As you are all aware new regulations will come into effect on 17th May in Step 3.  If you have not already seen them full details can be found on the ECB website at:

https://www.ecb.co.uk/Covid-19?utm_campaign=12374290_Non-Playing-Admins%20Week%204%20%282021%29&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=Email_AdHoc&email=@HASHEDEMAIL@&dm_i=1FT6,7D82A,7G5X46,TWIU3,1

Those regulations that are applicable to the whole of the Championship from 17th May are listed below:

1.  The regulations relating to all on-field activities remain the same.
2.  Travel restictions:  You can leave your home to exercise and take part in informal and organised cricket. Car sharing is permitted at Step 3 so travel restriction is no longer a reason for cancellation
3.   Spectators are permitted at both public and private venues. Spectators must observe social distancing and legal gathering size limits (groups of up to 30 outdoors).

Further detail of arrangements which are specific to each individual club will be sent out within the next few days.

The MSC find it difficult to rationalise the difference between a fixture cancelled while travel restrictions are in force and one cancelled for bad weather.  Only 2 matches were completed on Saturday with most cancelled in the morning…..

So it has been decided that in any fixture cancelled without a ball being bowled, the affected clubs will be allowed to rearrange by mutual agreement on Sundays, BHM and where clubs have a “free” Saturday during the 22 week of the season.   This temporary rearrangement rule will be in force for as long as there are travel restrictions – which of course may only be for the next two weeks.   When fixtures are rearranged then please let Rick Jones know so that the fixture list can be amended on play-cricket.  We would hope that, particularly in the leagues with a reduced number of teams, if the above regulation does not fit then a friendly match could still be played outside the remit of the Championship.

(Clubs with panel umpires officiating in their matches are reminded that according to the rules a match should not be called off without the agreement of a panel umpire.)

Much better this week with only the two so far – but Easton miss out again…… !

08-May	Easton	Long Melford	3
08-May	Coggeshall	Brockley	8.2

Apologies for the look of the website at the moment, it is going in for a small revamp this weekend and will look more aethetically pleasing as well functional.

You will note that there is a new Ladies tab and the Seniors tab has been “promoted” to a tab on the main menu.  This reflects the perceived importance of these two areas in our Championship.

The following fixtures that were victims of travel restrictions have been rearranged:

Dunmow v Sudbourne Hall  Div 6  to Sunday 20/6

Maldon v Colchester Cavaliers  Div 8/1 to Sunday 15/8

You are reminded that all fixtures of this type can be arranged wherever there if a vacancy, on Sundays or BHM.

Well done to these four clubs …….. !   Hope to see some more …….

Add to this

Wivenhoe v IES Div 4 to Monday 31/5

Thanks to the two clubs

Eight Ash Green CC have arranged a match on Friday July 2^nd  in aid of Carbon Centurions and The MCC Foundation.  Apparently they are the first cricket club in the world to measure, reduce and offset its carbon emissions as far back as 2014…….!!

To find out more about what we can do to prevent climate change in sport or to support this cause follow the link in the Press Release below.  The sponsors Neutral Territory will donate £10 to the MCC Foundation for every club that registers an interest this weekend!

We are sure that Richard Polley at EAG will give you any additional information if you contact him on 07506 731594.

Press Release – Captain Tom 100 -Final

Well done to Dunmow, Mildenhall and Maldon who are trying to re-arrange fixtures or make new fixtures caused by the cancelation of matches this weekend due to the travel restrictions.  We hope that you are successful – as last season shows us any match played is important and after all this is why we choose to play this wonderful game.

So the MSC has now been in contact with all clubs who have had to cancel an away match who have a team playing this Saturday with a team in a “lower” division.  And also to those clubs affected with the knock on effect of a cancelation even if their club was not directly involved.

We have asked that all these clubs do not then select players from a “higher” division who have played in BOTH of the fixtures so far ……. play-cricket will be watching on Saturday…….!!   Apart from contravening the spirit of cricket in these difficult times there could also be safety issues.

We urge clubs to contact us by Friday 10pm and seek guidance on a particular player(s) if they feel it is needed.  Some clubs have already done so…….

After consultations with the host clubs, the decision has been taken, very reluctantly, to postpone the Two Counties Seniors tour to Yorkshire until next year.  We have asked the hotel for details of the costs for the period from Sunday 3 July 2022 to Friday 8 July 2022 and we will keep all informed …….

There is a deadline for notification the above of Thursday at 8pm to the opposing team, the Secretary and to the Umpires Panel.  Henceforth can the “offending” club also notify Rick Jones by email at:

rickjones01473@gmail.com

or text to 07807 760479

by the same deadline.

The same will apply to any conceded matches in the future.

There are changes to the above, found under the Umpiring tab above….. (of course we hope that this is never used…….!)

But:

The MSC does not see why umpires reporting an offence should be made to sit in a changing room writing out reports after spending 6 hrs in the field.  So procedures are simplified as shown and both the MSC and the Umpires’ Panel are confident that this will improve the reporting system henceforth.

Please note that the bowler limitation rules were changed before the cancellation of last season’s competition (Rule 14b) and are:

Division 1 – 50 overs per innings – maximum 10 overs per bowler. For reduced overs matches, a maximum of 20% of the available overs per bowler (rounded up).
All other divisions – 45 overs per innings – maximum 12 overs per bowler.
40 overs per innings – maximum 11 overs per bowler
35 overs per innings – maximum 10 overs per bowler
30 overs per innings – maximum 9 overs per bowler
25 overs per innings – maximum 7 overs per bowler
20 overs per innings – maximum 6 overs per bowler

Where mutually agreed, matches for a duration other than listed above will use the nearest formula below the agreed number. e.g., a 37 over match will use the 35 over rule with a maximum of 10 overs per bowler.

Any player registered on play-cricket for a club anywhere in the country who wishes to register with a new club at the start of the season should have that registration approved before they play for the “new” club.  The club they are leaving cannot reasonably object unless there are, for example, issues of money being owed by the player.

Any infringements of the above that took place on 17^th April will not be penalised this week but clubs are reminded that penalties will be applied according to the rules of the competition henceforth

It is unlikely that the Results and Tables will be available on this website in time for this weekend’s matches….

For ease of use a new Play-Cricket tab has been added to the Menu Bar above which will take the user direct to the Two Counties Play Cricket website.  There all this weeks recorded results can be found under Matches/Fixtures and Results.  The current league tables can be found under Competitions – although this is unlikely to be significant for a few weeks!

These can all be accessed without needing to log on.

Should you wish to bypass the Two Counties website altogether, then the following url will take you direct to the Play-Cricket if you copy and paste to your browser:

https://twocounties.play-cricket.com

Stick with us guys/gals further adjustments will be made in due course

Following a meeting this week we confirm that Steve Isaac is no longer a member of the Two Counties Management Sub Committee.  We would like to record the thanks of the Committee (and we are sure all Member Clubs would wish to do likewise) for all of his hard work for the benefit of the Championship during his time working with us.  We wish him many restful summers going forward.

The main administrators of the Two Counties play-cricket site are now Alan Rogers and Rick Jones and all matters relating to play-cricket should be referred to Alan Rogers with immediate effect.

Thus phoning through your results on match days to the advertised numbers is no longer an option. 

All that will be required is an entry onto play-cricket on the day of the match with the scores and the points gained by each team. This includes all conceded, cancelled, and abandoned matches.  The Home Club must also ensure that the full match scorecard is loaded on to the Two Counties play-cricket website by the Monday following the match or Tuesday for matches played on a Bank Holiday Monday).

It is hoped that member clubs will be patient and understanding while the MSC set up new adminitrative systems…….