Proposed Revised Club rules
Thursday, 8th February 2024
The club rules have been amended. The revised rules have to be approved at a meeting on Thursday 22nd February 2024 at 10.30 am.
WETHERAL BOWLING CLUB
RULES
1. TITLE
The Club shall be known as Wetheral Bowling Club. The Club shall be affiliated
to Bowls England and Cumbria Bowling Association.
1.2 The objects of the Club shall be to foster and develop the game of Flat Green
Bowls (Outdoor Bowls) and the Club shall adopt and conform to Bowls England
Rules & Regulations and the Crystal Laws of the Sport of Bowls. Also to foster
and develop the game of Short Mat Bowls (Indoor Bowls) under the rules of the
English Short Mat Bowling Association.
1.3 The Club is classed as an Association and is bound by the terms of the Equality
Act 2010. All members, prospective members and guests will be protected from
discrimination both directly and indirectly in respect of Age, Disability, Gender reassignment, Marriage and Civil Partnership, Pregnancy and Maternity
(including breastfeeding), Race (including ethnic origin, national origin,
Colour, nationality), Religion or belief, Sex and Sexual orientation. Should any
member feel that they are being discriminated against they should report this
immediately to the Chairman, President, Secretary or the Safeguarding Officer.
2. MEMBERSHIP
The number of FULL members shall be limited to 110 (one hundred and ten) of
which there will be no more than 60 (sixty) of either gender.
Applicants for admission shall be recommended by two members of the Club
and made through the Secretary who will put the applications to the committee if
there are vacancies, otherwise put their names on a waiting list. The committee
will consider the application and approve nominees in strict order of application
as vacancies occur.
2.3 Full members will be aged 18 years or over.
3. JUNIOR MEMBERSHIP
In addition to the limits of members stated in Rule 2 there shall be allowed
junior members between the ages of 11 and 18 years, ie having attained these
ages during the playing season. A junior member will automatically become a
full member on attaining his/her 18th birthday.
In all other respects Rule 2 applies equally to junior members. Junior members
shall not be eligible for election to the Committee of Management or to vote at
General Meetings of the Club.
4. SOCIAL MEMBERSHIP
Social membership shall be available to:
Persons on the waiting list;
Spouse or Civil Partner of a full member;
Previous full members who are no longer able to play on a full time basis.
Any other person wishing to join as a social member who has fulfilled the application procedure as described in Rule 2.2
4.2 Social members shall not be eligible for election to the Management Committee
or to vote at General Meetings of the Club.
5. HONORARY LIFE MEMBERSHIP
Honorary life membership shall be in recognition of outstanding and/or
exceptional service over a number of years.
Nominations must be made to the Management Committee for discussion and, as
appropriate, for recommendation to the AGM.
5.3 Honorary Life Members shall not be required to pay the annual membership fee.
5.4 Honorary Life Members shall not be eligible for election to the various
Committees of Management, nor to vote at general meetings of the Club.
5.5 Nominations for Honorary Life Membership will be restricted to no more than
one Gentleman and one Lady each year.
6. MEMBERSHIP FEES, SUBSCRIPTIONS AND OTHER
CHARGES
The annual subscription for playing and social members, locker rentals and other
sums shall be determined from time to time at the AGM and shall be paid on or
before the first Saturday in March each year.
6.2 In the event of any existing member’s subscription remaining unpaid after such
date, the member will be deemed to have resigned. Re-joining the Club will
entail going onto any waiting list and payment of a joining fee on re-election.
6.3 All new full members, excepting junior members, will be required to pay a
joining fee in addition to the annual subscription, both of which must be paid
at the time of admission to the club.
7. CONDUCT OF MEMBERS
7.1 Every member, upon election and thereafter, is deemed to have notice of, and
undertakes to comply with, the Club Rules and any Byelaws and Regulations of
the Club.
7.2 All disciplinary matters will be dealt with in accordance with Bowls England
Regulation 9 (Misconduct). Should any member be expelled, the former member
shall not be entitled to have any part of the annual membership fee refunded and
must return any property belonging to the Club.
7.3 Complaints of any nature shall be addressed in writing to the Secretary.
8. COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT
8.1 The affairs of the Club shall be managed by a Committee of Management, herein
called “The Management Committee”, consisting of the following:
8.2 Chairperson, to chair all relevant meetings of the Club. The Chairperson will
have the casting vote at all relevant meetings in the event of equality, ensure that
the Committee functions properly, that there is full participation at meetings, all
relevant matters are discussed and that effective decisions are made and carried
out.
8.3 President, who will represent the Club on match days and other special events,
and who will be the previous year’s Vice President.
8.4 Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Match Secretary, Green Manager, Facilities
Manager, and Safeguarding Officer. These officers of the Club will be elected at
the Club AGM. All full members, both ladies and men, will be eligible for these
posts. Nominations for the positions, which will be advertised on both the ladies
and men’s notice boards, must be in the Secretary’s hands at least two weeks
before the AGM. Nomination for office, and seconding of nominations, shall
only be made by full members of the Club.
8.5 Plus three other members representing the Ladies Sub-Committee plus a
representative of the Wetheral Short Mat BC which in November 2021 became
part of Wetheral BC.
8.6 In addition, the immediate Past President shall be a member of the Management
Committee for the year following Presidency.
8.7 The Committee shall meet when summoned by the Secretary as deemed
necessary, with a minimum of 4 meetings a year at three monthly intervals, and
shall have power to transact all the business of the Club, to regulate the opening
and closing of the green and at any time to call a General Meeting of the
members. Five members to form a quorum.
8.8 In the event of a vacancy occurring in the Committee for any cause, the
Committee shall be empowered to co-opt a member of either gender to
fill the vacancy until the next AGM.
8.9 The Committee shall have the power to expel from membership any member
whose conduct is deemed such as to bring the Club into disrepute.
8.10 The Committee shall have the power to frame byelaws fixing what
competitions shall be held and the rules to govern such competitions and any
other byelaws not inconsistent with the rules.
8.11 The President or two other members of the Committee may at any time, by
request in writing to the Hon.Secretary, demand that a meeting of the
Committee be called and on receipt of such demand the Hon.Secretary shall
within two days issue the necessary notice convening the meeting. Although
such a meeting may be necessary at short notice in an emergency, it is
desirable whenever practical to give members three days notice, and more if
this can conveniently be done.
9. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
9.1 The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held on a date in November as
convenient to a majority of the members, normally the last Monday in
November, for the purpose of transacting Club business. Twelve members shall
form a quorum.
9.2 Of this meeting the Secretary shall give 7 clear days notice to every
subscriber and for the intimating in such notice that resignation of membership
should reach the Secretary, in writing, prior to the AGM, otherwise the Annual
Subscription and Locker Rent will become due.
10. SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
10.1 The Chairperson shall call a Special General Meeting of the Club:
(a) When requested by a majority of the Committee.
(b) On receipt of a requisition signed by at least 10 members stating clearly the
matter at issue.
10.2 The Hon.Secretary shall then convene a Special General Meeting to be held
within 10 days of the date on which the requisition was received or made
whichever the case may be.
10.3 The notice shall state clearly the purpose for which the meeting is summoned,
with date, time and place thereof. No other business will be transacted at this
meeting.During the playing season the meeting will be deemed to have been
convened by exhibition of the notice in the Club Bower. But, in the closed
season, the notice should be sent to each member by post or otherwise, giving
not less than six days notice of the meeting.
11. HON. SECRETARY AND TREASURER
11.1 The Secretary shall keep a record of all business transacted by the Club at all
meetings and shall present to the AGM a report of the work of the Club since
the previous AGM. This report should also include a record of attendances at
meetings of each member of the Committee. The Secretary shall keep a register
of Club member's contact details, conduct the correspondence of the Club, keep
custody of all Club documents, and administer such insurance policy or policies
as may be needed to fully protect the interests of the Club, its Officers and its
members.
11.2 The Treasurer shall present to the AGM an account of all receipts and
expenditure for the past year, duly examined and signed by the persons
appointed at the AGM for that purpose. Copies of the account and balance sheet
shall be available for members at the meeting. The Treasurer shall collect all
relevant fees from Club members, and make all relevant payments on behalf of
the Club. Such payments, either by bank transfer or cheque, will require to be
authorised either by the Secretary or one of two other nominated Committee
members.
11.3 The Secretary and Treasurer should also be Trustees of the Club.
12. VOTING
12.1 In all cases where a vote is required, decisions will be made by a simple
majority of those full members attending the meeting.
12.2 The Chairperson shall have both a Deliberative and a Casting vote at all
meetings of the Club.
13. OBLIGATIONS
13.1 The Committee shall have recourse to all members of the Club for relief from
any obligation for which they, as managers, may have made themselves liable
on behalf of the Club.
14. LADIES SUB-COMMITTEE
14.1 The affairs of the Ladies Section shall be managed by a Sub-Committee
consisting of:
14.2 A Captain, who will represent the Club on Ladies match days and other special
events.
14.3 A Secretary, who will arrange meetings as deemed necessary, act as
chairperson at all the meetings, and deal with correspondence.
14.4 A Match Secretary, to arrange matches as relevant with other clubs, and arrange
internal Ladies competitions for club members.
14.5 In the event of a vacancy occurring in the Sub-Committee for any cause, the
Committee shall be empowered to co-opt a member to fill the vacancy until the
next AGM.
14.6 The AGM of the Sub-Committee shall be held on a date at least 3 weeks before
the AGM of the Club. Of this meeting the Secretary shall give seven clear days
notice to every subscribing member of the Ladies Section.
14.7 The Sub-Committee will be responsible for organising food whenever required
and for housekeeping in the Bower.
15. WETHERAL SHORT MAT BOWLING CLUB (WSMBC)
15.1 The affairs of the WSMBC shall be managed by a Committee consisting of
seven of their members which shall include a Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer,
Match Secretary, and three others. All Committee members shall retire annually
but shall be eligible for re-election at their AGM. Vacancies which may occur
during the year may be filled by the Committee and the position held until the
next AGM.
15.2 The Committee to hold three scheduled meetings during the year, in August,
October, and February.
15.3 Membership numbers shall be determined by the Committee who have
currently determined the number be limited to 40. An application for
membership must be completed and approved. Members from the previous
season will be offered a place for the new season in preference to new
applicants. If membership is not available applications will be held on a
waiting list. A member may introduce a guest and that guest may play but only
if there are no members waiting to play.
15.4 The AGM of the WSMBC shall be held on a date at least 2 weeks before
the AGM of WBC to:
(a) receive the report of the Committee and the balance sheet;
(b) elect the Officers and Committee for the coming year;
(c) appoint Skips for the coming year if required by the Match Secretary;
(d) discuss any resolution placed on the Agenda of which prior notice has been
given to the Secretary, in writing at least 7 days beforehand.
16. SKIPS
16.1 Nominations for the position of Skip, which will be advertised on both the
Ladies and Men’s notice boards, must be in the Secretary’s hands at least two
weeks before the AGM. Nominations shall only be made by full members of
the Club. Nominations should be limited to six Ladies and six Men and the
Management Committee to have the power to co-opt during the season, in case
of emergency, additional Skip or Skips.
17. TEAM SELECTIONS
17.1 The selection of teams for league matches shall be dealt with by the Team
Captains appointed for each League.
17.2 The selection of teams for mixed friendly matches against other clubs shall be
dealt with by the Match Secretary, making every effort to maintain an equitable
number of Ladies and Gentlemen.
18. VISITORS
18.1 The Committee shall have the power to fix conditions by which visitors may be
allowed to play on the green.
18.2 A full member may introduce ONE visitor to play on the green and will be
responsible personally for the entry in the Visitors Register, for the payment of
the appropriate fees, and for the visitor’s conduct on the green.
19. FOOTWEAR ON THE GREEN
19.1 All persons playing on the Club’s green shall wear the officially approved
bowling shoes, ie with no heels and with smooth soles.
20. SOCIAL EVENTS
20.1 Two Ladies and two Gentlemen will be elected at the Club AGM to organise
and run all social events, including the annual event for the presentation of
prizes.
21. SAFEGUARDING
21.1 The Club shall adhere to the Safeguarding Policy of Bowls England and will
ensure that all the contents are communicated to members and clearly
displayed within the Bower for Members and Visitors.
22. ALL REAL PROPERTY AND ALL CAPITAL FUNDS
22.1 All real property and all capital funds belonging to and in the ownership of the
Club shall be vested in the Trustees who shall hold the same on behalf of the
Club and in accordance with the terms of any Trust Deed executed by such
Trustees.
22.2 There shall be at least three Trustees of the Club who shall be appointed from
time to time as necessary by the Committee from among Full Members who
are willing to be so appointed. The Secretary and Treasurer should be Trustees
of the Club.
23. ALTERATION OF THE RULES
23.1 Alteration of or addition to any of the foregoing Rules shall be made at the
Annual General Meeting or at a Special General Meeting convened for the
purpose and notice of motion in writing of the proposed alteration or additions
to shall be given to the Hon. Secretary at least one calendar month before the
date of the AGM or ten days prior to the SGM.
24. EXHIBITION OF RULES AND BYELAWS
24.1 A copy of the Rules and Byelaws of the Club shall be circulated to each
member and in addition a copy shall be exhibited in the Club’s Bower.
25. INTERPRETATION OF RULES AND BYELAWS
25.1 Should any dispute as to the meaning or interpretation of the Rules and
Byelaws of the Club, or should any matter arise which is not covered by these
Rules or Byelaws, the Committee shall be empowered to adjudicate upon the
matter at issue and their decision shall be final and binding on all parties.
26. DATE OF OPERATION OF THE RULES
26.1 These Rules were approved as follows:
At a Special General Meeting held on 28th April 1962;
Later amended by alterations and additions approved at the AGMs held on 24th February 1964, 30th November 1983 and 1986;
Also at SGMs held on 31st August 1990, 14th October 1991 and 13th March 1995;
Also at the AGMs held on 22 November 1999 and 26th November 2001;
Also at the SGM held on 16th June 2003.
Also at the SGM held on 26th November 2012
Also at the Management Committee Meeting held on 29th January 2024.