Constitution & Club Membership

1. The League title shall be Greater Manchester Amateur Cricket League (GMACL).

2. The object of the League is to create, stimulate and maintain interest in playing and supporting cricket in Greater Manchester.

3. The League shall be governed by a General Committee comprising the officers, plus one representative from each club in membership of the League. The officers shall be Chairman, Vice Chairman, General Secretary, Treasurer, Fixture Secretary, Match Secretary, Registrations Secretary, Play-Cricket Administrator, Media Secretary, Child Safeguarding Officer, Chairman of Discipline, Chairman of Appeals, Chairman of Rules Revision, Social Organiser plus one representative of the Association of Cricket Officials (ACO). Each officer and team shall have one vote at General Committee Meetings. The League General Secretary shall be ex-officio at all meetings (except Annual General Meeting). The Chairman, Vice Chairman, General Secretary and Treasurer shall be the Trustees of the League. Each Trustee shall have automatic full membership of all committees. The Chairman shall have an additional casting vote in the event of a tied vote. (Quorum 15.) If a club holds more than two officer positions, then only two of those officers attached to that club will be provided a vote at General Committee meetings.

4. The Executive Committee shall comprise of the League Officers, one representative of the ACO, the members of the Discipline Committee, the members of the Appeals Committee and the members of the Rules Revision Committee. Each member shall have one vote at Executive Committee Meetings (except General Secretary – Rule 3). (Quorum 8.) The Chairman shall have an additional casting vote in the event of a tied vote. Executive Committee meetings shall be called by the League General Secretary at the request of any League Officer. If a club holds more than two officer positions, then only two of those officers attached to that club will be provided a vote at Executive Committee meetings.

5. The Executive Committee shall have the power to deal with any matter not provided for in the rules of the Greater Manchester Amateur Cricket League (1 to 69 inclusive).

6. The Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held no later than the 15th of January each year. The Officers of the League shall be elected at the AGM, subject to nomination entered at the last monthly meeting of the previous year. The Members of Discipline and Appeals Committees, members of the Rules Revision Committee, League Auditors, Inter-League Team Manager and Inter-League Team Vice-Captain shall be elected at the AGM. The Inter-League Vice-Captain shall be automatically promoted to Inter-League Captain the following year. This post is a League Honour and can only be held for one year. The agenda for the AGM will be set by a League Executive Committee meeting to be held in November preceding the AGM. The League Trustees or Executive Committee will have the power to call an extra-ordinary AGM providing ten days’ notice is given to all members of the General Committee. Each Officer and each team shall have one vote. The Chairman shall have an additional casting vote in the event of a tied vote. (Quorum 15.) If a club holds more than two officer positions, then only two of those officers attached to that club will be provided a vote at the Annual General Meeting.

7. The rules can only be altered at the AGM, providing written proposals to change a Rule(s) is received by the General Secretary no later than 31st October preceding the AGM. The League Executive Committee will consider the proposed change at their meeting in November and recommend either acceptance or rejection to the members at the AGM. Members must receive seven days’ notice of proposed change of rules, whether recommended or otherwise, before the AGM.

8. The General Committee shall meet in March or April (pre season preparation), in June (matters arising and feedback), in August (approaching season end) and at the end of October (trophies presentation and Officers nomination) each year (January is the AGM). All clubs in membership of the League are required to attend. The General Secretary shall be solely responsible for the minutes and correspondence of the League.

9. a, The League Executive Committee shall interview prospective new clubs or proposals from an existing member club to enter an additional team and shall recommend acceptance, or otherwise, to the existing clubs in the League. Any new club or team accepted into membership of the League cannot be entered in the first division and the League Executive Committee must review all aspects of the new club or team in before the end of October, following the completion of their first season in the League.

b, The League shall comprise of a maximum of 48 teams who shall be organised into divisions and any odd number of teams may be organised into a further competition at the discretion of the League Executive Committee.

c, Once the original fixture list has been issued, there cannot be any changes to the fixture list except for the following:

i. Both teams in the fixture may agree to change the date and/or venue providing both teams agree, and the proposed re-arrangement of the date and/or venue are notified to the Fixture Secretary, giving a minimum of seven days’ notice prior to the original date of the scheduled fixture. The proposed re-arranged fixture date must be played no later than the 31st August. If either team then cancel the re-arranged fixture, then the fixture will be cancelled, and points for a forfeited game will be awarded to the non-defaulting team. If the fixture is not re-arranged to be played by the 31st August, then the fixture will be cancelled with no points to either team.

ii. If a team is hiring a venue and the team is given short notice by the owners that the ground is not available the coming weekend, then providing the notice is received by the Thursday before the scheduled date, then the fixture may be postponed. It is then the responsibility of the home team to re-arrange the fixture date. Failure to re-arrange and play the fixture by the 31st August will result in the fixture being referred to the Discipline or Appeal Committee as appropriate.

iii. For Cup-ties where the home ground is unavailable, the Fixture Secretary can change the date and venue, in which case as per Rule 63 all ground hire costs for all Cup-ties will be shared by both teams and in such cases the decision of the Fixture Secretary shall be final.

iv. Teams may agree to bring forward the start time of their fixture by informing the Fixture Secretary at least seven days prior to the original scheduled date of the fixture. On these occasions all timings related to the start/finish time of the game, the first innings and any other timed rules of the competition shall be adjusted accordingly. No game shall be authorised to start earlier then 12 noon, unless permission has been given by the Executive Committee.

v. Only with the agreement of the League Fixture Secretary consenting clubs may play a match mid-week, with a 6:00 pm start time, not to exceed 20 overs each team. (All timings to be adjusted accordingly.) Mid-week matches may only be arranged during June and July.