Constitution of NWCL 

THE CONSTITUTION OF THE NORTHWEST CRICKET LEAGUE

Revised 2-24-04 

NAME

1.   The name of the League shall be "The NORTHWEST CRICKET LEAGUE" (NWCL). 

THE BYLAWS OF THE NORTHWEST CRICKET LEAGUE

OBJECTIVE

2.   The objective of the League shall be to control organize, foster, improve, aid and extend the game of cricket.

OFFICERS

3

a) The President
b) The Vice President
c) The Secretary
d) The Treasurer
e) The Operations Officer

All posts shall be honorary. The officers shall be elected every year at the Annual General Meeting for a period of one year and each will be a member of a club affiliated to the League for that year.

3a. Any resignation by any of the office holders within the league is tendered to the President. The President if the league will notify the Board of Directors within 72 hours of this occurrence, the Secretary will start accepting written nominations of that specification immediately thereafter.

4. The President, or in his absence, the Vice President, shall preside at all meetings of the League. In the absence of both the President and the Vice President at any meeting of the League, the members present at that meeting shall choose any one of their number to act as facilitator for that meeting.

5. The duties of the Secretary shall be to attend all correspondence, and to keep an accurate record of all proceedings of the League and the Board of Directors; and to keep a register of all clubs which are members of the League.
5a. The Minutes of the Board of Directors meeting shall be published within 7 days[1][1] of the date the meeting was held. If any changes or additions to the ByLaws have been approved at any Board of Directors meeting, the revised ByLaws should also be published within 7 days.

6. The duties of the Treasurer shall be to keep an accurate record of all moneys received and disbursed. He shall have the books of the League audited by an auditor appointed by the Board of Directors, and shall make a report of the affairs and finances of the league at every Annual Meeting thereof. The Treasurer shall issue a receipt for all monies received and shall deposit such monies in a chartered bank or trust company. The treasurer will also be responsible to publish a budget before the league season begins and get it approved by the Board of Directors. All checks shall be signed by two of the three officers listed in article 3 above. However, if only one officer is available to sign a check, then at least one other officer must give signature approval, either orally or in writing.

 
CLUB MEMBERSHIP
 

7.Any cricket club seeking membership in the League shall make a written application, which must be delivered to the Secretary. This application must be accompanied by at least 15 names of individuals who are dues paying members of the club, and evidence that the club has its own equipment, such as bats, pads, gloves, helmets, stumps, mat, other protective equipment. For a Club submitting two teams into the league competition, the application must be accompanied by at least 30 names of individuals who are dues paying members of the club. New clubs may become members of the League under the following provisions:

a) The club must have a roster of at least 15 players and enough cricket equipment to support a cricket team through the season.

b) It must be referred by at least ONE existing member club
c) It must submit a deposit amount of 500 dollars with the league. This deposit shall be returned to the club at the end of the first season provided the club has forfeited no more than 2 league games in the entire season. If it forfeits more than 2 games, it shall lose the entire deposit amount.
d) It must make arrangements for a dedicated home ground, which does not conflict with the home grounds of existing league members. If a club does not have a home ground then, depending upon the ground availability across the league, it may be allowed as a wandering team (i.e. playing all its games as away games). However, if it opts to do so, it must make a deposit of 1000 dollars instead of 500 as stated in condition (c) above.

Amendment passed at the AGM held on February 21, 2004 regarding 7(d). Starting with season 2005, all new clubs will be allowed into the league only if it has a playable home ground.

e) All new Clubs will be considered to be on probation during the season and shall not have a vote on the BOD. Moreover, at the AGM following the season, the BOD shall vote to induct the club as a full member. If a club does not justify its viability during the probation period, then it must wait for at least one whole year before reapplying for membership.
f) When a club is inducted as a full member, it must have a home ground, i.e., it cannot be a wandering team any more.
g) New clubs applying for membership can only request to enter one team in the league for the probationary period. The deadline for submitting the deposit amount to the Treasurer is March 1st. The league membership fees deadline shall be same as other clubs (as detailed in ByLaw 40).
Note: Section (c) applies to existing clubs too, when an existing club wishes to add another team, it must leave a contingent deposit of 500 dollars with the league which shall be refunded if each of the club's teams do not forfeit more than 2 games during the season. Also, once a club fails to prove the viability of an additional team, it must wait for one whole year before reapplying. No club is allowed to enter additional teams into the league tournament after March 1st. Also, pulling out an existing team after this deadline shall result in a fine equal to the league dues for the season. This fine shall be due along with the league membership fees for the club.
8 All applications for membership shall be subject to approval by the Board of Directors. In the event of any application being rejected, the entrance fee therewith shall be returned.

MANAGEMENT
 

9.The management of the League shall be vested in a body named "THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS", which shall consist of the President, the Vice-President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Operations Officer and one delegate assigned by each Club in the League. These delegates shall each have one casting vote. In addition, the Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Operations Officer each have one vote. The President shall cast the deciding vote in case of the ties. In these ByLaws, where a fraction or percentage of people or matches is mentioned (e.g., a quorum), the actual number is determined by rounding down to the nearest whole number.  

10a The delegates for each club shall represent the interests of their club not their own personal interests.

10b A league officer cannot represent his club as the club delegate.

10c At the election of officers during the AGM, each member club casts exactly one vote. The total number of votes cast is thus exactly equal to the number of full member clubs. (Elections of officers is the first item of agenda at the AGM).

11 In addition to the powers, duties and authorities herein conferred upon them, and without in any ways limiting its general powers, the Officers of the League shall have the following powers:


a) To conduct the business of the League and control its finances and to make all expenditures in connection with the operation and conduct thereof.
B) To suspend any club or team entered in the League for willful violation of these bylaws or of the laws of the game of cricket as they apply to this league.
C) To expel from the League, or suspend from play in any match, any player guilty of willful violation of these bylaws, or of unfair or non-sportsman like conduct.
D) To appoint a committee of inquiry in relation to the foregoing within seven days of the receipt of the any report. All clubs and members concerned shall have the right to appear before the committee of inquiry, which shall meet within 30 days of being appointed.
16.The Board of Directors shall meet from time to time at the call of the President and may appoint such sub-committee and delegate such of its power thereto as it thinks fit.

17. An Officer or Board of Directors member shall vacate office if: Said person is absent from three consecutive meetings without reason being given to the President either orally or in writing and such reason be approved by the Board of Directors prior to said absence,

b) By notice to the President, the office is resigned. In the case of the President, the resignation will be reported to the Board of Directors. It will be the responsibility of the officer or the representative of the club to find a replacement.

18. Clubs can change official delegates by informing the President in writing. Frequent changing of delegates, however, is not recommended. The league recommends that each official delegate try to stay on for at least two years.

19. Subject to the Laws of the State and the Country, each and every Officer and Board of Directors member, during their term in office, shall be indemnified against, and it shall be the obligation of the league to pay all costs, taxes, charges and expenses incurred in the carrying out of their authorized duties


MEETINGS
 

21.The Annual General Meeting shall be held in November each year.

22.All questions submitted to any general meeting of the League shall be decided by a majority of the votes of the club delegates and voting officers. A club delegate or an officer, who will be unable to attend, will need to notify the secretary at least 24 hours in advance of their replacement. In the case of a tie, the President, shall have the casting vote. If a club delegate, voting officer, president, or their replacements are not present at the meeting, then they will lose their ability to vote.

23.No person who is not either a registered player, an officer of the league, or an officer of a member club shall have any voice at any meeting of the League.

 24. Thirty (30) days notice for the Annual General Meeting, will be given by the Secretary to the Delegates of all member clubs. Notification for any other meeting will be sent out by the secretary at least ten (10) days in advance of that meeting.

25. The Board of Directors may, whenever it thinks fit, require the calling of an extraordinary general meeting.

26.The quorum for transaction of business at any Board of Directors meeting shall be at least 2/3rds of the membership of the board of directors. If within an hour from the time appointed for any regular Board of Directors meeting a quorum is not present, the meeting shall be adjourned. Notice for the replacement meeting shall be sent out within one week of the adjournment. The quorum for the AGM to start shall be based solely upon club delegates, i.e., for the AGM 2/3rds of the member clubs should be present.

27 Every club (full or probationary members) delegate should attend BOD meetings and take active interest in the progress of the League. A club that does not attend the AGM or a regular BOD meeting[2][3] will be levied a fine of $50.00/infraction. Payment must be made within 30 days. Default on payment will result in a 10 point deduction from the clubs league points total. If infractions occur between seasons, then the club will start the following season with the appropriate points deducted. Continued infractions will result in a review of the clubs membership in the NWCL. 

PLAYER REGISTRATION/MOVEMENT BETWEEN CLUBS

28.All clubs must use Registration forms supplied by the League to register players for League sanctioned matches. All new players joining a club during the course of the season need to be registered with the NWCL secretary preferably before playing in a league match and at the latest by the first Monday following the league match.  

28a. A player can change clubs once during a season provided that this is before July 15. A player may not join a probationary team mid-season 

28b.In the event of a player transferring from one club to another during the playing season, the player needs to obtain a written release from the club with which he is registered. This written release needs to be forwarded to the Secretary prior to transferring player playing for the new club. In the event of a refusal for the club to grant the written release for any reason, the player concerned will make an appeal to the Board of Directors for such a release. Release will be given only if the player can prove he has no financial obligation to the club from which he wishes release. 

28c.In a club with multiple teams, all players shall be registered with the League and shall play for exactly one team throughout the season. To provide a little flexibility to such teams, each team is allowed to make at most 4 exceptions to this rule in the entire season. (Borrowing a player from the club's other team is counted as an exception against the borrowing team). The law of maximum number of allowable games per player still applies to both teams and the exceptions and non-transferable between the teams. That is, no player is allowed to play more NWCL games than the team that the player belongs to. 

29. Any club, which plays a player registered with another NWCL club, will be fined $50 and will forfeit any points to the opposing team for games in which such player has played. 

DIVISION OF THE LEAGUE

 30.        The League shall be comprised of two divisions; a Northern Division and a Southern Division.  

ARRANGING MATCHES
 

30.1.    The Board of Directors shall appoint a Scheduling Committee to arrange the schedule of the League matches at the commencement of each season. All matches shall be played as scheduled, except:  

a)Any club unable to field a team of at least 8 players shall automatically default the match and all points to its  opponent,

b) Any match that is not completed on account of the weather shall be deemed abandoned and no points awarded to either team.  

c)  Matches played in Pullman vs. WSU CC, the visiting team can play with 7 of its registered players. WSU CC is obligated to provide players to make up 11 for the visiting team, if so short in the number of players. The players lent by WSU CC to the visiting team will be deemed NOT to have changed teams.  

d)  A game may be rescheduled if it could not be played due to bad weather/ground conditions. The two captains should decide upon the date and the venue and inform the League within 7 days from the previously scheduled date. If the game is not played on the rescheduled date again it shall be considered abandoned, i.e. a game may be rescheduled only once under 30.1(d).  

e)  A scheduled game cannot be re-scheduled once sanctioned by the league without consent of both captains. The dates of all rescheduled games should be forwarded to the Secretary prior to the agreed upon data. Rescheduled games cannot conflict with other sanctioned matches.  

30.2      The NWCL schedule cannot be changed once sanctioned by the Board of Directors unless both captains agree (30.1e).  The NWCL season may not start until the schedule has been sanctioned by the Board of Directors. 

 30.3     The NWCL Schedule will be made using the ground availability dates received by March 31st of each year. After that a club will not qualify to play in league competition games during that season.  

PLAYING LAWS
 

31. The 2000 MCC Code of Laws will be governing laws for all matches sanctioned by the League, except for those instances listed in the Laws Governing the Game Document.  

32. The Board of Directors will be responsible for determining the laws governing the length of matches, dress code, code of conduct, equipment suitability and discipline.  These rules will be published each year in a separate entitled "Laws Governing NWCL Cricket"  

PROTESTS

33       Any club shall have the right to protest the result of any match within forty-five (45) days of the same by making a written submission to the secretary stating clearly the basis on which the protest is being lodged. The Secretary shall forthwith furnish a copy of such protest to each Officer of the League and to the Secretary of the Club and /or individual against which the protest has been lodged. They shall forthwith provide a written reply to the Secretary.  

34.    Upon receipt of such written submissions the League Officers shall, within seven (7) days, call for a hearing, if deemed necessary, make its decision and advise same in writing along with the reason to the clubs and/or individuals concerned. Should either club wish to appeal the decision they must do so within five (5) days of the receipt of the result of the protest, request a hearing before the Board of Directors and then both clubs shall be entitled to attend a hearing at the next Board of Directors meeting.  

34.   The protest fee shall be twenty-five ($25.00) dollars and shall accompany the protest. In the event of the protest being sustained such fee shall be returned. If the protest fails, such fee shall be forfeited to the league.    

GROUNDS
 

35. Each individual club will be responsible for the procurement of their home grounds through the appropriate authority that has jurisdiction over the ground. It is recommended that clubs in the same region shall cooperate with each other in their efforts to find a ground.  

35.1 A Club that does not have its own ground and is using another club's ground for a home game, is responsible for paying the ground usage fee and for preparing the field prior to that game. This club shall be informed about the amount of the usage fee by the club whose ground is being used, before the schedule is finalized.  

35.2 A team may not play on a ground used by an existing NWCL club without prior permission of that club.  A written agreement between the two clubs must be forwarded to the secretary for ratification. 

ASSESSMENT OF CLUBS

36.       The Board of Directors shall, at the commencement of each season, fix the dues of each club according to the estimated expenses of the season's operations, and forthwith give notice thereof to member clubs.  
PAYMENT OF ASSESSMENT
37.       Payment of assessments (league dues) shall be made by May 1st.  Any team for which its club fails to pay such assessment by May 1st shall not participate in any League match unless assessment is paid. In the event for a league match not being played on this account, the points for a win shall be awarded to the team that is in good standing. The enforcement of this clause shall be at the discretion of the Board of Directors.  

UMPIRES
 

38.Each NWCL sanctioned match shall be officiated by neutral umpires provided by clubs appointed by the Board of Directors.  Umpires from neutral clubs must be sanctioned by the league prior to officiating a NWCL-sanctioned game.  Teams failing to provide umpires when asked shall be have 10 points deducted from their league total.  Prior to the start of each season, the Board of Directors shall publish a document entitled "Umpiring in the NWCL" that will outline the rules governing the sanctioning of umpires and the powers invested in them to help them officiate a NWCL match

CONTINGENCY
  39.Should any contingency arise which is not provided for by these bylaws, the Officers of the League are hereby empowered to deal with the same at its discretion.  

AMENDMENT TO BYLAWS
 

40. The Bylaws shall not be amended except at the Annual General Meeting or at an extraordinary general meeting called by the League President for that purpose. Every resolution to amend the Bylaws shall, be approved by the Board of Directors. No such resolution shall be passed unless the same is carried by at least a 2/3rds vote by every NWCL club.  

41. A copy of the resolution to amend the Bylaws of the Northwest Cricket League shall be sent by the Secretary along with the notices calling the meeting at which time the same is to be proposed.  

DISCIPLINE
 

42.       The Board of Directors shall, at the start of each season, publish a "Code of Conduct" and a "Disciplinary Process".  The Board of Directors will elect for each season a disciplinary committee that will review matters brought before them.  The decision of the disciplinary committee shall be viewed as final.  One appeal may be made regarding each infraction. The process for appeal will be laid out in the "Disciplinary Process" document published before each season.

 

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