Friday 7 August 2009

NO EASY ANSWER

The Lincs League rule book does not allow matches to be called off, due to weather, until the morning of the match.
However, there are occasions after days of heavy rain when some outfields - even squares - become waterlogged and there's no prospect of Saturday's game going ahead.
Do you stick to the rules - or do you allow teams to inform their opponents, and the umpires, the day before the game that it should be called off there and then?
Could be, in such a case, that officials can be re-deployed to other games - and that players of both sides might find something more constructive to do than getting to the ground for a 1.30pm Saturday start and finding the inevitable conclusion is an abandonment (eg going to do a day/half's work or earning a few brownie points with the wife and kids).
On the other hand, most of us who've been involved at club level will remember occasions when we've been left with egg all over our faces through calling off a game mid-morning on Saturday, only to see a distinct, and unexpected, change in the weather in the early afternoon, leaving us to conclude: "We could have played - if only with a late start."
There's no easy answer. But if any clubs feel the current league rule needs revising they should send their thoughts (in writing) to league general secretary Mike Savage by August 31. Then the matter can be considered at October's AGM.
Otherwise, the league can only conclude that everyone is happy with the rule as it stands on cancellations.

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