Invitational Tournament

Rules Committee: Amit Sheth and Kiran Ganga

A. SCCC Ground Rules and Tournament Fee
The entrance fee for the Invitational Tournament is $500 and must be paid to the SCCC Treasurer or Club President during the first match for each team. Check should be made out to St. Columba’s Cricket Club.

A release of liability form must be signed by each team captain, representing all team members, prior to their match at the Dr. Arnow Field. The liability form will be provided by SCCC.

All team captains are requested to urge their players to discard/dispose of trash and recycling (blue bin) in proper containers at the field. This includes cigarette waste!

All team members are requested to use the portable bathroom located on Dr. Arnow Field.

Players of all teams must respect the decision of the match umpires. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary action, including the ejection of player(s) from the match by the respective match umpires/officials.

On the field of play, teams are requested to refrain from using vulgar language, and cellular phones, and smoking/drinking is prohibited.

All deliveries hit by batsmen on the square boundaries must hit the wall, trees, and/or bushes for the delivery to be called four or six runs by the umpire.
B. Match Time and Inning
The toss should be made at least thirty minutes before but no less than fifteen minutes prior to the commencement of play. The captain who wins the toss must decide immediately whether his team is batting/bowling first without consultation with team members and before leaving the pitch.

An incoming batsman at the fall of a wicket has 90 seconds to receive his/her first delivery.

All group matches and semi-finals will be 20 overs. The final match will be 35 overs. Each inning for the group and semi-final matches must be completed in 80 minutes. Each inning in the final match must be completed in 2 hours and 20 minutes. Failure to do so will result in five penalty runs/over. The penalty runs will be added to the other team’s score at the end of the completed innings. The umpires must take into consideration the fall of wickets, water breaks, lost ball, and any other time lost before awarding the five penalty runs.
C. Start of Match
At least seven members are required for each team to start the match and must be present thirty minutes prior to start time.

If the team bowling first is unable to start the match on time due to insufficient players then they will lose the same amount of time during their batting innings (one over/four minutes). They will still be required to bowl their full quota of overs as defined in the playing conditions.

If a team is unable to field seven players after thirty minutes past start time, the team will forfeit their fixture and the other team will be declared the winner by the match umpires.

The list of the eleven players should be provided to the scorers before the start of each match.

If a team has more than eleven players, the playing eleven should be clearly indicated.

SCCC will provide umpires and scorers for the tournament.

Teams are requested to dress in tournament attire; white shirt and white pants before the first ball of the match is bowled. Failure to do so will result in 5 penalty runs/player and the runs added to the final score of the other team at the end of their respective batting innings.

Cricket boots with metal and/or rubber spikes are not allowed on the field.
D. Intermissions
For all group matches and semi-finals, a five‐minute water break will be taken at the end of 10 overs and a ten-minute break will be taken at the end of the first inning.

For the final match, a five-minute water break will be taken at the end of 17 overs and a ten-minute break will be taken at the end of the first inning.

Water will be brought onto the field by SCCC members for the batsman, fielding team, and the umpires during the five-minute water break for all matches.

No water break will be permitted during play. The fielding teams can carry water bottles. The water bottles must be placed underneath the 30-yard cones. Any delivery hitting the water bottles not placed underneath the 30-yard cone will be considered as illegal fielding and 5 penalty runs will be awarded to the batting team.
E. Runners, Substitutes, Batsman or Fielder Leaving the Field, Batsman Retiring, Batsman Commencing Innings
Substitute runners for injured batsmen will be allowed for the tournament.

Captains from both teams should designate the 12th man for their team, if applicable.

The 12th man can act as a substitute for any player on the field. However, he/she will not be allowed to bat, bowl, or act as captain of the team.

If a fielder leaves the field for any reason during play, the umpire must be notified.

If the fielder is absent for fifteen minutes of playing time or longer, he/she shall not be permitted to bowl until he/she has been on the field for at least the length of playing time for which he/she was absent.

The returning fielder must have the umpire’s permission, before entering the field again.

Batsman retiring shall inform the umpire of the reason.

The batsman is entitled to resume his/her innings if he/she retires due to illness, injury, or any other unavoidable cause. However, this shall only be permitted after the fall of a wicket or the retirement of another batsman.

Batsman retiring will have to get the consent of the opposing captain if he/she retired for a reason other than illness, injury, or any other unavoidable cause.
F. The Ball
SCCC will provide the match ball.

The ball must be given to the umpire at the start of each break and at the fall of each wicket.

If the ball cannot be found or recovered during play or the umpires agree that it has become unfit for play through normal use, they shall replace it with a ball with comparable wear.

The umpire will notify the batsman and the fielding captain of the change.

A new ball will be taken at the start of each new inning.
G. Practice on Field and Pitch
There shall be no practice on the pitch or within the 30-yard circle of any kind, at any time, on any day of a given match.

All forms of practice are allowed in the outfield before the start of play or after the close of play.

Practice in the outfield should stop no later than ten minutes before commencement or resumption of play.

All field and wicket markings should be in place before the start of the match and are the responsibility of SCCC.
H. Fielding Restrictions
Fielding restrictions will be in effect for all tournament matches.

Three fielders are permitted outside the 30-yard circle during the first six overs of the group and semi-final matches. This is only permitted when the team has eleven players available.

Three fielders are permitted outside the 30-yard circle during the first seven overs of the final match. This is only permitted when the team has eleven players available.

Four fielders must remain within the 30-yard circle for the duration of the match for all matches.

The fielding team cannot have more than five fielders on the leg side and no more than two fielders other than the wicket‐keeper behind the popping crease, on the leg side. A no-ball will be called by either umpire.
I. Bouncers and No Ball
The umpire must call front foot and back foot no-balls as per the MCC Laws.

The umpire shall call and signal a no-ball if a ball bounces more than once without having previously touched the bat/striker or rolls on the ground before it reaches the popping crease.

A bowler can bowl one bouncer in an over. A bouncer is defined as any bowl that bounces over the shoulder of the batsman standing upright at the crease.

A second bouncer in the same over will be called a no‐ball.

A high full toss above the waist height of the batsman standing upright will be called a no‐ball by the umpire and the bowler will be cautioned and given a first and final warning. The warning will apply throughout the innings.

If the same bowler delivers another high full toss above the waist height of the batsman standing upright, the delivery will be called a no‐ball and the umpire can direct the captain to suspend the bowler from bowling for the rest of the innings.

If the umpire considers that a bowler deliberately bowled a high full toss above the waist height of the batsman standing upright, the umpire shall call a no-ball and direct the captain to suspend the bowler from bowling for the rest of the innings.

All no-balls listed above and others listed in the MCC Laws will result in a free hit.
J. Wide Ball
The umpire will call a wide ball if: the ball passes wide of the striker and is not within his/her reach to hit it with his/her bat, by means of a normal cricket stroke.

All deliveries passing down the leg side will result in a wide ball.
K. Tournament Results, Points, Tie Rules
A minimum of 6 overs in all group matches and semi-finals and 18 overs in the final match must be completed in the second inning, to determine the result of the match.

If it is necessary to cancel a match before 6 overs in a group or semi-final match or 18 overs in the final match has been faced by the team batting second, and unless the team batting second is all out or the target runs have been surpassed, the match will be declared abandoned and the two teams will receive one point each.

If light or weather conditions make it impossible for the team batting second to complete their innings, the result will be based on each team’s score in their innings at the end of the last over completed before play is suspended. The team batting second must have played at least 6 overs in a group or semi-final match and 18 overs in the final match.

A win for each team will result in two points.

A loss for each team will result in zero points.

The tournament committee reserves the right to re-schedule one weekend of group matches if the matches are entirely abandoned due to rain, bad weather, and/or unplayable ground conditions. All teams will have to abide by the new schedule. Failure to do so by any team will result in forfeiture of the match.

If a group match is entirely abandoned due to rain, bad weather, and/or unplayable ground conditions, both teams will receive one point each.

For teams with identical points at the end of group matches, the following methods, in numerical order, will be used to determine the winner:

Net Run Rate (total runs scored / total overs faced) – in the event of all-out, maximum allotted overs will be used.

The least number of total wickets lost.

A total number of boundaries and sixes scored by each team.

If the scores are tied at the end of group matches, semi-finals, and finals matches, the result will be determined by a Super Over:

The team batting first will be determined by a toss. The captain who wins the toss must decide immediately whether his team is batting/bowling first without consultation with team members and before leaving the pitch.

Team A will score some runs in the first over and team B needs to chase it successfully to win the match. In case, it is unable to chase, team A wins.

In case two wickets fall, it is counted as all-out and the total made before losing the wicket is final.

Four fielders must remain within the 30-yard circle at all times. Five fielders are allowed outside the 30-yard circle.

In case scores are level, the team hitting a maximum of sixes in the match will win. If this is also the same, the teams with a maximum of fours win the match. If this is also the same then:

For group matches, the two teams will receive one point each.

For semi-final matches, the team with a higher net run rate in the group stage will be declared the winner. If this is also the same, the toss will decide the winner.

Both teams will be declared joint winners in the final match.
L. Unacceptable Conduct (Disciplinary Action)
The Umpires will have full authority to take disciplinary action against any individual player or team if Level 1 to Level 4 offense(s) are committed on or off the field.

The Umpires will need to submit their report to the tournament judiciary committee.

The tournament judiciary committee will comprise of SCCC President, Club Treasurer, and the Vice Captain.
M. Other
The teams playing XI for the semi-finals and finals must be comprised of players who have played at least one group match.

Each team is strongly encouraged to read, understand, and share the match rules with its playing members.

Each team is requested to have a copy of the rules with them for the duration of the tournament.

Please contact the following members of the rules committee with questions:

Amit Sheth (stcolumbascc@gmail.com)

Cricket (2017 code 3rd edition – 2022) and ICC Standard Playing Conditions for T20 Internationals will be referred to in any situation that is not specifically covered in this document:

The Invitational Tournament Rules committee reserves the right to revise and make changes to the rules, as needed in the best interest of the tournament.

Please reach out to the Rules Committee with any questions or concerns at: stcolumbascc@gmail.com