League will allow players to play twice

Clubs in the SPS Whitchurch League passed new rules to help teams who are short of players due to holidays or illness at its AGM at the Archibald Worthington Club.

Re-elected fixture secretary Mike Beckett explained the league had been plagued by 65 walkovers last season and that officers were anxious not to lose any more sides withdrawing due to a shortage of numbers.

So starting this year, Beckett said: “In the event of the lowest team of a club being unable to field a full team for a match, its captain may name up to four players who are prepared to play twice that evening.

“The players who play twice must also have played at least 50 per cent of their games for that team to date and the player’s score from their second game will not count in their individual averages. The points that these players score will count towards their team total, but six points will be deducted from the total aggregate for that match for each player who has played twice.”

Rule changes to raise competition entry fees and bring in a new handicap system to encourage more entries in the President’s Cup were passed, but match fees will remain the same.

New officers appointed to serve alongside Beckett and treasurer Peter Lawrence were Isobel Jones as president, Phil Scott as chairman, Derek Wright as vice-chairman, while Juliette Swire succeeds Alison Hine as secretary and Jamie Brookes takes over the competitions full time.

Scott already has many roles, including British Parks chief executive, North Shropshire Parks chairman and county safeguarding officer, while Wright recently announced his retirement from the county senior team after winning well over 100 caps.