Middlesex Federation Summer Youth and Colts Leagues

Ages Under 9 to Under 17

The age qualification is under 9,10,11,12,13,15 and 17 at midnight on 31 August prior to the season of the competition. A player who fulfils the age qualification for more than one age group is entitled to play in any matches for which he/she qualifies. e.g. an under 12 can play at under 13 but not the other way round.

Lists of nominated squads must be provided to FMS in the event of a club entering more than one team at any age level in any competition. Players may not interchange between squads at a particular age level but can represent different age levels in accordance with paragraph 1 above.

A player may only play for one club in the season in any competition.

Starting times for games must be agreed between the teams. Any team not ready within 15 minutes of the agreed starting time will forfeit the toss. Any team not ready within 30 minutes of the agreed start will forfeit the match. Agreed dates and times of matches must be e-mailed by both clubs to cricketresults@ntlworld.com or telephoned to 07785 933687 prior to the game. The FMS cricket committee will act as referee in any dispute and its decision will be final.

Any game abandoned by weather can be rearranged. If both teams agree to a rearranged fixture, then this rearranged fixture is deemed to be the original fixture and the agreed date and time must be reported to the organisers as per the paragraph above. If only one team wishes to rearrange the game, then it is treated as abandoned by the weather.

Teams will consist of 11 players, all of whom will be bona fide members of the club they represent.

League matches will be a minimum of 20 overs per side, reduced by 1 over for every completed 3 minutes of lost time in the event of a late start or interference by weather or bad light. However, if clubs agree before the toss to play a longer game (eg during the school holidays) it will be accepted as a league game. Maximum overs will be 40 per side.

Both teams must bat for a minimum of 10 overs to constitute a game unless a team is all out within this time, in which case the other team still uses the overs to which it is entitled. Both teams must bat for the same number of overs unless weather or bad light interferes with the innings of the team batting second. In that case, the winning target will be the overall average run rate per over of the team batting first, multiplied by the number of overs available to the team batting second, (any fraction is rounded up) and plus 1 further run. In the event that the scores finish level, the team which lost the least number of wickets wins the match. If both teams lost the same number of wickets, the match is tied. Any batsman who retires "not out" is not counted as a wicket for this purpose.

Each club must provide an umpire and scorer. Any umpire changed during the match will be allowed to take full responsibility for umpiring at one end as normal. Neither umpire nor match managers shall give advice or instruction to any player who is on the field of play except under 11 games where advice or instruction may be given to players.

League Points Scored

League points are scored as follows:

Win 20 points

Tie 10 points each

Abandoned game 5 points each

Failure to fulfil a fixture (other than weather)

Any team failing to fulfil a fixture for any reason, other than an abandonment due to bad weather, a win will be awarded to their opponents and the team responsible for failing to fulfil the fixture will lose 10 points and its £50.00 deposit.

Reporting results

Results must be reported by e-mail to cricketresults@ntlworld.com within 2 days of the game. Results cards will be provided. If you do not have access to e-mail, please post them to 39 Bradgate, Cuffley, Herts EN6 4RP within 2 days of the game. 5 points will be deducted if the result is not received within 5 days of the fixture.

Playing regulations

The current laws of cricket shall apply except:

It is recommended that a 20 yard pitch is used for under 11 and a 21 yard pitch for under 13.
In under 11 and 13 matches, no fielder except the wicket keeper and those behind the wicket on the off side shall field nearer than 11 yards measured from the middle stump of the striker's wicket. For under 15 the distance shall be 8 yards.
One 4 ¾ oz ball in reasonable condition shall be used for U11, U12 and under 13 matches. One 5 ¾ oz ball in reasonable condition shall be used for under 15 and 17 games
In general, no player may bowl more than 1/5 of the overs in any innings. In all matches, at least 5 bowlers must be used. If, for example, a game is reduced to 16 overs per side, then one bowler could bowl a maximum of 4 overs and the the other 4 bowlers could bowl a maximum of 3 overs each.
In under 11 matches only, wides shall count as 2 penalty runs with no extra balls in the over except in the final over when the 2 penalty runs shall count for any wides bowled but the extra ball shall be bowled to complete the over. At any time during an innings, any runs scored will be added to the 2 penalty runs for the wide.
No balls shall be treated in the same way as for wides in under 11 games.

Result

The result shall be decided on a single innings basis with the team scoring the most runs being the winner. If the scores are level, the team losing the least wickets is the winner. If both teams have lost the same number of wickets, the match is a tie. (see elsewhere for points scored)

League Winners

The league winner is the team who has the most points at the end of the season. In the event of two or more teams having the same number of points, the winner will be determined by the result(s) of the match(es) between them. If this still does not produce a winner, the winner will be the team who has the best run rate per over for the season.

Where there is more than one league per age group, there will be a championship final, and semi finals where necessary, involving the winners of each league and the second placed team(s) with the most points, at the discretion of the organisers. The arrangements will be announced at the beginning of the season. These matches will be played at a single venue to be arranged by the organisers to provide a climax to the season. They will be played early in September.