Rules for Citrus League, 2012
1. The Citrus Bowling League shall be comprised of the Hemet, Redlands, Riverside and Sun City Lawn Bowling Clubs. The winner shall be the Citrus League’s representative to the Waterbury All League Championship in October 2012, and shall compete against the other Southwest Division league champions
2. Players: All Participants shall be members of the Southwest Division and shall be members of the club they represent. Fees shall be $20 per person for the entire league and shall be collected by each club’s representative to the Planning Committee and then presented to the Record Keeper at the January meeting. Exceptions to the provisions of this rule may be made by the Planning Committee.
3. Citrus League Planning Committee: The committee is the controlling body for all policies and procedures of the league and shall have one representative from each club. For 2012, those representatives are Jo Ann LaFrenais (Hemet), Joe Bender (Redlands), Tom Hodgins (Riverside), and Jim Semanek (Sun City). Record-Keeping Clubs (RKC) for this and the next three years are Redlands (2012), Sun City (2013), Riverside (2014) and Hemet (2015). This schedule shall repeat unless modified by the Planning Committee. During planning meetings if the votes of the club representatives result in a tie, the Record Keeper shall cast a vote to break the tie. The RKC shall call an “Annual Planning Meeting” of club representatives during November to discuss issues related to the League for the following year. Additional meetings may be called when necessary.
4. Locations: Venues for League Planning Meetings and the End-of-League festivities will be arranged by the RKC. The matches will alternate between Hemet, Redlands, Riverside and Sun City and in 2012 will begin and end at Redlands.
5. Structure: Citrus League (CL) is a round-robin league of triples teams, all members of which shall be from the same club. There is no limit on the number of teams each club may enroll. CL is more of a “tournament level” competition rather than a “development opportunity” for new bowlers. However, during some years a “B Flight” is offered as an opportunity to expose less experienced bowlers to a tournament-like format. No B Flight was offered in 2008-2011 and no B Flight will exist in 2012.
6. Dates: Participating clubs shall submit the names and full payment of playing fees to the Record Keeping Club at the January meeting. First play date will be Thursday, January 26, 2012 and play will continue each Thursday for 13 consecutive weeks. The final day will be April 19 and the festivities will be at Redlands.
7. Rules: The current USLBA Laws of the Sport of Bowls will apply to league play. Any deviations will be noted in the Rules for Citrus League which shall be adopted prior to the start of league play. Special rules have been made for “substitutions” (see rule 8). A team which encounters trouble on the morning of a play date and may be unable to either attend or attend on should notify the Planning Committee representative of the opposing team at the telephone number listed in the league schedule.
8. Substitutes: Except in an “emergency,” must be from the same club but may not be a member of any other Citrus League team. A team may have any number of substitutes however only in an emergency may a substitute be allowed to skip. “Emergencies” must be approved by a majority of the members at an ad hoc meeting of the Planning Committee. Any club unable to fully staff its team(s) must forfeit that game. A member of two clubs who is not a regular member of a Citrus League team may substitute for either club. Substitutes shall not be required to pay for the day's games or hospitality. In emergency situations, a substitute from the host club can be used.
9. Game Length and Scoring: Games will be 14 ends in the morning and 12 ends in the afternoon. Scoring will be as follows: Wins = 2 points; Ties = 1 point; Losses = 0 points. Plus points will neither matter nor be recorded.
10. Matches: Matches will start at 10 AM and are expected to be completed. Any team that will be unable to field a fully staffed team must notify the opposing team’s representative and the Record Keeper ASAP. Teams that win by such forfeitures will not be compelled to appear at the venue during the time their match was scheduled. If one team is ready to compete, but its opponent is incomplete or fully absent 10 minutes after the other matches begin, two points will be awarded to the team that is ready to play and that will be considered the ‘first end’ of the match. After 10 more minutes, two additional points will be awarded and the second end will be considered completed. After 30 minutes, forfeiture will be declared. When two teams from the same club are scheduled to play each other, that match will be required to be played just as though they were from different clubs.
11. Hospitality and Lunches: Bowlers are expected to bring their own lunches. Clubs are expected only to provide coffee and breakfast rolls (or the equivalent) in the morning and coffee and cold drinks at lunch time. Shortly after venues are decided for the season, clubs will be paid from the gross proceeds of the player fees at the rate of $10.00 for each week that club hosts the competition. The club that hosts the End-of-League festivities will receive $5 per player. Guest fee is also $5.
12. Rain Cancellations: If a bowling day is cancelled because of inclement weather, the matches scheduled for that day will neither be rescheduled nor replayed. If a rain cancellation is declared during play, matches will be considered complete and results recorded only if at least half of the teams have concluded eight or more ends. If two teams that missed the chance to play each other due to inclement weather are tied for first place at the end of the season, the Planning Committee will consider the options and make a decision at that time.
13. Winners: The club whose team wins the Citrus League competition shall be awarded the perpetual trophy donated by the Riverside B.P.O.E. #643, and may possess it until conclusion of league play the following year. If the winning club declines to participate in the Waterbury Tournament, it shall notify the second place club, etc., which shall then become the Citrus League Representative to that competition.