CONSTITUTION
1. NAME
The Association shall be known as “The Leinster Cricket Umpires and Scorers’ Association” – LCU&SA).
2. OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the Association shall be:
a) To improve the standard of umpiring and scoring.
b) To appoint umpires to such games as the Executive of the LCU&SA may determine.
c) To foster an interest in umpiring and scoring throughout Leinster and further afield.
d) To represent the interests of Leinster cricket umpires and scorers.
3. MEMBERSHIP
i. The membership of the Association shall comprise those elected in the following categories:
a) Ordinary Umpire Member – deemed as one who is a practising umpire or who aspires to be a practising umpire or who was formerly a practising umpire.
b) Ordinary Scorer Member – deemed as one who is a practising scorer or who aspires to be a practising scorer or who was formerly a practising scorer.
c) Honorary Members – deemed as any person elected for life by the members present and entitled to vote at an Annual General meeting.
d) Associate Members – defined as any other person who does not qualify to be called an Ordinary member or an Honorary Member.
e) Vice-Presidents – defined as any person so elected annually by the members, present and eligible to vote, at the Annual General Meeting.
f) Under 21 Member – deemed as one who is a practising umpire or scorer, or one who aspires to be a practising umpire or scorer and is under the age of 21 years on August 31st of the relevant season
ii. Candidates for admission to Ordinary or Associate membership shall be proposed and seconded at a meeting of the Executive Committee.
iii. On the recommendation of the Executive Committee, the members, present and eligible to vote at the Annual General Meeting, may elect for life, as an Honorary Member, or for one year as a Vice-President, any person whom they consider worthy of the distinction.
iv. Subject to the Disciplinary and Appeals Procedure (Appendix 1) the Executive Committee shall be empowered to expel from membership or refuse membership to any individual it considers, at its absolute discretion, to have behaved in such a way as to bring the LCU&SA or the game of cricket into disrepute.
4. SUBSCRIPTIONS
An annual subscription shall be payable by Ordinary and Associate members. The amount of this subscription shall be determined by those members present and eligible to vote at an Annual General Meeting, having received a recommendation from the Executive Committee. If the Meeting so decides, the subscription for umpires may be different from that for scorers and Associate members. The Executive Committee shall decide the means of payment of the subscription.
5. ATTENDANCE AND VOTING
All categories of membership shall be entitled to attend Annual General Meetings. Only Ordinary and Honorary members shall be entitled to attend Special General Meetings.
Ordinary (fully paid-up) and Honorary Members shall be eligible to vote at both Annual and Special General Meetings. Vice-Presidents and Associate Members shall not be entitled to vote at any meetings of the Association. Every person present and entitled to vote at an Annual or Special General meeting shall have one (1) vote. In the event of a tie the Chairman of the meeting (normally, but not necessarily, the President of the Association) shall have a casting vote.
6. GENERAL MEETINGS
The Annual General Meeting of the Association shall be held between the months of January and May. At least 14 days’ notice of, and Agenda for, Annual General Meetings shall be given by the Honorary Secretary. The election of officers and presentation of accounts shall take place at the Annual General Meeting. The Annual General Meeting shall have the power to elect Vice-Presidents of the Association.
The constitution can only be changed at an Annual General Meeting by consent of two-thirds of the members present and eligible to vote. Notice of any changes to the constitution to be sent to the Honorary Secretary no later than 1st January. The details of any proposed changes are to be included on the Agenda of the Annual General Meeting.
A Special General Meeting shall be called by the Executive Committee within 28 days of receipt of a request in writing by at least one third of the total of Ordinary plus Honorary Members of the Association.
Twelve members who are eligible to vote and are present shall constitute a quorum for either an Annual or Special General Meeting.
Apart from changes to the constitution (see above) a simple majority in voting shall be sufficient for all other matters.
7. OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
The officers of the Association shall be:
a) President
b) Honorary Secretary, who will be responsible for correspondence and general administration
c) Honorary Treasurer, who will be responsible for the recording of all monies handled by the Association and shall report to the Executive committee and also to any General Meeting of the Association
d) Honorary Appointments Secretary, who will be convenor of the Appointments committee
e) Honorary Education Secretary, who will be the convenor of the Education & Development sub-committee
f) Honorary Grading Secretary, who will be the convenor of the Grading sub-committee
g) Scorer Representative, who will represent scorers and matters related to scoring. The postholder must be aware of issues related to scorers and scoring
h) Public Relations Officer, who will be responsible for public relations activities including website, social media
In addition to the above, the Executive Committee shall consist of a maximum of two (2) members elected at the Annual General Meeting. Vice-Presidents and Associate members shall not be elected to the Executive Committee.
8. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
The affairs of the Association shall be administered by an Executive Committee, chaired by the President, or in his absence, an officer. Five members of the committee, at least one of whom shall be an officer, shall constitute a quorum.
The committee shall meet as often as necessary for the purpose of transacting business.
The Committee shall have the power to deal with all matters arising out of, or not specifically provided for in the constitution of the Association.
The Committee shall have the power, when deemed necessary, to co-opt a member or members to fill any vacancy that may arise on the committee. The Committee shall also have the power to appoint sub-committees.
The term ‘in writing’ is deemed to include, but not be limited to, email, publication on the LCU&SA website, publication in the LCU&SA newsletter, or by post.
9 CODE OF PRACTICE
The behaviour of members whilst officiating in matches to which they have been appointed by the Appointments Committee of the LCU&SAshall be governed by a Code of Practice. The Code of Practice shall be agreed by the Executive Committee during the close season and circulated to all members at the start of each season. It may not be changed during the course of a playing season.
February 1997 (amended February 1998, February 2004, February 2005, February 2013, February 2014, February 2016) 4
Appendix 1
Disciplinary & Appeals Procedures. (c.f. Constitution Paragraph 3.iv)
The Executive Committee has jurisdiction only over Members and those who wish to become Members.
All Members are expected to uphold the Aims and Objectives of the LCU&SA at all times.
If any Member is deemed, at the absolute discretion of the Executive Committee, to have brought the LCU&SA or the game of cricket into disrepute he will be subject to disciplinary procedures set out within this Appendix 1.
All complaints regarding the behaviour of any Member shall be lodged in writing with the LCU&SA Hon Secretary. Any disciplinary report made under the auspices of Cricket Leinster or Cricket Ireland regarding the behaviour of any Member shall be considered as also made to the LCU&SA Honorary Secretary.
The Executive Committee shall appoint a disciplinary Sub-Committee which will meet to hear complaints within 10 days of a complaint being lodged.
Any Member requested to attend a Disciplinary Sub-Committee hearing shall be entitled to be accompanied by a friend or other representative and to call witnesses. The Disciplinary Sub-Committee has absolute discretion as to the form and the content of such a hearing.
The Executive Committee (or its Sub-Committee) has the power to take appropriate disciplinary action, including the termination of membership.
The outcome of the disciplinary hearing shall be put in writing to the person who lodged the complaint and the Member against whom the complaint was made within 3 days following the hearing.
There shall be a right of appeal to the Executive Committee against either the finding or the sanction imposed or both following disciplinary action being taken.
All appeals shall be lodged in writing with the LCU&SA Hon Secretary within 7 days of the outcome of the disciplinary hearing being conveyed.
The Executive Committee shall appoint an Appeals Committee [a minimum of 3 and maximum of 5] with an independent chairman which shall not include any member involved with the initial disciplinary hearing but may include non Members of the LCU&SA.
The Appeals Committee shall consider the appeal within 14 days of the appeal being lodged.
At an appeals hearing, the individual submitting the appeal shall be entitled to be accompanied by a friend or other representative and to call witnesses. The Appeals Committee has absolute discretion as to the form and the content of such a hearing.
The Appeals Committee shall have the power, at its absolute discretion, to uphold, reverse or otherwise alter the decision of the Disciplinary Sub-Committee, such power to include the power to increase any imposed sanction.
The decision of the Appeals Committee shall be binding and final on all parties with no further right of appeal.
Leinster Cricket Umpires and Scorers Association 