CUP PLAYER ELIGIBILITY
Please send any queries, or requests for permission to play a specific player, to assistant@yplncricket.co.uk
1. Players must be registered with a club on Play Cricket before playing in a cup match for that club. However, teams competing in the cups for Divisions 1,2,3,4 & 5 may register new players up to 48 hours after the cup match (this additional leeway does not apply to players moving between clubs).
2. No player may play for two teams in the same cup competition. However, there is no restriction on playing in more than one cup, as long as the other eligibility criteria are met.
3. Loan players are not eligible to play in cup matches
4. The eligibility rules regarding Category 3 Overseas Professional and Category 3 Overseas Amateur players are the same as for the equivalent “Saturday league” division that a team plays in.
5. On the day of a cup match, if MORE THAN 50% of a player’s “Saturday league” appearances in the current season have been in a HIGHER division than the cup team play in, then they will NOT be eligible, UNLESS:
a) at least THREE of their MOST RECENT SIX “Saturday league” appearances were for the team involved in the cup match, or for another team in the same, or a lower, Saturday division (the most recent six appearances can include appearances in the previous season).
OR
b) they played for the cup team in a previous round of the cup (and were fully eligible to do so)
OR
c) They are approved by the Cup Manager in advance, potentially with restrictions on when they can bat or bowl in each innings (teams should email assistant@yplncricket.co.uk with such requests)
Note: Where a player has made no Saturday League appearances this season, the “MORE THAN 50%” rule above will be based on the prior season (if such a player played in a different league in the prior season then the club must gain approval from the Cup Manager). Players making their first ever appearance in a senior cricket match can ignore section 5 above. The ”league appearances” mentioned above can include games cancelled due to weather, at the discretion of the cup manager.
6. Ineligible players can play without prior approval from the Cup Manager as long as they do not bat, bowl, keep wicket or act as captain (but asking for approval in advance often results in more relaxed restrictions).
7. The Cup Manager has the discretion to remove the “automatic eligibility” of a player for future cup rounds, gained under section 5.b above, if it could result in unfair play. The Cup Manager will notify the team captain in advance should this action be taken.
8. The Cup Manager has full discretion over the application of the above criteria, and penalties for breaches. Fielding an ineligible player without permission will usually result in elimination from the cup, though consideration will be given to the context in which such breaches occur, and the impact that the player had on the match.