Over rates on agenda

CRICKET: SLOW over rates are under the microscope again.

A number of games this season have run over time in the first innings — sides have two and three-quarter hours to bowl 45 overs — which led in one instance to a letter of complaint being sent to the Saddleworth League’s executive committee.

An innings can run over for genuine reasons — injury to a player and lost balls for instance — and umpires consider all these before reporting clubs.

The league set up a sub-committee several years ago to decide what action should be taken for slow over rates, but their proposal was rejected by clubs.

Now, the league is taking a fresh look at the matter, with the view to voting on a suggestion at the next annual meeting in October.


THE league’s ‘Weathertime System’ came into operation for the first time last weekend.
Matches at Austerlands, Heyside, Saddleworth and Shaw applied the formula, which determines results of matches when rain interrupts play, and no problems were reported.

Clubs must inform results secretary Phil Taylor if ‘Weathertime’ is used, the revised target of the team batting second and number of overs when calling-in scores.