Rule Change for Yellow and Red Flags Issued
The HPA Stewards have issued a directive amending the rules and regulations for 2016 with the addition of d. Penalty 10c. Red Flag. to Rule 1.54 in Part 1 to include the addition of a Red Flag which can be issued to a player showing dissent to the umpires after the game has ended.
Rule 1.54. Penalty 10. In previous years Yellow Flags were accumulative, so a Yellow Flag awarded after the final whistle, normally for abuse of the umpire on the way back to or in the pony lines, had some effect. However, Yellow Flags are no longer carried forward and therefore the umpires have no option but to award a Red Flag if the final bell has gone. They have the option to warn the player, if they wish, or to remind him what a Red Flag will mean (this is set out below.) His replacement in the next game will start as normal and will not be subject to the 2 minute sin bin as for a Penalty 10b Red Flag.
d. Penalty 10c. Red Flag. A player may be awarded a Red Flag after the final chukka has ended. A player awarded a Red Flag under these circumstances will be suspended for the next match of the tournament or, if it is the last match in the tournament, another match of equivalent standing as decided by the Club or HPA as appropriate. This may be increased by a disciplinary hearing. A report form should be completed by the umpires.
The same principle will apply for ‘the next match’ for a Red Flag awarded as a Penalty 10b
Photograph: The HPA Rules and Regulations 2016 have been amended
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