1 TITLE
The Association shall be called the Herefordshire Short Mat Bowling Association (HSMBA).
2 OBJECTIVES
a) To promote, develop and regulate the game of Short Mat Bowling in the best interest
of its members.
b) To conduct, control and monitor all leagues and open competitions carried out
by the Association or its members.
c) To promote the image of the Association generally and to arrange representative
matches with other Associations or Leagues.
d) The Association shall recognise the English Short Mat Bowling Association (ESMBA)
as the governing body of the sport and shall observe the guidance set out in the
ESMBA Information Pack (the Green Book).
3 MEMBERSHIP
a) Membership shall be open to any club that the Management Committee considers to
be of club status and is capable of sustaining its commitment to the Association
and conducting its affairs in an honest and sporting manner.
b) People of all ages, both sexes, regardless of disability, upon receipt of a correctly
completed registration form and application fee shall be eligible for membership
of the Association and League.
c) Individual members of the Association must register with the Association via one
club only and conduct themselves properly at all times, and must not cause any disrepute
to fall on the Association or any of its member clubs.
d) The Association may elect individual honorary or life members in recognition of
their services to the Short Mat Game.
e) Any club or individual eligible to apply for membership of the Association must
have paid all outstanding fees, subscriptions, levies, fines and other payments to
any other Short Mat Association.
f) Membership shall be open to clubs or players in adjacent counties, subject to
Rule 3(e) of the ESMBA Rules and Constitution.
g) All Clubs must have Public Liability Insurance in place; this is a requirement
of being a member of the Association.
h) Players wishing to transfer from one Club to another during the year may apply
to do so. The 'gaining' club must notify the County Secretary in writing at least
14 days before transfer. The County Secretary will check with the 'losing' club
to ensure that there are no outstanding issues that might affect the transfer and
confirm to the 'gaining' club that the transfer may take place. No additional fee
is required.
i) In the Winter League a player may only play for the club with which he/she is
ESMBA/HSMBA registered.
j) In the Summer League registered players may represent another club in that competition
only.
4 FEES AND SUBSCRIPTIONS
a) Each member club shall pay a yearly subscription and/or league fee to the Association,
which shall be fixed at the Annual General Meeting and must be paid on or before
the due date.
b) Each individual member who wishes to participate in HSMBA or ESMBA leagues or
competitions shall pay a yearly registration fee as set by the Association and/or
the ESMBA.
c) New players registered after 30 November will be excluded from all ESMBA National
Championships in that particular season.
5 MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
a) The affairs of the Association shall be conducted by a Management Committee which
shall have a maximum of 12 members to include a President, Chairperson, Vice Chairperson,
Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Secretary, League Secretary, Competition Secretary,
Press Officer, Welfare Officer and Captain(s) of the County Team(s) (collectively
'Specified Posts') and all members of the Committee are to be elected annually at
the Annual General Meeting. The committee shall not, at any time, comprise less than
8 members. A nomination for Committee will only be valid if it is proposed and seconded
by 2 members of the Association.
b) The Management Committee shall be elected by the AGM as follows:
i) A vote will be held in respect of each of the Specified Posts. If no nominations
have been received for a post then nominations will be accepted from the floor of
the meeting.
ii) If any of the posts of President, Secretary, Treasurer or Captain(s) of the
County Team(s) ('Reserved Posts') remain unfilled at this point then a committee
will be elected with places left reserved for these posts to be filled as and when
candidates with suitable skills and attributes can be identified by the committee.
iii) An individual may be nominated for, and elected to, multiple Specified Posts.
iv) An individual nominated for a Specified Post, but being unsuccessful in the
election, may then choose to have his/her name included in the election for general
committee positions, should any such positions be available.
v) At the conclusion of the election to the Specified Posts a vote will then
be held between nominees for general committee positions, including those nominees
unsuccessful in elections to Specified Posts, such as to make the committee up to
12, inclusive of any unfilled Reserved Posts. If the number of nominees does not
exceed the number of positions available then each nominee will be voted on separately.
If insufficient nominations have been received, or positions remain available after
voting, then proposals will be accepted from the floor of the meeting and voted on
individually. If the number of nominees exceeds the number of positions available
then a ballot will be held in which each voting club representative can vote for
a number of candidates up to the number of positions available with the nominee(s)
with the highest total number of votes being elected to the available positions.
vi) All votes referred to above require a simple majority of eligible votes,
exclusive of abstentions, in order for election to be secured.
c) The Committee will be responsible for ensuring that any duties and responsibilities
attached to positions to which no post holder has been elected are allocated to other
committee members, association members or third parties as appropriate.
d) Committee members shall act in the best interests of the Association and not
as club representatives. A committee member may not act as a club representative
at any general meeting of the Association.
e) All committee members will stand down at the end of their period of office, which
will expire at the next AGM after their appointment, but may seek re-election.
f) The Management Committee shall have the power to set up sub-committees to deal
with any specific matter. Such sub-committees may comprise of committee members,
other Association members and/or appropriate third parties at the discretion of the
committee.
g) The Management Committee shall be empowered to:
i) fill any vacancy arising during the year
ii) fill any unfilled Reserved Posts
6 COMMITTEE MEETINGS
a) A quorum shall consist of not less than 50% of the Committee.
b) Each member present shall be entitled to one vote. When necessary the Chairperson
of each meeting shall have the casting vote.
c) The Committee shall have the power to submit notices of motion and make recommendations
to the Annual General Meeting.
d) The Management and/or Sub-Committee shall meet as often as the business of the
Association requires and both the Secretary and Chairperson shall be empowered to
call and attend such meetings.
e) A register of attendance shall be kept by the Secretary and submitted for scrutiny
at every Annual General Meeting.
7 ANNUAL AND OTHER GENERAL MEETINGS
a) An Annual General Meeting shall be held no later than June 14 of each year, and
at least twelve weeks notice shall be given by the Secretary. Notices of motion
and nominations for office may be submitted by any fully paid up member of the Association
in writing to the Secretary not later than eight weeks before the AGM. Any proposed
amendments by clubs / individuals shall be received not later that four weeks before
the AGM.
b) The Annual General Meeting shall be open to all members, but each club shall send
one representative to vote on behalf of that Club. Special and/or other General
Meetings shall be conducted on the same voting basis
c) The AGM shall elect an independent examiner to verify the forthcoming year's accounts.
d) General meetings may be called, at not less than two weeks notice, by the Management
Committee or on the request of at least four clubs. The notices calling for such
a meeting shall specify the purpose for which it is called and no other business
shall be transacted at the meeting.
e) No quorum is necessary for the AGM, as the business of the Association must proceed.
8 TRANSACTION OF THE ASSOCIATION'S BUSINESS
a) The management of the affairs of the Association shall be exercised by the Management
Committee who shall have all the powers necessary to do so.
b) All funds of the Association shall be lodged in the name of the Association in
a bank or building society as agreed by the Management Committee. The Treasurer shall
retain to hand a sum sufficient for current expenses. Any two from Chairperson, Secretary
and Treasurer shall sign all cheques and orders.
c) The Secretary shall be responsible for keeping a record of the business transacted
at all meetings. At the Annual General Meeting the Secretary shall report on the
proceedings since the previous AGM.
d) The Treasurer shall submit at the AGM financial statements for the financial year
ending no later than 30 April. The financial statements shall be certified by the
independent examiner appointed at the previous AGM.
9 DISCIPLINARY AND APPEALS PROCEDURE
Disciplinary and Appeals Procedures shall be conducted as per those set out by the
ESMBA in their Information Pack which states that such procedures may only be activated
by the receipt in writing of a formal complaint, an allegation of misconduct, a breach
of the Rules or Bye-Laws of a League, Club, Team or Individual Player registered
within the ESMBA.
10 SEVERANCE OF MEMBERSHIP
The Management Committee shall be empowered to suspend or determine the membership
of any club or individual member.
11 CONDITIONS OF PLAY
The laws of the game governing short mat bowling shall apply to all games with the
exception of such variations that are approved by the National Association. For
the purpose of internal club competitions clubs may make such regulations as are
deemed necessary.
12 ALTERATION OF THE RULES
a) The Management Committee shall be empowered to amend or add to the Constitution
or Rules of the Association as deemed necessary for the good of the Association.
Any such changes shall not be put into effect until ratification by a general meeting
of the Association.
b) Extraordinary General Meetings shall be empowered to amend or add to the Constitution
or Rules of the Association provided that all clubs have been given prior notice
of the meeting.
Any motions being put forward to amend the HSMBA League Rules and Conditions of Play
must be submitted to the Secretary at least 28 days prior to the AGM.
13 DISSOLUTION
The Association is a non-profit making organisation. On winding up or dissolution
of the Association any surplus will be distributed to a successor association, extant
member clubs of the association or registered charities as deemed appropriate in
the circumstances by the Management Committee.
