Following a meeting of the Championship Committee (CC) that took place earlier this week please find below a position statement on the current fixtures backlog

The recent sustained period of bad weather has caused the postponement of so many cup and championship matches that the Championship Committee anticipates being faced with the unprecedented requirement of devising a means of resolving cup fixtures by means other than being able to allow matches to be played. This is because the standby dates not otherwise taken up by championship fixtures are all but exhausted and the Cup competition is constrained by the final, semi final and quarter final deadlines. Much will depend upon the weather impact this coming week-end but it is likely that this issue will require to be addressed in the course of next week. To this end the Committee has arranged to meet next week in an endeavour to be as pro-active as possible in minimising the impact of the many postponements.

There are two means by which clubs can help to reduce the anticipated difficulty. Firstly by using every possible endeavour to co-operate with each other in playing off outstanding fixtures on alternative, agreed dates, midweek if necessary and under floodlights if available at any ground reasonably accessible and available to clubs. Secondly the Committee wishes to make clear that if an agreement is reached between clubs faced with insurmountable fixture difficulties that one will concede the round to the other the club conceding the fixture will automatically be put into the lower bowl or shield competition, whichever is appropriate, as if the fixture had been played.


The method of resolving unplayed fixtures has not been decided upon but clubs will doubtless agree that the playing of fixtures or their resolution by agreement will be preferable.



D.Mackie Chairman

This article was posted on 12-Feb-2009, 19:06 by Hugh Barrow.