Lostwithiel Bowling Club

THE LOSTWITHIEL BOWLING CLUB

Rules and Constitution

1. The club will be known as the Lostwithiel Bowling Club and will include both a Men’s Section and a Ladies’ Section.
2. The Club is committed to promoting a safe environment in which children and vulnerable adults can enjoy taking part in a game of bowls. It will seek to underpin and ensure this commitment by following and promoting the Child Protection Policy and Procedures of Bowls England/Bowls Cornwall.
3.    The objects of the Club are to promote and foster the sport of flat green bowls at all levels, providing opportunities for recreation and competition.
4. Membership
4.1 Membership of the Club shall be open to any person only on successful application, regardless of sex, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion or other beliefs. Membership may however be limited according to available facilities on a non-discriminatory basis.
4.2 Class of Membership
(a) Full member – able to make full use of facilities, to play in all league games and internal competitions after paying the annual membership fee which is decided annually at the AGM, a meeting they can attend and vote.
(b) Junior member – who must be under 18 years of age on the 1 st January and are able to play in all league
games and internal competitions with no annual fee and cannot vote at the AGM.
(c) Social member – are able, based on a reduced annual fee decided at an AGM, to bowl at social events only and do not have a vote at the AGM.
(d) Honorary member – are non-playing former members of the club and have one vote at the AGM. This class of membership can only be offered by the Executive Committee of the Club on the basis of, for example, them serving many years as a coach, committee member, umpire or volunteer. A CASC club cannot restrict applications from new members on the basis that it has lots of honorary members and therefore cannot accept any new members.

4.5 4.3 Membership subscriptions will be kept at levels that will not pose a significant obstacle to people participating.
4.4 The Club committee may refuse membership or remove it, only for good cause such as conduct likely to bring the Club or sport into disrepute. Appeal against refusal or removal may be made to the members. If consideration of removal is as a result of a disciplinary issue, the procedure to be adopted shall be that as
set out at point 14 of this constitution.
4.5 Application for membership shall be in the form prescribed by the Committee and shall include the name, address and contact details of the candidate.

      4.6 Upon receipt of application the application is considered by the Committee or an appropriate sub-committee or nominated official. The election of all classes of member is vested in this committee and shall be a simple majority. The Secretary shall inform the candidate of the decision and make request for such payments as are necessary.
4.7 All members shall pay the annual subscription fee, as decided by the members at the AGM, on the 1 st January before each season and the use of the Green and Club Premises may be denied to any defaulting member. All subscriptions will be paid into the General Fund. Membership will be free to those under the age of 18 years at the commencement of the season.

4.8 In addition the level of all other fees and charges will be proposed by the Committee to the members at the AGM and decided by the members; these fees and charges being payable on demand.
4.9 4.9 Persons may not be admitted to membership or be admitted as candidates to membership without an interval of at least two days between their nomination or application for membership and admission to the club.

5. The club will be affiliated to Bowls England through Bowls Cornwall and will pay all fees
relating to the affiliations. A General Committee elected by the members will be responsible for all matters relating to the management of the club.
– including the purchase of alcohol for the club and the supply of alcohol by the club to members and their guests.
– excluding matters which relate specifically to the individual Men’s and Ladies’ Sections and which will be the sole responsibility of those sections.
All members of the General Committee will be members of the club and have attained the age of 18. The General Committee will consist of the General Officers and all members of the Committees of both the Ladies’ and Men’s sections. A minimum of six General Committee members shall form a quorum. The General Committee shall have powers of co-option, such co-opted members to have voting rights at the
discretion of the General Committee. The Chairman will preside over all meetings of the General Committee and non-Sectional General Meetings.
6. The General Officers shall be Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Greenkeeper and Club Maintenance Person. The Men’s Section shall elect a Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Captain, Vice-Captain and Match Secretary.
The Ladies’ Section shall elect a Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Captain Vice-Captain and Catering Co-Ordinator.  
The Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Greenkeeper and Club Maintenance Person will be elected by members at the Annual General Meeting. The Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer can, but not necessarily, hold the same position in the Men’s and Ladies Sections.
The Men’s and Ladies’ Sections shall elect their Section Officers at their respective Annual General Meetings.
The Safeguarding Officer will be elected at the Annual General Meeting. He/she will become a member of the Section and general Committee and shall report to the Committee on matters arising.
1. The Officers’ duties shall be as follows: –
(a) Chairman: The Chairman shall generally oversee the conduct of the Club affairs and preside over all Extraordinary, General and Committee meetings of the Club. He/she shall have an ordinary and a casting vote at all meetings. He/she shall also act as the Club Press Officer. The Chairman may also hold the position of Section Chairman.
b. Secretary: The Secretary shall conduct the correspondence of the Club and prepare the minutes of all meetings. In conjunction with the Chairman he/she shall convene the Annual General Meeting and all other meetings of the club. The Secretary may also hold the position of Section Secretary.
c. Treasurer: The Treasurer shall be responsible for all income and expenditure.  He/she shall submit a financial statement to each meeting of the Committee and prepare and present an audited Annual Account to the Annual General Meeting. The Treasurer may also hold a post as Section Treasurer.
(d) Greenkeeper:  The Greenkeeper shall be responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the bowling green. The decision as to whether or not the green or any part thereof is playable or not is at his sole discretion and members must abide by that decision. The use of mats to protect the playing surface is the Green-keeper’s responsibility and any directives he may display must be adhered to.   He shall be responsible to the General Committee.
(e) Club Maintenance Person: The club maintenance person shall be responsible for general maintenance of the club house and surrounding buildings. He shall be responsible to the General Committee.

(f) Men’s Chairman: The Men’s Chairman shall generally oversight the conduct of the Men’s Section and preside over all meetings of the Men’s Section. He shall have an ordinary and casting vote at all Men’s
Section meetings.
(g) Men’s Secretary: The Men’s Secretary shall conduct the correspondence of the Men’s Section and prepare the minutes of all meetings of the Men’s Section. In conjunction with the Men’s Chairman he shall convene the Men’s Section Annual General Meeting and all other meetings of the Men’s Section.
(h) Match Secretary: The Match Secretary shall be responsible for the arrangement of all Men’s and Mixed fixtures. He shall liaise with the Secretary and Section Secretaries. He shall be a member of the Men’s
Section Committee.
(i) Men’s Treasurer: The Men’s Treasurer shall be responsible for the day to day running of the Men’s Section financial affairs. He shall liaise with the Treasurer.
(j) Men’s Captain: The Men’s Captain shall be a member of the Men’s Selection Committee. He will be responsible for convening the Men’s Selection Committee, notifying all selected members including posting the Men’s teams on the notice board and leading the Men’s teams. He shall be jointly responsible with the Ladies’ Captain for the selection of mixed teams.  He may also hold any one other General or Men’s Section position except that of Men’s Vice-Captain.
(k) Men’s Vice-Captain: The Men’s Vice-Captain shall assist the Men’s Captain and shall deputise in his absence. He shall be a member of the Men’s Selection Committee. He may also hold any one other General or Men’s Section position except that of Men’s Captain.
(l) Ladies’ Chairman: The Ladies’ Chairman shall generally oversee the conduct of the Ladies’ Section affairs and preside over all meetings of the Ladies’ Section. She shall have an ordinary and a casting vote at all Ladies’ Section meetings.
(m) Ladies’ Secretary: The Ladies’ Secretary shall conduct the correspondence of the Ladies’ Section, prepare the minutes of all Ladies’ Section meetings and shall act as Ladies’ Fixture Secretary. In conjunction with the Ladies’ Chairman, she shall convene the Ladies’ Section Annual General Meeting and all other meetings of the Ladies’ Section.
(n) Ladies’ Treasurer: The Ladies’ Treasurer shall be responsible for the day to day running of the Ladies’ Section financial affairs and she shall liaise with the Treasurer.
(o) Ladies’ Captain: The Ladies’ Captain shall be a member of the Ladies’ Selection Committee. She will be responsible for convening the Ladies’ Selection Committee, notifying all selected members including posting the Ladies’ teams on the notice board and leading the Ladies’ teams. She shall be jointly responsible with the Men’s Captain for the selection of mixed teams. She may also hold any one other General or Ladies Section position except that of Ladies’ Vice-Captain.
(p) Ladies’ Vice-Captain: The Ladies’ Vice-Captain shall assist the Ladies’ Captain and deputise in her absence. She shall be a member of the Ladies’ Selection Committee. She may also hold any one other General or Ladies’ Section position except that of Ladies’ Captain.
(q) The Catering Co-Ordinator shall be responsible for arranging all catering on the site particularly for National and County events.
(r) Accounts Examiner: The annual accounts of the Club shall be examined by a member of the Club elected at the Annual General Meeting.
(s) Safeguarding Officer: The Safeguarding Officer shall be responsible for the wellbeing of Club members under the age of 18 years and any vulnerable adults. He/she will follow the guidance laid down by Bowls England/ Bowls Cornwall and shall retain, in confidence, parental consent forms and voluntary disclosure forms. He/she shall report to the General Committee on matters arising. He/she is required to be cleared
through the Bowls England approved route by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

1. The Men’s Selection Committee shall consist of the Men’s Captain, Men’s Vice-Captain and one other member elected at the Men’s Section Annual General Meeting. They will be jointly responsible for the selection of all Men’s Teams.
1. The Ladies’ Selection Committee shall consist of the Ladies’ Captain, Ladies’ Vice-Captain and one other member elected at the Ladies’ Section Annual General Meeting. They will be jointly responsible for the selection of all Ladies’ Teams.
1. The Club may elect a President and such Vice-Presidents as the member’s wish. They will not be officers of the Club.
1. When on the Green as players, members must wear flat heel-less bowling shoes.  Those taking part in any matches are expected to wear clothing in accordance with prevailing regulations.
1. Competitions: Various Club Competitions will be arranged by the General Committee which will be played under the laws of Bowls England as appropriate. There will be a closing date for entries, after which no further entries will be accepted. The General Committee will also set the closing dates for the various rounds of each competition. This information must be posted in the Club Pavilion. The General Committee will have the right to eliminate any player who has not completed any game by the date specified for that particular round. The General Committee will consider any representations made by any
such competitor in mitigation prior to the closing date of the round. The decision of the General Committee will be final and binding. Club Competitions will be played only on the Club’s Green. The General Committee may delegate the organisation (including the draw) of any or all Club competitions to a particular group of members. It is the duty of all competitors to negotiate arrangements for their matches to ensure that they are played before the closing date. In all above the General Committee can be substituted by its Nominated Official(s).
 
 13. An Extraordinary Meeting shall be convened at the direction of the General Committee or the Secretary of either Section upon the receipt of a written requisition stating its purpose and signed by at least six members. The committee shall give 14 days’ notice in writing of any such meeting and discussion at that meeting shall be confined to the business stated in the notice to members.
14. Disciplinary action against members.
1. All disciplinary matters will be dealt with in accordance with Bowls England Regulation 9
2. Should any member be expelled, the former member shall not be entitled to have any part of the annual membership fee refunded and must return any property belonging to the club.
15.   Each Section will have its own Annual General Meeting not later than the end of October and a General Meeting will be held not later than the end of November. Only members, as specified under
Section 4.2, shall vote at any General Meeting of the Club.
  
16.  Delegates:  Delegates to Divisional, County or other Association shall be the responsibility of the respective Men’s and Ladies’ Sections and shall be decided at their Annual Meetings.
17. Nominations:  Nominations for Divisional, County or other Association positions shall only be forwarded, if approved, at the appropriate Men’s or Ladies’ Section Annual Meetings.
18. Any changes to these Rules must be approved by the Members at a General Meeting. Proposed alterations must be submitted in writing to the Chairman at least 14 clear days in advance of the General Meeting by the proposer and seconded by another member of the club and voted on by those entitled to vote. (Provided that no such changes to the rules or constitution or regulation shall jeopardise the Club's status as a   Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) within the meaning of the Finance Acts, or in any event alter its objectives or winding-up procedures.)
      

19. The General Committee shall have the power to deal with any matter not provided for in these rules.
20. The Club exists as a non-profit making organisation and any surplus will be reinvested in the Club. Under no circumstances may surpluses or assets be distributed to members or third parties. In addition:
– No arrangements are, or are intended to be, made for any person to receive it at the expense of the club any commission, percentage or similar payment on, or with reference to, purchases of alcohol by the club.
– No arrangements are, or are intended to be, made for any person directly or indirectly to derive pecuniary benefit from the supply of alcohol by or on behalf of the club to members or guests apart from:
* Any benefit accruing to the club as a whole, or
* Any benefit which a person derives indirectly by reason of the supply giving rise or contributing to a general gain from the carrying on of the club.

21. In the event of the club ceasing to exist the assets of the club will be divided equally between
(1) Bowls Cornwall.
  (2)   Bowls Cornwall North East Division (Group 2).
       (3)  Bowls Cornwall South East Division. (Group 3)
22. All matches shall be played in accordance with the Laws of the Sport as approved by Bowls England.
The Club and its members shall, as a condition of the continuance of affiliation to Bowls England, and at all times and in all respects conform to and bound by the rules of Bowls England.
23. Members are bound by the following Rule which shall be exhibited in a prominent place within the Club premises:
23.1. Members of the Club may use the Club's premises, and any other facilities of the Club, entirely at their own risk and impliedly accept:
23.2. The Club will not accept any liability for any damage to or loss of property belonging to members.
23.3 The club will not accept any liability for personal injury arising out of the use of the Club premises, any other facility of the Club either sustained by members or caused by the said members whether or not such damage or injury could have been attributed to or was occasioned by the neglect, default or negligence of any of them, the Officers, Committee or Servants of the Club.
24. Each member of the Lostwithiel Bowling Club shall (to the extent that such person is not entitled to recover under any policy of insurance) be entitled to be indemnified out of all funds available to the Lostwithiel Bowling Club which may lawfully be so applied, against all costs, expenses and liabilities whatsoever incurred by such person in the proper execution and discharge of duties undertaken on behalf of the Lostwithiel Bowling Club or arising therefrom, or incurred in good faith in the purported discharge of such duties.
Save in any such case where any such costs, expenses and liabilities arise in connection with any negligence, default, or breach of duty or breach of trust.
The limit of any individual member's indemnity in this respect shall be the sum equal to one year’s subscription at the then current rate of that category of membership unless the Committee has been authorised to exceed such limit by a General Meeting of the Club.
 
25. Membership of the club and acceptance of the Rules and Constitution by the members will be deemed to constitute consent to the holding of relevant personal data for the purpose of the Data Protection Act and in addition all relevant personal data held by the club will comply with General Data Protection Regulations and will only be held for legitimate reasons of club management, promotion, and communication with
members. All new members must sign consent on the Application for Membership form.

Dated 15 th October 2010.
Revised 20 th October 2013.
Revised 17 th October 2014.

Revised 15 th October 2015
Revised 12 th October 2017
Revised 7 th April 2018
Revised 10 th February 2020
Revised 5 th February 2024