THE ACORN LEAGUE - CONSTITUTIONA

THE ACORN LEAGUE - CONSTITUTIONAL RULES

1. The current league is to be known as "The Acorn League 2011/2012" and will bowl at Wokingham Superbowl on Thursday evenings between 7.00 pm and 9.00 pm. The league will run from 18th August, 2011 through until 12th April, 2012 with the exception of 22nd and 29th December, 2011 (Christmas holiday) and 5^th April, 2012 (Easter holiday).

2. THERE WILL BE NO DRINKING OR EATING ON THE BOWLING CONCOURSE - MEMBERS WISHING TO DRINK OR EAT WILL KINDLY DO SO AT THE BACK ON THE CARPETED SPECTATOR AREA.

3. The Acorn League is not B.T.B.A. sanctioned; although where it is possible B.T.B.A. rules will be adhered to.

4. The league format will be three times round with position rounds. Position round format is: 1st and 2nd place teams will bowl on lanes 5 and 6; 3rd and 4th place teams will bowl on lanes 3 and 4; 5th and 6th place teams will bowl on lanes 7 and 8; 7th and 8th place teams will bowl on lanes 1 and 2 and 9th and 10th place teams will bowl on lanes 9 and 10. The league will run a jackpot each round whereby the team with the lowest handicap total will be eliminated each week (with the exception of position rounds). The jackpot winner for each round will receive £15.00, and the runners-up will receive £7.50. This is payable at the end of the season.

5. The league will be comprised of ten three person teams with a maximum of eight registered players per team. The legal line up for trios is a minimum of 2 registered players. If a team cannot field a legal line up the match will be forfeited and opponent’s points earned per rule 27.

6. The league will operate as a match play league with 17 points at stake per match. Format as follows: Player 1 of team A plays against player 1 of team B (highest handicap score wins 1 point per game); player 2 of team A plays against player 2 of team B (highest handicap score wins 1 point per game); player 3 of team A plays against player 3 of team B (highest handicap score wins 1 point per game). Highest team handicap score wins 2 points per game. Highest team handicap total wins 2 points. BLIND player will always play in place of player 2.

7. It is the responsibility of the left hand lane team captain to record their playing order first.

8. The league will be a handicap league, and the handicap will be 80% of the difference between a bowler's average and 210. The maximum handicap per bowler will be 56. The blind (dummy) score will be 160 per game with no handicap.

9. If there are no volunteers to record the match scores it will be the responsibility of the left hand lane team captain to do so. Team captains are responsible for verifying scores on appropriate score sheets.

10. Handicaps for existing bowlers (providing that a minimum of nine games were bowled in the previous season) will be retained for their first nine games of the new season and adjusted weekly thereafter. If a minimum of nine games were not bowled they will be classified as new bowlers. Handicaps for new bowlers will be established after they have bowled their first three games and adjusted weekly thereafter.

11. New bowlers may be registered on the night that they wish to bowl. If the new bowler is classified as a replacement, the bowler that is being replaced must have been withdrawn seven days earlier. Once a bowler has been withdrawn, that bowler may not be reinstated within the next ten weeks.

12. Bowlers may be transferred from one team to another only once in a season providing that they have the consent of the majority of the team captains.

13. Bowling fees will be £30.00 per team each week (£21.75 lineage & £8.25 prize fund) and it is the responsibility of each team captain to pay the monies due to the league treasurer before the end of the first game. The league is required to pay lineage fees (£7.25 per bowler) for the number of participating bowlers, including pacers. Each team must pay the prize fund (£2.75 per bowler) for 3 players each week. In the event of a team not turning up, it is the responsibility of that team to pay the prize fund monies the following week. In the event of an emergency a team captains meeting will be called to establish clarification and action.

14. As the league is required to hire and pay for five pairs of lanes each Thursday, postponements will only be allowed in exceptional circumstances. Agreement between the team captains involved in a postponement must be notified to the League Secretary with a minimum of 3 days notice, where possible. Consecutive week’s postponements are to be avoided. In the event of mechanical difficulties etc preventing the completion of a match (e.g. one pair of lanes or a single lane breakdown) cross-lane bowling is permitted and should be played on a mutually agreed date. Thus by definition "double-headers" and pre-bowling are allowed. When "double-headers" and pre-bowling are played each team involved will pay the extra prize fund monies of £8.25 (£2.75 each for three players) to the league treasurer. Note: 2 registered players and a blind is a legal line up for cross lane bowling. All postponed matches must be completed prior to the next position round.

15. If mechanical or other breakdowns occur that prevent the entire league from completing its session, a full committee meeting will be convened to resolve the specific problem and take appropriate action.

16. Elected officials are: Secretary - Alan Beales; Treasurer - Keith Hemmings.

17. The officials are to be elected during a full league meeting at the end of each season, or by a ballot of the team captains.

18. The league committee will be comprised of the elected officials and the ten team captains.

19. In exceptional circumstances the committee is empowered to override any of the rules governing the league, or to introduce any new rules as may be required.

20. Fees for the league secretary will be £10.00 per week (100% of bowling fees), and for the league treasurer fees will be £5.00 per week (50% of bowling fees).

21. Late arriving bowlers are to be allowed to start bowling only if the opposing team have not commenced their third frame. If the opposing team have already commenced bowling their third frame the blind (dummy) score of 160 is to be entered. Late arriving bowlers may bowl the second and/or third games as normal.

22. It is the responsibility of each team captain to ensure that their team endeavours to finish within the specified time limits, barring delays due to mechanical problems etc. The management of Wokingham Superbowl has the right to switch the lanes off if failure to complete is deemed to have been caused by tardy play. If this does happen, the scores at that point will stand.

23. It is the responsibility of all bowlers to place used bowling tape and plasters in the appropriate waste bins, please do not leave them on the refreshments shelf or on lane consoles.

24. The league champions will be the team with the highest number of points after 90 games (30 weeks). In the event of there being teams with equal points, the team with the highest total pin fall, including handicap, will be deemed the winners. If two or more teams have equal points and total pin fall (including handicap) a roll-off will take place.

25. Prize monies are to be distributed as detailed, as follows: Prize fund - 31%; Points fund - 69%. Prize fund distribution as follows: Team 1st place - 7%; Team 2nd place - 5%; Team 3rd place - 3%. Team high series - 2%. Team high game - 2%. Male high series - 2%. Male high game - 2%. Female high series - 2%. Female high game - 2%. Male high average - 2%. Female high average - 2%. A trophy (donated by Keith Hemmings) will be awarded to the bowler with the most improved average. To qualify for this award a minimum of 21 games must have been bowled during the previous season and comply with Rule 26.

26. In order to qualify for individual prizes at least 50% (45) of the total games must have been bowled.

27. In order to gain any points when playing against an absent team, the scores of quantity 3 "blind/dummy" players must be beaten, under match play rules - this does include handicaps.

28. Registered teams are as follows:

· Team 1: As U Like It (Captain: Les Allen),

· Team 2: Longshots (Captain: Bert Hamblin),

· Team 3: Glorious Grapes (Captain: Iain Rollings),

· Team 4: No F In Strike (Captain: Fred Taylor),

· Team 5: Spurty Dinners (Captain: Harry Langham),

· Team 6: The Hardy Gang (Captain: Sandra Harding),

· Team 7: Dot.Com (Captain: Darren Skeates),

· Team 8: Kream Krackered (Captain: Alan Beales),

· Team 9: Hoof Hearted? (Captain: Simon Young),

· Team 10: Space People (Captain: Keith Hemmings),

Signed: Alan Beales - League secretary.

Dated: 18th August, 2011.

Amended: 4^th February, 2012.

DUTIES OF THE LEAGUE SECRETARY

· The league secretary is responsible for the proper organisation and function of the league.

· The league secretary must keep an accurate record of all team and individual scores. These records may be manually or computer generated.

· The league secretary must post weekly averages and team standings which shall be available to all league members.

· The league secretary will furnish each team captain with a copy of the current league constitution and lane schedule.

· The league secretary shall have charge and conduct all correspondence and notify league members of all meetings.

· At the end of each league the league secretary shall distribute to each team captain that team's and team member's bowling records, plus any other material thought to be of interest.

· The league secretary is responsible for making the lane draw for each new season.

DUTIES OF THE LEAGUE TREASURER

· The league treasurer is responsible for the collection each week of all league fees (lineage plus prize fund), and payment of the appropriate lineage as detailed to the management of Wokingham Superbowl before the end of bowling.

· The league treasurer shall establish an account at a recognised banking institute in the name of "The Acorn League".

· The league treasurer shall be responsible for all deposited league funds and at the end of each season make a true and correct report of all financial transactions to league members. The final statement shall show all income, expenditure or other revenue from deposited league funds.

· At the end of each league season the league treasurer will distribute the prize monies as detailed by the percentages stated in paragraph 25 of The Acorn League Constitutional Rules.