Competition cancelled

[Taylor made 23]

Hi all
I recently played in a board competition on a Saturday and played well enough to come first, the results were published 24 hours later in the normal manner on hdid, and I thought I had won my first competition and forwarded on to everyone I knew.

3 days later my club sent out an email that said they were now cancelling the competition because of the inclement weather as not all players could complete their rounds. The course was never closed on the day of the competition and neither was the competition cancelled during the day, I agree the weather became bad but can members walking in surmount to the competition cancellation?

I have now been cut a shot in a competition that doesn’t exist, can this decision be made so late after results have been finalised and published?

 

[Colin L]

Firstly, see Rule 5.7a. If a player stops playing for any reason other than a Committee suspension of play or danger from lightning, he is disqualified. "Inclement" weather is not a justifiable reason for stopping. From what you say, play was not suspended and so those players who were in breach of this rule are disqualified. Such DQs do not to my mind support retrospectively cancelling a competition. (In fact, I can't think of anything that would.) If the weather was that bad, the Committee should have suspended/abandoned play. It didn't and it is astonishing that it should think it reasonable/legitimate to do what they did.

Completed scores in an abandoned competition are acceptable scores for handicapping purposes and so an adjustment to yours was correct. When you say you were cut by one stroke, was this because the system brought your exact handicap down enough to trigger an automatic reduction to your playing handicap?

 

[rulefan]

I can find no reason to believe the committee cannot cancel the competition if they consider the conditions unplayable. The only prohibition is on cancelling if there are insufficient entrants - not quite the same issue.
They should of course undo all handicap adjustments by cancelling the comp in the system.

 

[BTatHome]

I can find no reason to believe the committee cannot cancel the competition if they consider the conditions unplayable. The only prohibition is on cancelling if there are insufficient entrants - not quite the same issue.
They should of course undo all handicap adjustments by cancelling the comp in the system.

So not suspending the comp during the the inclement weather, and then publishing the results, and then 3 days later cancelling the comp is considered fine then?

 

[rulefan]

So not suspending the comp during the the inclement weather, and then publishing the results, and then 3 days later cancelling the comp is considered fine then?

It should have been abandoned. Although CONGU describes the process for handling an abandoned competition, there is no prohibition in the CONGU system on cancelling a competition.

 

[BTatHome]

It should have been abandoned. Although CONGU describes the process for handling an abandoned competition, there is no prohibition in the CONGU system on cancelling a competition.

Even after the results have been published ?

 

[rulefan]

Even after the results have been published ?

Well, I can't find any mention in the Regulations.
However, the processing and publication could have been done by someone not involved in the decision to cancel. eg the pro or a member of the office staff.

 

[Orikoru]

This happened to me, albeit the other way round. I was in the last or second to last group and the heavens opened when we were on the 16th. Absolute buckets, and it meant that once we got to the green we couldn't even putt as the ball would hardly move. Club Sec was actually in my group as well, and he stated there and then the comp would have to be cancelled as conditions have to playable for all players in the comp, irrespective of how many had already finished their rounds. Mainly I was just gutted that I already had 34 points with three holes to go at the time, but what can you do.

 

[rulefan]

he stated there and then the comp would have to be cancelled as conditions have to playable for all players in the comp, irrespective of how many had already finished their rounds.

Just to reinforce my point. The CONGU Regulations cover an abandoned competition in such circumstances but do not specifically accept or prohibit cancellation.

 

[Colin L]

To me it's not really a matter that the Committee couldn't have but rather that it shouldn't have so much after the event. But we don't know the full story.

 

[rulefan]

it shouldn't have so much after the event. But we don't know the full story.

I agree

 

[Taylor made 23]

Ok thank you all for your feedback, basically it can be cancelled after the event, and the club should never have published the results.
Just a case of bad luck.