CUP PLAYER ELIGIBILITY
Please send any queries, or requests for permission to play a specific player, to the Cup Manager at assistant@yplncricket.co.uk
1. Players must be registered with a club on Play Cricket before playing in a cup match for that club (this must be the same club that they play Saturday league matches for). 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.
3. There is no restriction on playing in more than one cup. For example, playing a cup match for the 1st team does not have any effect on eligibility to play for the 2nd team in a different cup (and vice versa).
4. Loan players are not eligible to play in cup matches
5. The eligibility rules regarding Category 3 Overseas Professional and Category 3 Overseas Amateur players are generally the same as for the equivalent “Saturday league” division that a team plays in. However, any Category 3 player who is first registered with YPLN after June 30th requires the Cup Manager's permission to participate in any cup matches during the remainder of that season.
6. 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. For example, someone who has played for the 1s for the last three league matches can still play for the 2s in a cup match IF the three league appearances before that were for the 2s (and this is true even if those previous matches were the last three matches of last 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. If approved, such players will not become automatically eligible to play in subsequent rounds of the cup under 6.b above. 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 6 above. The ”league appearances” mentioned above can include games cancelled due to weather, at the discretion of the cup manager.
7. To assist clubs struggling with availability, a team may, in addition to any players granted an exemption under Section 6.c above, field up to 2 ineligible players from their club, without asking for permission from the Cup Manager, with the following restrictions:
a) they cannot bowl, keep wicket, or be named as captain on the team sheet
b) they can only bat at the bottom of the order and must Retire Out when their score reaches or exceeds 5 runs
c) playing will not make them automatically eligible for future rounds of the cup
8. The Cup Manager has the discretion to remove the “automatic eligibility” of a player for future cup rounds, gained under section 6.b above, if it could result in unfair play. The Cup Manager will notify the team captain in advance should this action be taken.
9. 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.