|
MIDDLESEX MERIT TABLE |
||||
|
Last Updated: Wednesday, 24 September 2008 |
||||
| Home |
|
|||
|
COMPETITION RULES 2008/2009 |
||||
|
NAME 1. The Merit Table shall be known as the Middlesex Merit Table (“Merit Table”). ADMINISTRATION 2. The Merit Table shall be supervised by the Middlesex County Rugby Football Union who shall appoint an Organiser (“the Organiser”) to administer the Merit Table. 3. The Organiser shall administer the Merit Table and make such decisions as he deems appropriate to run an efficient and fair competition provided only that any such decision must not be contrary to these rules, the rules and regulations of the Middlesex County Rugby Football Union, the rules and regulations of the Rugby Football Unions or the laws of the game. 4. The Organiser shall have the power to alter or amend these rules, as he deems necessary in order to run an efficient and fair competition, provided only that no rules may be changed, other than in exceptional circumstances, once the competition has started. 5. The Merit Table shall consist of six divisions. PARTICIPATION 6. To participate in the Merit Table clubs must be members of the Middlesex County Rugby Football Union (“Eligible Clubs”). 7. Eligible Clubs shall be invited to participate in the Merit Table by the Organiser. 8. Participation shall be by invitation only. 9. No club may have more than one team in each division of the Merit Table. 10. If a team fails to honour four or more fixtures then the Organiser may exclude that team from the competition. In the case of a team being excluded or withdrawing from the Merit Table all their results shall be expunged. FIXTURES 11. The Organiser shall draw up the fixtures for the season. 12. Participating clubs may, with the agreement of their opponents, rearrange any of their matches. 13. In the event of a dispute between clubs as to when a match should be played the match shall be played on the date originally specified by the Organiser, or any other reasonable date that the Organiser deems suitable. 14. The home team shall be responsible for organising the referee and paying his expenses. 15. Other than in the Final matches, the home team shall use its best endeavours to secure the services of a referee from the London Society of Rugby Football Union Referees (“LSRFUR”). 16. In the event of the LSRFUR being unable to appoint a referee the home team shall be responsible for providing a competent referee. 17. The home team shall be responsible for informing the referee of these rules. 18. If in the opinion of the referee there is a colour clash the home team shall change its shirts. 19. All the league matches shall be played between 1st September 2008 and the 15th March 2009. The Semi-Finals shall be played on the 28th March 2009 and the Finals shall be played on the 4th April 2009. 20. Matches shall be played on Saturday afternoons unless mutually agreed between the clubs concerned or as directed by the Organiser. 21. The Organiser’s permission must be obtained for any league match to be played at a ground, which is not the home ground of either of the teams involved. The Organiser’s permission will not be withheld unless he believes that the choice of venue unreasonably disadvantages the club deemed to be the away team. 22. All other arrangements shall be made as for usual club fixtures. DETERMINATION OF RESULT 23. If the referee abandons a match, for whatever reason, before fifty minutes of play has expired then the match shall be void; otherwise the result shall stand as though the match had been completed normally. UNPLAYABLE PITCHES 24. The match shall be postponed if either captain regards the pitch as unplayable. The referee’s opinion may be sought, but it is the captains’ decision whether to play the match or not. If the captains cannot agree then the match shall not be played and the matter shall be reported, by the home team, to the Organiser and the game shall be rearranged. DRAWN MATCHES 25. Other than in the Semi-Final and Final matches extra time shall not be played. In the event of the scores being equal at the end of normal time the match shall be deemed a draw. NOTIFICATION OF RESULT/POSTPNEMENT 26. The home team is responsible for notifying the Organiser of the result or of the postponement of the match by 9.00pm on the evening of the match. Failure to report the result or the postponement by the due time shall, except in exceptional circumstances, automatically lead to the deduction of one league point from the home team. POINTS AWARDED 27. Six points shall be awarded for a win, four points for a draw and two points for a loss. 28. In the event of any club failing to fulfil a match, other than for a postponement due to the pitch being unplayable, they shall forfeit the match. The non-offending team shall be deemed to have won the match 25:0 and shall be awarded 6 points. The offending team will receive no points. 29. If a match is not played due to adverse weather conditions, or the weather causes the match to be abandoned with less than fifty minutes having been played, the match shall be deemed to have been drawn 0:0, unless both teams notify the Organiser within 48 hours that they wish to replay the match and inform the Organiser at that time of the agreed replay date. POSITION IN THE FINALTABLES 30. The final table of each division shall be the table as at the 16th March 2009 irrespective of the number of matches played. 31. The position in the final table shall be determined by points awarded. 32. If points awarded are equal then the team having the better points difference shall take the higher position. 33. If the teams can still not be separated then the team having scored the most points shall take the higher position. SEMI-FINAL AND FINAL MATCHES 34. The Semi-Final matches shall be between the first and fourth placed teams in the final table and the second and third placed teams. 35. The Final match of each Division shall be played between the winners of the Semi-Final matches of that Division. 36. The Semi-Final matches shall be held (unless the organiser decides otherwise) at the grounds of the teams that finished highest in the final table. 37. The venue for the Final matches (which may vary from Division to Division) shall be determined by the Organiser. In the event that a final is to be played at the ground of one of the finalists then the game shall be played at the ground of the finalist who finished highest in the final table. 38. SEMI-FINAL MATCHES: In the event of the scores being equal at the end of normal time the teams will change ends and a further twenty minutes shall be played with the teams changing ends after ten minutes. In the event of the scores still being tied then the club having scored the most goals shall be deemed to be the winner. If this does not separate the teams then the club having scored the most tries shall be deemed to be the winner. In the event that this does not separate the teams then the away team will go through. 39. FINAL MATCHES: In the event of the scores being equal at the end of normal time the teams will change ends and a further twenty minutes shall be played with the teams changing ends after ten minutes. If the scores are still level at the end of extra time the teams will change ends and ‘sudden death’ will be played. Play will continue with the teams changing ends every ten minutes. The team scoring first during ‘sudden death’ will be deemed the winner. WINNER OF THE MIDDLESEX MERIT TABLE TROPHY 40. The winner of the Middlesex Merit Table Trophy shall be the winner of the Division One Final match. PROMOTION AND RELEGATION 41. The winners of the Division Two, Three, Four, Five and Six Finals shall be promoted. 42. The bottom clubs in Divisions One, Two, Three, Four and Five shall be relegated. PLAYERS 43. There is no restriction on player selection. However teams are expected to select only bona fide members of their club. 44. A team may only select players for the Semi-Final and Final matches who have already played for that team in the competition. In exceptional circumstances the Organiser may waive this rule on a player-by-player basis, but the organiser must be asked in writing and permission granted before the match is played. Breach of this condition may lead to forfeiture of the match. REPLACEMENTS 45. In the league matches the teams will agree on the number of replacements before the commencement of the match. Teams are encouraged to agree the number of replacements when confirming the fixture. In the event that the teams cannot agree, there will be a maximum of three replacements. 46. There will be a maximum of five replacements for the Semi-Final and Final matches. 47. In the Semi-Final and Final matches teams must have five players in their team capable of playing in the front row. 48. In Semi-Final and Final matches teams are required to be able to replace any position in the front row on the first two occasions that replacements are required, excepting that they will not be required to replace any position twice. UNCONTESTED SCRUMS 49. If a team opts for uncontested scrums prior to the start of the match they will not be allowed any replacements during the match, unless it is to bring on one or more front row players to allow contested scrums to take place. Once contested scrums have commenced further replacements may be made. 50. If a team is unable to contest any scrum (either by its own decision or as a result of a decision by the referee) after the start of the match that team will not be allowed to make any further replacements during the match, unless it is to bring on one or more front row players to allow contested scrums to take place. Once contested scrums have recommenced further replacements may be made. 51. Any attempt to circumvent either rule 49 or rule 50 by opting for contested scrums merely to enable further replacements to take place will lead to the match being forfeited. The non-offending team shall be deemed to have won the match 25:0 and shall be awarded 6 points. The offending team will receive no points. APPEALS 52. A Club can make an appeal under these rules by writing to the Organiser. If the appeal concerns a particular match then the appeal must be made within seven days of the playing or postponement of the match concerned. 53. The Organiser may consult with whosoever he wishes in arriving at his decision. 54. The Organiser must inform the Club of his decision in writing within fourteen days of receiving their appeal or explain the reason for the delay and give a new deadline when the Club may expect his decision. 55. Once the Organiser has reached his decision and informed the Club a further appeal can be made by the club to the Competitions Committee of the Middlesex County Rugby Football Union (“the Appeal Committee”). Such appeal must be made within seven days of receiving the written notification of the decision from the Organiser. 56. The decision of the Appeal Committee shall be final and binding. 57. All appeals will be based on written submissions. There will be no personal hearings.
END |
||||
| Home | ||||