So, about what I said before (Jeets in post 64)

Okay, so as many of you figured out, the lie was related to the 25 man squad targets, and the insistence that I wouldn't start the season until every team had signed 25 players.

I knew it'd be a struggle for a lot of teams, but I wanted you all to aim for that and sign up your inactives, because there really will be increased lower-level injuries. I set you all a target of 25 knowing we'd eventually reach a point where it seemed unobtainable.

The situation is that all unsigned players will be available to play ALC and/or HP cricket for the team they last signed a contract for. However....

Their skill will be capped
Given these players are not training professionally, they won't be as good as if they'd signed contracts, even if they did so and were then completely inactive. This has basically been put into place to encourage teams to still sign up inactive players, as they'll be more effective players if they put pen to paper. It also ensures that signing new members doesn't become disincentivised; new members who are active should be better than these players.

They won't be available for BS or HC games
They can't play first grade, at all. If you want these players to play first grade at any stage you'll need to sign them up.

They can't be selected in ALC or HP ahead of active contracted players
If you sign up a new player and then he goes completely inactive, you may replace him in your lineup with an unsigned cricketer. However, you cannot drop an active player for a unsigned player. Exceptions apply for obvious balance reasons (no wicket keeper, or six bowlers, etc). I don't actually imagine any selectors would ever want to do this, but form may dictate it in rare cases so I thought I'd legislate against it properly.


Basically, it's just a more organised, more official way of dealing with the old "filler players" system. I also imagine this could entice Stormer to sign a contract.

 

Haha yeah I know, but the whole reason for pushing for teams to sign 25 players and having more injuries was so we still actually had enough players for next season when I want to expand.

 

Before this season starts in all likelihood.

 

Don't really know yet. They definitely won't be able to play PC/RT games. Not even sure if we'll be having PCDIY this season yet.

 

Lack of time, lack of interest, lack of numbers etc. Provincial cricket over the weekend was the main cause of getting behind most of the time (not just in my inability to get it done, but also in the selectors' inability to name lineups promptly after the club games), so I definitely need to do something to address that.

 

It's mainly just for two reasons:
- Having to sim 9 games over the weekend which people regularly didn't get lineups in on time for really stagnated the season a lot of the time.
- Some of the provinces have very little depth and/or poor balance, so you get things like the Victorian Second XI side that Force scored all those runs against - ALC batsmen were being used as a frontline bowlers.