THE Pembroke County Cricket Club (PCCC) will not be implementing 'sin bins' and 'sendings off' into local leagues next summer, despite recommendations from the ECB.

The new Law 42, which has been designed to address a ‘decline in behaviour standards’ following an international wide survey on discipline, outlines punishments for level one, two, three and four offences.

But at a meeting in Haverfordwest last night, Pembrokeshire Association of Cricket Umpires Chairman Dave Brandon, who also sits on the PCCC committee, confirmed the authority would not be applying the suspension and removal provisions for Level 3 and 4 offences and would only be imposing the level one and two parts of the law, which deal with dissent, abusive language, and deliberate or inappropriate physical contact. In some cases, a five run penalty will can be applied to the team of the offending player.

Levels three and four focus on using more intimidating or threatening behaviour, or physically assaulting a player or official. Penalties for offenders range from being temporarily removed from the field, or complete dismissal.

Under the full application of Law 42, any captain refusing to suspend or remove a player following level three or four offences will see his side automatically lose the game.

However, at the meeting, which all Pembrokeshire clubs were invited to attend, Brandon said the PCCC and Pembrokeshire Association of Cricket Umpires had held consultations over the issue, and decided that the suspension and removal provisions could not be consistently applied in the county. The full weight of Law 42 is being applied in Premier Leagues, other Welsh leagues and in top level cup competitions such as the Welsh Cricket Cup.

Also at the meeting, attended by representatives of 15 different local clubs, were Steve Davies, the Cricket Wales South West Regional Administrator, and Peter Williams, the ECBACO Regional Education Officer for the South West and Wales Region.

Williams outlined a number of the many changes which have been made in the 2017 revision of the Laws of Cricket, all which apply to all cricket unless amended by league organisers.

Amongst the changes to the Laws are new provisions defining ‘dangerous’ conditions, and a ‘penalty time’ for fielders who leave the field for anything other than a visible external blow during the game.

Others include a ball bouncing more than once being called a ‘no ball’, and the same for any ball over waist height – irrespective of pace. Substitute fielders are now able to keep wicket, and batsmen can be caught, run out, or stumped via a deflection from a fielder’s or wicketkeeper’s helmet.

Other significant rule changes include those to the bowling of ‘beamers’, with umpires able to remove an offender after he has transgressed twice (previously it was three times).