Summer League Rules
THE LEAGUE
1) The league shall be called “Banbury and District Aunt Sally League”
2) The Committee of the above said league shall consist of a Chairman, vice chairman, fixture Secretary, cup secretary and Treasurer.
These positions are currently as follows:
Chairman: Darren Brain
Vice Chairman: Wally Hastie
Fixture Secretary: Matt Dixon
Cup Secretary Mark Clifton
Treasurer: Pete Dempsey
THE PITCH & EQUIPMENT
3) The ‘Ochee’ will be clearly marked and fixed. Where practical a 2” high marker is preferred to prevent feet from crossing the throwing line.
4) From the ‘Ochee’ to the base of the ‘Doll Stand’ will measure 30 feet 6 inches The back cloth to be a minimum of 30” from the back of the doll stand to eliminate any rebounds.
5) The ‘Doll’ must be of regulation size; 6” high, made of natural wood and painted white. The ‘Doll’ must be placed on a swivel stand, 2’ 6” from the ground and the swivel arm to stand out 6” from the stand and to be rounded off at the ends.
6) All ‘Sticks’ must be 18” in length, made from natural wood and rounded off on the ends.
THE GAME
7) League Games shall consist of five legs and played six-a-side each leg, chosen from a playing squad of up to Ten for each game. A different team of six can be nominated for each leg and each player can play from one to five legs. (Simplistically, it means if you turn up with six players, all six will play the whole five legs that evening. If you turn up with more than six players, the captain will select six players to play the first leg, and then he/she can change the team for the next leg, utilising the players who did not throw in the first leg if they so wish. This is then allowed for each leg.) As we are now playing five legs per night instead of three, as well as being the final leg of the match, the fifth leg may also be the beer leg. In the event of a drawn leg, three sticks will be played before going on to the next leg.
8) Team knockout cup competitions will be the best of five legs, played as in rule 7 above. Again, in the event of a drawn leg, three sticks will be played before going on to the next leg. In other competitions (singles, pairs and four a sides) it will be the best of three legs with any drawn legs played as above.
9) The captains shall toss before the match commences for the choice in the first and third legs. The captain losing that toss shall have the choice in the second and fourth legs. There will then be a toss before the commencement of the fifth leg. The choosing Captain may put the opposition in first.
10) One point will be awarded for winning a leg. The winner of each division shall be the team with the highest number of points. If the point scores are level, the team with the highest number of dolls will decide the winner. The average score of an individual player over each game will count towards top doll scorer but they must throw a minimum of 36 league game legs (i.e. 51%) to count towards top doll. Should there be a tie between players with the highest average, then it will go to the one with the greatest number of dolls.
11) All ‘Dolls’ are to be knocked off cleanly. No doll will be allowed if the stick makes any other contact first. When a doll falls the “Umpire” must call “DOLL” or “IRON”, clearly and loud enough to be heard. Please respect the Umpire’s decision which is final! This one rule tends to create more controversy than any other so please ensure that your Umpires fully understand this rule.
12) It is the responsibility of the team not throwing to provide both a caller and a “Picker Up” from their team. The “Picker Up” is to stand not less than two feet from the iron whilst throwing is in progress. He/she will not call when the doll falls.
13) Each member of a team shall throw six sticks, underarm, with both feet behind the “Ochee” when the stick leaves the player’s hand. Pitches are to be kept as clear as possible during the matches and no interference is to be made. Please ensure that all players are aware of these rules before they throw, to avoid any disputes later.
THE MATCH
14) All games will start at 8:30 pm. In the event of a full team not being present at 8:30, late arrivals who have already been nominated may take their throw in the remaining legs to be played if arriving before the setting team has thrown its first stick in the said leg. If the travelling team has not arrived at the venue in time to start, then the home team may claim the first leg. However, in the interest of “Good Sportsmanship”, it is expected that if a bona fide reason has been given for the delay then discretion will be shown, and the game will be played as five legs.
15) The games are to be played on the appropriate date unless both Captains agree to a postponement. The League Secretary must be notified of any postponements at the first available opportunity. Failure to inform the secretary and no result card arriving will result in the match being declared a 0-0 draw with no points being awarded to either team. Where possible rearranged matches should be played within 14 days of the original date. In the event of a match being abandoned after it has started, e.g., due to inclement weather, the captains shall agree on a course of action and the home Captain should inform the League Secretary.
16) Any team failing to turn up to a match, for whatever reason will forfeit all points to the opposition. In the interests of common courtesy, if you intend not to attend a match, you must inform the opposition by 12pm on the day of the match. It is then your responsibility to rearrange the match; if this is not done, then the match will be awarded to the opposition.
RESULT REPORTING
17) The winning team Captain is responsible for sending to the league secretary, via WhatsApp, a photograph of the result sheet. Failure to do so will delay the supply of league tables. There is then no need to post it.
REGISTRATION
18) Registration forms are sent to all teams before the start of the season and must be returned by 28th February. Once the season has started, and up until the halfway mark in the season’s league fixtures, teams may register new players before a match, by including new names on the match card. After the halfway mark, new registrations will be at the discretion of the Committee. Please mark new players with an asterisk (*). THERE IS NO NEED TO RING OR EMAIL THE SECRETARY ABOUT THIS. Also please write full names on the weekly score cards, as there have been occasions where it has not been possible to identify people from nicknames etc. No player may play for more than one team in any season. Any team found breaking this rule will forfeit all points for that match.
LEAGUE FORMAT
19) At the beginning of the season, provided that the teams remain largely intact at the commencement of each season, the Committee shall, wherever possible, ensure that division winners and runners up from the previous season are promoted and that the bottom two sides be relegated to the next lower division. If there is a tie at this point, the positions will be decided by total dolls scored over the season.
DISPUTES/ COMPLAINTS
20) Any dispute not covered by the above rules shall be dealt with by the Committee co-opted by the Chairman and the Secretary.
21) All complaints are to be submitted in writing to the Committee and must be signed by the team Captain of the team making the complaint.