04-07-2013, 02:38 PM
Graham Kerr Wrote:I've been trying to think of ways to give these adult novices a chance to get involved with matchplay, it's the only way they'll gain the experience to be able to compete in the future. Part of the trouble is that teams want to be competitive, whether that be to win leagues or to avoid relegation, and a team captain might take pelters for playing someone relatively inexperienced when there are others available who are better placed to win games.
I've thought that perhaps lower divisions might introduce rules about playing novices in lower boards (something along the lines of under 21s in football squads), but different leagues have different constructions and team sizes, and some divisions are small, so it simply wouldn't be practical.
Well I don't see there being anything stop one of the leagues say creating a standalone division with a grading bar, for example players needing to be under say 1200 to participate. Just depends if there is a demand for it. There used to be a separate Junior League in Glasgow but that ended quite a few years back.