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Post by johnny22 on Aug 30, 2015 19:55:34 GMT
Now that the 2015 Midweek Leagues have concluded, I would like to post/pose a few comments and observations as to how many members of our team feel about the current rules, as they are not representative of the principles by which the Midweek League(s) were originally founded. The following are not officially ratified by our club and are only a selection of comments and observations by quite a few of our Midweek players.
Firstly it is obvious that quite a number of teams are using Midweek matches for additional practice for Junior players in particular, and even on occasions Senior players. Surely no regular Senior player should turn out for a Midweek side!!!
Secondly, being allowed to use up to 8 Junior players is too generous - we need to go back to the original quota of 4. If you think about it, a player is only deemed to be a Junior player after playing 6 Junior games - in theory every club could play their whole Junior team for the first 6 weeks of the Midweek season. It might be worth considering a rule that Junior players can only play "front end" in Midweek games. Also surely it might be possible to be deemed a Senior or Junior player based on the number of games played in the previous season.
Thirdly, we feel that IF a club HAS to use more than 4 Junior players, then that club should consider as to whether it should even be entering the Midweek League!!! We realise that NIPGL is here to promote the game of bowls but there has to be an element of fairness within the participants. Perhaps teams that need to use extra Junior players should have shots deducted, say 5 shots for each player exceeding the quota!!!! Another possibility would be to segregate the two Midweek Leagues into one for clubs that can meet the original rules, and another for clubs who have to rely on more than 4 Junior players.
The above are meant to produced debate from other clubs and not to cause offence. The League Secretary can confirm that many of these issues have been raised over the past 2 or 3 years but there has been no consensus when it comes to the AGM. We feel that this Bowling Forum will allow clubs, teams and individual players to make their views and opinions known to a wider audience!! Looking forward to reading YOUR replies.
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thegovner
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Posts: 202
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Post by thegovner on Aug 30, 2015 20:31:16 GMT
I'm all for fair play but restrictions put on teams about who they can play for is madness in my opinion if you play for a club then surely you sign to play for that club not one team in that club look at the tables for example of how many times there have been games conceded at least 12 I counted I think this is down to restricting club players playing for their club ( 8 player rule for example ) as I said I'm all for fair play but I don't think a club would deliberately field players unless they where stuck !!
At the end off the day 95% off us are there to enjoy the bowls and the other 5% will do what it take to win and no amount off rule will change that.
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Post by winkers on Aug 31, 2015 0:19:36 GMT
Johnny; I suggest you read 2 previous threads on this subject on;
General Board page 10 "the Midweek Restructure and also Midweek Rules.
You will realise what a complex shambles this topic still is.
Govner I very much doubt 95% of your boys enjoyed their 13 losses,one draw and relegation this year, at the hands of all those top end Sat Divisions players.
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Post by bri on Aug 31, 2015 8:58:51 GMT
Johnny it's good that you have raised this again and if there is a decent debate on the topic then maybe a solution can be found.
This has been an ongoing problem for years now and I don't think at any stage we have come close to any resolution. I haven't mentioned the midweek in any POV purely because I think it would be a waste of time talking about a league where the team fielded by any club could vary wildly week on week depending on who is short and needs Saturday players.
My opinion is that the midweek league should be a starting place for some to learn bowls and also a league for those not able to play on Saturdays. Problem is very few clubs have 16 players who fall into those categories and therefore to get the 8 legitimate midweek players a game, they need to field 8 Saturday players to make up 16. Yes the numbers will vary from club to club.
Last year a league sub-committee had a stab at tackling this with radical proposals that would reduce the team sizes. We asked the opinions of all the clubs and of the responses we got, the consensus was to stick with the current system.
Personally I think it is madness to continue with 16 man teams in the midweek when the vast majority are heavily supplemented by Saturday players. We suggested 8 man teams, which means those clubs with 16 legit midweek players could still field 2 teams to get their 16 players a game. It would also take the pressure off clubs with only 8 legit players as they could then field 1 team. In a league with smaller teams I would have stricter rules as to who can play than we currently have. If you try and enforce stricter rules on the current 16 man setup then I think you would lose over 50% of the teams, maybe 75%.
My suggestion for any individuals out there who want to change midweek bowls is to sit down and think it through. Maybe speak to other clubs, consider the bigger picture and how clubs in different circumstances to your own might view your proposals. It will need a good quality, well thought out Notice of Motion for the AGM. Anything that has been presented recently on this subject has been unsupportable by the majority of clubs as it would have made it impossible for them to field a team and no-one wants to lose their midweek team.
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Post by katinde on Aug 31, 2015 13:08:33 GMT
A possible way forward for the midweek league is to let it stand as a separate entity to the pgl league . Play whoever you want whenever you want within the midweek league , MALE or FEMALE . If clubs turn out their senior team in the midweek league that is entirely up to them but what joy would there be for ,say, Chelsea beating Warrenpoint Town every week . What about Liverpool for the county Antrim shield ? , no thanks . Clubs need to be mindful of new , not so experienced bowlers and allowing them to play .
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Post by gazduke on Aug 31, 2015 15:20:14 GMT
The problem arises that some players start the season off by playing "midweek only" and get drafted into a Junior or senior team. As I have previously stated on other threads the midweek league is currently awash with "midweek" bowlers who could more than hold their own on a Sat, but they are not available. If a club has to use "senior" players, bearing in mind that they may not actually be as good as the midweek only players, in order to exist then so be it. Enough clubs are struggling to field teams without making it more difficult. It is the responsibility of each club to adhere to the spirit of the game and to act in their members best interests. The rule of players playing in a sen cup being automatically disqualified from the midweek cup is a bit farcical, as realistically one of maybe 6 clubs stand a chance. Surely it would be better to state that you are ineligible whilst your club is still in the senior competition - just a thought
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Post by glenquagmire on Sept 1, 2015 7:38:46 GMT
The problem arises that some players start the season off by playing "midweek only" and get drafted into a Junior or senior team. As I have previously stated on other threads the midweek league is currently awash with "midweek" bowlers who could more than hold their own on a Sat, but they are not available. If a club has to use "senior" players, bearing in mind that they may not actually be as good as the midweek only players, in order to exist then so be it. Enough clubs are struggling to field teams without making it more difficult. It is the responsibility of each club to adhere to the spirit of the game and to act in their members best interests. The rule of players playing in a sen cup being automatically disqualified from the midweek cup is a bit farcical, as realistically one of maybe 6 clubs stand a chance. Surely it would be better to state that you are ineligible whilst your club is still in the senior competition - just a thought Fair point don't think teams field players deliberately to win most do it to full fill the fixture so the regular midweek players don't lose out |
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