County Competition Handbook 2014-15 2 Contents Page 3 Senior County Championships Policy Group Members Page 4 Senior County Championships Divisions & Sections Page 6 Senior County Championships Regulations Page 18 Appendix A – County Competition Eligibility Criteria Page 21 Appendix B – BADMINTON England Clothing Regulations Page 24 Senior County Championships Match Secretaries Page 31 Masters’ Policy Group Members & Key event dates Page 32 Masters’ County Championships Divisions & Sections Page 34 Masters’ County Championships Regulations Page 40 Masters’ County Challenge Regulations Page 44 Masters’ County Competition Coordinators SENIOR COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS POLICY GROUP The 2014/15 Senior County Championships Policy Group is made up of the following members. Brian Greenwood – Chair Steve Abbott Hayley Connor Daniel Hooper Steve Pope 3 The BADMINTON England County Championships 2014/15 National Divisions Premiership Dates & Venues Avon Cheshire 8-9 November 2014 Glasgow & North Strathclyde National Badminton Centre Hampshire Hertfordshire 13-14 December 2014 Lancashire Notts Jubilee Sports Centre Nottinghamshire Surrey 28-29 March 2015 Warwickshire National Badminton Centre Yorkshire Division 1 Dates & Venues Buckinghamshire Derbyshire 8-9 November 2014 Essex Leisure @ Cheltenham Lanarkshire Leicestershire 13-14 December 2014 Leinster National Badminton Centre Middlesex Sussex 28-29 March 2015 Surrey 2 Notts Jubilee Sports Centre Yorkshire 2 4 Regional Divisions Division 2 North Central South East South West Glasgow & NS 2 Buckinghamshire 2 Essex Devon Lancashire 2 Cambridgeshire Hampshire 2 Dorset Staffordshire Hertfordshire 2 Kent Gloucestershire Warwickshire 2 Worcestershire Middlesex 2 Mid Glamorgan Yorkshire 3 Yorkshire 4 Sussex 2 Wiltshire Division 3 North Central South East South West Cheshire 2 Derbyshire 2 Hertfordshire 3 Avon 2 Lothian Leicestershire 2 Kent 2 Berkshire Ulster Oxfordshire Middlesex 3 Guernsey Northumberland Shropshire Norfolk Somerset Nottinghamshire 2 Worcestershire 2 Suffolk West Glamorgan Division 4 North Central South East South West Cumbria Bedfordshire Essex 3 Buckinghamshire 3 Durham Lancashire 3 Kent 3 Cornwall Lothian 2 Oxfordshire 2 Norfolk 2 Devon 2 Northumberland 2 Staffordshire 2 Surrey 3 Dorset 2 Yorkshire 5 Warwickshire 3 Sussex 3 Wiltshire 2 Division 5 North Central South East South West Cumbria 2 Berkshire 2 Bedfordshire 2 Devon 3 Durham 2 Gloucestershire 2 Cambridgeshire 2 Hampshire 3 Isle of Man Oxfordshire 3 Middlesex 4 Jersey Nottinghamshire 3 Somerset 3 Northamptonshire Somerset 2 Shropshire 2 Worcestershire 3 Suffolk 2 Sussex 4 Division 6 North Central South East South West Cheshire 3 Lincolnshire 2 Cambridgeshire 3 Avon 3 Derbyshire 3 Isle of Wight Kent 4 Cornwall 2 Leicestershire 4 Middlesex 4 Lincolnshire Dorset 3 Northumberland 3 Leicestershire 3 Norfolk 3 Isle of White 2 Worcestershire 4 Northamptonshire 2 Wiltshire 3 5 Regulations for the BADMINTON England Senior County Championships 2014/15 (Amendments from 2013/14 in bold) SENIOR COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS 1. They will be competed for annually in accordance with the following regulations, or such other regulations as BADMINTON England, may from time to time approve, and the Laws of Badminton as adopted by the Badminton World Federation [BWF]. The County Championships shall be managed by BADMINTON England. Subject thereto each competing county shall be responsible for all matters affecting its county’s teams. COMPETITION STRUCTURE 2. The Championships shall comprise: The Premiership, Division 1 and Regional Divisions. (a) The Premiership shall comprise the top ten county first teams. (b) The second division the next ten county first or second teams. (c) The Regional Divisions shall consist of all other county teams, except that BADMINTON England shall have the power to refuse the entry of any team from outside the area under its jurisdiction, which is considered to be too strong or otherwise unsuitable; The National Divisions and Regional Divisions shall be governed by the following Regulations. DEFINITIONS 3. For the purposes of these regulations the following definitions shall apply; Events - men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles are different ‘events’. Match - the best of three games is a ‘match’. Section - the combination of county teams which shall be scheduled to play each other in the preliminary stages of the Regional Divisions shall be known as sections. Tie - the competition between one county team and another is known as a ‘tie’. ELIGIBILITY 4. The Championships shall be open to: (a) Every English county association affiliated to BADMINTON England. (b) The different Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, if governed by an association recognised as a county association by and affiliated to BADMINTON England, provided that the full affiliation fee is paid. (c) Any Irish, Scottish or Welsh regional association, if similarly governed and subject to the sanction of its own national organisation, which shall conform geographically to a branch of the Badminton Union of Ireland, a group of Badminton Scotland or a branch of the Welsh Badminton Union, as laid down in the constitutions of those Unions, and which shall be acceptable to BADMINTON England. 6 (d) Each of those entering under (a), (b), and (c) above shall hereinafter be referred to as a ‘county’. (e) All teams entering under (b) and (c) above shall play all their ties in England unless mutually agreed otherwise with their opponents. (f) A county shall be entitled to enter a maximum of five teams. (g) BADMINTON England shall have the right to determine from time to time the classification of each competing team subject to the provisions of Regulation 9 and to determine the constitution of Divisions and Sections. Such decisions shall be notified to all competing Counties not later than 31st May in any year. Definitions under (c) above: The Lanarkshire Group comprises clubs in the areas of Scotland served by North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire Councils, but excluding Cumbernauld and Kilsyth. The Lothian group comprises clubs in the areas of Scotland served by East Lothian, the City of Edinburgh, Midlothian and West Lothian Councils. The Glasgow and North Strathclyde group comprises clubs in the areas of Scotland served by West Dunbartonshire, East Dunbartonshire, Glasgow City and Argyle and Bute Councils excluding the former electoral division of Dunoon, East Cowal and Bute, but including Cumbernauld and Kilsyth. The North East Wales Group comprises Flintshire County Council and Denbighshire County Council. The Mid Glamorgan Group comprises Caerphilly district, Cardiff Central, Cardiff North, Cardiff South and Penarth, Cardiff West, Cynon Calley, Merthyr, Ogmore, Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Merthyr Vale, Vale of Glamorgan and Bridgend. The West Glamorgan Group comprises Swansea, Lliw Valley, Neath, Port Talbot and Dyfed Powys. FILING OF ENTRIES AND ENTRY FEES 5. New teams entering the Championships, as well as teams wishing to withdraw from the Championships should notify the Championships Secretary not later than 31st March, immediately proceeding the season of competition. Unless notified to the contrary by the same date it will be assumed that each team which carried out its commitments in the preceding season is desirous of competing in the following season. 6. Entry fees on the following basis shall be payable 30 days net from the invoice date: (i) National Divisions For each team affiliated to BADMINTON England £580 For each other team £695 (ii) Regional Divisions For each team affiliated to BADMINTON England £85 For each other team £180 PROGRAMME OF COMPETITION 7. (a) The National Divisions 7 (i) This shall consist of two Divisions, each of ten teams to be known as Premiership and Division 1, in line with Regulations 2(a) & (b). (ii) In each Division, teams shall play each other once as determined by BADMINTON England (Regulation 10(a) refers). (b) The Regional Divisions (i) This shall consist of Divisions 2, 3, 4 etc. Each Division, except the lowest, shall be divided into four sections of five teams. (ii) Teams shall play ‘home’ and ‘away’ ties in their sections. In sections having six or more teams, this programme may be reduced to one tie against each other team, provided that the majority of teams in the section shall agree and subject to the decision being reached by 31st August immediately preceding the season of competition and the Championships Secretary being notified directly thereafter. In any section where only one tie is played, each team shall be entitled to play not more than one tie fewer on its own courts than on its opponents. When one team shall have been entitled to choice of courts for its tie with another team in one season, the latter shall have choice of courts in the following season. (c) Notwithstanding any other stipulation, choice of courts shall not be given to a county referred to in Regulation 4(b) and 4(c), if it is due to oppose in any tie outside its sectional competition a county which is affiliated. In such cases choice of courts shall devolve upon the latter. TROPHIES 8. The county winning the Premiership shall be regarded as the champion county and shall have the right to hold until the following 1st March the trophy presented by the Chester, Claughton, Grosvenor and Wallasey badminton clubs. The county winning Division 1 shall have the right to hold until the following 1st March the trophy presented by Brigadier R. Bruce Hay DSO. All trophies shall remain the property of BADMINTON England, which shall be responsible for insurance and engraving. The holders shall be responsible for their care and maintenance. PROMOTION AND RELEGATION 9. (a) No county may have more than one team in the same Division of the National Divisions. A county may have no more than two teams in the same Division of the Regional Divisions, except the lowest Division. Where a county has more than one team in a Division of the Regional Divisions the teams must play in different sections as determined by BADMINTON England. (b) At the end of each season, the winner and runner up of Division 1 where eligible shall be promoted to the Premiership.