Match Fixtures

1. All SBAA matches shall be subject to the SBAA General Rules, except where there is a conflict, when the Senior Match Rule takes precedence.

2. The venues and draw, start and finish times of SBAA matches shall be published in the SBAA Membership Card.

3. The SBAA Match Secretary or his nominee shall act as Match Organiser.

4. All competitors in SBAA matches shall be SBAA members, except for:

a) opposing teams in inter-Club matches

b) guests invited with the agreement of the Match Secretary.

5. No competitor shall fish any SBAA match unless his/her entry fee has been paid.

6. Draws shall be held:

a) Gall Pond and Popes Gully – in the car park.

b) Other Venues – as decided by the Match Organiser.

7. Competitors may only draw once.

8. SBAA matches shall be pegged down:

a) Gall Pond and Popes Gully – using designated pegs.

b) Other venues – using established venue pegs that are generally least 15 yards long (subject to local Rules), are marked and numbered by the Match Organiser before the draw and, under normal conditions, give competitors a practicable and reasonable chance to fish his/her swim.

9. Competitors shall fish from within one metre either side of their peg markers. The extent of the pegs shall be:

a) on flowing water – from 1 metre upstream of the peg marker to 1 metre upstream of the next downstream competitors peg

b) on still waters and canals – mid-way between the adjacent competitors’ peg markers

c) where competitors are drawn on opposite banks – midway between each bank.

Competitors shall restrict their activities completely to their pegs. They, their tackle, their hookbaits and their groundbaits shall not intrude into their neighbours’ swims.

If, exceptionally, a competitor needs to enter an adjacent peg e.g. to free snagged tackle, he/she shall secure his/her neighbour’s permission before leaving his/her peg.

10. No competitor may move his/her peg or change his/her peg for another without the Match Organiser’s consent, which shall be granted only if in his/her opinion the competitor’s original peg is unfishable.

11. Peg markers shall remain in position until the competitor’s catch is weighed.

12. Before the starting signal, competitors shall not:

a) groundbait or loose feed their swims,

b) cast baitdroppers e.g. to plumb the depth or test loading or use baited feeders but may break the water to:

a)  test floats and other tackle. A ledger weight or feeder may be cast to find depth and distance etc. but at no time must the line be left in the water whilst continuing to set up other tackle.

b) plumb the depth,

c) mix and wet groundbait,

d) clear his/her ground of weed or obstructions,

e) position his/her equipment.

13. All fish caught are eligible for weighing with the exception of game fish, pike, zander and crustaceans.

14. Competitors shall take every practicable step to keep their fish alive and, after weighing them, return them carefully to the water. If a competitor’s fish are in distress, he/she shall request the Match Organiser to weigh them in and return them to the water immediately.

15. No competitor shall have live or dead fish in his/her possession before a match. All competitors must submit to a search if requested by the Match Organiser.

16. Competitors shall not receive any outside assistance during the course of a match.

17. Any sinking bait, subject to local rules, can be used except live or dead fish, frogs, spinning baits or artificial lures. Floating baits, either hookbait or feedbait, are not permitted.

18. Competitors may wade or position platforms in water up to knee-deep or deeper, provided they can touch the bank with their fingertips.

19. No competitor shall present their baited hooks into their swim by any other means than the pole or rod to which the line is attached.

20. The maximum permitted length of poles is 16 metres.

21. Competitors shall minimise disturbance to other competitors.

22. A competitor shall have in use one rod or pole, one line and one single hook at one time, but may have other rods or poles and tackle assembled for use, providing that other tackles are not baited.

23. Hand-lining fish, including handling elastics, is not permitted, unless the original pole/rod breaks in the act of catching the fish.

24. Groundbait, including loose feed, may be introduced by hand, or by using one or two handed catapults, throwing sticks, swim feeders, bait droppers and bait cups only. No bait shall be introduced with a pole cup or bait dropper attached to an extra rod/pole whilst continuing to fish.

25. The use of electronic fish finders is forbidden.

26. No competitor shall leave his/her peg at any time during the course of the match other than to:

a) answer the call of nature and then he/she must not leave his/her baited hook in the water

b) undertake weighing duties for which he/she has been assigned.

27. A match will start and finish with an agreed signal, competitors must cease fishing at the finishing signal. Should he/she still be playing a fish hooked before the signal is given, he/she will immediately call “Fish On” and be permitted no more than fifteen minutes after time has been called to land the fish.

28. Any competitor who abandons a match shall not continue fishing within the match length.

29. Any competitor undertaking weighing duties shall have a witness to the weighing of his/her own catch.

30. All catches will be weighed to the nearest quarter of an ounce or ten grammes rounded up.

31. Each competitor shall ensure the correct weight of his/her catch is recorded. In any dispute the decision of the weighers and the Match Organiser will be final.

32. All fish shall be weighed at the competitor’s peg, unless the bankside terrain dictates otherwise, in which case the catch shall be carried the least practicable distance to the scales.

33. Any fish suspected of being weighted or otherwise considered suspicious by the weighers must be weighed, pending investigation, and the Match Organiser informed. The Match Organiser shall determine whether or not fish shall be counted or, conversely, the competitor disqualified.

34. Any objection to an angler’s conduct, for whatever reason, must be lodged with the Match Organiser not later than when the alleged offender is weighed in. In all cases, the objector shall inform the alleged offender of his/her intentions, so that he/she may speak in his/her own defence. Should an offender leave the match scene after receiving such a warning, the objection shall be deemed to have been sustained.

35. Any angler proved to have been in contravention of these rules will be disqualified. If the offence constitutes a contravention of SBAA’s General Rules, the Match Organiser shall advise the Chairman and SBAA General Rules Section G – Discipline Rule 2 shall apply.

36. Matches counting towards SBAA trophies shall be scored on a points system as follows:

a) 1st place – 11 points, reducing by 1 point per place to 10th place – 2 points

b) unplaced competitors who weigh in – 1 point

c) unplaced competitors who do not weigh in – 0 points.

THE FOLLOWING RULES WILL ONLY APPLY WHEN A TEAM COMPETITION AS WELL AS AN INDIVIDUAL EVENT IS BUILT INTO THE MATCH

37. Details of each angler making up the team must be entered on a team card (or sheet) which must be handed in before the match begins. No alterations in the make-up of a team will be permitted once the draw has begun.

38. A team competition may be decided in two ways, by means of aggregate weight or by means of section points. The method shall be decided before the draw is undertaken.

39. Aggregate scores counting towards a trophy in either the Club match series, or inter-club match series shall be an aggregate of all a contestant’s scores.

Aggregate scores counting towards the D. Lavis Cup for the evening series shall be an aggregate of all a contestant’s scores minus their 2 worst scores, a non attendance scoring 0 points.

Trophy Name

For

Highest total for Club matches

Highest total for inter-club matches

Highest total for winter matches

For the heaviest fish caught in a match fished on the Sharpness Gloucester canal

For the heaviest fish caught in a match

Awarded to the pair with the highest aggregate weight caught in the Pairs Match

Highest total for the Charity match

Highest total for the evening series