1. After the initial draw and at the end of each round, the Shield Organiser will notify each of the home team managers in the next round of their opponents. It is the responsibility of the home team to contact the away team and offer two dates for the match which are in the first two weeks of the round window, one of which must be accepted. Failure to do this before the season starts (for preliminary/first round matches), or within 48 hours of being notified of opponents (following rounds), will result in the loss of home advantage and the ‘away’ team now becomes the ‘home’ team and the above applies. Clubs are encouraged to enforce this rule to ensure the tournament is not delayed unnecessarily. None of the dates offered should clash with a Gwent Young Cricketers or Wales fixture at the relevant age-groups in which players of either team are involved. Shield matches take precedent over League.

2. It is the responsibility of the winning manager to email the results sheet to the Shield Organiser at ‘mbsresults@btinternet.com’ within 24 hours of the game being played and to contact immediately the two other clubs in the same section of the Draw.

3. A fixture is deemed to be abandoned if both teams are willing to play, or have started to play, the fixture but are unable to complete it because the pitch is unsafe to play on. Similarly, matches may only be postponed due to the pitch being unsafe to play on. If a team postpones/cancels the match for any other reason, or is unable to agree a rearrangement (under Rule 1), then the match will deem to be conceded. A postponed fixture must be re-arranged before the round closing date with the venue reversed, if the away team has arrived at the home ground. Once re-arranged the same Rule on postponement/abandonment applies. Postponement and rearrangement of matches should be completed by email using the ‘reply’ function so that an audit trail can be established in case of a dispute.

4. If a rearrangement cannot be made then a team has the right to request a ‘Claimed Match’ (by completing the ’match claimed form’ and emailing to ‘mbsresults@btinternet.com’) as does the original ‘away’ team where the original ‘home’ team has failed to agree any of the dates offered in accordance with Rule 1.

5. If the match has not been played before the due date, the Shield Organiser may award the fixture to one of the teams (in the case of a ‘claimed match’) or decide the result by the toss of a coin. In exceptional circumstances, such as prolonged bad weather, the Organiser may suspend a round deadline.

6. A club shall be eligible for the competition if its ground is based within, or it draws its players from, the county borough boundaries of:- Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Newport, Monmouthshire, Torfaen. A club may not enter more than one team in an age group.

7. A player, who must be a bona fide junior member, may represent a club provided he/she is under the age of 11, 13 or 15 on the first day of September prior to the season of the competition. For the purposes of the competition, girls will be deemed to be one year younger than their actual age at Under 11 and Under 13 and two years younger at Under 15. No player may play for more than one club in a season unless at an age group where the player’s normal club has not entered a team. A player may play for one or more age groups provided the above birth-date requirement is satisfied.

8. Management of the competition shall be the responsibility of Gwent Young Cricketers. All decisions reached by the Shield Organiser will be final. Clubs are accepted into the Shield on the understanding that they comply fully with the ECB guidelines on the wearing of helmets and child protection and that the Organisers shall have no liability whatsoever for anything that happens before, during or after any match.