Umpire's Guide to Central Gauteng Lions Senior Club Cricket 2025/26

The CGL 2025/26 playing conditions replace Laws 2.7 and 2.8:

• You are the sole judges of whether the ground, weather and light are fit. (Without official umpires, the captains decide, not the umpires they appointed.) Take CGL and CGLCUA policies on ground, weather and light into account.
• Suspending play: if you both agree conditions are so bad that there's an obvious and foreseeable risk to a player's or umpire's safety, making play unreasonable or dangerous, suspend play immediately, or don't let it start or restart.
• One umpire is enough: play is suspended, or not restarted, if either official umpire thinks conditions are unfit.
• Dangerous means an actual and foreseeable safety risk. Unreasonable means no safety risk, but it wouldn't be sensible to play.
• Wet ball and grass: a wet, slippery ball and grass are not enough on their own. Conditions are unreasonable if the ground is so wet that the bowler has no reasonable foothold, fielders can't move freely, or batters can't play their shots or run.
• Shadows on the pitch from the stadium or any permanent object are disregarded.
• During a suspension, inspect as often as appropriate, and call the players back as soon as you both agree conditions are suitable.
• Intervals: if play was going on up to a scheduled interval, it resumes after the interval unless either umpire agrees conditions have become unsafe or unreasonable.

No extra time is added for delays. Lost time is made up by reducing overs as set out in each format's conditions.

The CGL Lightning Policy (revised 1 September 2025) requires zero tolerance towards lightning, whatever the state of the match. If no official umpires are present, the captains apply it.

Before and during play: watch the weather (building, darkening cloud, distant rumbles, flashes). Check what lightning detection system (LDS) the venue has, and agree its procedures with the ground authority or home club. The approved app is Lightning Alarm. Because electronic devices can't be taken onto the field, the scorers and team managers or coaches must watch the app and warn you.

Suspend play immediately (or don't start or resume) when you:

• see a lightning strike
• hear thunder overhead, or
• are told the LDS shows lightning closer than 20 km.

Everyone must leave the field at once for a safe place (a brick or concrete building), and spectators must be told too. Nobody can be expected to cover the pitch, but covers can go on under your direction if the call was early enough to do it safely.

Resuming: wait until there has been no lightning within 20 km for a continuous 30 minutes, then reassess. If a fixed LDS shows the storm has moved beyond 20 km and keeps moving away, you may resume when you both agree it's safe.

LDS systems can fail, so use them together with what you see and hear. If a venue's fixed system seems inadequate, visual and audible signs take precedence.

Under the CGL 2025/26 playing conditions:

Limited-overs matches (50, 35 and 20 overs): umpires are told to apply a very strict and consistent interpretation to stop negative bowling.

• Off side: a line is marked 17 inches (43.18 cm) inside each return crease, from the popping crease to the bowling crease, as a guide for off-side wides.
• Leg side: any delivery that passes leg side of the batter's legs in their normal stance is a wide.
• Above the head: a fast short ball over the head of the striker standing upright is a wide (and counts as one of the over's short-pitched balls).
• The Law 22.1 test also applies: a ball is wide if it passes wide of where the striker is or has stood since the ball came into play, and would also have passed wide of a normal batting position. It's wide unless it's within reach of a normal cricket stroke.

Time cricket: Law 22 applies, plus a ball over the head of the striker standing upright is a wide. Use the strict limited-overs interpretation for bowlers aiming at the rough outside leg stump, and for bowlers you consider to be bowling down the leg side as a negative tactic. It's not a wide if the striker moves to make it pass wide, moves to bring it within reach, or if it touches the bat or the striker.

Scoring: a wide is a 1-run penalty, plus any runs completed or awarded, all scored as wides.

The CGL 2025/26 playing conditions replace Law 41.6. A fast short-pitched delivery is one that passes, or would have passed, above the shoulder of the striker standing upright at the popping crease, whether or not it hits the batter or the bat.

Limit per over:

Procedure:

• Tell the bowler and striker each time a fast short-pitched ball is bowled.
• Call and signal no ball for each one over the limit.
• First no ball: caution the bowler (it lasts for the innings), and tell the other umpire, the fielding captain and the batters.
• Second: a final warning for the innings.
• Third: have the captain take the bowler off immediately. They can't bowl again that innings. Report it to the other umpire, the batters, the batting captain and CGL.

Above head height: a fast short ball over the batter's head that they can't reach with a normal stroke is a wide (unless it's a no ball), and still counts towards the over's limit.

Signals: after any no-ball or wide signal, tap your shoulder for a ball over the shoulder, or your head for a ball over the head.

If you consider short balls dangerous or unfair, you may apply Law 41.6 at any time regardless of the count.

The CGL 2025/26 playing conditions replace Law 41.7 in every format:

• Any full toss that passes, or would have passed, above the waist of the striker standing upright at the popping crease is a no ball, whether or not it's likely to injure the batter.
• If you think it's likely to injure the batter: as well as the no ball, when the ball is dead, caution the bowler and give a first and final warning. Tell the other umpire, the fielding captain and the batters.
• Any further such delivery by that bowler in the innings: call no ball and, when the ball is dead, have the captain take the bowler off immediately. Another bowler, who didn't bowl the previous over and won't bowl the next, finishes the over. The removed bowler can't bowl again in that innings.
• Report it to the other umpire, the batters, the batting captain as soon as possible, and CGL.

This doesn't replace the Law on dangerous and unfair bowling, which you can apply at any time. Laws 41.4 (deliberate attempt to distract the striker), 41.5 (deliberate distraction or obstruction of a batter) and 41.8 (deliberate front-foot no ball) still apply.

Under the CGL 2025/26 playing conditions, free hits apply in 50-over, 35-over and 20-over matches, and only when official CGL umpires are present. Time cricket has no free hits.

• Which ball: the delivery after a no ball of any kind is a free hit for whichever batter faces it. If the free-hit delivery is itself a no ball or a wide, the next delivery is also a free hit, and so on until a legal ball is bowled.
• Dismissals: on a free hit, the striker can only be out in the ways possible off a no ball, even if the free-hit ball is called wide.
• Field changes: if the no ball was for a fielding-restriction breach, the field may only be changed to correct the breach, unless the striker has changed, in which case any change is allowed.
• Signal: after the normal no-ball signal, extend one arm straight up and move the forearm in a circle.

Other no balls under the conditions:

• a fast short-pitched ball over the limit for the over
• any full toss above waist height
• in limited-overs matches, a breach of the fielding restrictions or more than 5 fielders on the leg side.

The CGL 2025/26 playing conditions replace or add to several Laws. Award 5 penalty runs as follows:

To the batting side:

• Wicket-keeper moving unfairly: after the ball comes into play and before it reaches the striker, the keeper significantly changes position. Allowed exceptions: a few paces forward for a slower ball (not into reach of the wicket), sideways movement to the line of the ball, or reacting to the stroke. Call dead ball and award 5.
• Fielder moving unfairly: any movement other than minor adjustments, outfielders walking in without significantly changing position, or reacting to the stroke. Call dead ball as soon as possible and award 5.
• Ball tampering: no substance except sweat may be put on the ball, and saliva is banned. If you both agree the ball has deteriorated more than its use explains, ask the batting captain whether they want it replaced, award 5 runs either way, and report it to CGL. A second instance by the same team means another 5 runs, and the bowler who bowled the previous ball is suspended from bowling for the rest of the match.
• Fielding-side time-wasting: a second instance in the innings, between overs (during an over, the bowler is removed instead).

To the fielding side:

• Striker in the protected area: the first breach gets a first and final warning for the innings. On any further breach, disallow all runs, return the batters to their original ends, award 5 runs to the fielding side, and report it.

Under the CGL 2025/26 playing conditions (umpires are told to apply these strictly):

Fielding side:

1. First instance: call and signal dead ball if necessary, and give the fielding side a first and final warning.
2. Any further instance in that innings:
   • if it's between overs, award 5 penalty runs to the batting side and tell the fielding captain why
   • if it's during an over, have the fielding captain take the bowler off immediately; that bowler may not bowl again in the innings
   • tell the other umpire, the batters and, as soon as possible, the batting captain, and report it to the Umpires and Clubs Administrator.

Batting side (timed out): an incoming batter is out timed out, on appeal, if they take more than 1½ minutes from the fall of the wicket to be ready to receive the next ball (or for the striker to be ready, if the new batter is the non-striker). If they aren't ready within 1½ minutes, treat it as time-wasting under Law 41.10 whether or not there's an appeal, and report the incident to CGL.

Time you allow the fielding side for the batting side's time-wasting is taken off the batting side's own over-rate allowances.

Captains must tell you the age group of every player who is U19 or younger (including substitute fielders). Age groups are based on age at midnight on 31 August before the season. Under the CGL By-laws and 2025/26 playing conditions:

• Fielding distances (hard ball): no U15 or younger player may field closer than 7.3 m (8 yards) from the middle stump, and no U13 or younger player closer than 10 m (11 yards), except behind the wicket on the off side, until the batter has played at the ball. This applies even if they wear a helmet. If a junior comes inside the distance, stop the game immediately and move the fielder back.
• Close fielders: U16 and U18 players under 18 must wear a helmet (and boys a box) within 5.5 m (6 yards) of the bat, except behind the wicket on the off side.
• Helmets: batters under 19 must wear a helmet at all times. Players under 18 must wear a helmet with a faceguard when batting, keeping wicket standing up, or running for a batter. Parental consent to go without one is not accepted.
• Bowling: players aged 16 or under may bowl spells of at most 5 overs and 15 overs in a day, and must rest for as many overs as they just bowled before bowling again.

For all players, every batter must wear a helmet against fast bowling (where the keeper stands back), and every keeper standing up and every close fielder must wear one.

Under the CGL Rules and Code of Conduct, umpires (including reserve and fourth umpires) may lodge a report.

How: complete the CGL Disciplinary Report form and submit it to the Club Administrator no later than 18:00 on the day after the match, unless the Disciplinary Commissioner allows more time. The Club Administrator informs the club chairmen.

What happens next: the Convener decides within about 3 days whether to hold a hearing. A hearing starts within 21 days of the incident, and you may be asked to attend or give evidence.

Offence levels (examples):

• Level 1: dissent, obscene language or gestures, excessive appealing or time-wasting after a warning
• Level 2: serious dissent, deliberate physical contact, charging at an umpire, throwing the ball dangerously at a player
• Level 3: intimidating an umpire, threatening assault, vilification, ball tampering
• Level 4: assault or any act of violence, threatening or assaulting an umpire

Reports the playing conditions also require: ball tampering, a bowler removed for short-pitched or high full deliveries, a second protected-area breach, repeated time-wasting by the fielding side, and timed-out batters must all be reported to CGL (or the Umpires and Clubs Administrator).

In the Men's Premier League, CGL also uses the green, yellow and red card system under Law 42 for on-field conduct. In other leagues, the normal disciplinary procedure applies.

Under the CGL 2025/26 playing conditions and By-laws:

• Result card: both umpires must make sure it's correctly completed and sign it, even if no play was possible. An umpire who doesn't sign may forfeit the match fee. The card must reach the CGL office by 18:00 on the Monday after the game.
• Over rates: at the end of the match, note the overs bowled in each innings and assess the over rate. Allow for on-field treatment, injured players leaving the field, time-wasting by the batting side and other delays outside the players' control, and adjust the assessment if events beyond the fielding side's control caused the shortfall. If the rate is short, tell the fielding captain or manager as soon as practicable that the sanction will be applied, and sign the card with the captains to record it.
• Ball: record on the result card if a team used a ball other than the prescribed one. The match still goes ahead, and the office deals with it afterwards.
• Pitch and boundary: report incorrectly marked pitches or boundaries, or a missing or out-of-date scoreboard, to CGL.
• Late arrivals: report it to CGL when a match is awarded because a team didn't have enough players, and submit a full report to the umpires' association administrator if both teams default.