THE Wellington Ex-Services Skittles League has updated captains about plans for the coming months after it closed due to Covid-19 in March.

The league’s management committee held an open-air meeting on Sunday and issued a statement which included:

“As regards finishing the current season this depends on a number of factors, namely government advice, landlords deeming it viable to open, the practical aspects of playing with social distancing and, of course, teams feeling it is safe enough to resume.

“Unfortunately we cannot have a presentation night this year, but once the league is resolved we will be getting trophies and trying to arrange some sort of presentation evening when venues allow although this will be on a reduced scale.

“The singles competition will be completed on a date to be agreed as soon as pubs are allowed to re-open fully inside. Social distancing will be observed by allowing only four players in the alley at any one time, while hand sanitiser will be used prior to playing a hand.

“The league will only resume when pubs are fully open, and it is possible to play within social distancing guidelines. To complete the outstanding games the first matches of the new season will be the outstanding games of the current season and the scores will count towards both seasons. This is not ideal but we think it is the fairest way to resolve the current season. The championship play-off will take place prior to the commencement of 2020-21 season.

“The Payne Cup and Ken Bright Trophy will be suspended for the new season, but this will be reassessed on a regular basis and may be reinstated as an end of season competition should circumstances allow.

“If it is not possible to restart as described above within a reasonable timescale to allow completion of the league by the end of May 2021 then the committee will look at different formats in which the league can operate by playing less games such as reducing each division into smaller pools and the winners of each pool playing off for the title.

“As we do not have any idea of a date when we can resume we will not be printing fixture books this year. Instead when we know each team and venue will instead get a fixture sheet.

“As much as we would like to get back to playing again we will only do so when it safe and, more importantly, teams feel it is safe for them to do so. Our members safety is our number one priority.”

The league still intends to present Help 4 Heroes with £1,000 and it is hoped a presentation will take place in the next few weeks when the pubs are open, albeit in a limited way.