The trustees have agreed (through use of Rule 24) to amend the rules around the use of loan players to give greater clarity, some additional flexibility, and to remove the administrative need to email the Grades Secretary when a loan player is used. The trustees feel that the need to obtain consent to use a loan player from the lending club and the opposition is sufficient. Loan players should still be registered on cricketstats with the word LOAN noted after the surname. These amendments come in to effect immediately.
The amended rules are – 8.2(b) – If during the season, a member Club intimates that it will not fulfil its remaining fixtures, players who have played for that Club will be free to join other Clubs within the SCIO without restriction, but only once the Board specifically confirms this on the SCIO website. It should be noted that the player may not play in the Cup competitions if the player has already done so with their original club. If during a season, a Club withdraws its second or third eleven from all SCIO fixtures then, with the consent of that Club, players may be released to play for another Club in a lower Grade than their registered club’s senior grade eleven, provided that both lending and borrowing clubs have scheduled SCIO fixtures on the date concerned; that the consent of the opposition to the borrowing club is obtained; and that the borrowing club complies with the registration requirements of SCIO Rule 7.0
8.2(d) – In League Competitions only, a player may play as a guest in two matches for a team in another Grade in which his club does not already have a team provided (a) that he has permission from his Club and of the opposition; (b) that the borrowing club complies with the registration requirements of SCIO Rule 7.0; and (c) that the Club for which he is primarily registered also has a game, a free date in the previously determined scheduled programme of fixtures, or no game as a result of their Club having been scratched to, on that day. No Club will be able to field more than two guest players in any one game. Before he may play a third time the player must, if eligible, apply for transfer under Rule 8.2 (a). Clubs may not field any guest players in cup matches. Any team contravening this Rule shall, on protest be adjudged to have lost the match. For the more relaxed requirements applicable to matches in Grade 3 see Rule 8.5
8.5 – In Grades 3, if both captains agree, a club may loan up to three players to its opponents, in order that a fixture may be fulfilled which otherwise may have been scratched. Where this is not possible and a team in Grade 3 finds it cannot field a full side for an upcoming game then, with the consent of the opposition, they may contact other teams in any grade to borrow up to three players registered for, but not selected by their registered Clubs, to play for them, provided that any lending Club has not scratched from a scheduled match on that day, and that the borrowing club complies with the registration requirements of SCIO Rule 7.0.