Articles of Association of Preston Nomads Cricket Club
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Preston Nomads Cricket Club Regulations
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Preston Nomads Cricket Club Code of Conduct and Discipinary Procedure
- Code of Conduct
- Preston Nomads Cricket Club is committed to maintaining the highest standards of behaviour and conduct. This Code of Conduct incorporates the Spirit of Cricket, as set out in section 2 below. It applies to all matches played by Club teams, by both seniors and colts.
- Players and team officials must at all times accept the umpire’s decision. Players must not show dissent at the umpire’s decision or react in a provocative or disapproving manner towards another player or a spectator.
- Players and team officials shall not intimidate or assault, or attempt to intimidate or assault an umpire, another player or a spectator.
- Players and team officials shall not use crude and/or abusive language (known as “sledging”) nor make offensive gestures or hand signals nor deliberately distract an opponent.
- Players and team officials shall not make racially abusive comments nor indulge in racially abusive actions against fellow players, officials, members and supporters.
- Players and team officials shall not use or in any way be concerned in the use or distribution of illegal drugs.
- The General Committee will take all necessary steps to ensure the good behaviour of the Club’s members and supporters towards players and umpires.
- The Spirit of Cricket
- The Spirit of Cricket has been stated by the ECB as follows: “Cricket is a game that owes much of its unique appeal to the fact that it should be played not only within its Laws, but also within the Spirit of the Game. Any action which is seen to abuse this spirit causes injury to the game itself. The major responsibility for ensuring the spirit of fair play rests with the captains.”
- The Spirit of Cricket involves respect for:
- the Club’s opponents
- the Club’s captain and team
- the role of the umpires
- the game’s traditional values.
- It is against the Spirit of Cricket:
- to dispute an umpire’s decision by word, action or gesture
- to direct abusive language towards an opponent or umpire
- to indulge in cheating or any sharp practice, for instance by: a) appealing, knowing the batsman is not out b) advancing towards an umpire in an aggressive manner when appealing c) distracting, or seeking to distract, an opponent either verbally or by harassment, with persistent clapping or unnecessary noise under the guise of enthusiasm and motivation of one’s own side.
- The Club acknowledges fully that there is no place for any act of violence on the field of play by any of its players.
- Responsibility of Captains
- The PNCC team captains are responsible at all times for ensuring that play is conducted within the Spirit of Cricket, as well as within the Laws of cricket.
- In particular, in the event of any PNCC player failing to comply with the instructions of an umpire, criticising his decision by word or action, showing dissent, or generally behaving in a manner which might bring the game into disrepute, the team captain shall have full delegated authority to take whatever action(s) he considers to be necessary at the time.
- The Club acknowledges fully that according to the Laws, the umpires are the sole judges of fair and unfair play. The umpires may intervene at any time, in respect of the following: · time wasting · damaging the pitch · dangerous or unfair bowling · tampering with the ball · any other action that they consider to be unfair. In the case of any of these occurring, again the team captain shall have full delegated authority to take whatever action(s) he considers to be necessary at the time.
- In summary, it shall also be the clear responsibility of the team captain to report any of the following situations, to the Director of Cricket and Coaching:
- individual incidents of a player’s bad behaviour;
- accumulated/repeated bad behaviour by a player;
- physical violence;
- racial abuse;
- drug abuse.
- Responsibility of Players
- Captains and umpires together set the tone for the conduct of a cricket match. However, every Club player is expected to make an important contribution to this.
- Failure by a PNCC player to comply with the above provisions may lead to the Club taking disciplinary action, irrespective of the type of match being played.
- Internal Enquiry Panel
- Should the PNCC team captain consider that action should be taken against a player, for alleged misconduct, he should, in the first instance discuss the circumstances with the Director of Cricket and Coaching. If, as a result of their deliberations, they decide jointly that a formal investigation should be made, or disciplinary action applied, the matter shall be raised formally with the Club Chairman.
- The Chairman shall then convene an Internal Enquiry Panel (IEP) to establish the full facts of the misconduct/incident(s) reported and to take necessary action.
- The IEP, which shall comprise two members of the General Committee, plus the Director of Cricket and Coaching, shall have full authority to determine what action, if any, should be taken. [NOTE: In cases of incidents referred to the Club by the Sussex Cricket League under its Disciplinary procedures, the IEP shall be required to meet and decide on appropriate action, within 3 days of the referral]
- The Panel shall be authorised to receive verbal and written statements from the team captain, any player(s) concerned and from any other Club member whose views may be helpful.
- The player(s) concerned shall be entitled to be accompanied at an Enquiry hearing by a friend or other representative.
- In general, an Enquiry hearing shall be conducted in accordance with the ECB guidelines, as set out in Appendix 1 attached.
- In all cases of disciplinary action being applied, the Secretary of the League concerned (if appropriate) shall be notified immediately.
- Penalties
- In penalising the player(s) concerned, the IEP shall have the following powers: · to require the player(s) to write letter(s) of apology within a specified time; · to record a reprimand and to give a warning as to future conduct; · to impose a fine; · to suspend the player’s right to be considered for selection by the Club to play in one or more matches; · to suspend the player’s membership of the club for a period; · in extreme cases, to terminate the player’s membership forthwith.
- The IEP shall, in certain cases, have the authority to impose more than one of the above penalties
- Appeals Procedure
- Any player(s) who has been penalised shall have the right to appeal to the President of the Club, or to the President’s nominee, for a review of the findings of the IEP and of the penalty or penalties imposed.
- The decision of the President, or his nominee, in all cases shall be final and binding.
Trustees
January 2022