Update from the league re Saturday's matches;

As a result of some approaches from clubs, we are prepared to make
one further concession for Saturday's matches. Where BOTH sides
agree to a very early start, around 10:00am, and with the agreement
of both panel umpires in divs 1 & 2, matches can start early so they
are finished at around 4pm, perhaps with a shorter 'tea' interval.
But the match must be completed, and not resumed after the football.
An elongated break during the 2nd innings will totally distort the
game and provide an advantage to one side or the other, leading to
complaints. Also, there is the risk of matches finishing very late,
perhaps in near darkness, and we are not willing to risk injury to
young players especially under such circumstances. The 'duty of
care' under the ECB Child Welfare Policy applies. We are trying to
help clubs but have to try and make competitive conditions equal for
all.

Richard Bayliss
Secretary, Saracens Herts Cricket League

--- In HTCCMembers@yahoogroups.com, "Patrick Micallef"
<patrickmicallef@...> wrote:
>
> Just come in on the Saracens League Website from the League
Committee:
>
> FIXTURES ON SATURDAY 1st JULY: After a long deliberation we have
> decided it's not feasible to suspend a cricket match for up to 2½
> hours for the sake of an event on TV. This is a cricket league and
we
> are convinced the majority of players will want to play, so the
league
> programme goes ahead as normal. The one concession offered is that
if
> BOTH TEAMS agree by 9pm this Wednesday, June 28, that the game
should
> be cancelled then they will not be penalised, but with 0 points
> awarded to either team. This agreement also needs to be
communicated
> to the league by BOTH CLUBS either via an e-mail to
> richardbayliss@... or a message left on the answerphone
> at 01923 446419.
> After 9pm on Wednesday, normal conditions apply under match rule
3,
> final paragraph.
>