A game shall consist of EIGHT MALE PLAYERS on each side, each player to throw six hands of three balls per hand. Play to commence at 8.00pm SHARP, unless both captains mutually agree a rearranged time. All game must start by 8.30 PM the captain of either side may ask for play to commence, providing SIX PLAYERS of the opposite side are in attendance. FIVE PINS will be allowed for each hand that a named player is absent, to be added at the completion of each complete hand (home and away). Player(s) may join the game at any stage of the match, the score of five pins per hand played to stand. In the event of a team being more than two players short when a captain exercises his option, the game will be played under the rule of 6 will be applied the lowest 2 scores of their hand down will be entered per hand to make an 8 a side game. No player can join the team with 6 after the game has commenced. A team not turning up and not informing the opposition shall be fined £10 the game will be rearranged by the committee.
  1. A team unable to fulfil a fixture must inform the opposing captain, the landlord of the alley concerned, and the league secretary AT LEAST 48 HOURS BEFORE a match is due to be played. The defaulting Captain then has 10 Days to rearrange the game and inform the other Captain and the Secretary. Failure to abide by this rule will result in 2pts being deducted. A maximum of 3 games only can be postponed per season. Games postponed in the first half of the season must be played by December 31st.If the teams are unable to agree a new date the committee will rearrange the games on an alley of their choosing. The same rule applies from January to the end of the season. All games must be played before the end of the season if the alley is not available due to pre bookings cup matches etc. the secretary is to be informed, and he will then rearrange any such game.
    In the event of any team or individual not being able to participate in the 4 a side or individual competitions, then the secretary must be informed AT LEAST 48 HOURS BEFORE THE MATCH IS DUE TO BE PLAYED. Failure to do so will incur a fine of £20.00.
  1. A match fee of £2.10 per player is to be collected by both captains making a team total of £16.80. (The total to be calculated on 8 players per team, irrespective of the numbers playing. The sticker up shall be paid £12.00(£1.50 per man) and the remaining £4.80 to be paid to the treasurer as league fees twice a year on the date of invoices. All payments to be by BAC or Cheque no cash

    In the Individual Competition or other competitions where individual players take part, the scorer appointed by the secretary shall be responsible for collecting sticker up fees and their distribution as above. In Knock Out Cup games, the team drawn first shall be deemed the home team in relation to the above. In the 4 a side competition the team drawn first on the alley will be deemed the home team and will be responsible for collecting and paying sticker up fees only. Any team failing to pay their dues on the date specified by the treasurer shall be fined £10.00, AND THEY WILL BE DEDUCTED 2 POINTS, and any team owing money at the end of the season shall be barred from entering the league the following season.

  1. Any team playing an illegible player shall be fined £10-00 and in the event of the defaulting team winning or drawing the game, the points will be deducted.
  1. Before any game shall commence, the 3 front pins shall be clearly marked, the FRONT PIN to be a different colour to the other two.
  1. A team winning a league match shall score two points, and in the event of the game being drawn, each team shall score one point. Should any team drop out of the league during the season, all points won from the defaulting team shall be forfeited.
  1. The game shall be started by the HOME TEAM, who will report the results of the match, by telephone, text or email to the secretary giving names of players and scores of under 30 or 60 and over. Results are to be with the secretary by no later than MIDDAY on the Saturday after the match has been played. No telephone calls are to be made after 11pm. In the event of Knock Out Cup matches, the team drawn first shall be deemed the home team for the purpose of this rule. A fine of £10 will be imposed on captains contravening this rule, plus an additional £10 for every breach incurred.
  1. The league will consist of up six divisions. The league shall not exceed a total of 84 teams at any time.
  1. At the end of the season the leading TWO TEAMS from Divisions 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 will be promoted, and the bottom TWO TEAMS in Divisions 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 shall be relegated. In the event of the league being restructured, due to the number of teams entering the league, extra teams may be promoted or relegated. The top two teams shall be presented with awards. If the points of two or more teams are equal at the top or bottom of the table in their respective divisions, places will be determined by PIN MERIT, which shall be kept by the secretary and published with the league tables. In the event of teams having equal points and pin merit the results of the matches between the teams will decide finishing positions, either by match points or if needed pin merit of these matches. In the unlikely event of teams still being level then the total pins hit of the remaining away matches will decide.
  1. In the event of a tie in any Knockout Cup, Individual and 4 A Side matches, an additional hand or hands shall be played until a result is obtained.
  1. No player shall step over the first white line, or deliver a ball over the second white line, which shall be approximately six feet in front of the first line. Pins knocked down by any ball that has hit the side Cush before hitting the frame shall be deemed void, and will be reset, the ball being disallowed. Should a ball or pin roll against the cush from out of the frame and then roll back into the frame, any further pins knocked down shall be deemed to have fallen and will not be reset. Any pins removed from their spots by either the ball or a rolling pin, and failing to fall shall be left standing, providing they are still inside the frame. Any pin moving outside the frame shall be deemed to have fallen and shall be removed.
  1. All disputes, protests or complaints about any match shall be made to the secretary, in writing within 48 hours of the match, accompanied by a fee of £10-00, which will be forfeited if the complaint is deemed frivolous.
  1. In the event of lights failing during the match, the score shall stand, providing FOUR COMPLETE HANDS have been completed. If fewer hands have been played, the game shall be declared void and replayed at the earliest date possible.
  1. If a player must leave a game due to an emergency call out to Fire or Ambulance Service needs etc.), he will be allowed five pins for each hand absent and may rejoin the game at any stage if he returns.
  1. All cups held by winners shall be deemed the responsibility of the holder for such time as any such cup is held. In the event of any loss or damage being sustained whilst in a winner’s possession, the committee’s repairers shall repair the damage or replace the trophy, the cost of such damage repair or replacement being met by the holder concerned. All cups shall be returned to a place and time set by the committee where they will be checked and sign back into the league`s possession. Failure to return them on the given date and time will result in a fine of £20 and possible points deduction. Captains will sign a form supplied by the secretary accepting responsibility for any trophy held by their team.
  1. Individual Competition: -Will be the highest scores on each alley, that number will be decided by the committee when each round is drawn. In the event of a tie for the final place an extra hand will be played by the players tied to decide who goes through. In the event of a player being unable to play due to illness or accident, a substitute may be submitted at any stage of the competition, the secretary being informed of any substitution. The substituted player must continue for the rest of the competition.
  1. The Albert Payne Trophy will be played for by the highest scoring individual from among the home teams on each alley. In the event of that player not being able to play then the second highest player from that alley will be permitted to play.
  1. The foregoing rules shall apply to all matches, whether league, Knock Out Cup or any competition games organised by the league, and they shall only be altered by written application to the annual general meeting. All previously declared rules are declared void, and the foregoing will be applicable from the start of season 2023 – 2024.

 

RULES FOR THE 4 A SIDE FRONT PIN COMPETITION

  1. A team will consist of 4 players taken from all players signed on by the team.
  1. The team drawn first on each alley will be deemed the home team and will be responsible for the collection and paying of the sticker up fee and sending the result to the secretary.
  1. The front pin must be knocked down by a ball before any score is recorded. Any pins knocked down before the front pin is hit will be removed from the alley and will not count towards the score. If the front pin is knocked over by a rolling pin, then that hand is deemed to be over and a score of zero is recorded.
  1. If the first ball removes pins without hitting the front pin, and all the remaining pins are cleared by the second ball for a “spare”, then only the pins that were standing before the second ball was thrown will be respotted for the third ball.
  1. In the event of a team being a player or players short at the start of the match then a score of zero will be put against the absent player at the end of each completed hand.
  2. In the event of a tie between two sides after six hands, then all players will throw an extra hand or hands until a winner emerges.