FOLLOWING several forfeitures in the 2022 season, and the overwhelming number of teams applying for
entrance in the 2023 season, the Scarborough Cricket Association (SCA) will be taking stern measures to avoid such occurrences.
Among the new measures are, teams that default more than two games during the season will be penalized an
administration fee of $200.00 for every forfeited game thereafter. All fines must be paid before the team is allowed to continue. Membership with the league will then be reviewed before it can participate in the following year.
Teams will also lose five demerit points from their total while defaulted games will not be rescheduled. Teams shall be considered in default if they fail to notify the President, Secretary or any Executive by text or email to the Association by Wednesday before the weekend’s scheduled match. Clubs which fail to adhere to this deadline will have to pay full umpire’s fees for one or two umpires assigned to their game before continuing in the league competition plus a $50.00 administration fee.
Meanwhile, two significant changes have been made in the Over-50 Division, where a player must have attained the age of 50 years by September 1 of the current playing season, while two players who were 45 years old by December 31 of the previous year will be eligible to participate in the current season.
Players have also been advised, that the MCC laws relating to running out the non-striker and “batter out caught,” will be applied. If the nonstriker is out of his/her ground at any time from the moment the ball
comes into play until the instant when the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball, the non-striker is liable to be run out.
When a batter is out caught, the new batter will come in at the end the striker was, regardless of whether the batters crossed prior to the catch being taken.
It should also be noted that a bowler will be allowed only one bouncer per over, which is considered a delivery which passes over the shoulder height of the batter while standing upright at the crease (not in the crouching
batting stance).
A bouncer passing over the batter’s head while standing upright and not giving the batter a chance to hit the ball by means of a normal cricket stroke, will be called a Wide Ball and counted as one of the bouncers.
The second such delivery will be called a “No-ball” (with a free hit) by the umpires and the bowler will be issued a First and Final warning.
As regards the SCA grounds which have hanging overhead Hydro wires, the following rules shall apply: (a) When a batter hits the ball and comes into contact with the hanging overhead wires, the ball automatically becomes
dead. Runs are disallowed, batters return to their original ends, and the ball does not count as one for the over; (b) When a fielder fields the ball and his/her return on the throw comes into contact with the hanging overhead
wires, only runs that have been made prior to the ball hitting the wires shall be scored, including the one in progress if the batters have already crossed. The ball then becomes dead.