Code of Conduct Prepared by: Elvis Vincent

1.Brief Introduction:

Toronto Mississauga Cricket Club (TMCC) is a not for profit organization. TMCC was constituted to promote the game of cricket among Youth and Adults in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Since our inception we have now grown into an organization that has undertaken several community based activities in the Greater Toronto Area. Key activities that we have undertaken over the years include promoting Age Well Programs for the seniors which includes yoga classes with Pranayama & fitness programs for all age groups, Kids coaching and mentoring programs, Friendly but professionally administered Cricket Tournaments for Youth and Kids, physical fitness and promoting gender neutrality in sport.

The TMCC league is known for being family friendly and competitive at the same time. We currently have about 300 plus active participants and our programs touch about 2000+ individuals (families, friends and kids). These programs are catching attention of the community and the media. We have several eminent leaders from Toronto who support this program. (His Worship former Mayor of Toronto, Dave Miller, Mr. Adam Vaughn, MP of Parliament, Mr. Yvan Baker, MPP, Ms. Donna Cansfield, former MPP, St. George’s society of Toronto and Toronto Police to name a few.)

2.Vision & Mission:

Promote active living for all age groups, through sport, exercise & yoga and promoting environmental awareness within the community. To create a recreational forum where passionate cricketers past their prime get an opportunity to participate in the league, have fun in a competitive yet friendly manner.

3.Cricketing Rules & League format:

The International Cricket Councils Standard T20 International match playing conditions apply for the Toronto City Cricket League with the following exceptions

4.Twenty-Five over Format (25):

TMCC Cricket league’s mission is to maximize participation in the matches. All matches will be a twenty-five over a side (25) match. Each bowler will be allowed to bowl a maximum of 20% of the overs played.

5.Points system:

Winners of each league games will be awarded 2 points and the team losing zero points. A draw due to rain or other weather event will result in each team being awarded one point. At the end of the round robin stage, the top four teams with the highest standing will enter the play offs.

Teams finishing in the top 4 would qualify for the playoff round. First, a semifinal game would be played between the number 1 and number 2 teams. The winner of the two games would go straight into the final. Next, an eliminator game would be played between the number 3 and number 4 teams. The loser will get knocked out of the tournament. The winner would go on to play in the second qualifier against the losing team of the first qualifier. Now the winner of this game would qualify for the final.

6.Play offs eligibility:

For a player to be eligible to participate in the play offs, he should have played at least five(5) games at a minimum in the league stages. Players who have played only four games or less are NOT eligible to participate in the play offs.

7.Minimum Players to constitute a game:

A minimum of seven (7) players are required to constitute a game. In the absence of seven players the team that is short will be penalized by awarding the match to the opposing team.

8.Group Classification:

The City of Toronto offers several avenues for young and aspiring cricketers. There is a growing number of passionate cricketers who do not get an opportunity to participate in these leagues and compete with the younger generation. In order to create a level playing field and allow participation across all age groups, TMCC mandates that in every playing XI, a maximum of three (3) players can be below the age of twenty-eight (28) years will be allowed in a game. All other players in the playing XI must be 29 years of age or older. The cut-off date for this age qualification is Dec 31, 2022.

Any player that does not qualify as a 28+ player, will automatically be considered a “youth” player i.e. below 28 years of age.

At the start of each match, the Captain will submit the Match Sheet (or soft copy) to the leg to the Umpire. From the 11 + 1 = 12 names listed on the match sheet, a maximum of three (3) players can be “youth” players.

These three names will be clearly indicated by the Captain on the match sheet by writing the word “youth” next to that player’s name.

No team will be permitted to have more than three (3) youth players in the 12 names submitted on a match sheet.

All age verifications will be carried out randomly and as required or upon complaint from an other teams during the season. We expect this to be a honor sytem which the captians and their team management abide by.

9.Twelfth Man Rule:

TMCC Tournament will enable the 12th man to play as a substitute, based on the following guidelines:

10. Officiating the Games:

TMCC Board will nominate a panel of umpires to officiate in the league matches. These umpires are certified paid professionals and are accountable for officiating the games in a neutral and non-controversial manner.

The umpire’s decision on the field is final. All teams should strictly adhere to this guideline. Any form of protest on the field will be treated as dissent and the TMCC board shall have the right to take appropriate action.

The leg umpire will also play the role of the scorer (using an app on a mobile device).

11. Penalty for no show & Cancellations

Our officials’ (Umpires) provide their availability to the league in advance. The Umpires do get paid according the schedule. Should there be a cancellation, the league is supposed to provide a 24 hours’ notice to the Umpire. Therefore, it is strongly recommend, that any change or cancellation is to be conveyed with minimum of 24 hours – time frame.

In case of sudden cancellation, officials are to be paid, as planned and TMCC will levy $200CAD on the defaulting team. In case both teams default, the costs will be split equally.

12. Leg Umpires as Scorers:

Leg umpires will also have the additional role of being the scorers for the game. The scoring is usually done on an app such as CRICHQ or other third party apps. As you are aware that technology can sometime fail us so we enourage captians and managers to have their teams maintain a manual score on their end also check with the leg umpire at reasonable frequent intervals to ensure accuracy.

13. Cricket Balls:

TMCC board will be using a pink cricketing ball for this season. Every innings will start with a new ball and will last for 25 overs.

TMCC will be supplying balls for all the games. These balls are the property of the league. We encourage teams to preserve these balls for use as reserve in case of water damage or lost balls.

When a ball is damaged beyond the usual or lost during the course of an innings, alternative balls from available reserve balls should be used.

14. Team Constitution & Roster:

At the start of the season every team will submit a roster of 30 individuals that the board will register. Captains must submit their playing eleven and 12th man from this roster of registered players.

There are no limit on the number of “Youth Players” that can be registered in the roster, subject to the rule that no more than three (3) players will be allowed in any given game.

No player who is not registered on this roster can participate in any matches.

Teams will have to forgo/forfeit the game if it is known/discovered that a non- registered player has played in a game.

Should the umpire or the opposing captains discover that a player not registered as part of the roster has participated in a match, either of them can officially submit a written complaint to the President and Secretary of the TMCC board. The board will carry out a due diligence process and if it is established that a team was indeed guilty of playing a non-registered player, then the TMCC President/Secretary will award the game to the opposing team and impose a fine of $150 per offence. A repeated offence could result in striking the team off the league.

15. Scheduling & Logistics:

A typical season consists of 14 weekends. The Board Secretary will publish a match schedule for the entire season by May 1, 2023. Teams are expected to prepare and be available to play accordingly. It is common courtesy to notify the board seceratry and the opposing captains in case you are unable to play and are forfeiting a match.

When a team doesn’t show up, in addition to forfeiting the game, losing 2 points, a financial penalty as described in section 11 above will be levied.

All league matches unless otherwise communicated will commence at 7.00 AM and will be completed by 11.30 AM. There will be a 10 min break between innings.

Captains are expected to be available at the ground at 7.20AM with their respective match sheets for the toss. Captains will hand over the match sheet to the umpire by 7.20 AM. No changes to the match sheet will be allowed once the game has commenced.

Location of all the games will be at Centennial Park Grounds A & B, Etobicoke, ON. Intersection of Eglinton Ave W and Explorer Drive

16. Home Team:

One of the teams for every weekend will be designated as home team. The responsibilities of the home team are to clearly mark the boundaries with visibly bright colored cones, set the stumps on the pitch before commencement of the toss. The home team will be responsible for removing the stumps and the boundary markers/cones upon conclusion of the match.

17. Reporting Grievances:

During the course of the match, the Captains are expected to report any issues and/or concerns to the Umpire. The Umpire’s decision will be final. However, should there be a further need to escalate, please send in a written complaint providing details of the issue at hand addressed to the “The President & Secretary of the board.

Participating captains can lodge a complaint against any umpiring decisions if they deem necessary. All such complaints will be directed to the President and Secretary of the board. The TMCC board will evaluate these complaints and respond appropriately.

18. Annual Fees:

The annual fees is $3500. From time to time the board will review the costs of running the league and notify the team managers and captains of any changes proposed to be introduced to the fees structure. Adequate notice will be given prior to any changes being implemented.

Advance of 1500$ to be on or before 1st of March 2023

Balance of 2000$ to be paid on or before 1st of April 2023

Fees include but are not limited to the city charges for leasing the grounds, supplying of match balls, umpiring fees, scoring fees, trophies, prizes and other adhoc events related to the league.

19. Refunds:

If a team chooses to discontinue mid-way of the tournament, there will not be any refunds given.

20. Renewal of Participating teams:

TMCC Board will review the membership of every participating team once in two years. Upon the review by the board, the membership will be renewed for a further two years. Should the Board decide to withdraw membership, adequate notice will be given to the affected teams.

21. Code of Conduct:

Players, captains, managers and officials of all participating teams are expected to maintain the spirit and decorum of the game of Cricket at all times during the tournament. TMCC would like to promote a culture of inclusiveness, diversity, friendship and family oriented fun. It is not uncommon for friends, family and kids to join in the proceedings as spectators during the matches. TMCC will strictly implement and observe this code of conduct should participants violate any of the below clauses or indulge in appropriate behavior would take necessary steps to maintain this decorum.

22. Physical violence:

TMCC expects players to maintain a calm demeanor at times when passions are high and things get out of control during a game. Any physical violence will absolutely not be tolerated. Any participant member/player involved in Physical violence will be expelled from the league and not be allowed to participate in any future league activities. Additionally the matter will be reported to the local Police authorities which may lead to charges of assault and others by the Police.

23. Use of Foul Language or Swearing:

Use of foul language or swearing during a match is prohibited. When any such incident is reported to the board, after due diligence the board will review the seriousness and gravity of the situation and may expel such players and/or suspend them from further participation in the league.

24. Umpiring Decisions:

TMCC Board will endeavor to hire the best available and certified umpires to officiate during the league matches. As such the officiating umpires for every match will be wholly and solely responsible for administering the matches. The umpire’s decisions are final and binding. Participating teams are advised against dissenting, protesting and/or challenging the umpire’s decisions on the field.

Umpires will provide a written complaint to the President and the Secretary of any such incident. TMCC board will review and after due diligence if they find that that a player/team indeed had indulged in such activities, then a suitable penalty will be levied which could be suspension from one or more games depending on the severity of the offence.

25. Clearing of Garbage:

The Centennial Parks and Grounds are a protected area used by several constituents from the Greater Toronto Area. It is not uncommon for the grounds to be occupied after the morning matches by other leagues and teams. It is our desire to keep these grounds as clean as possible and hand it over to the leagues following our matches in a clean, playing condition.

To this effect, the captains and managers of respective teams are responsible and accountable to get the garbage (snacks, bottles, paper etc.) cleared and binned in bins that are made available for this purpose. Non-Compliance of this condition can result in a fine up to $50 per incident.

26. Team Uniform & Protection:

All participating teams are expected to wear a colored uniform of their choice. Additionally, the teams are expected to carry and use their own protective equipment such as batting pads, batting gloves, helmets and abdominal guards.

Umpires are empowered to refuse a player from batting or fielding in close in positions without adequate protection.

It is important to note that this season the league will be introducing “pink” colored leather balls. As such pads should be in contrasting colors other than pink. Color of the uniform can be anything but pink.

27. Consumption of Alcohol on the field:

Consumption of alcohol during the course of a match is strictly prohibited. Any such activity if reported to the Board will be dealt with strictly. Offenders may be fined up to $50 and/or suspended for one or more games.

28. Exceptions:

Matters that do not fall in any of the above sub-sections on the code of conduct will be dealt with as an exception by the Board.

29. Notifications and responses:

From time to time, the board will notify the captains and managers about various matters pertaining to the league via emails. Should the board seek written responses from captains and managers, the Board expects them to promptly respond to such emails and notifications within the specified time limits. No reminders will be sent. Non responses will be treated as acceptance.

30. Captains & Managers Meet:

Periodically (at least twice or thrice a year), TMCC Board will invite the captains and managers to attend meetings in person to discuss and/or communicate matters pertaining to the league. The captains and managers are expected to attend these meetings. Adequate notice will be given prior to the meetings. The TMCC Board will communicate the brief agenda and other logistical information for these meetings.

31. Annual Meet & Gala Event:

TMCC Board conducts an annual meet and Gala event at the boards discretion. Typically such events are either held at the end of the season on the Centennial Grounds or at a designated conference/banquet hall in the GTA. We encourage the participation of families and friends. The purpose of this event is

  • To felicitate our sponsors and key stakeholders
  • To encourage families and friends to participate in a fun filled event
  • Distribution of various trophies and prizes for the season.
  • Others

The Board expects participation from all the teams. The Board may call on the participating teams for volunteers to be a part of the organizing committee.

Being a not for profit organization, the Board typically does not charge for participation exceptions being when we DO NOT have adequate sponsors to cover our costs.

32. Waiver & Indemnification:

All participating teams and officiating umpires and scorers will sign a waiver form indemnifying the TMCC league and the board against any injuries that they may have on the field during the course of the matches.

Indemnification forms will be provided to each team in due course to sign and return to the President of the Board.

33. Membership and contacts:

Also known as the team roster. Captains and Managers will be required to fill up the membership form that will be provided in due course before the start of the season. This information will be submitted to Parks department.

Additionally Captians and Managers are to provide a team profile (Powerpoint template will be provided). The idea is to enable us to correctly set the players up in the CricHQ app along with their notable skills.

34. Amendments:

From time to time the Board will make necessary changes to these rules of engagement and format of the game to align and adapt to changing circumstances. All such matters will be presented to the participating team managers and captains for feedback and review. On all such matters the Board’s decision will be final. Teams not in concurrence will have the option to exit the league without prejudice.

35. TMCC Schedule for Season 2023:

Dear Captains and Managers,

In further conversation with Saurabh our lead umpire, there were a few topics that were brought up for clarification. I wanted to share the same with you folks so that the umpires and you all are on the same page.

Game Start time, Toss Time and Associated Info Home team should make their way early enough to setup the grounds for the match.

All matches must start at 7.25 AM and no later than 7.30 AM.

All matches will end by 11.30 AM. That is the max limit we have the permit for.

A minimum of seven(7) players should be on the ground for the captain to participate in the toss – else the toss may be awarded to the team that shows up and if seven(7) players do not show up by 7.45 AM, the match will be awarded to the opposing team by the umpire.

If the match starts late due to the non-availability of players, the umpire can penalize the opposing team by a certain number of overs (as he deems appropriate) so that the match ends on time (11.30 AM)

Clarification on time lag when players leave the field:

If a player from the playing 11 leaves the field for a break, the said player cannot come back and bowl immediately. The said player has to wait for the number of overs he was out before being allowed to bowl. As an example: If a player from the playing 11 takes a break for 3 overs, he should wait at least 3 overs before being allowed to bowl.

This rule does not apply to the 12th man who is brought in to bowl.

Discipline related:

For any unacceptable behavior by any player, umpires shall implement procedure laid down in MCC law 42 by issuing warnings / penalty runs depending on the level of offence, before reporting matter to TMCC.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out should you need any further clarification on this matter.

Cheers