ARCL Mens League game format - Rules and regulations

Games:

• There will be a single round robin and top two teams play the finals and 3rd and 4th play the plate finals.
• No minimum number of players are required in order to start a game.

Innings:

• Each inning will have 16 overs a side, a bowler can bowl maximum of 4 overs.
• There will be a 10 minute break will be given between innings.

Boundaries:

• Boundaries will be determined based on the ground the teams play in with the consent of the umpire and the team captains. Once the boundaries are determined they cannot be changed for the duration of the game.

Players:

• Each team will play the game with 8 players.
• No player can play for more than one team in the league. They may field however, as substitutes. They can change sides for the next league (quarter, semi and finals are considered part of the league).
• Names of all possible players should be sent to ARCL before the league commences.
• Every participant needs to sign the disclaimer document, relieving ARCL of any responsibility and acknowledging that ARCL reserves the right to change the rules and impose penalties as they seem necessary. The disclaimer form can be downloaded from here. Each captain must get this waiver form signed by every player in the team and send it to ARCL Management
• Each player needs to complete the ARCL Waiver form BEFORE the game they play in. This form needs to be submitted by the captain or team contact at least 3 days before the game. Just one form is required for one player. It will be valid until the player plays for the same team.
• If the player changes team at the end of the season, he/she will need to fill a new waiver form. It is Captain or team contacts responsibility to keep track and submit the waiver form in time.
• The team needs to submit the names of at least 8 players with their ARCL waiver forms.
• Players are free to practice with any team they want.
• Female players are not allowed to play in Men’s Competitive Division. They can, however, play in a Men’s team in Recreational Division. Each participant will be required to sign a waiver form (See Details in Waiver section below).
• Men cannot play in Women’s league
• Checking Schedule and Missing Scorecards:
• The schedule (games and umpiring) will be uploaded by 5pm Friday for the following week. Once the schedule is uploaded, any changes to it will be specifically notified by ARCL members via email and phone.
• The schedule could change before Friday so make sure to check the schedule after Friday @5 to avoid any problems.
• ARCL will not change the schedule, once it is uploaded on the site. If the teams want to change it by talking to other teams (both opponent and umpiring teams) they can do so but ARCL will bear no responsibility if there are any concerns/issues later on. The teams would have to bear the ground responsibility as well. If for some reason (miss-communication, no-show by either team, no-show by umpire etc) the match was abandoned then both the teams will get zero points for that match and they will be penalized with 20 points each. If the match was abandoned due to bad weather then the bad weather rule will apply.
• The only exception to a schedule being changed after Wednesday 5 pm is when there is a scheduling error by ARCL. In that case ARCL will take appropriate actions to fix the schedule and notify the teams involved about this change.
• Teams can request for games not to be scheduled BEFORE schedule is out and ARCL will try its best to accommodate them if possible.
• If all teams are playing on a given weekend no exceptions will be made.
• There will be no games scheduled on thanksgiving weekend, long weekend and Christmas weekend.
• Any missing scorecard needs to be submitted by end of day Tuesday. ARCL will upload the score cards by Wednesday of the week following the game. Teams will have till end of day Friday to challenge any inconsistencies. We will not make any changes to the scorecard after Friday. If a team cannot submit the scorecard by Tuesday, they need to notify ARCL with a valid reason so we keep track of that. Failure to submit scorecard by end of day Tuesday without notifying ARCL will result in the team(s) losing all their points.
• You can be asked to umpire for any team in any division to check the Schedule page on the www.arcl.org Go to arcl website, click on your division and on Left side Click on Schedule to see all the umpiring assignments and Schedule fixtures.
• It is Captain’s responsibility to maintain the names of players he sent for umpiring. ARCL will not maintain a list of umpires but just keep track of how many games each team umpired and pay accordingly.
• NWCL Exception:
• We’ll be little stricter here; teams should be ready to play at 8am on any day; team will be given exception only if they have 4 or players currently playing in NWCL; one exception per team;

Using Palm to Track Scorecards:

• All teams are required to use palm for scoring.
• Umpire will NOT be scoring via palm during the game. This will be responsibility of the batting team. Umpire should however, note down all the player names, final scores and wickets for both teams and any other information he thinks might be important to have. The umpire should keep this information available for one week at least. ARCL might request for this information if needed within one week of the game.
• Contact the ARCL Management immediately if the palm stops working or the software got deleted by emailing them at arclorg@arcl.org
• Instructions for using the palm are provided here.
• Teams should keep correct names of their players in the palm. They should beam the list before every game to ensure statistics are always up to date. Also, teams should beam the scorecard to both palms at the end of first inning and at the end of the match so if one palm crashes, they have a backup.

Fees:

• Each team will pay a fee for the entire league for ground reservation, balls and prizes.
• The fee amount will be announced by email at the start of the league.
• Checks should be drawn in the name of “American Recreational Cricket League
• • All the teams have to give the check to the representatives of ARCL on or before the registration deadline.

Equipment:

• One new ball per inning will be provided by the league. If the ball is lost or punctured then an old ball will be used instead.
• League will provide stumps, tapes and palm.
•  ARCL will provide each team 2 copies of these rules for reference. These rules will also be available on http://www.arcl.org/Aspx/Content/ArclInfo.aspx
• . The captains should bring these rules with them for all the games so in case of a dispute the umpire can consult the rules and make informed decision.
• The pitch will be measured using a measuring tape by the umpire. Official Pitch length is 22 yards/66 ft for men and 15 yards/45 feet for Women's matches.
• All measurements are from the base of the stumps.

Penalties:

• Players who have played 3 or more matches will be allowed to play in the Semis and finals. Failure to do so will result in team losing that game and the other team moving ahead.
• To expand on this rule it is really % of matches played
• The rule actually is 3 matches so its 33.33% (3 of 9 matches)
• 33% of 14 is 4.6 so round it to 5 matches
• Abandon matches: subtract from total matches and then take 33.33% and round it

total matches minus abandon matches	33.33%	rounding
6	2.00	2
7	2.33	2
8	2.67	3
9	3.00	3
10	3.33	3
11	3.67	4
12	4.00	4
13	4.33	4
14	4.67	5

• No player can play for more than one team in the league. They may field however, as substitutes. They can change sides for the next league (quarter, semi and finals are considered part of the league). Failure to do will result in penalties:
• Points for all the matches in which this player has played will be affected. The defaulting team will lose all points (winning/bonus points).
• Matches in which defaulting team wins, the 20 points will be made zero; opponents points will be made zero and the match will be counted as not played. (rankings/Positions are calculated based on average.)
• Matches in which defaulting team loses, the bonus points will be made zero; opponents points won’t change.
• Showing up Late: The umpire has to wait 15 minutes for the other team to show after the scheduled time. The team who is not on the field will lose 1 over for every 5 minutes. This starts from the time, the game is scheduled. If a team does not show up within those 15 minutes the other team will get a walk over. Teams are encouraged to be at the field atleast 15 minutes prior to the scheduled time and set up the field so all games start and end on time.
• “No Show” Rule: Each team will have to pay $150.00 for not showing on the game day. They have to give this money before they play the next game. 10 points will also be deducted from their tally. The umpire and the opposing team wait for 15 mins before calling off the match.
• Suspension/Misconduct: Refer to Complaint Procedue (Provide a link here)
• If found guilty the team can lose the points it accumulated in the game in which the incident occurred
• If the problem occurs more than once or is too serious (such as something that can cause problems to the operation of the league like losing ground privileges) they can lose all their points or possible suspension from current and/or future leagues.
• The ARCL reserves the right to assign any other penalty if needed including but not limited to volunteer work for ARCL.
• Cleaning the field after your game:
• We have observed that teams do not clean the field with empty soda cans and other food items they bring along to consume during the game. As a result of this we have already lost Rosehill ground and are in danger of losing some other grounds like MS field. To ensure this does not happen we will be strictly enforcing the following rule:
• If a team (or teams) is found guilty of leaving behind anything (e.g. soda cans, wrappers etc) they will be charged $100 for first offence, $200 for second offense and disqualification from the league the third time this occurs.
• It is umpire’s responsibility to remind the teams to clean the ground after the game ends and the team’s responsibility to ensure the ground is clean BEFORE they leave.
• We will be enforcing this rule effective this week.
• Showing up for Umpiring:
• Since there are a lot of new times we wanted to stress again the importance of sending umpire ON TIME for the games they have been appointed to umpire. Failure to do so will result in a fine of $50 and 10 points to be deducted from team’s total points. We would also like to remind teams to send umpires who are aware of ARCL rules and regulations and should be able to control situation if it goes out of hand. If a team needs more information on this feel free to contact the ARCL.
• In case of a conflict, neutral umpire’s decision will be final. This also applies to any ruling leg umpire makes. The main umpire can overrule leg umpire’s call.

Bad Weather:

• Games WILL go on if there is a typical Seattle drizzle. Only the neutral umpire can call the games off.
• In case of a dispute on whether the game should be called off or not, the decision of neutral umpire will be considered final.
• If the match is stopped due to bad weather and it’s below 3/4 (eg in case of 16 overs match, 3/4th match means 16 overs of first innings and 8 overs of the second innings) then it will be considered as “not played”, both teams will get zero points (rankings/Positions are calculated based on average.). If it’s a playoff match then the team with the highest average point before this match will win. The match won’t be re-scheduled.
• If the match (league or playoff match) is stopped due to bad weather and it’s beyond 3/4 (eg in case of 16 overs match, 3/4th match means 16 overs of first innings and 8 overs of the second innings) then the team with higher run rate wins the match.
• Games that are affected due to WEATHER or circumstances that are not in ARCL’s control will NOT be rescheduled. The game with either be considered abandoned or if more than 3/4th of the game was played then the rule above applies.
•  When there has been a mistake on part of ARCL (e.g. scheduling conflict, ground not reserved etc), ARCL will reschedule that game.
• ARCL reserves the right to investigate and propose alternate solution in case of extreme situations. In this case ARCL will communicate its stance to the affected teams.

Points/Rewards:

• There will be 30 points awarded per game. This is how the points will be distributed:
• Losing team can get a maximum of 10 bonus points. Below is how these points will be calculated.

Losing Team batting Second -
Batting Points -

Points	Formula
1	>50 % and <=60% of winning teams score
2	>60% and <=70% of winning teams score
3	>70% and <=80% of winning teams score
4	>80% and <=90% of winning teams score
5	>90% of winning teams score

Losing Team batting first -
Batting Points -

Points	Formula
1	>50 % and <=60% of winning teams run rate
2	>60% and <=70% of winning teams run rate
3	>70% and <=80% of winning teams run rate
4	>80% and <=90% of winning teams run rate
5	>90% of winning teams run rate

Bowling Points -

Points	Formula
1	1 Wicket
2	3 Wickets
3	5 Wickets
4	6 Wickets
5	7 Wickets

• If a team plays with less than 8 people and the other team gets them all out and lose, they will get maximum points for bowling regardless of wickets they took since ALL OUT will be considered a special case.
• Winning team gets 20 points plus the leftover bonus points from losing team. For example if the losing teams gets 4 points, the winning team will get 20 + (10-4) = 26 points.
• In case of a Tie both teams will get 5 points plus the bonus points
• We will have awards for the champions, runner-up, best batsman, bowler and all-rounder.

Penalties: t;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Penalties for umpires in case of bad feedback or untoward incidents during matches due to umpire not in control of the game: $15 fine, Voluntary work for ARCL

ARCL Cricket Rules

LBW:

• If a ball hits the legs of the batsman, it is called LBW and the batsman is not out.
• If after hitting the batsman’s body including the legs, the balls rolls and hits the stumps, the batsman is out. It is ok for the batsman to kick or move the ball using the bat in such a case but not use his hands.

Byes:

• If the batsman misses a ball and the wicket-keeper fails to gather it, the batsman may take runs. These runs are called Byes.
• Run out or stumping on a bye run is valid.
• However if the ball hits the leg or any part of body (except the gloves, if the player is wearing it) no runs can be taken but the ball will be counted as a valid ball.

Wide:

• A white line or a marker on the offside will be drawn to help the umpires in giving wides.
• The wide line will be 29 inches from the offside base of the stump. Even if the ball touches the wide line, the ball is counted as a wide.
• Anything on the leg side outside the leg stump is a wide.
• If the ball passes the batsman from the leg side and it’s on the leg stump then it’s not a wide.
• A ball is a wide ball if it passes over the wide line where the batsman is standing. In other words, if the ball pitches outside the wide line and spins inside the wide line near the batsman, so as to be within the reach of the batsman, the ball is not wide. On the other hand, if the ball pitches inside the wide line but spins outside the wide line and is so out of the reach of the batsman, it is a wide ball

No-ball:

• A ball is a No-ball if it is a full toss above the waist or if it bounces above the HEAD of the batsman. If the batsman is out of the crease then its the umpire’s call.
• It is a no-ball if the bowler bowls without the umpire indicating that the field was ready for play.
• Is it s no-ball if the bowler oversteps the crease line while bowling (it is ok to step after the ball has left the hands of the bowler). If the heel of the bowler’s leg crosses the crease before delivering the ball it is a no-ball.
• It is a no-ball if the bowler bowls from outside the sides of the crease boundaries.
• One run will be granted for no ball and the ball will be repeated. The run will be added to whatever is scored by the batsman. Umpire’s call is FINAL.
• The only way to get out on a no-ball is a run-out.
• Hit-wicket or being caught on such a ball will not get the player out.
• If a ball is both wide and no-ball, it is counted as a no-ball.
• The umpire should ask the bowling action from the bowler. It’s not a No-ball if the player doesn’t call his action.

Dead-Ball:

• If a ball bounces twice in front of the batsman, the ball will be called a dead-ball and will need to be replayed.
• There will be no runs granted on a dead-ball.
• If a wide ball is also dead, it will be declared a dead-ball.
• If a ball is dead, the ball is considered no longer in play.
• If a dead ball rolls and hits the wicket, it is not out.

Hit Wicket:

• If, in attempting to hit a ball or taking off for a first run, the batsman touches and breaks the wicket (with the bat or some other piece of equipment), this is called hit wicket and the batsman is declared out.
• Hit wicket is valid on a normal ball as well as on a wide ball. However in case of a dead-ball or a no-ball, it is invalid.

Over-throws:

• If no fielder near the pitch gathers the ball and it continues into the field again, the batsman may take more runs.
• If the ball reaches the boundary on an overthrow, four runs are scored in addition to the runs taken before the overthrow occurred.

Stumped:

• If a batsman misses the ball and in attempting to play it, steps outside the crease, he is out stumped if the wicket-keeper gathers the ball and breaks the wicket with it before the batsman can ground part of his body or his bat behind the crease.
• If a player is out of the crease and the ball hits its legs, the keeper can still get the player stumped. However, the keeper cannot get the player run out. Umpire needs to be careful when determining this.
• On the line is out

Run-outs:

• A run-out is when a batsman is attempting to take a run, or to return to his crease after an aborted run, and a fielder breaks that batsman’s wicket with the ball while he is out of the crease.
• It is possible for the non-striker to be run out if the striker hits the ball straight down the pitch towards the non-striker’s wicket, and the bowler/fielder deflects the ball on to the wicket while the non-striker is out of his crease.
• If the ball is hit directly on to the non-striker’s wicket, without being touched by a fielder, then the non-striker is not out.
• Batswomen cannot be run out while the ball is not in play - so they may confer in the middle of the pitch between deliveries if they desire.
• For a run-out, the fielder has to break the wicket with the ball directly or with the hand that holds the ball. The fielder cannot hold the ball in one hand and touch the wicket with the other hand.
• In case of a run-out, the batsman nearest to the side of the wickets that are broken, is out.
• The batsman must have some part of his body or his bat (provided he is holding it) grounded behind (not on) the crease.
• The base of the stumps is to be treated as the wicket in case of run-outs, bowled, etc.
• On the line is out

Caught out:

• No runs are scored on a caught out even if the batswomen cross each other before the ball is caught.
• If the batsman and runner run to the other crease before the ball is caught, the runner maintains his position.

Runs:

• A run is scored by the batswomen when they both reach the opposite creases.
• If the batsman and runner cross each other before getting catch or made run-out, for the next ball, the batswomen position themselves near the wickets they were running towards.
• No run is awarded if a catch or a run-out was made after the run commenced.
• If, while running multiple runs, a batsman does not touch the ground beyond the crease before he returns for the next run, then the umpire at that end will signal one short, and that run will not be counted.
• One 1-D, the players need to rotate strike.

Captains

Umpiring:

• In case the captain is sick/out of town, the vice captain (who typically is the other team contact) should take up the Captain's responsibilities.
• Ensure that a player of your team is appointed as an umpire for the game that your team is assigned to umpire.
• Please check the schedule for upcoming umpiring assignments. (It is almost always on the weekend that you do not have a game)
• Please assign members from your team to help the umpire in setting up the field.
• Ensure that your team is ready to start the game on time. Be considerate the other player’s time.
• The batting teams will keep the score on the palm and the umpire will keep the score on paper. (unless the umpire is extremely comfortable with the palm and has umpired several games before.)

Penalty:

• If the umpire from your team fails to show up for the game or is late (he/she has to be on the ground at least 20 minutes before the game), could result in your teams being charged a fine of 50$.

Umpires

Common:

• Main umpire will be from the ARCL umpiring panel.
• Umpires will not be paid any umpiring fees.
• Leg umpire will be from the playing 8 from the batting side. Captains have to ensure that the leg umpire from their teams are familiar with the rules and their duties.
• Umpire’s decisions are final and they can call the game off in case of bad behavior & award the match to any team.
• Umpires should not be questioned on score updates in the middle of the overs.
• Umpires should have the hard copy of the rules with them.
• Ground intrusion will not be allowed at all. The only allowed intrusion will be by the captain if the umpire permits. When such intrusion is allowed than it will be only for score miss match. Captains cannot discuss any other issue/decision.
• Neutral umpire needs to keep track of playing 8 (regardless of if they bat or bowl), total runs scored by both teams and wickets taken by them.

Main Umpire:

• Neutral umpire can also consult the leg umpire in case of any issues on the field (eg, whether the ball touched the batsman body to help in judging wide or was there a sound of bat edge etc)
• Other rules mentioned in the Umpire guidelines (provided to all umpires) apply.

Leg Umpire:

• Batting side will keep track of the score and the Leg Umpire may verify it with the scorer at the end of every over.
• Other rules mentioned in the Umpire guidelines (provided to all umpires) apply.

Complaints Procedure

• Moving forward, any issues/concerns needs to be addressed using the ARCL Complaint procedure. Following is how teams will submit the complaints, what to expect and actions ARCL will do to act on it.
• Actions Teams need to take:
• Teams will need to fill out ARCL Complaint Form (link).
• The team complaining needs to fill this form within 1 week of the incident
• Only team contacts, umpire or ARCL board member can fill such form.
• What will happen in the background:
• ARCL will nominate 3 people for handling complaints. Whenever possible, the nominated people will not be part of the same division.
• The nominated people will contact umpires and team contacts and hear their side of the story and submit their report
• There will also be a silent reviewer who will be cced in all interaction related to the complaint. He will also add his feedback if needed.
• The majority of decision committee needs to agree before the decision is sent out
• Only decision sent out via ARCL official email account will be considered valid.
• For Scheduling issues email: schedule@arcl.org
• For Scorecard submission and issues email: scorecard@arcl.org
• For registration email: register@arcl.org
• For all other issues email: arclorg@arcl.org

To ensure timely response please use the above aliases instead of emailing individuals. Emails sent to incorrect aliases or individuals could be overlooked and ARCL is not responsible for any issues that arise due to this.

ARCL Meetings

There will be a total of 5 meetings annually conducted by ARCL. Below are the details for each of them:

• 2 open forum meetings where all captains and contacts will be invited to provide feedback and concerns to the board. The meetings will be conducted in early March and early August.
• We would request teams to RSVP if they intend to make it to the meeting and whenever possible email us a list of issues so we can address them at the meeting itself.
• 3 board meetings to be attended by all ARCL Board members.
• Two of these meetings will be conducted end of march and end of august which will mainly be post-mortem for the last league and minutes gathered from open forum meeting.
• An annual meeting to be held in November where we will address larger issues like finances, budgets, major changes in terms of ground acquisition etc.
• 1 annual dinner where trophies will be presented to teams and best batsmen/women and bowler for the two competitive leagues played that year. This will be held in December.
• Prize distribution ceremony will be conducted after every season for cople of hrs.