Junior County Championship Rules
1 ~ County teams shall be composed of 24 players, 12 playing
at home and 12 away, such players shall not have reached the age of 18 years on
1st January of the year of the competition. The games all to be played on the
same day and on the green of a Club directly affiliated to the County
Association and a list of all such affiliated Clubs to be sent to the BCGBA.
Chief Executive on or before the 1st. April in each year. Players selected must
be bona fide members of a Club affiliated to the County Association. The name of
the Club must be placed after the player's name on the programme. No home team
player shall be allowed to play in a County Match on a green of any Club of
which he is a playing member, nor play for more than one County in any one
season. Definition of a playing member: One who pays a subscription to a Bowling
Club or to a Bowling Section of a Sports or Social Club or is a member of an
organisation which utilises the green of such Club or Section. If this rule is
transgressed then the game shall be awarded to his opponent 21 points to nil. If
a green is considered to be unfit for play owing to weather conditions, the onus
and responsibility for abandoning a match shall rest with the Referee and
Groundsman. If a County Championship game cannot be played due to the green
having been deemed unfit for play the game shall be played within seven days, at
the same venue, the draw for the matches to stand. If due to adverse weather
conditions the game at one venue has to be abandoned the rule in relation to
playing both matches on the same day will not apply. Matches will not be
abandoned before 4p.m. If two County Associations are level at the end of the
preliminary matches played, both in aggregate points scored and win points
awarded, a deciding match as per rule 2 shall take place within 7 days of the
last match being completed.
2 ~ Games shall be 21 up and matches should be played on a
Sunday on a different day to a Senior County Match and will commence at 2 p.m.
unless mutually arranged. Visiting teams to have first cast of the jack. Jacks
to be used in County Matches shall be available for practice. A minimum of 12
standard jacks must be available for practice.
3 ~ The Counties shall be divided into four Sections by a
draw made at the October Management Meeting and shall play the other Counties in
their own Section one match (home and away) and be awarded two points for a win
and one point for a draw. The draw shall be made to conform with an agreed
formula.
The County gaining the greatest number of points in each of
the four Sections shall then play in a Semi-final round, the winner of Section
one against the winner of Section two, and the winner of Section three against
the winner of Section four. In the case of a tie in the Semi-final or Final,
four players from each team, at each venue, shall play again. The players shall
be selected by the respective captains and the draw for pairings will be made by
the Referee. When the winners of the Semi-finals are known they shall play off
in a Final match, the winning County receiving the Jim Grant Memorial Trophy and
the losing County the Eddie Elson Cup. In the case of a tie for the top position
in any Section the winning County shall be determined by the best average
according to the number of points scored for, over those scored against. The
Counties drawn in the group containing only three Counties, will play each other
in the following pattern. Two teams will be drawn to play each other on the
respective date in May of the relevant year. The losing County in that first
match, will then play the non playing County from the May date, on the
respective June date. The final group match will comprise of the winning team in
the first match and the non playing County in May. In the case of a tie in that
first match, the first named County in the draw will play on the respective June
date and the second named County on the respective July date.
4 ~ County Associations shall select their team at least 21
days before the dates of their matches except when County matches are due to be
played within 21 days when County Associations shall select their teams at least
14 days before the date of the matches.
Where a venue has more than one green, the green intended for
play should be clearly indicated to their opponents. No County shall play more
than one match on one green during the same season.
Home teams and reserves shall be allowed practice up to the
day of the match and also 15 minutes practice which shall terminate 5 minutes
before the away team practice is due to start on the day of play and half an
hour's practice (which shall terminate ten minutes before the agreed time of the
start of the match) shall be allowed the visiting team and reserves on the day
of play.
No practice is allowed by 'away' players once a green and
teams have been officially exchanged, subject to the rules in relation to normal
competitive games. Should this action occur, then that player should be barred
from taking part in the relevant match. After the commencement of the match, no
further practice shall be allowed at that venue.
5 ~ The draw for each match shall be made by the Secretaries
of the contesting Counties posting two copies of their players and Officials to
the Chief Executive of the Association, on a date previously notified to them.
Failure to comply by this date will incur a fine of £20.00 on the defaulting
County. The Chief Executive of the Association will then post on to each
respective County Secretary a copy of their opponents players. The draw thus
arrived at shall be strictly adhered to unless with the consent of the two
captains and the Referee. Not less than two reserves shall be named on the
programme and no other player shall take part in the match until the named
reserves have been called upon to play. The home players only shall be numbered
according to the programme.
6 ~ Neutral Referees shall be appointed for all County
Matches and they shall be paid an agreed match fee, together with travelling
expenses and tea. All expenses to be paid by the Referees Society Secretary.
Each County shall appoint a competent measurer, who shall be a qualified
Referee. The Home County will be responsible for providing all measuring
equipment likely to be required by the Referee.
7 ~ If a player playing in a Junior County Championship game
is discovered to be over the age of 18 as stipulated in Rule 1, then the game
shall be awarded to his opponent 21 points to nil.
8 ~ Each County Association shall pay to the British Crown
Green Bowling Association the sum of £5.00 in respect of each home match.
9 ~ Each County
Association shall pay to the British Crown Green Bowling Association an agreed
sum per match, as determined annually by the Management Committee, to pay the
Referee's match fee and travelling expenses