Simon Ansell wrote: I don't think for a minute that separate lists for multiple team clubs is a good idea - but there is definitely some room for manoeuvre to make the playing field more level - and I still haven't heard a good argument as to why "you can't play more than once against the same team" is not viable, excepting my esteemed teammates vague "well it's just an extra restriction" - is it too late to bring this rule in in time for Saturday
?
This exact rule was suggested in 2004 or so and I remember writing a six page document on its impact, after which it was dropped. So it has been considered fully in the past, though your esteemed team mate mainly has it right - it is a profoundly arbitrary rule, and I would add, it will harm the amateur clubs rather the Wood Green/Guildford clubs who are always the real target of those who wish to impose such rules. It can also cause defaults. Simple example - our first team was relatively weak v Cambridge in round one this year and I played in the match. Now our first team will be stronger and I shouldn't be in it on Saturday - would you bar me from playing against cambridge again, now they are playing our second team? Even though in truth I am not much if any better than the other second team players? Even if my absence were to lead in turn to a default in the youth team? Even though, when the first team played Cambridge, I could have had no idea that our second team would necessarily play Cambridge at all this season? And so on.
Wel, no, you will say. You aren't really thinking of such cases as this. No one cares if I play v Cambridge twice, least of all Cambridge. You are thinking more about GMs, people like Kosten, Plaskett and Flear (or whoever played for Guildford 1 against you) descending into Guildford 2. Well, this proposed rule hurts the likes of Barbican much more than the sponsored teams. With money at their disposal, the sponsored teams can always rest such players for the odd match if they have to, and still pay them, and they can pay for equally strong players, who haven't yet played for the first team, to similarly strengthen the side instead and avoid any defaults going down the chain. To some extent that was what Wood Green 2 did against you in 2003/4, when they suddenly produced Tiger Persson. It's the money that makes the difference.
Incidentally, I am amused by the concern you have over playing Guildford 2. How do you suppose they feel, having to play you
and Wood Green 2 ?