Winter League
Five teams have submitted bids to Decline Promotion or Avoid Relegation before Friday's deadline and all five will be considered by the Winter League's Management Committee when they meet on Wednesday.
Two of the bids are from teams that have asked not to be promoted after finishing the season in a top-two position. These bids have come from Denby Dale (Division 2) who are a founder member of the League and Golcar C&BC (Division 8 Champions). Both teams face problems in raising teams to play on a different day of the week that the promotion will bring them.
Three bids to avoid relegation have been submitted with Broad Oak A finishing in a relegation place in Division 7 on Thursdays and will have team-raising problems if they have to move to playing matches on a Tuesday that would come with a drop to Division 8 at Lockwood Con.
Two other bids to avoid relegation have come from Netherton Con B and Lockwood Con B. They are both related to host teams' catering services. Both teams say that they will have problems providing catering services and/or team-raising problems with changes to the days of the week that their team members are available.
New General Rule 15 voted in at the 2024 AGM was supposed to help such situations offering teams the opportunity to Decline Promotion / Avoid Relegation. Unfortunately the rule got approved in haste and has caused some confusion about its interpretation.
At next Wednesday's meeting, the Management Committee will consider changes to the League Rules including ones to either delete or amend General Rule 15. Other rule changes are also proposed and will be considered. The Management Committee cannot implement any rule changes but will decide which proposals will be put before the summer Annual General Meeting.
Other business to be conducted at Wednesday's meeting include possible sponsorship of the Winter Cup and Pairs KO competitions to offer cash prizes to the winners; a suggestion that host greens could rotate the divisions that they currently serve and finalising arrangements for the two End-of-Season parties and Finals Day for the Winter Cup. The Winter League season may have been completed but there is still plenty happening to keep the interest in winter bowling going.
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