CAMBS & HUNTS JOINT DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE
DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURE
Discipline
The Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire Disciplinary Committee will hear
all Disciplinary matters involving clubs, players and officials Competing in
all Cambridgeshire & Huntingdonshire cricket competitions with the
exception of Huntingdonshire youth cricket and inter schools cricket.
For the purpose of these rules the
expression “player” shall throughout these rules be deemed to mean and include
not only any player, whether professional or otherwise, but also any member or
official of any club or if appropriate any other person involved in any
incident of possible misconduct occurring on the field of play, or on the
premises of the club as may be appropriate in the particular circumstances. It is recognised that more than one player
or more than one club may be tried at a hearing or appeal.
All Competitions will operate a
disciplinary procedure based on the current version of the England & Wales
Cricket Board’s (ECB’s) code of conduct.
The ECB Code of Conduct will be incorporated into the league
registration form which players must sign stating that they have read and will
abide by the Code of Conduct.
ECB Code of Conduct and Spirit of
Cricket
The Code of Conduct incorporates the
Spirit of Cricket, as set out below. It applies to all matches played under the
auspices of the ECB and may be applied to cricket in general.
The Captains are responsible at all times for ensuring that
play is conducted within the Spirit of Cricket as well as within the Laws.
Players and team must at all times accept the umpire's
decision. Players must not show dissent at the Umpires decision or react in a
provocative or disapproving manner towards another player or spectator.
Players or team officials shall not intimidate, assault, or
attempt to intimidate or assault an Umpire, another player or spectator.
Players and team officials shall not make racially abusive
comments nor indulge in racially abusive actions against players, officials, and
supporters. clubs must operate an active open door membership policy whilst
respecting player qualification regulations and welcome players / members
irrespective of ethnic origin.
Players and club officials shall not use crude or offensive
language (also known as sledging), nor make offensive or intimidatory gestures
or hand signals, nor deliberately distract an opponent either verbally or by
harassment with persistent clapping or unnecessary noise under the guise of
enthusiasm and motivation of one's own side.
Players and club officials shall not disclose or comment
upon any alleged breach of this code or upon hearing, report, or decision
arising from such breach.
Players and club officials shall not make any public or
press comment which is detrimental to the league, clubs or the game in general.
Players and team officials shall not use or in any way be
concerned in the use or distribution of illegal drugs.
It shall be a disciplinary offence
for
Any player in the course of or in connection with a match to
misconduct himself, to offend against the Code of Conduct or to act at any time
to prejudice the good name or interests of the leagues and
For any club to fail properly to control or discipline its
players or to act in a manner calculated to prejudice the good name or
interests of the league. Any player or
club committing an offence shall be liable to penalties in the manner described
hereafter.
The Spirit of Cricket (Law 42)
The Captains are responsible at all
times for ensuring that play is conducted within the spirit of the game as well
as within the Laws. Umpires are the sole judges of fair and unfair play. If an Umpire decides that the Code of
Conduct has been broken or an act of unfair play has taken place, the following
options are available:
1. Give an informal warning.
2. Give a formal warning to the player and inform the
Captain that a formal warning has been given.
Give notification to the Disciplinary Co-ordinator that a level one
formal warning was issued and details of the nature of the offence within seven
days of the offence. One would expect
that in the majority of cases that a formal warning would have been preceded by
an informal warning, but if necessary the Umpire has the authority to issue a
formal warning without having issued any informal warnings. A player receiving a total of three formal
warnings in the calendar year will automatically be suspended from the next two
weeks from all competitions covered by the Committee. There is no right of appeal.
The Secretary of the player's club will be informed of any formal
warnings and suspensions with seven days of the decision.
3. Make a report.
Inform both Captains that a report will be made. If there are two appointed Umpires standing,
they must both sign the report. If
possible, the Umpires should indicate the severity of the report against the
ECB 4 levels of disciplinary offence.
In all cases all reports will be forwarded in writing to the
co-ordinator within seven days of the offence, who will determine the appropriate
course of action as described below.
4. In cases where no official umpires are appointed all
reports will be forwarded in writing to the co-ordinator within seven days of
the offence, who will determine the appropriate course of action as described
below.
Upon the receipt of a written
report, the Co-ordinator will liase with the Chairman and they will jointly
determine the severity of the offence.
If they decide that a fixed penalty is applicable they shall issue their
verdict to the Secretaries of the club involved within seven days of receipt of
the report. There is an automatic right of appeal.
If it is decided that a fixed
penalty is inappropriate, a formal hearing will be held. The relevant player and club will be
informed of the hearing date, time and venue within seven days of the decision
to hold a formal hearing. Hearings will
normally take place with 14 days of receipt of report. In very serious cases, the Cambs & Hunts
Inter League Management Committee have the right to impose an immediate interim
ban on player or club pending the formal hearing.
Hearings
The Disciplinary Committees shall
each consist of
A Chairman who will have a casting vote.
A Co-ordinator who shall be non voting.
Three representatives to be appointed from a panel of agreed
representatives, but not from a club that operates in any league division of
the club involved.
Plus a Welfare Officer if there are any youth issues who
shall be non-voting.
The player or the club shall be
entitled to attend the hearing (in the case of a club by its Secretary or other
official) to be legally or otherwise represented, to call witnesses, present
written statements from witnesses and object with validity to any member of the
Disciplinary Committee. The decision of
the Disciplinary Committee, after listening to the objections will be final and
binding, pending an appeal.
The Disciplinary Committee shall
have the power to impose one or more of the following penalties in the case of
a player:
Expulsion from all competitions all Cambridgeshire &
Huntingdonshire Cricket Competitions or the ECB with the exception of
Huntingdonshire Youth Cricket and Inter Schools Cricket.
A ban of one or more weeks played under the auspices of the
leagues, the ECB. All or part of the
ban may be suspended for any period including going into the next season.
A fine of not more than £150.
A reprimand.
Costs.
The Disciplinary Committee shall
have the power to impose one or more of the following penalties in the case of
a club:
Expulsion from Cambridgeshire & Huntingdonshire Cricket
Competitions or the ECB with the exception of Huntingdonshire Youth Cricket and
Inter Schools Cricket.
A deduction of league points. All or part of the deduction may be suspended for any period
including going into the next season.
A fine of not more than £500.
Costs.
The decision of the Disciplinary
Committee will be given orally at the end of the meeting and will be given in
writing to the player and the Secretary of the club involved within 7 days of
the date of the hearing.
Appeals
The player or club have two avenues
of appeal only:
Against the verdict by introducing
new evidence or additional witnesses.
Against the severity of the sentence
by quoting mitigating circumstances.
Notice of appeal must be given in
writing to the Disciplinary Co-ordinator within 14 days of the date of the
hearing together with a deposit of £50.
Upon giving notice of appeal any penalties shall be suspended pending
the hearing of the appeal, unless the Cambs & Hunts Inter League Committee
deem the alleged offences to be so serious that a ban must remain in
place. Appeals will normally by held as
soon as possible following a formal appeal notification.
The Appeal Committees shall each
consist of
A Chairman who did not chair the original hearing who will
have a casting vote.
A Co-ordinator who shall be non voting.
The Chairman of the Cambs Cricket Association or his deputy.
The Chairman of the Hunts County League or his deputy.
Plus a Welfare Officer if there are any youth issues who
shall be non-voting.
The player or club involved in the
appeal have the same rights of representation as the original hearing.. The decision of the Appeal Committee will be
final and binding.
The Appeal Committee has the power
to waive, increase, or leave in place any sentence imposed by the original
Disciplinary Committee. In addition,
the Appeal Committee may impose further penalties such as costs or making a
suspended sentence immediate. The
Appeal Committee also have the power if they consider the appeal to be without
merit to order the forfeit of the deposit.
Fines and costs
The members of any Committee and any
Umpires or Scorers called to give evidence will automatically be awarded travel
expenses; the costs will reclaimed against those found guilty.
All fines levied will be
automatically increased by £50 for non-payment after 21 days. Fines still outstanding after 28 days will
incur an automatic 25 points deduction for the club involved. There is no right of appeal to these additional
penalties.
The Co-ordinator to keep a record of
all proceedings and notify all competitions of action taken. The Co-ordinator will also manage any monies
due in a reserved fund. All cheques
will be made payable to “C&H JDC”.
Distribution of any accrued monies will be back to the leagues by
agreement at the end of season Cambs & Hunts Inter League Committee
meeting.
Fixed Penalties
The following offences are “fixed penalty” offences and carry the
following penalties:
Time
wasting by either side Captain
£25 fine
Abuse of
cricket ground, equipment or clubhouse Player £25 fine
Showing
dissent at an umpire’s decision Player
£25 fine
Using
language that is obscene, offensive or Player
£25 fine & 1 week ban
insulting
and/or the making of obscene gestures
Captain
not following the instructions of an Umpire Captain £25 fine & 1 week ban
Inappropriate
and deliberate physical contact Player £50 fine & 2 week ban
between
players in the course of play
Throwing
the ball at or near someone in an Player
£50 fine & 2 week ban
inappropriate
and dangerous manner
Anything
that results in a ball being changed Captain
£25 fine
apart from
under normal circumstances
Anything
that results in a bowler being taken off Player £25 fine & Captain £25
fine
Anything
that results in penalty runs apart from Player £25 fine & 1 week ban
hitting a
helmet on the ground
Breach of
ECB Youth Guidelines Captain £50 fine
& 2 week ban
The following offences are deemed to be “immediate hearing” offences
that carry much higher penalties:
Any
offence reported by an Umpire as “multiple” or “serious”.
Abuse of
an Umpire.
Any
offence that has Child Welfare issues.
Any act of
violence, attempted act of violence or threat of violence.
Any
incident involving racism.
Any repeat
offences within 3 years.
Appendix
Breaches
Certain conduct
whether on or off the field of play amounting to a breach of the Laws of
Cricket, and/or the spirit of cricket has been categorised within 4 levels.
Details of the breaches within each of these levels are set out below:-
(a)
Time wasting
by either the fielding side or batting side
(b)
Abuse of
cricket ground, equipment or fixtures
(c)
Showing
dissent at an umpire’s decision by word or action
(d)
Using
language that is obscene, offensive or insulting and/or the making of obscene
gestures
(e)
Excessive
appealing
(a)
Showing
serious dissent at an umpire’s decision by word or action
(b)
Inappropriate
and deliberate physical contact between players in the course of play
(c)
Charging or
advancing towards an umpire in an aggressive manner when appealing
(d)
Deliberate
and malicious distraction or obstruction on the field of play, regardless as to
whether such conduct is deemed unfair under law 42.5
(e)
Throwing the
ball at or near a player, umpire or official in an inappropriate and dangerous
manner.
(f)
Using
language or gesture that is obscene or of a serious insulting nature to another
player, umpire, referee, team official or spectator. (It is acknowledged that
there will be verbal exchanges between players in the course of play. Rather
than seeking to eliminate these exchanges entirely, umpires will look to act
under directive 2.6 when this falls below an acceptable standard)
(g)
Changing the
condition of the ball other than is permitted in Law 42.3
(h)
The bowling
of fast short pitched balls that results in the bowler being disallowed from
bowling further in that innings
(i)
Causing
avoidable damage to the pitch contrary to laws 42.13 and/or 42.14 that results
in a five-run penalty being awarded
(a)
Intimidating
an umpire or referee
(b)
Threatening
to assault another player, team official or spectator
(c)
Using
language or gesture that offends, insults, humiliates, intimidates, threatens,
disparages or vilifies another person on the basis of that person’s race,
religion, sexual orientation, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin
(d)
The
deliberate bowling of high full-pitched ball contrary to law 42.8
a) Threatening an umpire
b) Physical assault of another player,
umpire, official or spectator
c) Any act of violence on the field of
play
d) Using
language or gestures that seriously offends, insults, humiliates, intimidates,
threatens, disparages or vilifies another person on the basis of that person’s
race, religion, sexual orientation, colour, descent or national or ethnic
origin