Rules of the NORFOLK COUNTY SENIORS CRICKET CLUB
1) Name The Club shall be called the Norfolk County Seniors Cricket Club
2) Objectives
a) The Club is formed for the Management of Seniors County cricket in
Norfolk and to contribute to the development of senior cricket in the county through its association with the Norfolk Cricket Board.
b) To embrace, promote & implement the principles of Sports Equity, Equal Opportunity, Spirit of Cricket & Inclusion/Diversity to ensure a duty of care to all members of the Club by adopting ECB policies & any future version of these policies.
3) Membership
a) There are two categories of membership: Playing Members (see rule 4(c)) and Social Members.
b) Social Members may not be Officers or Captains or vote at any Meeting of the Club.
c) Unless specified, all subsequent references to ‘members’ in this Constitution refer to Playing Members.
d) In any given year, the Club shall consist of such Playing Members and Social Members who have registered, agreed to abide by principles outlined in Rule 2b and specified in Appendix D, and have paid an annual subscription as provided for in Rule 4, together with any Honorary Life Members that may be proposed by the Executive Committee and elected by Members at any General Meeting. In the case of new members, their registration shall be ratified by the Executive Committee.
4) Annual Subscription
a) Rates of subscription for Social Members and Playing Members shall be decided by the Executive Committee, subject to ratification at the Annual General Meeting which precedes the year for which the proposed subscription rates apply. Subscription lasts from payment date until 30th April.
b) The annual subscription for existing Members shall be payable by 1st May each year. On or before 1st May, existing Members may announce to the Executive Committee their intention to change the category of their membership, subject to rule 4(c).
c) After having played two games for the Club in any one season, an individual, whether a Member or non-member of the Club and whatever the category of their existing membership, shall be recognised as a Playing Member, and shall immediately pay any excess subscription due.
d) No Member shall enjoy the benefits or privileges of the Club until a valid subscription has been received by the Club.
5) Officers
a) The officers of the Club shall be the President, the Chairman, the Vice Chairman, the Secretary, the Fixture Secretary, the Treasurer, the Media/Press Secretary.
b) They shall be proposed, seconded & elected at each Annual General Meeting of the Club
c) They shall hold office until the next Annual General Meeting when they shall retire, but subject to eligibility they may seek re-election from year to year.
6) Captains
a) The Captains of the Over 50 1st & 2nd XI together with the Over 60 1st &
2nd XI and the Over 70 XI shall be appointed by the Executive Committee & shall be introduced to members of the Club by the Chairman at the Annual General Meeting
. b) In the absence of any appointed Captain the Executive Committee shall appoint an acting captain.
c) Any Captain may be dismissed by the Executive Committee.
7) Executive Committee
a) The Executive Committee, all of whom shall be members of the Club, shall consist of the officers of the Club, plus the captains of the respective teams as chosen by the Executive Committee.
b) Five members of the Committee shall form a quorum.
8) Powers of the Executive Committee
a) The assets of the Club shall be vested in the Executive Committee & they
will have the power to do such things as are incidental or conducive to the objectives of the Club.
b) The Executive Committee shall have the power to appoint an Honorary Membership Secretary & such Assistant Treasurers & Assistant Secretaries as appropriate.
c) The Executive Committee shall have the power to fill temporarily any vacancy arising from the unavailability or resignation of any Officer of the Club.
9) Sub-Committees
a) The Executive Committee (by simple majority) may co-opt club members to serve on a Sub-Committee (or Sub-Committees) charged with a specific activity or development issue which will further the objects of the Club.
b) The President & the Chairman shall receive notice of any Sub-Committee meetings & shall have the right to attend, but not to vote unless elected or appointed to serve on that committee.
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10a) Duties of Secretaries
1) The Honorary Secretary of the Club shall conduct the correspondence of the Executive Committee & shall have custody of all documents belonging to the Club. He shall keep the records of the Club & full & correct minutes of proceedings of the Executive Committee & of all general Meetings.
2) Any Secretary of a Sub-Committee shall conduct the correspondence of the relevant Sub-Committee, together with keeping full & correct records of the business of the Sub-Committee, making those records, in collaboration with the Honorary Secretary, available to all members of the Executive Committee.
10b) Duties of the Treasurer
The Honorary Treasurer shall keep the accounts of the Club & shall make up the annual statement of accounts & balance sheet of the Club up to the Thirtieth day of September each year, which shall, after audit, be printed & circulated amongst members of the Club prior to submission to the Annual General Meeting for approval.
11) Terms of Reference for other positions are detailed in Appendix C
12) Expulsion of Members
Any request to expel a member of the Club shall be made in writing to the Secretary, setting out the circumstances which gave rise to such request & signed by five members of the Club. The Honorary Secretary shall then inform the member by letter, sent to the address noted in the club’s records by recorded mail (so that the member may have the opportunity of explaining or withdrawing from the Club) of the complaint & give notice of the date, time & place of a meeting of the Executive Committee which will be held to decide the question. The member shall have the right to explain their conduct either in writing or at the meeting. If they decide to attend they may be represented and/or call witnesses. The intention to do so, however, shall be notified to the Secretary at least 3 days before the meeting. If a two-thirds majority of the members of the Executive Committee present vote for expulsion the member shall be expelled. Any member so expelled shall have the right to appeal to an Extraordinary General Meeting (Rule 13(e)), to be summoned within twenty-one days of the Executive Committee’s decision to expel. A majority of two-thirds of the members present & voting shall be required to confirm the expulsion. If the expulsion is not confirmed, the member shall be reinstated.
13) General Meetings
a) All General Meetings of the Club shall be held at a convenient place in the Norwich/Dereham area determined by the Executive Committee
b) All General Meetings other than the Annual General Meeting shall be called Extraordinary Meetings
c) The Chairman, or in his absence the President, shall take the Chair at every General Meeting & at meetings of the Executive Committee. If neither is present then the meeting shall choose one of the members of the Executive Committee to be Chairman of that meeting.
d) The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held during November in each year to transact the following business:
1. To receive a Statement of the Club’s accounts
2. To receive the Chairman’s Report of the past season & the introduction of the Captains for the following season
3. To consider any special resolution(s) which may include those for alterations of the Club’s Rules.
4. To elect the Officers of the Club
5. To deal with any special matter which the Executive Committee desire to bring before the members & to receive suggestions from the members for consideration by the Executive Committee, but shall not be the subject of discussion at the Annual General Meeting. This business will be conducted under ‘Other Business’
e) The Executive Committee shall call an Extraordinary General Meeting when any matter outside the day to day management of the Club shall arise & when receiving a request for such a meeting signed by ten members of the Club or by a member who is expelled by the Executive Committee & desires to appeal to an Extraordinary General Meeting.
f) All nominations of an Officer for election at an Annual General Meeting & any special resolutions for an Annual General Meeting shall be submitted in writing to the Secretary of the Club, signed by the Proposer & Seconder, by 1 October in each year so that they may be included in the notice of the meeting. Any nominations or resolutions from the Executive Committee shall simply be recorded in the Minute book at least 15 days before any General Meeting & incorporated in the notice of the General Meeting sent to members.
g) Only persons in membership of the Club two months prior to a General Meeting shall be entitled to attend & vote at that meeting.
14) Notice of General Meetings
At least fourteen days notice of any General Meeting shall normally be sent to
every member by email or letter to his address in the Club register. If for any reason it should prove impossible to give this notice, the meeting shall be advertised in the Eastern Daily Press, & through any other local media if felt appropriate by the Executive Committee, at least ten days prior to the meeting. Full details will also be published on the Norfolk Seniors website
15) Quorum -General Meetings
At General Meetings twenty members shall form a quorum
16) Voting
a) The procedure for voting at General Meetings shall be determined by the Chairman of the meeting
b) At General Meetings every member shall have one vote
c) Resolutions to elect Officers of the Club & the Honorary Auditor shall be decided by a simple majority of votes. Special resolutions, including resolutions to amend or add to the rules of the Club, shall be decided by a majority of at least two-thirds of the votes cast.
d) In the event of equality in the votes cast, the Chairman of the meeting shall have a second & casting vote
e) Votes by post or proxy shall not be allowed.
17) Minutes of General Meetings
a) Members who wish to receive a copy of the minutes of any General Meeting may do so on making written application to the Secretary.
b) Minutes of the General Meetings shall be signed by the Chairman of the Club at the first Executive Meeting following the General Meeting.
18) Complaints
All complaints shall be made in writing to the Honorary Secretary who, if unable to deal with them, shall submit them to the Executive Committee whose decision shall be final.
19) Discipline
The Club will consider all disciplinary matters in accordance with the Club’s Code of Conduct (Appendix D) which incorporates the Spirit of Cricket. All members are required to sign that they will conform to the Code of Conduct. Disciplinary processes are described in Appendix A.
20) Selection Policy
The Club will wherever possible select teams in accordance with the
selection guide lines detailed in Appendix B.
This revised Constitution was ratified and adopted by the membership at the AGM held on Monday, 26 November 2018.
............................................................. Mick Smith, Chairman
Appendix A to the Rules of the NORFOLK COUNTY SENIORS CRICKET CLUB
Disciplinary
General: All members are reminded of the Club’s Commitment to The Spirit of Cricket, which involves:
Respect for your opponents, your own team and captain, match officials and administrators, as well as for the game itself.
Members are particularly reminded of the dangers of forwarding and broadcasting personal emails containing comments which might be construed as disrespectful.
Disciplinary procedures for Norfolk Seniors will be in line with ECB and Norfolk CB procedures, as follows:
1. Internal Club enquiry
1.1 The club either
(a) on referral of a complaint to it by the Chairman of the Norfolk Cricket Board’s
Disciplinary Committee or
(b) of its own volition and without the need for the receipt of a written complaint or other
prompting, shall, where any alleged case of conduct which is not fair and proper occurs as stated in the ECB’s Code of Conduct and the Spirit of Cricket or otherwise as the club thinks fit, forthwith convene an Internal Club Enquiry.
1.2 The purpose of the Internal Club Enquiry shall be to establish the facts and, where
appropriate, to take the necessary disciplinary action so as to ensure that the club does not fail properly to control or discipline its player or players and to ensure that the club acts in a manner designed to protect the good name of the club and of cricket generally.
1.3 Any player requested to attend such an Internal Club Enquiry or any Appeal therefrom
shall be entitled to be accompanied at the Enquiry by a friend or other representative.
2. Penalties
2.1 If the Internal Club Enquiry finds the misconduct proved, the club shall
have the following powers
(a) to require the player to write letter(s) of apology within a specified time
(b) to record a reprimand and give a warning as to future conduct
(c) to impose a fine
(d) to suspend the player’s right to be considered for selection by the club to play in
one or more matches
(e) to suspend the player’s membership of the club for a period
(f) to terminate the player’s membership forthwith if the conduct constitutes gross
misconduct
2.2 The club for the same offence may, if it is thought fit, impose more than one of the
penalties referred to in paragraph 2.1.
3. Appeals
3.1 The player 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 Internal Club Enquiry and of
the penalty or penalties imposed.
3.2 The decision of the President or the President’s nominee shall be final and binding in
all cases.
4. Application to officials
These procedures apply equally to complaints relating to officials within a club.
5. Notification
The Norfolk Cricket Board will be informed of the outcome of any Internal Club Enquiry.
Appendix B to the Rules of the NORFOLK COUNTY SENIORS CRICKET CLUB
Selection policy
Norfolk Seniors’ Selection Policy states:
a) that all members should endeavour to make the process of selection easier by informing relevant Captain(s) of their availability for championship and friendly matches.
b) that each championship team should have a selection committee comprising the Captain, Vice-Captain and one elected member chosen by team mates.
c) that the criteria for selection should be:
in the case of championship matches, to select the strongest, balanced side possible from those available, eligible and willing to play. Common-sense should always prevail, especially when considering the selection of players who prove regularly unwilling to play in away fixtures;
in the case of friendly matches, to positively discriminate in favour of members not selected for championship games, while still trying to select a team of appropriate strength, in order to show respect for opponents .
d) that no age-eligible member should play in championship matches for more than two age groups. (Common-sense would prevail in an emergency, e.g. a team being a player short because of a late call-off and the captain having to get another player with minimum notice.)
e) that only players living in Norfolk or playing regularly for Norfolk Club sides would be eligible for selection.
f) that it is unacceptable in principle for a player to refuse to play for a team if another individual was also selected. A player attempting to force a captain’s hand in this way could jeopardise their own selection, regardless of ability.
g) that when players are dropped from a team, the captain or vice captain should endeavour to give a reason. Where appropriate, the second team captain should be made aware of the dropped player’s availability, as soon as possible, by the first team captain.
Appendix C to the Rules of the NORFOLK COUNTY SENIORS CRICKET CLUB
Terms of reference
Chairman’s Terms of Reference
The Chairman:
a) chairs AGM and meetings of executive committee.
b) in the case of any disciplinary hearings, selects an appropriate panel.
c) works with the Honorary Secretary, has an overview of the activities and development of The Club.
Hon. Treasurer’s Terms of Reference
In addition to those in rule 10b), The Honorary Treasurer:
a) shall receive subs and keep the accounts of the Club and shall make up the annual statement of accounts and balance sheet of the Club up to the Thirtieth day of September each year, which shall be printed and circulated amongst members of the Club, prior to submission to the Annual General Meeting
b) in conjunction with the Honorary Secretary, the Honorary Treasurer will maintain a current membership list. He will also monitor team accounts which the captains will maintain and balance throughout the season within the guidelines from the Treasurer and Executive Committee.
Hon. Secretary’s Terms of Reference
In addition to those in rule 10a), The Honorary Secretary:
a) is responsible to the Club Chairman for all the administration of the Club
b) shall conduct the correspondence of the Executive Committee and shall have custody of all documents belonging to the Club
c) shall arrange the Annual General Meeting when instructed by the Chairman
d) shall arrange Extra Ordinary Meetings and Executive Meetings when instructed by the Club Chairman
e) shall keep the records of the Club and full and correct minutes of proceedings of the Executive Committee and all meetings
f) will act as the Norfolk Seniors elected member to the National Championship Committee and will be the principal contact with that Committee
g) shall have full administrative rights for the Club website and shall liaise with the Media Secretary to ensure the best media coverage for the Club
h) shall, in conjunction with the treasurer, maintain a database of all Club members
Fixture Secretary’s Terms of reference
The scope of the fixture secretary’s job has grown with the increase in the number of teams.
The Fixture Secretary:
a) shall make initial contacts with other counties or clubs (e.g. Two Counties) by email and telephone
b) shall produce a unified fixture list, showing fixtures for all age groups/teams, negotiating with all parties to avoid unhelpful clashes wherever possible. (The dates of some matches are fixed, e.g. ECB50+. Others allow for more flexibility, within an overall time limit.)
c) shall identify demand within Norfolk Seniors (see Appendix B, Selection Policy) for friendly fixtures involving established opponents (e.g. Two Counties, Medite), as well as seeking to develop new fixtures, especially with neighbouring counties (e.g. Lincs, Cambs, Suffolk). Such fixtures might deliberately be for ‘mixed’ teams, e.g.50/60 or 60/70. Where captains have some personal contacts, approaches may be delegated to them, but the Fixture Secretary should indicate preferred periods or specific dates to avoid
d) shall inform Norfolk Captains of all dates and away venues, as well as providing opposition with a contact name and details (typically team Captain or Vice-Captain, and see below)
e) shall revise the unified fixture list, and inform Hon. Sec. for inclusion (on Norfolk50ccc.co.uk website and Play-Cricket web site), as necessary (e.g. if games are rained-off)
f) shall arrange pre-season friendly or practices in conjunction with the team Captains
Captains’ Terms of Reference
Captains
a) shall be responsible to the Executive Committee for team selection for all games
b) shall maintain a data base (in conjunction with the Hon. Sec.) of all eligible players
c) shall select the strongest side for all competitive matches in accordance with Appendix B, Selection Policy, of the Constitution
d) shall only select players who are currently resident in Norfolk or who are currently playing for a cricket club affiliated to the Norfolk Cricket Board
e) shall work with the Fixture Secretary, to arrange fixtures and home venues.
f) shall ensure collection of match fees and present an account and any relevant monies to the Treasurer
g) shall ensure that all selected players conduct themselves both on and off the field in accordance with the ECB code of conduct
h) shall ensure results of all games are passed to the Championship Co-ordinator, Play-Cricket site and the Norfolk Senior Cricket Club site administrator
i) shall prepare an end of season report for the Annual General Meeting
Captains (or Vice-Captains, by arrangement)
a) shall contact and appoint umpires
b) shall organise teas if not provided by host club
c) shall assume management of game by:
1) informing Norfolk players selected for the game;
2) contacting opposition captain or match manager;
3) informing visitors in the event of match being off;
4) informing Chairman, Hon. Treasurer and Hon. Sec. of team selections for admin purposes
5) informing Fixture Secretary of implications arising from any postponed matches (e.g. offers of revised date, preferred dates for replaying the fixture)
Media Secretary’s Terms of Reference
The Media Secretary
a) is responsible for promoting the Club in local media
b) shall contact all leagues in Norfolk with a view to recruiting players for all age group sides
c) shall publish the team results in local newspapers wherever possible
d) shall act as one of the administrators of the Club website
Appendix D to the Rules of the NORFOLK COUNTY SENIORS CRICKET CLUB
Code of Conduct
1) Norfolk Seniors are committed to maintaining the highest standards of behaviour and conduct. This Code of Conduct incorporates the ‘Spirit of Cricket’ adopted by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and applies to all matches played under the auspices of Norfolk Seniors.
2) The Captains are responsible at all times for ensuring that play is conducted within this Code of Conduct, the ‘Spirit of Cricket’ and the Laws of the game. The ‘Spirit of Cricket’ involves respect for your opponents, your own Captain and team, the Umpires, scorers, spectators, other members of Norfolk Seniors and the traditional values of the game.
3) Players are responsible for supporting their Captain in all matters of the ‘Spirit of Cricket’. Players are expected to give due support for their Captain at all times, both on and off the pitch.
4) 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 an Umpire, player, team official, scorer or spectator.
5) Players and team officials shall not intimidate, assault or attempt to intimidate or assault an Umpire, scorer, another player or a spectator.
6) Players and team officials shall not use crude and/or abusive language (known as ‘sledging’) nor make offensive gestures or hand signals or deliberately distract an opponent.
7) Players and team officials shall not use language or gesture that offends, insults, humiliates, intimidates, threatens, disparages or vilifies another person on the basis of the race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, colour, ethnicity or disability of any player, Umpire, scorer, official, member or supporter. Norfolk Seniors embrace, promote and implement the principles of Sports Equity, Equal Opportunity, Spirit of Cricket and Inclusion/ Diversity as part of their Consitution.
8) Players and team officials shall not use or in any way be concerned in the use or distribution of illegal drugs.
9) Members should not make derogatory, disrespectful or defamatory comments on social media and should exercise extreme care with who is included in email address lists, especially when forwarding emails.
10) All alleged misconduct should be reported as soon as possible to the Captain and Hon. Secretary. Norfolk Seniors abide by ECB disciplinary process guidelines. Cases of alleged misconduct will be dealt with by an Internal Club Enquiry in the first instance, reporting to Norfolk Seniors Executive Committee and the Norfolk Cricket Board/ ECB, as specified in Appendix A of the Constitution.
