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CONSTITUTION

1. TITLE

The League shall be called "The Meller Braggins Cheshire Cricket

League" and shall consist of as many Clubs as the League shall decide at the Annual General Meeting or at a Special General Meeting.

2. MANAGEMENT

The League shall be managed by a Management Committee (hereinafter

referred to as "The Management Committee") consisting of one

Representative from each member club, plus a Representative of the

Umpire's Association Committee who shall attend in a non-voting

capacity. Nineteen Representatives shall form a quorum. The League

Officers shall comprise a Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and a Fixtures

and Results Secretary, together with a Deputy Chairman and an Assistant Secretary, all of whom shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting.

Officers, other than the Deputy Chairman and Assistant Secretary, shall not be counted as representatives of the clubs of which they may be members and shall have no voting powers, except in the case of a voting tie on any matter, in which case the Chairman shall have the power to give a casting vote only to facilitate progress. The League shall elect a President at the Annual General Meeting and shall be empowered at such meeting to elect as Honourary Vice-Presidents individuals who have given especially meritorious service to the League.

There shall also be an Executive Committee (hereinafter referred to as 'The Executive Committee') which shall manage the routine business of the League on behalf of the Management Committee. The Executive

Committee shall comprise the Officers of the League other than the

President, together with a representative from one of the member clubs

playing in each Division of the League and a representative of the League Umpires and Scorers Association. Six members of the Executive

Committee shall form a quorum. Decision of the Executive Committee

shall be by a simple majority. In the case of a voting tie on any matter the Chairman shall have a casting vote.

The Executive Committee shall have the power to co-opt as it deems

necessary and as relevant to specific agenda items. Co-opted members

shall not be entitled to vote. The minutes of the Executive Committee

meetings should be circulated to the Management Committee.

3. THE SECRETARY

The Secretary shall be responsible for convening meetings as required by the Constitution, keeping the minutes of all meetings of the League and administrating such decisions as the League may make from time to time.

All correspondence, except where provided for otherwise in the

Constitution or Match Rules shall be addressed to the Secretary and the

Secretary shall address all correspondence on behalf of the League.

4. THE TREASURER

The Treasurer will keep requisite books of account of the League's

financial affairs in respect of which he will submit an audited statement at the Annual General Meeting. He will be responsible for receiving all

moneys due to the League and he will be responsible for making all

payments due by the League.

5. THE FINANCIAL YEAR

The League's financial year shall end on 31st October.

6. HONORARY AUDITOR

An Honorary Auditor shall be appointed at the Annual General Meeting.

7. GROUND INSPECTION

The Management Committee shall, at their first meeting after the Annual

General Meeting, appoint a ground inspection sub-committee consisting of eight representatives. Each season they shall inspect the grounds and facilities of all member clubs and report back to the Management

Committee with their findings and recommendations. The ground

inspection sub-committee may also and from time to time recommend for consideration and (if thought fit) adoption by the Management Committee criteria for all or any of the facilities of the member clubs.

8. LEAGUE REPRESENTATIVES

All clubs must advise the Secretary, no later than one month following the Annual General Meeting of the League, of the name, address and

telephone number of their appointed Representative on the Management

Committee.

9. CHILD WELFARE OFFICER

Every club shall be obliged to appoint a Child Welfare Officer.

10. SUBSCRIPTIONS

All clubs shall pay an annual subscription of an amount to be fixed at each Annual General Meeting for the following year. Such subscription falls due for payment on 1st January in any year and should be submitted to the Treasurer on demand.

11. FIXTURES AND RESULTS

The Fixtures and Results Secretary may recommend to the Management

Committee at any appropriate time that an Assistant Fixtures and Results Secretary be appointed to deal with any additional workload.

The Executive Committee shall arrange all fixtures and set the dates for

such fixtures no later than the 31st of August in the year prior to the season in question and the Results Secretary shall receive all results and arrange for the publication of those and league tables in the press,

submitting copies to the Member-Clubs. No fixtures shall be rearranged

except by permission of the Executive Committee.

12. PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS

a) Member clubs may not engage the services of a professional player or play a professional of any other club in league fixtures or other

Competitions organised by the League. A player is deemed to be a

"Professional" if he has been remunerated for playing cricket during

the current season, either in cash or kind and whether by a cricket club

or any other body or person or persons.

Any club found to have contravened these provisions shall forthwith

cease to be a member of the League.

b) Clubs shall, each season, submit to the Secretary of the League a

declaration signed by their Chairman stating that none of the players

registered by the club are professionals under rule 12a) above. The

wording of such declaration shall be determined by the Management

Committee. The deadline for submission of the declaration shall be the

1st April each year. Clubs whose declarations are not received by the

Secretary of the League on or before the deadline shall automatically

incur a fine of £20.00. Clubs who subsequently fail to submit the

declaration before the 1st June in any year shall be excluded from the

League.

13. TROPHIES

Trophies shall be offered for Competitions organised by the League and

presented to the respective winners and runners-up annually. In event of a tie in any Competition the winner's trophy shall be held by the joint

winners for an equal period of time as directed by the Management

Committee. All trophies will be insured by the League and the holders

must return such trophies to the Secretary on request for representation at the appropriate time, in a good state of repair. Engraving of trophies shall be the sole responsibility of the League.

14. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The Annual General Meeting of the League shall be held not later than 31^st December in any year. Notice of such a meeting shall be given by the Secretary offering members twenty-eight days notice in writing and will include therewith a copy of the detailed agenda, audited financial

statement and (if any) a copy of proposed alterations to this Constitution or the Match Rules governing any competition organised by he League. All clubs should be represented at the Annual General Meeting. There should be no limit to the number of individuals who may attend such meetings but each member club shall only have one vote on all matters arising.

15. SPECIAL GENERAL MEETINGS

A Special General Meeting shall be called at the written request of not less than twelve member clubs or by the Management Committee or the

Executive Committee. The notice convening the meeting shall state the

business of the meeting and only such business shall be considered. A

Special General Meeting must be held not later than 28 days after being

requested; Members to be given 14 days notice of such meetings. All clubs should be represented at Special General Meetings.

16. ALTERATIONS TO THE CONSTITUTION ETC.

No alterations to this Constitution or the Match Rules governing any

competition organised by he League shall be made except at Annual

General Meetings or Special General Meetings called for the purpose and then only by a majority of not less than 2 to 1 of the votes recorded.

Proposed alterations to this Constitution or the said Match Rules must be in writing and submitted to the Secretary to arrive not later than 31st

October in respect of the Annual General Meetings. The only exception

shall be voting in respect of promotion and relegation between the

divisions of the League where a simple majority only of the votes recorded will be required.

17. DISCIPLINE

(a) Disciplinary matters shall be dealt with by a Disciplinary Sub-

Committee in accordance with the regulations in that respect from

time to time laid down by the League in Annual or Special General

Meeting and the provisions of paragraph 16 shall apply to such

regulations.

(b) In addition to a Disciplinary Sub-Committee there shall be an Appeals Sub-Committee and at any meeting of either Sub-Committee three members shall constitute a quorum. Each Sub-Committee shall

appoint one of its members to be its Chairman and they shall also

appoint a Secretary who shall not be entitled to vote at any hearing.

(c) The members of the Disciplinary and Appeals Sub-Committees shall

be elected by the Management Committee at its first meeting held

after each Annual General Meeting of the League. There shall be five

members of each such Sub-Committee and in each case three

members shall form a quorum.

18. FINES AND PENALTIES

The following fines will be levied:-

(a) For non-attendance at Annual or Special Meetings - Fine £15.00.

(b) For non-fulfilment of 1st XI fixtures a fine payable to the League not

exceeding £30.00 and a points deduction on the following basis:

For a first offence in any season – Points Deducted 50 and Fine –

£15.00

For a second offence in any season – Points Deducted 50 and Fine –

£22.50

For a third and subsequent offence in any season – Points Deducted 50

and Fine – £30.00

In addition (and this shall apply to both 1st and 2nd XI fixtures) tea

expenses, at cost, must be paid to opponents where applicable.

(c) Non-attendance at the Management Committee Meetings by the Club

Representative (or a deputy) - Fine £15.00.

(d) Where any club does not fulfil a 2nd XI fixture 5 points shall be

deducted from the points earned or to be earned (as the case may be)

by its 1st XI.

NOTE: All fines referred to above shall be subject to ratification by

the Management Committee.

19. APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP

All applications for membership must be in writing to the Secretary and

accompanied by the entrance fee of £20.00 which will be returnable in the event of any application being unsuccessful. All applicant Club grounds and facilities will be inspected by the Ground Inspection Sub-Committee or a Special Sub-Committee appointed by the Management Committee or (in the case of emergency) by the Executive Committee before their applications are considered by the League and applicant Clubs must receive a two-thirds majority of all member clubs for such an application to be successful.

20. RESIGNATIONS

Resignations from the League must be in writing and received by the

Secretary no later than 30th June to be effective for the following season.

Resignations received after the relevant date will make the club liable for

their League subscriptions for the following season. Any club resigning

from the League shall forfeit any claim on the League's assets.

21. EXPULSION

Any proposal to expel a club from membership of the League must be

made in writing to the Secretary with reasons for such a proposal clearly

stated and must be seconded by another member-Club. Any Club, the

subject of such a proposal, should be given every opportunity of answering such proposals at an Annual or Special General Meeting, and for such a proposal to be effective it must receive a majority of not less than 3 to 1 of all member clubs present and voting at the relevant meeting.

22. LEAGUE AVERAGES

All Clubs will be required to submit to the League, the batting and bowling averages of their leading players for all Divisions (First and Second XIs) for inclusion in the League Handbook subject to any qualification limitations the League may impose.

23. INTER-LEAGUE PROMOTION AND RELEGATION

Subject at all times to compliance with the ground criteria of the

appropriate League from time to time in force the top two teams in each

season of the First Division of the League shall be promoted to the

Cheshire County Cricket League, the bottom two teams of that League

shall be relegated to the First Division of the League. The two bottom

teams in the Third Division of the League shall be relegated to the

Cheshire Cricket Alliance and the top two teams in that League shall be

promoted to the Third Division of the League. Provided that in the event

that any club shall not meet the appropriate ground criteria or if for any

other reason inter League promotion and relegation shall in any season not be possible on the above basis the Management Committee (in an

emergency) the Executive Committee, shall make such other arrangements in relation to such matters as it shall be deemed appropriate.

24. ENGLAND AND WALES CRICKET BOARD

The Management Committee shall have the power to incorporate the rules governing the matches played in any competition organised by the League, any Directives, Guidelines, Recommendations and other publications from time to time issued by the England and Wales Cricket Board, either in full or with such modifications as it deems appropriate.

25. OTHER MATTERS

The Management Committee, or (where appropriate) the Executive

Committee shall have the power to decide on all matters not specially

provided for in the Constitution and the Match Rules.