By-Laws

Updated: September 2021

1. Code of conduct

The Code of Conduct of the South Metropolitan Cricket Association is written and designed with the express intention to provide clear guidelines under which the SMCA Executive, member clubs and officials wish to see the game of cricket played in all matches involving SMCA registered players, teams or clubs.

The Code of Conduct is enshrined in the By-Laws of the association with the express intention of all participants to be bound to play, administer and watch the game of cricket within the SMCA with goodwill and sportsmanship and within the boundaries of normal and acceptable community standards.

The Code of Conduct applies to all registered players, officials, office bearers, club members or supporters, member clubs including SMCA Umpires association.

Additionally the Code of Conduct will apply to any functions sanctioned by the SMCA such as Annual General Meeting’s, Special General Meeting’s, President and Executive meetings, Association windups, Inter-association matches and functions where SMCA members, officials, umpires or spectators are involved.

Breaches of the code of conduct may be referred to the SMCA Protests and Disputes Committee under By-Law 63a. and must be referred in any of the following manner:

1. Report by an SMCA appointed (official umpire) or a team captain in the event that the match does not have an SMCA appointed official umpire. A report from a club captain must be counter signed by a club official as confirmation that the club supports the captain’s decision to make the report. All reports must be lodged within the specified time frame and by the method as outlined in By-Law 63a (iii).

2. Any report received by the SMCA Administrator will be referred for investigation and hearing by the P&D provided it meets the criteria as outlined above. If a report falls outside of the criteria, it can be referred as a matter to the P&D only if it is referred directly by the executive after discussion and review at an executive meeting or by a review of the information by another medium, most notably being email or phone between all available executive members.

3. Member clubs that breach the code of conduct will be subject to fines and penalties including penalties towards the Champion Club award if found guilty of any offence.

4. Should a player be reported and a P&D convened, the player’s captain is required to attend the P&D along with the player/s involved.

If a player, official, spectator or club is found guilty of a breach or breaches of the code, penalties as outlined in By-Law 65b will be applied by the P&D. The guideline for offences and penalties shall act as an indicator for the P&D but the P&D have the autonomy to apply penalties, as it deems appropriate.

Breaches of the code will include but not be limited to:

  • Verbal abuse of another player, spectator, official or umpire
  • Assault or attempted assault of another player, spectator, official or umpire
  • Threatening or intimidating behaviour towards another player, spectator, official or umpire
  • Dissent
  • Equipment abuse/property damage
  • Excessive appealing
  • Failure to control spectator behaviour inclusive of club members
  • Misconduct
  • Vilification
  • Harassment

Web participation by members of the South Metropolitan Cricket Association to vilify, defame or criticise other members of the South Metropolitan Cricket Association whether they be players or official’s acting in any capacity where it is deemed to be bringing the game into disrepute. Any player or official found to be engaging in this sort of activity may be brought before the P&D to answer a charge or charges of bringing the game into disrepute and be dealt with in accordance with this code of conduct.

Web participation is currently defined as all forms of public web-based communication and expression, such as blogs, microblogs, linkblogs, social network sites, wikis, bookmark sites, photo sharing sites, video sharing sites, forums, mailing lists, discussion groups and chat rooms.

Breach of Code of Conduct Offences:

All breaches of the code of conduct will be graded in severity and the below chart is to be used as a guide only for reporting purposes. A further recommendation from the P&D to upgrade the severity of any charge brought before it will be allowable at the time of the P&D hearing or before. Any upgrade in a charge against a reported player or club will be taken into consideration in the determining any penalty handed down by the P&D.

Level 1 Offences
Equipment abuse.

Excessive appealing and dissent towards an umpires decision.

Sending a batsman off by pointing or gestures when a wicket has fallen

Changing the condition of the ball.

Refusing to give their name to an umpire.

A minimum penalty for individuals of two (2) playing dates ban and a maximum of four (4) playing dates ban. See Annexure B for guidelines.

Level 2 Offences:

Threatening or intimidating behaviour towards an umpire, official or player including verbal abuse, running aggressively towards a batsman or non-striker when a wicket has been taken.

Vilification of a minor type.

Attempted assault or light contact with another player.

Disrespecting a SMCA official

A minimum penalty for individuals of six (6) playing dates and a maximum penalty of twelve (12) playing dates. The offending player/official’s club to be fined $100 per offence a
player/official is found guilty of and be penalised towards club champion award. See Annexure C for guidelines.

Failure of Clubs to control spectator behaviour, inclusive of club members whilst clubmembers are spectators will carry a minimum penalty $100 fine with maximum penalty to be
$500 plus possible suspensions depending on severity of each case.

Players or officials from a club acting as spectators at another club may also be covered under this rule and subject to penalties such as fines and suspensions as deemed appropriate by the P&D.

Level 3 Offences:
Bringing the game into disrepute, which may include failure to control player, official or spectator behaviour resulting in loutish or anti social behaviour and which may cause the SMCA or the game of cricket’s reputation to be tarnished in the eyes of member clubs, the general public or the WACA as the governing body of cricket in Western Australia.

Vilification of a major nature including but not limited too, racial, religious, colour, ethnic origin, cultural or severe personal nature or sexual by words or gesture..

Physical assault of a player, spectator, official or umpire.

Serious threatening or intimidating behaviour towards an umpire, including a fieldsman leaving his position in the field to approach an umpire for any reason.

Web participation by members of the SMCA as defined in this Code of Conduct.

Harassment or bullying of members of the SMCA Executive by phone, email or other communication. This generally involves, but is not limited to, obscenities, derogatory and defamatory comments to Executive members for decisions that member may have made.

A minimum penalty for individuals of twelve (12) playing dates to apply and a further penalty over and above twelve (12) playing dates to be deemed appropriate by the P&D for the offence depending on the charge brought before it. See Annexure D for guidelines.

A minimum penalty for a club is a $500 fine and the maximum of $1000 may be levied by the P&D. A further penalty of disqualification from the champion club award for the participating season and a forfeiture of the match in which the team is competing may also be applied by the P&D.

The P&D will also have the authority to submit a declaration, if deemed necessary, to de-register a player, to the Executive for their attention, and action

Players or officials from one club acting as spectators at another club may also be covered under this rule and subject to penalties such as fines and suspensions as handed down by the P&D.