Penalty points will no longer be imposed on clubs who fail to have a black African in their XI for Western Province Cricket Association premier league fixtures.
Transformation objectives noted in the WPCA by-laws for the 2016-17 season state: ‘Each premier league club must, at all times, field in its XI, in every two-day match, at least two players of colour, of which one must be a black African.
‘A premier league club failing to field two players of colour, of which one must be a black African, will be penalised four match points in respect of each match in which such contravention occurs.’
A vote taken at Wednesday, 26 October 2016’s WPCA members’ council meeting, however, ensured the aforementioned ruling won’t be enforced.
The WPCA local leagues committee’s attempt to pair premier league clubs without a black African player with predominantly black African clubs like Langa Cricket Club, Nyanga Cricket Club, Khayelitsha Cricket Club proved largely unsuccessful.
WPCA Premier league clubs pursuing a berth in the 2017 National Club Championship in Pretoria, though, must field a black African in each of their nine premier league matches.
Cape Town Cricket Club represented Western Province at the NCC earlier this year, despite finishing third in the 2015-16 WPCA premier league, after first-placed Western Province Cricket Club and second-placed Rondebosch Cricket Club failed to comply.