DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES OF THE PEMBROKE COUNTY CRICKET CLUB

The Pembroke County Cricket Club have adopted the England and Wales Cricket Board Recreational Conduct Regulations.

ENGLAND AND WALES CRICKET BOARD RECREATIONAL CONDUCT REGULATIONS (Effective from 01/03/2026)

SCOPE and APPLICATION

1. These Regulations come into full force and effect on the Effective Date.

2. From the Effective Date:
(a) all Relevant Cricket Leagues are bound by and must familiarise themselves with the requirements of these Regulations;
(b) all Participants must comply with the disciplinary process set out in these Regulations;
(c) all Relevant Cricket Leagues must adopt these Regulations and implement the requirements of these Regulations in respect of the disciplinary processes they carry out;
(d) all Relevant Cricket Leagues will appoint an individual or group of individuals to take responsibility for any disciplinary matters and appeals arising in relation to Participants; and
(e) all Relevant Cricket Leagues must provide the ECB with any details requested in relation to any disciplinary matters it has carried out in accordance with these Regulations.
THE INDIVIDUAL OFFICER UNDER (D) ABOVE WILL BE THE HON. SECRETARY

3. Any disciplinary sanctions imposed under these Regulations will be separate to any sanctions imposed under a Participant’s employment contract or any action taken in accordance with a Club, Relevant Cricket League or Recreational Cricket Board’s terms of membership.

CONDUCT OBLIGATIONS

On and around the field of play

3a. Any cricketer will be in breach of these Regulations, at the relevant level of offence detailed below, if they do not conduct themselves fairly and properly on and around the field of play and otherwise in accordance with the Laws of Cricket or the Spirit of Cricket. Such conduct which will result in a breach of these Regulations will include any misconduct of a cricketer on any match day as specified in Law 42 of the Laws of Cricket, namely:

Level 1

a. wilfully mistreating any part of the cricket ground or any equipment or implements used in the match;

b. showing dissent at an umpire’s decision by word or action;

c. using language that, in the circumstances, is obscene, offensive or insulting;

d. making an obscene gesture;

e. appealing excessively;

f. advancing towards an umpire in an aggressive manner when appealing; and/or

g. any other misconduct, the nature of which is, in the opinion of the umpires, equivalent to a Level 1 offence; or

Level 2

h. showing serious dissent at an umpire’s decision by word or action;

i. making inappropriate and deliberate physical contact with another cricketer;

j. throwing the ball at or near a cricketer, umpire or another person in an inappropriate and dangerous manner;

k. using language or gesture to another cricketer, umpire, team official or spectator that, in the circumstances, is obscene or of a seriously insulting nature; and/or

l. any other misconduct, the nature of which is, in the opinion of the umpires, equivalent to a Level 2 offence; or

Level 3

m. intimidating an umpire by language or gesture; and/or

n. threatening to assault a cricketer or any other person except an umpire; or

Level 4

o. threatening to assault an umpire;

p. making inappropriate and deliberate and/or dangerous physical contact with an umpire;

q. physically assaulting a cricketer or any other person; and/or

r. committing any other act of violence.

4. A cricketer will also be in breach of these Regulations on and around the field of play if they:

a. commit any breach of Law 41 of the Laws of Cricket (Unfair Play); or

b. act in a manner contrary to the ECB’s Anti-Discrimination Regulations; or

c. conduct themselves in a manner or act in a manner which is improper, or which may be prejudicial to the interests of cricket, or which may bring the ECB, the game of cricket or any cricketer or group of cricketers into disrepute.

5. Any coach, match official or Club Official will be in breach of these Regulations if they fail to conduct themselves fairly and properly at any part of the cricket ground on any match day. Conduct which is not fair and proper and will therefore result in a breach of these Regulations will include, but not be limited to:

a. making inappropriate and deliberate and/or dangerous physical contact with, threatening to assault, physically assaulting or committing any act of violence towards any other Participant (including an umpire) or any member of the public;

b. showing dissent at an umpire’s decision by language or gesture, advancing towards an umpire in an aggressive manner when appealing or intimidating an umpire by language or gesture;

c. using language that, in the circumstances, is obscene, offensive, insulting or seriously insulting;

d. making an obscene or seriously insulting gesture;

e. conducting themselves in a manner or acting in a manner which is improper, or which may be prejudicial to the interests of cricket, or which may bring the ECB, the game of cricket or any cricketer or group of cricketers into disrepute; and/or

f. acting in a manner contrary to the ECB’s Anti-Discrimination Regulations.

Captain/Team Responsibility

6. If any cricketer commits two or more breaches of Regulation 3 or 4 (Conduct obligations on and around the field of play), which take place during or immediately before or after a match, when playing for the same Club in a season it will automatically be a separate offence of failing to ensure that the relevant cricketers have complied with their obligations for each of:

a. any person who captained the team in all of the relevant match(es); and

b. the Club the cricketer was playing for.

7. Clubs will also be held responsible for disorderly behaviour at any part of the cricket ground on any match day by their members and spectators, unless they can show that:

a. they took adequate steps to ensure that their members and spectators behaved in an orderly fashion; and/or

b. they did not or could not control entry to that part of the cricket ground by the relevant spectators and it would therefore not be fair for them to be held responsible.

Off-Field Conduct

8. A Participant will be in breach of these Regulations if they commit any misconduct as set out below which either relates to their participation in Recreational Cricket and/or is of a sufficiently serious nature to justify disciplinary action being taken in relation to their participation in Recreational Cricket:

a. making an abusive, obscene, offensive or otherwise insulting comment or gesture (in any form) in relation to any other Participant or any other person;

b. any act of violence towards another person;

c. engaging in behaviour that constitutes any form of abuse or harassment, whether physical, sexual, emotional, neglectful or bullying in nature;

d. any breach of the ECB’s Anti-Discrimination Regulations

e. making any adverse public statement or comment in any form and by any means about the performance and/or decision(s) of any match official(s);

f. failing to report to their Club, any Relevant Criminal Offence for which they have been subject to investigation and/or charged with

g. conducting themselves in a manner, or doing or omitting to do anything which is or may be prejudicial to the interests of cricket, or which may bring or does bring the game of cricket or the ECB into disrepute;

h. engaging in any corrupt conduct in relation to cricket, in particular:

i. fixing the result, progress, conduct or any aspect of a match;
ii. ensuring the occurrence of a particular incident in a match;
iii. accepting a bribe to conduct the activities described in (i) or (ii) above; and/or iv. receiving a custodial sentence for any of the activities described in (i)-(iii); and/or

i. failing to comply with any decisions or sanctions validly imposed on them following due process as prescribed by these Regulations.

9. A Club will be in breach of these Regulations if, at any time:

a. it fails to take reasonable steps to ensure the good behaviour and conduct of their Participants for any breach of these Regulations;

b. it knowingly permits a cricketer, who is suspended as a result of a previous breach of these Regulations, to play in any match or competition;

c. any of its Participants commit any serious, collective or repeated breaches of these Regulations;

d. it commits any breach of its obligations under the ECB’s Anti-Discrimination Regulations; and/or

e. it fails to comply with any decision(s) and/or sanction(s) validly imposed on it or on any person within the organisation, which has arisen following due process as prescribed by these Regulations.

10. Participants are considered responsible for any relevant posts on their social media accounts and may be in breach of Regulations 8-9 for posting, repeating, commenting or supporting posts or comments by others (e.g. ‘retweeting’ or ‘liking’) on social media that amount to a conduct breach under Regulations 8-9.

PROCESS

Reporting

11. Umpires will report any On-Field Breaches or Off-Field Breaches which occur on or around the field of play to the Relevant Cricket League, irrespective of any action the umpire may have taken on the field of play.

12. Other individuals can also report On-Field Breaches or Off-Field Breaches:

a. to the umpire, in which case the umpire will report it to the Relevant Cricket League;

b. to a captain or Club Official, if there is no umpire appointed to a particular match, who will report it to the Relevant Cricket League; or

c. to the Hon Sec of PCCC directly.

d. ALL REPORTS MUST BE MADE IN WRITING (OR EMAIL) TO THE HON. SECRETARY WITHIN 7 DAYS.

13. A Relevant Cricket League may become aware of, and may consider, a potential or alleged breach of these Regulations without an umpire or an independent individual having reported the matter to the Relevant Cricket League.

Investigation, Charge and Hearing

14. Relevant Cricket Leagues must ensure that any disciplinary processes conducted under these Regulations comply with the following requirements:

a. Relevant Cricket Leagues will appoint a Disciplinary Officer (or Disciplinary Officers) in respect of each case.

b. Subject to Regulation 28, the Disciplinary Officer will decide whether to charge the relevant Participant with a breach of these Regulations, having conducted any further investigation they consider necessary. All Participants must co-operate fully with, and must in no way obstruct or delay, any investigation conducted by the Disciplinary Officer under these Regulations; as part of this obligation, Participants must provide any relevant documents, footage or recordings in their possession or control that are reasonably requested by the Disciplinary Officer. Decision-maker(s) subsequently appointed to determine any charge(s) brought against a Participant are entitled to draw an adverse inference from any breach of this duty to co-operate.

c. The Respondent will be informed what breach they are being charged with and given the opportunity to respond to the charge.

d. The Disciplinary Officer will appoint an individual (or group of individuals) to consider the charge (i) on the basis of the written evidence only or (ii) at a hearing. In either case, the following principles must be complied with:

i. The Respondent will be informed who will be making the decision and given the opportunity to object to their appointment on the basis of any conflict of interest.

ii. If the charge will be considered at a hearing, the Respondent and Disciplinary Officer will be given the opportunity to attend and make representations to the decision-maker(s).

iii. The decision-maker(s) may seek further information about the charge from the Respondent or the Disciplinary Officer (or any other third party they deem necessary, including the umpire or reporting party) before making a decision. The decision-maker(s) will not be bound by rules governing the admissibility of evidence in judicial or other proceedings. Instead, facts may be established by any reliable means, including admissions, circumstantial evidence and hearsay (to the extent appropriate). Findings in criminal and civil proceedings are admissible and assumed to be correct, unless it is shown by clear and compelling evidence that this is not the case.

iv. In exceptional cases, the decision-maker(s) may suspend a Respondent from participating in cricket until the case has concluded. Before doing so, the decision-maker(s) will consider whether that is appropriate in the circumstances of the case (including the seriousness of the alleged breach and whether the Respondent is contesting the charge).

v. The decision-maker(s) will consider the charge and determine whether, on the balance of probabilities, there has been a breach of these Regulations. Any decision made by a group of individuals will be taken by majority vote.

vi. If the decision-maker(s) decide(s) that there has been a breach of these Regulations, the decision-maker(s) will impose a sanction in accordance with the sanction guidelines in Appendix 1.

vii. Unless otherwise stipulated in the decision, any ban which is imposed will apply to the Respondent’s next match (or matches) following receipt of the decision, regardless of whether the match is in the same league that the disciplinary incident arose in.

viii. The decision, including any sanction, will be clearly communicated to the Respondent, the Respondent’s Club and the Disciplinary Officer in writing as soon as reasonably possible. Wherever possible, the decision should be communicated verbally at the end of the hearing.

Appeals

15. . Except for level one offences, any decision made by the decision-maker(s) under Regulation 14 may be appealed by the Respondent. Relevant Cricket Leagues must ensure that any appeal processes conducted under these Regulations comply with the following requirements:

a. Decisions may only be appealed on one of the following grounds:

i. the decision-maker(s) came to a decision to which no reasonable body could have come;

ii. there was a serious procedural irregularity, which includes the decisionmaker(s) not following the principles set out in Regulation 14, in a way which significantly impacted the Respondent’s rights and caused the decision to be unjust;

iii. there is fresh evidence which could not be presented before the decision was made but is, or would have been, material to the decision; and/or

iv. the sanction imposed was manifestly excessive.

v. Appeals must be made in writing or email to the discipline officer within 4 days of the original sanction. A fee of £50 must be paid which may be returned at the discretion of the appeal panel.

b. The Disciplinary Officer will appoint an individual (or group of individuals) to consider the appeal (i) on the basis of the written evidence only or (ii) at a hearing. No individual who has previously been involved with the case will be appointed to consider the appeal.

c. The process for the appeal will comply with Regulation 14(e) (i)-(iv).

d. The decision-maker(s) will consider the appeal and determine whether, on the balance of probabilities, the appeal should be allowed (in whole or in part). A decision made by a group of individuals will be taken by majority vote.

e. If the appeal is allowed (in whole or in part), the decision-maker(s) may disapply the sanction previously imposed or issue a new sanction in accordance with the sanction guidelines in Appendix 1. If the appeal is dismissed, the decision of the first instance decision-maker(s) will remain in place.

f. Unless otherwise stipulated in the decision, any ban which is imposed will apply to the Respondent’s next match (or matches) following receipt of the decision, regardless of whether the match is in the same league that the disciplinary incident arose in.

g. The decision, including any sanction, will be clearly communicated to the Respondent, the Respondent’s Club and the Disciplinary Officer in writing as soon as reasonably possible. Wherever possible, the decision should be communicated verbally at the end of the hearing.

Review of Appeals

16. If an appeal is dismissed, the unsuccessful Respondent may make a request to the Cricket Regulator for a Review Panel to be appointed to review the decision of the decision-maker(s) on the appeal. The sole ground on which such a request can be made is that there was a serious procedural irregularity affecting the decision-maker(s)’ decision on the appeal which significantly impacted the Respondent’s rights and caused the decision-maker(s)’ decision to be unjust (the “Sole Ground of Review”).

17. Any request under Regulation 16 must be sent to the Recreational Discipline Panel Secretary by email to RecreationalDiscipline@cricketregulator.co.uk within 7 days of receipt by the Respondent of the decision-maker(s)’ written decision on the appeal, and must include:

b. written reasons explaining how the Sole Ground of Review is satisfied in relation to that decision; and

c. any other documents or evidence that was submitted to the decision-maker(s) in order for them to reach their decision on the appeal.

REFERRAL of SERIOUS/COMPLEX CASES

18. If the potential breach of these Regulations is of sufficient complexity, in accordance with Regulation 29 below, the Disciplinary Officer may request the Cricket Regulator to investigate and prosecute the case on behalf of the Relevant Cricket League. The Disciplinary Officer must provide details of the potential breach to the Cricket Regulator by email to RecreationalDiscipline@cricketregulator.co.uk and the Cricket Regulator will confirm within 7 days whether it will accept the referral. The Cricket Regulator is under no obligation to accept the referral, whether on the basis that the referral does not meet the applicable threshold, has not been submitted by a Relevant Cricket League that falls under the jurisdiction of the ECB or otherwise. If the Cricket Regulator does not accept the referral, the Disciplinary Officer must adopt the process set out in these Regulations.

19. For the purposes of Regulation 28, the following cases will be considered to be of sufficient complexity for the Disciplinary Officer to refer potential breaches to the Cricket Regulator:

a. allegations of breaches of the ECB’s Anti-Discrimination Regulations which are complex and/or at the upper end of the scale of seriousness;

b. cases with police involvement and/or involving a Reportable Criminal Offence;

c. cases which require specialist expertise, such as legal or safeguarding expertise; or

d. cases which do not fall into categories a. to c. above but the Disciplinary Officer nevertheless considers to be of significant complexity to justify the Cricket Regulator investigating and prosecuting the case, in which case the Cricket Regulator will determine whether the case reasonably requires the involvement of the Cricket Regulator.

In determining whether to accept a referral under Regulation 28, the Cricket Regulator will consider whether it has jurisdiction to act in terms of whether the alleged misconduct took place on or around the field of play, or relates to a Participant’s participation in Recreational Cricket or is of a sufficiently serious nature to justify disciplinary action being taken in relation to their participation in Recreational Cricket.

20. Following a referral under Regulation 28 being accepted by the Cricket Regulator, the Cricket Regulator will consider whether there is sufficient information and/or grounds to charge the relevant Participant with a breach of these Regulations. If further information is required, the Cricket Regulator will conduct (either internally or via a third party) any further investigation that is necessary. All Participants must co-operate fully with, and must in no way obstruct or delay, any investigation conducted by the Cricket Regulator under these Regulations; as part of this obligation, Participants must provide any relevant documents, footage or recordings in their possession or control that are reasonably requested by the Cricket Regulator. A failure to co-operate will constitute a standalone breach of these Regulations and the Cricket Regulator may bring a charge for such a breach as it sees fit. In addition, a Recreational Discipline Panel is entitled to draw an adverse inference from any breach of this duty to cooperate.

21. If there is sufficient information and/or grounds, the Cricket Regulator will issue a charge letter to the Respondent or the Respondent’s Club to share with the Respondent. The Respondent will have 14 days to respond to the charge letter in writing. This period may be extended by agreement of the parties, failing which it can only be extended by a Recreational Discipline Panel Chair in exceptional circumstances. If there is not sufficient information and/or grounds to charge, the Cricket Regulator will inform the individual who submitted the referral that no further action will be taken.

Hearing

22. The Cricket Regulator will instruct the Recreational Discipline Panel Secretary to appoint a Recreational Discipline Panel Chair, who in turn will appoint a Recreational Discipline Panel.

23. The Recreational Discipline Panel Secretary will arrange a hearing. The Recreational Discipline Panel Secretary will confirm to the Respondent (either in the charge letter or separately) the identity of the Recreational Discipline Panel members, where and when the hearing will take place and, if the hearing will take place virtually rather than in person, by what means. If the Respondent is unable to attend a hearing at that date or time, the Recreational Discipline Panel Secretary will attempt to reschedule the hearing.

24. If the Respondent objects to any member of the Recreational Discipline Panel on the basis of a conflict of interest, it will be resolved by the Recreational Discipline Panel Chair unless the potential conflict has been raised in respect of the Recreational Discipline Panel Chair in which case the Recreational Discipline Panel Secretary will consider whether to appoint an alternative Recreational Discipline Panel Chair to consider the conflict of interest and/or be appointed to the Recreational Discipline Panel.

25. In appropriate circumstances, including if the Respondent is not contesting the charge or does not wish to attend a hearing, the Recreational Discipline Panel Chair may direct that the charge be considered by the Recreational Discipline Panel by way of written submissions only (i.e. without a hearing) provided that a hearing must be arranged if this is requested by the Respondent.

26. The Recreational Discipline Panel Chair will set any other directions for the exchange of information and/or evidence (which may include witness statements) that the Recreational Discipline Panel Chair considers appropriate. The Recreational Discipline Panel will not be bound by rules governing the admissibility of evidence in judicial or other proceedings. Instead, facts may be established by any reliable means, including admissions, circumstantial evidence and hearsay (to the extent appropriate). Findings in criminal and civil proceedings are admissible and assumed to be correct, unless it is shown by clear and compelling evidence that this is not the case.

27. In exceptional circumstances, the Recreational Discipline Panel Chair may suspend a Respondent from participating in cricket until the hearing has concluded. If so, the Recreational Discipline Panel Chair will give the Respondent the opportunity to provide written submissions on why it would be inappropriate to suspend the Respondent and consider those submissions before making any decision. Any suspension which has been ordered by the Recreational Discipline Panel Chair (or otherwise issued) will be taken into account by the Recreational Discipline Panel when considering what sanctions to impose in accordance with Regulation 40.

28. At the outset of any hearing, the Recreational Discipline Panel Chair will confirm how the Recreational Discipline Panel would like the hearing to proceed, and in particular how the case should be presented (and by whom). The parties (or their representative) will be entitled to provide oral submissions at the hearing if they wish to do so.

29. At the end of any hearing, the Recreational Discipline Panel will consider the charge (in private) and determine whether, on the balance of probabilities, there has been a breach of these Regulations. Any decision of the Recreational Discipline Panel will be taken by majority vote, with the Recreational Discipline Panel Chair having a casting vote in the event of a tie.

30. If the Recreational Discipline Panel decides that there has been a breach of these Regulations, it will impose a sanction in accordance with the sanction guidelines in Appendix 1.

31. Unless otherwise stipulated in the Recreational Discipline Panel’s decision, any ban which is imposed by it will apply to the Respondent’s next match (or matches) following receipt of the decision by the Respondent or Respondent’s Club, whichever is sooner.

32. Unless the Recreational Discipline Panel directs otherwise, the parties will bear their own costs of preparing for and attending a hearing.

33. Wherever possible, the Recreational Discipline Panel Chair will communicate the decision and any sanction to the parties verbally at the end of the hearing. The Recreational Discipline Panel’s decision will also be confirmed to the parties (and, where applicable, the Respondent’s Club) in writing following the hearing.

Appeals

34. Subject to Regulation 23(b), any decision made by a Recreational Discipline Panel may be appealed by the Respondent. In order to commence an appeal, the Respondent must submit:

a. a Notice of Appeal; and

b. a fee of £125 to cover the standard administrative costs of the Recreational Appeal Panel, to the Recreational Discipline Panel Secretary within 7 days of receipt of the decision in writing.

35. The Notice of Appeal must contain at least one of the following grounds of appeal:

a. the Recreational Discipline Panel came to a decision to which no reasonable body could have come;

b. there was a serious procedural irregularity, which includes the Recreational Discipline Panel not following the procedure set out in these Regulations, in a way which significantly impacted the Respondent’s rights and caused the decision to be unjust;

c. there is fresh evidence (in which case the Notice of Appeal must state why the evidence could not be presented at the original hearing or before the original decision was made and is, or would have been, material to the decision); and/or

d. the sanction imposed was manifestly excessive.

36. The Recreational Discipline Panel Secretary will appoint a Recreational Appeal Panel Chair to determine whether the Notice of Appeal identifies sufficient grounds for an appeal. The Recreational Appeal Panel Chair will notify the Respondent (and, where applicable, the Respondent’s Club) and the Cricket Regulator of their decision in writing.

37. Where the Recreational Appeal Panel Chair rejects the Notice of Appeal, the sanction imposed by the Recreational Discipline Panel will remain in place and there is no further right of review or appeal.

38. If the Recreational Appeal Panel Chair decides there are sufficient grounds for an appeal to proceed, the Recreational Appeal Panel Chair will appoint a Recreational Appeal Panel and notify the Recreational Discipline Panel Secretary, who will arrange an appeal hearing. No individual who was appointed as a member of the original Recreational Discipline Panel or who has otherwise been involved in the case will be appointed to the Recreational Appeal Panel, save that the Recreational Appeal Panel Chair who initially reviewed the Notice of Appeal may be a member of the Recreational Appeal Panel.

39. The Recreational Discipline Panel Secretary will confirm to the parties the identity of the Recreational Appeal Panel members, where and when the appeal hearing will take place and, if it will take place virtually rather than in person, by what means. If either of the parties are unable to attend the appeal hearing at that date or time, the Recreational Discipline Panel Secretary will attempt to reschedule the appeal hearing.

40. If the Respondent objects to any member of the Recreational Appeal Panel on the basis of a conflict of interest, it will be resolved by the Recreational Appeal Panel Chair unless the potential conflict has been raised in respect of the Recreational Appeal Panel Chair in which case the Recreational Discipline Panel Secretary will consider whether to appoint an alternative Recreational Appeal Panel Chair to consider the conflict of interest and/or be appointed to the Recreational Appeal Panel.

41. Unless otherwise determined by the Recreational Appeal Panel Chair (following consideration of any written submissions from the parties), any sanction imposed by a Recreational Discipline Panel will not come into effect until the appeal has been determined.

42. The Recreational Appeal Panel Chair will set the Cricket Regulator a reasonable timeframe in which to respond to the Notice of Appeal in writing, if it so wishes, and set any other directions for the exchange of information and/or evidence that they consider appropriate.

43. Unless the appeal is brought under Regulation 45(c), the Respondent has no right to a rehearing of the case and the Recreational Appeal Panel will consider whether the grounds of appeal have been made out. If an appeal is brought under Regulation 45(c), if the Recreational Appeal Panel determines that the fresh evidence is admissible the Recreational Appeal Panel will consider whether to re-hear the case in full.

44. At the outset of the appeal hearing, the Recreational Appeal Panel Chair will confirm how the Recreational Appeal Panel would like the hearing to proceed, and in particular how the case should be presented (and by whom). The parties (or their representatives) will be entitled to provide oral submissions at the hearing if they wish to do so.

45. The Recreational Appeal Panel will consider the appeal (in private) at the end of the hearing and determine whether, on the balance of probabilities, the appeal should be allowed (in whole or in part). Any decision of the Recreational Appeal Panel will be taken by majority vote, with the Recreational Appeal Panel Chair having a casting vote in the event of a tie.

46. If the appeal is allowed (in whole or in part), the Recreational Appeal Panel may disapply the sanction imposed by the Recreational Discipline Panel or issue a new sanction in accordance with the sanction guidelines in Appendix 1. If the appeal is dismissed, the sanction imposed by the Recreational Discipline Panel will remain in place.

47. Unless otherwise stipulated in the Recreational Appeal Panel’s decision, any ban which is imposed or maintained by them will apply to the Respondent’s next match (or matches) following receipt of the decision by the Respondent or Respondent’s Club, whichever is sooner.

48. The Recreational Appeal Panel Chair will decide whether to make a costs order and whether the appeal fee will be refunded to the Respondent in the event of a successful appeal. Any costs ordered by the Recreational Appeal Panel will be limited to £1,000 (which will be paid on top of the appeal fee referred to in Regulation 44).

49. Wherever possible, the Recreational Appeal Panel Chair will communicate the decision and any sanction to the parties verbally at the end of the hearing. Their decision will also be confirmed to the parties (and, where applicable, the Respondent’s Club) in writing following the hearing. Decisions of the Recreational Appeal Panel may also be provided to the Disciplinary Officer of the relevant Recreational Cricket Board to which the Relevant Cricket League is affiliated.

50. Any decision of a Recreational Appeal Panel is final and binding and there is no further right of appeal or review.

MISCELLANEOUS

51. If the Relevant Cricket League or Recreational Discipline Panel Secretary (as applicable) is aware that a Respondent participates in multiple leagues or competitions, the Disciplinary Officer or Recreational Discipline Panel Secretary (as applicable) will communicate any sanction imposed under these Regulations to the relevant competition organiser(s).

52. Any ban which is imposed under these Regulations will be applicable to all cricket that falls under the ECB’s regulatory jurisdiction. As bans take effect across all regulated cricket they may be required to be served in a match (or matches) which are not in the same league that the disciplinary incident arose in (including in Professional Cricket).

53. Relevant Cricket Leagues and all Participants (subject to the specific provisions in the Disciplinary Procedure Regulations) must immediately recognise, give effect to and fully enforce any sanctions which have been imposed under these Regulations, the GCR, the ECB GCR or the Disciplinary Procedure Regulations and which they have been notified about.

54. Relevant Cricket Leagues must maintain a record of all disciplinary decisions and, where applicable, sanctions imposed.

Appendix 1 Sanction Guidelines

1. The table below sets out recommended sanctions to be applied on Respondents in respect of On-Field Breaches, and can be used as guidance in ‘off field’ offences. However, the decision-maker(s) will not be limited to imposing the recommended sanctions and can impose greater or lesser sanctions as appropriate in the circumstances of the particular case.

2. Unless the decision-maker(s) stipulate otherwise, bans will apply to all cricket, be effective immediately and, for the purpose of totting up the number of breaches within a specified period, will remain on the Respondent’s record for 24 calendar months from the date of the breach.

3. If decision-maker(s) prefer, they can stipulate that bans cover:

a. a specific time period, e.g. one week; and/or

b. a specific number of days of cricket.

c. Match bans will carry over to the next available match if the original match is cancelled or not completed. I.e. the banned match must have a result.
However, it is important for decisions to be clear about the scope of any ban, including when a specific time period starts and ends.

4. The decision-maker(s) will take into account all aggravating and mitigating factors when determining the appropriate sanction. The decision-maker(s) will determine whether, and to what extent, to depart from the standard sanctions and/or to impose additional or lesser penalties as they deem fit, including (but not limited to) the following, which may be suspended (in full or in part):

a. Caution or reprimand

b. Letter of apology

c. Fine of no more than £500

d. Ban of a period of matches or weeks

e. Expulsion of the cricketer from a Relevant Cricket League or competition

f. Expulsion of a Club from the relevant competition

5. The decision-maker(s) will give consideration to the following aggravating and mitigating factors, as appropriate, to include but not limited to:

Aggravating Factors

a. The ages of the Respondent and any victim at the time of the offence, particularly where the victim was a minor and the Respondent was not.

b. The profile of the Respondent, including whether they hold a position of responsibility within their Club (e.g. Club captain, Chair or member of senior management).

c. Poor previous disciplinary record.

d. Failure to cooperate with the Disciplinary Officer and/or Relevant Cricket League.

e. Any attempt to conceal the breach.

f. The extent of any premeditation or planning.

g. The level of harm and/or distress incurred.

h. The public nature of the offence (such as commission of the offence in a public place, via broadcast media or a social media platform).

i. Use of discriminatory language or conduct, or any other behaviour that breaches the ECB’s Anti-Discrimination Regulations, whilst also carrying out a separate offence under the RCR.

Mitigating Factors

a. Good previous disciplinary record.

b. The age of the Respondent at the time of the offence.

c. Admission at the earliest opportunity, where the factual conduct forming the basis of the charge would be capable of being disputed.

d. Demonstration of genuine remorse.

e. Co-operation with the Disciplinary Officer and/or Relevant Cricket League.

f. Inexperience of the Respondent by reference to their age or background at the time of the offence.

g. In respect of social media posts, the age of the post and the Respondent’s age at the time of the post.

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