Good afternoon all, and I hope you are all enjoying your summer break. Here is an update on what was agreed at the well attended Annual General Meeting on Thursday the 25th July 2024...

League matches will continue as normal at 50 minutes and the decision of who plays whom and the order of play will remain as being the decision of the home team Captain. There were proposals to change the length of play of some games and also on who plays whom, but both were not agreed to by the majority. However, what was agreed on was the addition of bonus points to league matches:-

As all teams play each other four times per season, a bonus point will be awarded in matches 2 and 4 between opposing teams. The bonus point will be awarded to the team whose total game scores are the highest between the two teams over the first two matches, then over the third and fourth matches. It was felt by the majority that this would encourage more attacking play.

A rule was also proposed (and will be introduced) that deals with cancelled/postponed matches. It was agreed that if players are aware they will be unavailable prior to a fixture, that they should endeavour to agree to play their game(s) earlier than the specified fixture date. All players who are available for a specified fixture should attend and play their game(s). If there is a late cancellation or postponement of a game or games in a match, then they should be played within 14 days of the specified fixture date, by mutual agreement with opponents. Clearly, good communication between team Captains and a member of the Committee is a key factor in these circumstances. If required, the Committee will step in and impose a penalty if necessary.

Also, as you may have read about previously, it was also agreed from the start of the 2024/25 season, that Pro-Cup balls will be used in all competitions. They obviously come at quite a substantial cost. However, we have been able to arrange a good discount for a bulk purchase. I am therefore arranging for a purchase to be made and have also agreed with the Treasurer that a subsidy of £30 per Institute will be made from surplus funds held on behalf of the League by the Treasurer. I will be providing more details on this subject as the new season approaches.

We agreed that the next (pre-season) meeting will be held at St Andrews at 7:30pm on Thursday the 12th September 2024, at which Players handicaps will be reviewed and agreed. Any new players will also be formally registered. It was also decided that the new season start date will be Thursday the 26th September 2024. The new fixtures are still to be written, but I will publish them after they have been agreed to at the next league meeting.

D Howarth

League Secretary