PalaceshieldCricket alt="Palace Shield Cricket Competition" title="Palace Shield Cricket Competition"

As an innovation this year, each week we will select a Colts of the Week team.
This will mirror the NL Team of the Week (TOTW) feature that we have been running for a number of years. 
The youngsters coming through are vital to the future prosperity of the game and this seems to be a good way of recognising the progress and development and celebrating their
achievements.
Appearances in the eclectic Colts of the Week will earn a place in the end of season Colts DreamTeam

Colts of the Week
The Week 7 Team

The Week 8 Team

Congratulations to Eccleston (U13) and Chorley (U15) who will represent the Palace Shield in the Lancashire Cup this season.

Both sides have performed well over the last two years and will do us proud in the competition, with the chance of national success if they do well.

The Winners of u11 finals day will represent us aswell.

Please see below for the latest from the ECB.  Please note, the changes come in from Monday so this weekend is on the usual basis and risk assessments etc will need to be updated from Monday.  Also, please note that although this notice mentions teas, the Palace Shield took the decision that we would not expect clubs to serve teas this season and players are still expected to provide their own nourishment during the game.

Government Guidance 

With the positive news from the UK Government confirming England progressing to Step 3 from Monday 17^th May, we have updated our guidance to reflect what these changes mean for organised outdoor cricket.  Whilst these changes come into effect from Monday 17^th May, it is important to remember that clubs should be encouraged to move at their own pace and only move to the next steps if and when they feel ready to do so.

The main changes under Step 3 guidance are as follows:

·  On-field Activities: All on-field restrictions remain as previously communicated

·  Changing rooms: can open where it is safe to do so but social distancing and other mitigation measures must be observed, including restrictions on capacity limits.  (Signage can be found via resource hub.)

· Hospitality: Clubhouses and facilities that serve food and drink can open.  At Step 3, both indoor and outdoor hospitality will be permitted. The provision of food and beverage should be as per government guidance on hospitality settings.

· Teas: Teas can now by served at clubs where this can be done safely and in compliance with government guidance on hospitality settings.

·  Spectators: Spectators are permitted at both public and private venues. Spectators must observe social distancing and legal gathering size limits (groups of up to 30 outdoors).

·  Travel: You can leave your home to exercise and take part in informal and organised cricket. Car sharing is permitted at Step 3 for sport in accordance with the government guidance for safer travel.

We continue to work with colleagues in Wales as we await the Welsh Government Update expected on Friday 14th May.

https://ecb-comms.co.uk/1FT6-7DB6M-AXJ9FD-4FUAVY-1/c.aspx

Young Cricket Officials Courses

This year sees the launch of the delayed Young Cricket Officials course which is being run by County Cricket Boards for young people aged between 13 and 18 years old. These courses are the perfect entry level for young people who might be interested in scoring and umpiring games. If you would like to find out more about these courses for Young people at your club, please get in contact with your local CCB.

You can help the development of the young people that have attended these courses by giving them the opportunity to score and umpire in junior cricket within your club. Or if you are aware of any young people going on these courses, you might want to think about inviting them down to help with your Dynamos cricket sessions or your junior games. The scoring element is based on the Play Cricket Scorer App, so they might also be able to score some of your senior teams at weekend if appropriate. This is a great opportunity to engage some of your young members in a volunteering capacity within your club.

Inspired to Play

On Monday we announced the launch of the Inspired to Play Grant scheme, with the aim to increase the number of children (boys and girls) and/or women participating in the game by supporting the delivery of new/enhanced recreational cricket activity in England and Wales during the months of June - September 2021.

If you missed the email, you can find a copy of it here, including a link to the guidance notes that you will need to read before applying.

We have had an amazing response, with over a thousand applications coming in in the first 48hrs. There is still a chance to apply, and to help showcase the types of activity that the grant will be put towards, we are pleased to share four case studies of clubs who are successfully in the process of receiving their grant. We hope this can inspire you to think about how your club could benefit, and help to bring cricket to new audiences this summer.

Inspired to Play Case Studies - https://ecb-comms.co.uk/1FT6-7DB6M-AXJ9FD-4FUEAX-1/c.aspx

Anon

As an innovation this year we are going to select an eclectic team based on club performances of our youngsters as they make their mark in senior cricket.
This is something we have done at senior level for a few years with week- by- week appearances earning a place in the end of season DreamTeam.
This year we are going to do something similar for the U18s so that you can all get to know them and celebrate their success.

Here is the first three weeks

The Week 1 Team

The Week 2 Team

No fewer than four lads from our U15 squad make the team this week as they start to do some impressive things with bat and ball at senior level. 

With 5 slow bowlers is an indication of strength in depth and how tough the competition for places will be in our inter-league sides. 

Also, history is made this week as it is the first time two brothers have made the Colts of the Week team.  

If two brothers were going to make the team the money would probably have been on the Flintoffs but they have been beaten to it -  the Birkmans were the first.  

The Week 3 Team

As might be expected, the team is dominated by the U18 Inter-League squad.  Once more St Annes CC take the plaudits. Last week it was through the two Birkman brothers but this week three of their promising youngsters make the Colts of the Week team - two of them chalking up career bests in the Palace Shield first division so big congratulations to them. 

Really good to see another from the U15 squad force their way into the reckoning – this week it is St Annes 2s opener Ashton Charles.  

We are looking for interested parties to join our Comminications team, involving creating postsfor the website and social media.

We are looking for budding journalists to create content based on Weekend Previews and Reviews.

If you are interested please contact Alex via here

Full Cup Rules can be found here - https://palaceshieldcricket.co.uk/index.php/featured/cup-rules

Rules to note

12 Eligibility of Players

Every player taking part in these competitions shall have been a registered for his club for not less than three days prior to the date of a match.

To be eligible to play in the semi-finals and finals of these Competitions they must have played a minimum of five and six games respectively for their club in the Palace Shield Competition in the current season.

A player who has played in a Senior League First XI in the current season, as defined in Competition Rule 17, shall not play in these Competitions, unless sanctioned at the discretion of the executive.

A player who has played for one club in the Meyler, Loxham or Crabtree Cups any season shall not, following proper transfer, as laid down under Rule 15a, play during that season in any of these Competitions for any other club.

To be eligible for second or third team games, a player cannot have played more games for higher teams than the team they are selected for without prior approval from the executive.

This rule shall not apply if the club's First XI is engaged in the Meyler Cup, the Lancashire, National Village or National Club Knock-out Competition the same day as a Loxham or Crabtree Cup match.

Any infringement of the rules on eligibility, or of the registration requirements under the entirety of Competition Rules 15 - 17 will be penalised at the discretion of the executive.

Bowl Out Arrangements

Should no result be achieved by playing a match within the cup rules, on the second occasion, the match shall be decided by a bowl out. The umpires shall be in sole charge of the bowl out in consultation with the captains.

The bowl out shall take place on a suitable 22 yard pitch on the main square or on a practice area and artificial pitches shall be allowed. One umpire shall stand at the bowler's end to judge for no balls and the other at the striker's end to judge for the bounce.

Each player in either team shall take turns to bowl overarm at the stumps with no second attempt allowed. Full tosses shall not be allowed and the team with the most hits shall be declared the winner. Should the scores still be level, then the bowl out should continue with players allowed a second bowl in a 'sudden death' format.

Should the weather conditions be so extreme that a bowl out cannot take place, the result shall be decided by the toss of a coin.

Please find attached some additional notes with regards to matchday. 
These are over and above the ECB regulations and specifically apply to Palace Shield games.

Please ensure you complete risk assessments and also let your visitors know any specifics for their arrival especially - e.g. where to park.

There is an inter-league meeting on Monday so, hopefully, there will be some clarity by then and we can hopefully give another update during the week.

This document should be read in conjunction with the latest guidance from the ECB / LCF / ACO.

1. Scorers

As part of their matchday risk assessment, clubs must consider the facilities for the scorers.  If the home club is unable to provide a sheltered, COVID-safe position for the visitor’s scorer to be seated near to the home scorer, this should be covered in the risk assessment and that message conveyed to the visiting side prior to the game.  If that is the case, the home club must ensure that their scorer is capable of managing the scorebook and scorebox alone or with the help of others from their own household.  The visiting side may still wish to provide a scorer but they will have to operate under the constraints identified by the home side.  The provision of a scorer is not mandatory for the visitors in this case but, if they do not provide a scorer, they must provide someone to stay in the vicinity of the home scorer so that they can relate details such as player’s names etc to the home scorer.  This person can be changed during the game but, if no-one is provided or there is only someone available for part of the game, this will be considered as failing to provide a scorer and meet with potential penalties.

Just to remind everyone, the penalty for failing to provide a scorer is a one point deduction for each game that this happens but the penalty only comes in on the fourth occasion.  So, there is no penalty for up to 3 cases of failing to provide a scorer but the 4th time would result in a 4 point penalty.

2. Umpires

Team Cards (ECB version now introduced) both sides should be completed and handed to the umpire prior to the toss together with an envelope containing their £45 expenses.  Umpires may ask you to enable them to photograph or copy the details from the Team Cards rather than take possession.

3. Ball Cleaning

Captains are reminded they must use a microbial cloth to clean the ball. These cloths are now readily available at all supermarkets. They MUST NOT use hand sanitiser.

Latest LCF Update

Good morning everyone,

Ahead of the move to Step 2 of the Government Roadmap on April 12th, ECB have updated their playing guidance for recreational cricket. This guidance can be found in the weekly bulletin for clubs and leagues (to be published this morning). https://ecb-comms.co.uk/t/1FT6-7BL2U-49E79B69D324B7DF7DM4VQ6E4473FE8F9D770E/cr.aspx

 https://resources.ecb.co.uk/ecb/document/2021/04/09/907a4c6a-460e-4f82-b807-4d48b2a6e890/Recreational_Cricket_COVID_Guidance_in_England_Step-2_12_April.pdf

What has changed under Step 2 (12th April)?

The activities permissible through organised outdoor cricket activity remain the same and therefore existing playing guidance should be followed.
The main changes for cricket relate to outdoor hospitality, which is now permissible subject to following government guidance.

Whilst spectators are still not permissible, ECB have updated their FAQ’s to explain the exemptions for parents, guests/patrons using your venue for hospitality purposes and what this means if your ground is located within a public open space.

Please ensure you read the FAQ’s and full guidance carefully and communicate appropriately to your clubs so they can update any risk assessments as appropriate.

It should be noted that the ‘no spectator’ rule has been set by government(DCMS) for all recreational sport, and a further review is due ahead of Step 3 of the roadmap on May 17th.

Clubs should continue to monitor the ECB Covid-19 webpage for further information.

Thanks

James Cutt | Leagues & Teams Manager

Please find the Cup Draws in full.

Meyler 
Loxham
Crabtree

Preliminary Round to take place Sunday 9th May

First Round to take place Sunday 6th June