Plymouth Blackball League

Constitution

 

Plymouth Blackball Pool League Constitution

 

 

Section 1 - Name of organization

Section 2 - Objective

Section 3 - Committee

Section 4 - Committee Meetings

Section 5 - Finances

Section 6 - Annual General Meeting (AGM)

Section 7 - Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM)

Section 8 - Ballots/Voting at AGMs & EGMs

Section 9 - Constitution Motions & Amendments

Section 10 - Registration fees

Section 11 – Match Fees

Section 12 - Team/Player Eligibility & Registration

Section 13 - League matches

Section 14 - Scorecards

Section 15 - Promotion, relegation, & play-offs

Section 16 - Cancelling fixtures

Section 17 - Change of venue

Section 18 - Withdrawing from the league

Section 19 - Player transfers

Section 20 - Star Player

Section 21 - Scotch Doubles matches

Section 22 - Competitions

Section 23 - Grievances

Section 24 - Dissolution of the league

Section 25 - Other / Guidelines

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Section 1 - Name of organisation

 

1. Plymouth Blackball Pool League (PBL)

 

Section 2 – Objective

 

1. To promote the sport of Blackball pool to all people in Plymouth and surrounding area.
2. To facilitate, via an elected committee, the fair management and administration of the PBL, and all of its incorporated competitions and events.

 

Section 3 – Committee

 

1. All committee members must be PBL registered throughout their period of office.
2. Any committee member who resigns from the committee will be ineligible for re-election for a period of

12 months.

3. No more than 3 PBL members from the same team will be allowed to serve on the committee at any one time.
4. The League Secretary must receive nominations to join the committee in writing or by email, at least 14 days before the appropriate AGM
5. The committee will comprise of up to 5 officers (Chairman, Vice Chairman, League Secretary, Competition Secretary and Treasurer). An individual may assume no more than 2 of these roles.
6. Where committee members resign during a season, the committee can bring in new members to replace them as they see fit.
7. Elections for committee officers will take place every 2 years at the relevant AGM, via the following order of events.
8. The Chairman will retire their position, and the League Secretary will take over proceedings.
9. Members of the current committee, including the just retired Chairman, will be invited to stand for the post of Chairman.
10. A member of the committee must second any member wishing to stand.
11. Where more than one member is standing, the position will be decided by a majority vote.
12. The newly elected Chairman will take over proceedings.
13. The League Secretary and Treasurer will retire their positions.
14. Members of the current committee, including those just retired, will be invited to stand for the post of League Secretary, and Treasurer in turn.
15. A member of the committee must second any member wishing to stand.
16. Where more than one member is standing, the position will be decided by a majority vote.

 

Section 4 - Committee Meetings

 

1. The Committee will meet regularly to discuss general PBL issues.
2. Any Committee Member can call a Committee Meeting after giving 72 hours’ notice in writing or by email to the League Secretary, explaining the reasons for the meeting.
3. The committee may remove any Committee Member who misses 3 or more meetings during a season from office via a majority vote.
4. Requests by PBL members for committee meeting minutes should be made in writing or by email to the League Secretary.

 

Section 5 – Finances

 

1. All monies will be handled by the Treasurer or a committee representative.
2. The Treasurer shall present a statement of accounts at any time when requested by the Committee and at each AGM.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Section 6 - Annual General Meeting (AGM)

 

1. An AGM will be held once per year prior to the end of a season for the purpose of the following:
2. Team registration and payment of fees.
3. The presentation and/or publication of accounts of the PBL.
4. Discussion and ballots/votes regarding motions, amendments, & constitutional changes. d. Elections for committee positions.
5. Any other relevant business.
6. The chairman will issue a blanket first and final warning for coaching to cover the entire season at each AGM, after which any coaching during frames should move immediately to a penalty of a foul.

 

Section 7 - Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM)

 

1. An EGM may be held for the purpose of:
2. Discussion and ballots/votes regarding motions, amendments, & constitutional changes. b. Dissolution of the league.
3. The League Secretary must receive requests for an EGM in writing or by email, including the reasons for the meeting.
4. Only such business as is detailed in the request for an EGM shall be discussed at the EGM.
5. A PBL member requesting an EGM must show the support of at least 10% of the total PBL

membership for the meeting to take place (this will be verified by the committee).

5. The committee, by a two-thirds majority vote, may call an EGM at any time.
6. The committee will set the EGM date for the earliest available and convenient date. This will be published via the

PBL website and the captains will be contacted.

 

Section 8 - Ballots/Voting at AGMs & EGMs

 

1. A single representative for each registered team present will be issued a voting card.
2. Each representative will be allowed one vote on any motions debated.
3. Each Committee Member present will be allowed one vote on any motions debated.
4. No person may represent more than 1 team.
5. The Chairman has the casting vote if required.
6. A private ballot will be used where deemed necessary by the committee.
7. No voting by proxy will be allowed.

 

Section 9 - Constitution Motions & Amendments

 

1. The League Secretary must receive motions to change the constitution for the forthcoming season in writing or by email, at least 14 days before the relevant AGM.
2. Motions must be seconded by a person from a team other than that of the proposer.
3. Motions will be published via the PBL website/facebook group a week prior to the date of the AGM.
4. The proposer, or representative, has the right to address the AGM / EGM regarding their motion prior to its debate.
5. No new motions will be accepted at an AGM or EGM.
6. Amendments to motions will be accepted at an AGM / EGM, and a vote held to determine the final motion.

 

Section 10 - Registration fees

 

1. At the end of each season the committee will meet to discuss the registration fee for the following season.
2. Registration fees will be based on the previous season’s registration, taking into account estimated costs.
3. In the instance of any dispute, the matter of registration fees will be put to the floor for discussion and a vote if necessary.

 

 

 

 

Section 11 – Fees

 

1. The current fee for a team to enter into the PBL is £30 per team.
2. Closing date for entries will be published via the PBL website/facebook group.

 

Section 12 - Team/Player Eligibility & Registration

 

1. The PBL is open to all teams within Plymouth and the surrounding area, subject to the approval of the committee.
2. Where a team has received a fine, the committee may refuse players who were members of that team when the fine was issued, the ability to register a team, or themselves to a team, whilst the fine is still outstanding.
3. During a season where it has been necessary to split into more than one division, the Committee will aim to place new teams in a division reflecting their ability. (If there are enough teams registered for the inaugural season, teams will be randomly drawn into each division.
4. Only a member of the registering team may submit registration sheets and fees, unless previously agreed by the League Secretary.
5. A PBL player is considered registered to a team when they have played or signed as a non-playing reserve for that team in the present season.
6. New players may be registered to a team on the day of league matches by indicating they are ‘NEW’ on the scorecard.
7. A player may only be registered to one team at any time.

 

Section 13 - League matches

 

1. Matches are to be played between two teams as per the fixtures.
2. A team must comprise of a minimum of 3 PBL registered players.
3. A match cannot commence, and the scorecard may not be completed, until both teams are present.
4. Matches should start at 20:00 prompt.
5. Teams arriving late to a venue will be deducted a frame at 20.15 and then for every 10 minutes they are late thereafter. (The league secretary must be informed of the situation immediately if a team is late and frames are to be claimed).
6. If a team does not show by 60 minutes after the published start time, they will be considered to have forfeited the match and an 8-0 win will be awarded to the non-offending team. (A further call to the league secretary must be made if the match is to be claimed).
7. If a match is to be claimed due to opponents failing to attend, the match card must be signed by at least 3 players and sent to the league secretary as normal.
8. Games not completed due to the Landlord closing the venue must be paused and arranged to continue at the same venue on another date, with the permission of the league secretary, however both teams may agree to play on with the consent of the landlord.
9. The home team (or venue) must pay any table fees for the duration of the match.
10. All matches are to be played according to Blackball Rules and guidelines.
11. Matches will consist of two sessions, consisting of four games each. A game consists of two frames of singles.
12. The home team will break the first frame of each game and provide a referee in ALL frames.
13. No player may play more than once during games 1 to 4 or during games 5 to 8.
14. If players that have already played in games 1 to 4 are selected to play in the second session they must play only in their corresponding numbered position on the scorecard.
15. Fielding an ineligible player may result in that frame being awarded to the non-offending team along with all points gained by the offending team in the match removed and a 1 point penalty deduction. Any frames won by a non-offending player will still be counted for the purpose of player averages in the event of an illegal player being fielded.
16. A representative from the winning team (or home team in the event of a draw), must text or email the result of their match to the relevant committee secretary by midnight the following day.
17. Failure to correctly text or email the result will incur an initial warning. Further failures may result in a point’s deduction equal to the points gained for that match.
18. Three points will be awarded for a match win, and one point will be awarded for a draw in the match.
19. With regards to premises not allowing youth players; if a team is unable to field a full side due to these restrictions, the match may be played at a neutral venue with the agreement of both team captains and the League Secretary. (This should be agreed upon at the beginning of the season when the fixtures are released)

 

Section 14 – Scorecards

 

We will be using https://cuescore.com/plymouthpool for all of the scoring for the inaugural season, however because

it is still experimental, the following manual scoring will be implemented…..

1. The home team must write their players on the scorecard before the away team.
2. Positions 1 to 4 for both teams must be written in before play can commence and ALL players including reserves must have signed the card before 8:30pm. Once these games are played the remainder of the card must be completed before any more frames are played. Up to 2 reserves may be substituted for the second session.
3. Where teams field less than 4 players the scorecard should be completed from the top down, noting “NO PLAYER” in the last places of each set on the scorecard first.
4. Once scorecards are written they cannot be changed.
5. At the end of the match both captains should sign the scorecard in their relevant section to indicate they are happy with the recorded result.
6. If any dispute arises over the recorded result the card should remain unsigned, but posted as normal. The league secretary will then contact both captains to receive their version of events.
7. A representative of the winning team (or in the event of a draw, the home team) must post the scorecard as per the instructions on the card, within 5 days of the match. Alternatively take a reasonable quality photo of the card and send to the league secretary.
8. Failure to post the scorecard for league matches may result in a deduction of 1 point from the offending team, or for cup matches, removal from the competition.
9. Failure to correctly complete the scorecard may result in loss of frames, points, or match.
10. Substitute players must be in attendance at the venue before being noted on the scorecard.
11. Defacing scorecards, or using nicknames, may result in loss of frames, points, or match.

 

Section 15 - Promotion, Relegation, and Play-offs

 

1. Where there are more than 1 division, the top 2 teams in each division will be promoted and the bottom two teams in each division will be relegated where there is another division for them to move in to.
2. Promotion and relegation are subject to any league re-organisation that may occur.
3. League placing will be determined by awarded points, followed by matches won, and then frames won.
4. If teams remain tied, the league placing will go on head-to-head results, and then finally by a play-off.
5. Play-offs will be held at a neutral venue, on a date to be decided by the committee.

 

Section 16 - Postponing and cancelling fixtures

 

1. A team must give a minimum of 8 hours’ notice to the opposition’s captain, and the relevant committee secretary, when cancelling a fixture. Failure to do so may result in a deduction of points as well as the loss of match.
2. Teams failing to give proper notice of cancellations may be issued with a fine of £20, £10 of which will be given to the non-offending team to reimburse them for any inconvenience caused.
3. Where teams cancel a fixture, an 8-0 win will be awarded to the opposition.
4. In the event of extreme circumstances (i.e. dangerous weather conditions, floods, etc.) the league secretary may declare that games can be postponed without penalty until such time as conditions return to normal.

 

Section 17 - Change of venue

 

1. Teams wishing to change venue during a season must submit this to the committee via a written request or email, including their reasons for moving. The landlord will then be contacted by the committee who will be given the option to continue the season with new players or allow the team move to continue. The VENUE is deemed to have ownership of team status and not the players.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Section 18 - Withdrawing from the league

 

1. Teams who do not finish the season for whatever reason forfeit all money paid.
2. If a team withdraws from the league all their results will become void and points deducted accordingly.
3. Unless there exists exceptional mitigating circumstances, players of teams that withdraw from the league may be removed from all competitions at the discretion of the competition secretary with no refunds issued, will not be allowed to enter any more PBL competitions.
4. If a team withdraws in the first half of the season, any player of that team must submit a request in writing to the League Secretary if they wish to transfer to a new team. If a team withdraws from the league during the second half of the season, then any player from that team will not be allowed to transfer to a new team for the rest of that season.
5. For teams that have previously withdrawn from the league, (or teams made up of 3 players or more that were part of a team/s that folded in the previous 2 seasons), an additional £50 deposit will be required on re-entry. On successful completion of a season the £50 will be refunded and normal entry rules will resume.

 

Section 19 - Player transfers

 

1. Players wishing to transfer must submit this to the League secretary via a written request or email, including their reasons for moving.
2. All player transfers must have the agreement of both captains and the committee.
3. The committee will decide all transfer requests on a strictly individual basis.
4. Players may not transfer more than once during a season.
5. Transfers will only be allowed up to after the fifth league game and before the sixth league game of the season or at the quarter season mark (whichever is sooner).

 

Section 20 - Star Player

 

1. For each division a player rankings table known as the ‘Star Player’ table will be produced.
2. A player will be awarded three points for winning each game in a match and one point for each drawn game in a match.
3. Star Player points will be awarded for games forfeited by the opposition
4. Players will be ranked in order of points, followed by their points to games played percentage.
5. A best-of-three frames play-off will be used in the event of a tie for first place.

The exact format and date to be decided by the committee.

 

Section 21 – Scotch Doubles

 

1. During Scotch doubles matches partners may confer up until the cue ball has been struck and only again after that turn has ended.
2. Playing a frame without both partners present at the venue will result in a loss of frame to the offending team.
3. Players must play in alternation of each other, and maintain their pattern of alternation, for the duration of the entire match (end of frame will be considered to be end of visit).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Section 22 – Competitions

 

1. The PBL will run the following competitions each season:

 

Open singles

Scotch doubles

 

2. All competitions to be played to Blackball Rules.
3. Exact competition formats and entry fees will be decided by the competitions secretary each season.
4. Competition dates will be decided by the committee prior to the season start date and will be published via the PBL website, Facebook and starter packs.
5. Competition times will be published in advance of the competition date via the PBL website and also Facebook.
6. In all competition matches, players will lag to determine who breaks first and shall continue alternately for all remaining frames.
7. All individual competitions will be played at Cues Pool Club.
8. All entries for competitions must be received by the published deadline, in the manner specified on entry forms.
9. All payments for entry must be received in full upon registration.
10. Entry fees for competitions are non-refundable.
11. Competitions are only open to PBL registered players who have played at least one frame in the present season prior to the competition date, or signed on a match card as a reserve twice prior to the competition.
12. For entrance in to the captain’s cup, players must have signed as captain at least 50% of their league scorecards in the current season prior to the competition date. They must also be the primary contact for their team.
13. Scotch Doubles teams must be comprised of registered league players, but do not have to be from the same team.
14. It is ultimately the responsibility of competition entrants to ensure they qualify for entrance into competitions. Where entrants are found out to have been ineligible on entry the committee may retrospectively remove them from the competition.

 

Section 23 – Grievances

 

1. All grievances must be submitted to the committee in writing or by email within 7 days of the event.
2. Committee Members may not vote on grievances that directly involve themselves or their team.
3. The committee shall base its decisions on the current Constitution.
4. For situations not covered under the Constitution the Committee will make any decision that, in their opinion, is necessary or beneficial to the PBL, by way of a majority vote.
5. When the committee receives a grievance which cannot be resolved through simple mediation, or is of a particularly serious nature, the committee will act by the following order of events:
6. The committee will select a panel consisting of 3 committee members b. The panel will set a date for a hearing
7. All involved parties will be contacted and given a copy of the official complaint along with details of the hearing.
8. At the hearing all parties will be given the opportunity to submit their case in private to the committee. e. Once all cases have been submitted the panel will retire in private to discuss the matter and reach a verdict.
9. Once a verdict has been reached the panel will inform the involved parties.
10. In exceptional circumstances an appeal based on new relevant facts may be submitted to the committee in writing within 7 days of the decision. The original panel will then decide if it is necessary to rehear the case.
11. Cases being reheard will follow the above procedure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Section 24 - Dissolution of the league

 

1. A motion for dissolution of the league shall require the support of a two-thirds majority of the total

voting population of the league, that is, voters not in attendance and voters in abstention shall be counted as being against dissolution.

2. Upon dissolution of the league all outstanding debts owed by the league shall be paid from funds and

all debts to the league shall be called in.

3. The balance of monies shall be split equally amongst all teams registered to the PBL at the time of dissolution.

 

Section 25 - Other / Guidelines

 

1. A Blackball rules sheet/poster and a fixtures sheet should be displayed at each registered venue.
2. Players should conduct themselves within the spirit of the game.
3. Abusive or threatening behaviour may result in expulsion from the PBL.
4. For league matches the home team should provide hot or cold food to a reasonable standard for the visiting team.
5. The referee’s decision is final.
6. For situations not covered under the Constitution the Committee will make any decision that, in their opinion, is necessary or beneficial to the PBL, by way of a majority vote.
7. Penalties incurred by a team can be carried over to the next season if the committee feel that it is

appropriate.

8. The timekeeper has no authority as a referee during matches with the exception of calling a time foul.
9. Photos and videos recorded at PBL events & functions may be uploaded to public websites such as YouTube/Facebook.

Those wishing to be excluded from this should write (or have their guardian write if a minor) to inform the league secretary.

10. On completion of all league fixtures, each team may be entitled to the return of any £50 bond which may have been imposed once the league secretary has confirmed that ALL league fixtures have been adhered to and there are no outstanding fines to be paid by that team. The decision to return the bond is at the discretion of the

league secretary.

 

 

CURRENT COMMITTEE MEMBERS’ CONTACT DETAILS

 

CHAIRMAN: Lee Broad

 

Tel: 07889 269259

 

Email: plymouthbbleague@gmail.com

VICE CHAIRMAN: Currently Vacant

 

Tel: 

 

 

 

LEAGUE SECRETARY: Lee Broad

 

Tel: 07889 269259

 

Email: plymouthbbleague@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

COMPETITION SECRETARY : Currently Vacant

 

Tel:

 

Email:

 

TREASURER: Currently Vacant

 

Tel: 

 

Email: TBC