1. Trophies for competitions will be held by winning Teams until the end of March each Year, when they will be returned to the Fixture Secretary/Treasurer in a clean condition. Failure to comply: £5.00 fine.

2. Registration fee for each team of 10 players will be £80.00 and this fee willinclude entry to any team cup matches. Any individuals wishing to enter either the Team Singles, County Singles, Team Pairs, Ellis Threes, Courage Fours and Captains Cup competitions to include £1.50 per person with their registration entries, which will be used as the players setter up fees in the first round of each competition. Additional players may be registered at £3.00 per player. Monies to accompany scorecard or score will be void.

3. Teams shall consist of 8 players, together with the number of registered reserves. Any players can transfer to another team only once during the season, after the players has given 7 clear days’ notice to the fixture secretary and paid a further fee of £3.00.

4. League matches must be played on the date scheduled, Cup matches on the date stated, except by mutual agreement between captains. A player may enter a game up to but not after the end of the second rub. Any requested or necessary postponement of a league game must be reported to the fixture secretary by phone, text or e-mail by midday on the day of scheduled fixture, failure to do so may result in a fine of £10.00 and a forfeit of league points. Any postponed game to be played within 4 weeks of the original date of the fixture with the home captain providing 3 possible dates to play the game. If after the 4 weeks no date can be agreed to play the postponed fixture, then the fixture secretary will arrange a night for the game to be played. If any team fails to turn up on this arranged date, the game will be awarded to the other team and could result in a fine of £10.00 and a forfeit of league points. If a Team is not able to provide 8 players for a league game, then every missing player will be awarded a total score of 30 pins.                                                                                                     5. A pin once fallen must count as down.

6. The method of scoring shall be 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw. Each player shall throw 18 balls in sequence of 3 in each match. All 3 balls to be used in each rub, in the event of a draw in cup matches, extra rub(s) to be played to find a winner.

7. Home teams to be responsible for setters-up fees in league and cup matches. The 2 captains are held responsible for persons under 18 consuming or obtaining alcoholic beverages.

8. The King pin to have a wide central mark placed around its centre. The two adjacent pins either side of the King pin to have 2 narrower lines marked around their centre. No other alley markings to be used.

9. Winning captain to be responsible for returning result by cards to the Corner House, text/e-mail/delivery to Fixture Secretary (see front cover for details), by 1.30pm on Tuesday. Failure to do so will result in the winning team losing 2 points and £2.00 fine. Score cards to have names in full, NOT initials.

10. That all teams as far as possible shall use standard size skittles, (10 inches by min 4.5 inches, max 5 inches) and 3 rubber balls that are a maximum of 5 inches and minimum g f 4.5 inches in diameter. All balls to be of rubber and the same size.

11. Captains to put actual starting times on scorecard.

12. Normally the top 2 teams of a league division will be promoted, and the bottom 2 relegated at the end of the season except when reorganisation of the divisions themselves make this impossible. All teams to be placed in divisions decided by the committee.

13. In the event of teams tying on points at the end of the season for deciding promotion or relegation, allocation of trophies, the total away pins scored, minus the pins scored on the alley of the other team involved in the tie will decide the final positions. 

14. Teams who fail to send two team members to the annual dinner will not receive                               

their trophies.                                      

15. Immediate decisions binding on all concerned, may be made by an emergency committee, consisting of Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, Fixture Secretary and two committee members.

16. Each team will play one home and one away match against each other team in its division once per season.

17. In the event of dispute, protests to be sent to Secretary within 48 hours accompanied by £5.00, if protest upheld, fee to be returned.

18. When a team drops out of the league, all records will be deleted from same.

19. Any player or team wishing to amend the rules must put his amendment in writing to the Secretary 7 days before the Annual General Meeting.

20. The home captain is responsible for checking that times printed do not clash with other teams on that alley and make other arrangements if necessary.

21. Team singles and pairs entries. Each team to be permitted five singles and three pairs, for the pairs, one reserve player can be named per Team, after first match played.

22. Any Team playing in semi-finals or finals of cup competitions must consist of players who have been registered with that team for at least 6 weeks to be eligible to play.

23. In all cup competitions, home captains must offer three dates, at least 2 different days of the week, not to include Saturdays or Sundays unless by mutual agreement between captains.

24. Any team or individual failing to be able to play on semi-finals dates arranged by the league, will forfeit the competition.

25. Champions of Champions Cup Rounds. The semi-finals are to be played on finals day and the draw made on that day from the league winning teams that turn up on that day. Semi- finals are run as 1 game of 3 teams and 1 game of 2 Teams, the highest score from each game goes through to the final.

26. The league will provide setters-up for all teams playing in cup semi-finals and finals. Individual teams/players to incur cost of setters-up.

27. All officers must attend at least 50% of all meetings called by the league.

28. Committee members must mark at least one match during semi-finals and Finals Evenings during the playing season. Failure to comply will result in the member not being eligible for re-election.

29. Any increase in registration fees to be voted on at the A.G.M.

30. No team shall make a change of Balls or Pins or Move Diamonds without permission of the committee during the season. A fine of £50.00 and/or deduction of 10 points will be made at the discretion of the committee.

31. All teams that wish to play in the 2025-2026 season shall send at least one representative to the 2025 AGM to collect their registration forms.

32. Only one person per Team is a loud to vote at the annual A G M.

33. All fines referred to in these rules must be paid to the treasurer within 30 days of written issue. Failure to remit these charges in full within this period may result in their increase, a points deduction, or expulsion from the league.

34. The Presidents Cup will be played for as a Front Pin/Man for Man Competition. The playing order, being drawn from cards numbered 1 to 7 or Equivalent numbered pieces of paper.  Proposed by Barnstaple & District Men’s Skittles League Committee

Proposed by Barnstaple & District Men’s Skittles League Committee