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[uknsaunders]

It's not quite restraint of trade but you get the idea. It is a restrictive practise that unfairly impacts many cricketers out there. Here's our league rules on player eligibility:-

Any bona-fide member of his club can play in matches provided that :-
he has not played for any other club in the League after 31st May that season
he has not played League cricket at all on a Saturday for a club outside of the League after 31st May that season. A person moving into the district is eligible to play after the Secretary of the League is notified of the name and circumstances.
students who were previously bona-fide members of a Cotswold Hills League club will be eligible to play upon return from their further education provided that the League Secretary is notified of the circumstances.
he has no outstanding payments owed to his previous club.
In each and every match where a team breaches this rule, the team will forfeit all points earned and incur a 20 point penalty. Points earned by the opposing team will stand, subject to a minimum of 20 points being awarded.

It's not the worst criteria going. Go up North and you need to properly register players.

This brings me onto my point - does anybody think this is stopping players playing cricket now. Why should an unhappy player not change mid season? Isn't it better than just packing it in?

Isn't this kind of ruling forcing players out of the game?

[WalkingWicket37]

Our 1st XI got a 10 point penalty for fielding an "ineligible" player last season.

I will change names incase they don't want to be on the interweb, but the incident was:

We have a father and son who have the same name but for 1 letter.
Tony Smith is the Dad, and his Son is Toby Smith
Tony plays in a lower league and is happy to do so. Toby played as a "number maker upper" in the 1st XI a few time (and strutted round telling everyone he was a regular!)

Toby was registered in 2013 as T Smith Jnr (so he wasn't confused with his Dad on the stats).
In 2014 he was put on a teamsheet as Toby Smith. The league kindly deducted 10 points for fielding an ineligible player, despite the fact we was registered and some common sense would've rectified the issue.

[uknsaunders]

We got our points for a win, and another win deducted for playing a player who we had registered the season before. He didn't play in the prior season as the game he was playing was called off, but appeared on teamsheet. The league said they had carried over all registrations to the following season, but in reality they chose to remove those who hadn't played. We effectively picked up a points deduction for playing a player the league had removed!

This is a problem that crops up time and time again. In some leagues you can't play the casual cricketer or your mate, simply because it's not worth it if you get caught. The alternative is you play them under a false name and go to 007 lengths of secrecy to avoid getting caught. It's silly and then the league wonders why teams drop out of the league due to lack of numbers!

[golden duck]

I think our league allows players to move, but if it's within season then both clubs have to confirm with teh league hierarchy that it is legit.

lower leagues can register a player up till 12 on the day of a match - I think the top leagues have to do it by thursday.  Guess it is to encourage those 'last minute rope ins!'

[Seniorplayer]

Yes it does stop players moving clubs and the date is quite wrong.
The Worcester Clubs League  last date for a transfer  has changed this season to the 31st of July.

[Cin88]

You're right about the situation here in t'north, once we're registered to a club for the season it becomes stupidly difficult to move, and we're banned from appearing for teams outside of our clubs. At least that's the case in most leagues in Lancashire/Greater Manchester etc anyway. It unfairly impacts players across the board from casual space fillers to players who want to be playing every week.

I think my league does allow last minute sign ups though, I myself was a last minute rope in when I made my debut for my club's 2nd XI.

[uknsaunders]

My gripe with our league specifically is:-

1. Date should be later in the season - when you get to holiday period then getting players becomes much more difficult. The Wetherby League ban registrations, for example, for the last 3 games - which is a decent compromise.
2. Nothing in the rules to prevent 1s players dropping into the 2s to help a promotion bid - a worse offence for me
3. The fact they can ban players who have moved across the country from playing cricket without a "doctors note"

That said our league isn't the worst. The TVL was the easiest going, to move clubs you have to miss a week of cricket between changing clubs. Might of changed now but registration wasn't required apart from overseas players. The Wetherby League was pretty bad, as are most of the Yorkshire leagues. Love their admin and fines up North!

[Cin88]

Moving between leagues is admin prohibitive around here for certain leagues. I'm considering a move but it will probably have to wait until next season thanks to all the red tape at the moment, and the only thing holding me back from writing off the season and taking a break is the fact that the annual player shortage is imminent so I should finally start getting regular games. With any luck it'll be easier to move clubs once the Greater Manchester League kicks off.

[mdg20]

our league is if you are registered for a club and move to a club  in the same league then you need both teams to agree by way of a signed transfer form. I think theres a deadline for that to prevent players moving clubs for the last few games.
Players can be registered at any time as long as its before the game for higher XIs, lower XIs can actually register a player up to 3 days after the game (designed for 4th/5th/6thXIs who perhaps get drop outs and get players neighbous or cousins to fill in last minute). HAve no problem with the system, all quite straight forward.