WACA EXTREME WEATHER POLICY
APPROVED BY THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE TO
TAKE EFFECT FROM
Instruction to WACA Tournament
and WACA Recognised Tournament Managers.
1. General
1.1. Players have an obligation to dress appropriately for expected weather conditions.
2. Wet Weather
2.1. Croquet normally continues during rain, but, with the agreement of the Referee or Tournament Manager, players may stop the clocks for the duration of a strong downpour.
2.2. The Tournament Manager must stop play if there is a thunderstorm in the vicinity, play to resume only after the storm has clearly passed.
2.3. During wet weather, reserved shelter must
be available for out‑players, and should be kept free of spectators.
3. Cold Weather
3.1. Cold weather normally has no impact on play, but note there is a duty of care towards Players and Officials. The Tournament Manager should make sure everyone has ready access to hot drinks and heaters, and arrange for Officials to be relieved at humane intervals to warm up.
4. Hot Weather
4.1. There are numerous papers on sport in hot
weather on the internet. Tournament Managers should be familiar with the Dept
of Sport and Recreation guidelines on play in hot weather, available at www.dsr.wa.gov.au/clubcd/runcd/pdf/health/playsafe_hot.pdf
. These are generalised guidelines for outdoor sports, and can be adapted as
required for the slower‑moving game of croquet.
4.2. During Summer, the Match Committee is to issue each Tournament Manager with a copy of this pamphlet, and check that the TM has read and understood it.
4.3. Every Club was sent a copy of the DSR CD “The Clubhouse”. This CD contains the paper mentioned above, along with two or three others on the same subject.
4.4. Tournament Managers should be alert to Players showing possible heat stress, and take appropriate action.
4.5. If one Player is stressed, that Player’s game should be paused (clock stopped), and the Player cooled down as suggested in the DSR PlaySafe pamphlet (too extensive to list here).
4.6. To avoid putting pressure on a Player to continue play even if affected by heat stress, the decision as to whether the game should continue immediately, later, or at all, should rest solely with the Tournament Manager.
4.7. During hot weather, electrolyte drinks should be readily available for sale to all at the tournament, and more importantly, for administration in case of heat stress.
It is recommended that Club bar fridge stocks should include several bottles of electrolyte drinks.
4.8. “Hot weather” is difficult to define in objective terms, but subjectively, everyone knows if it is too hot. The Association owns thermometer / hygrometers, and these should be deployed at every WACA tournament, to provide objective measurements for discussion about the degree of hotness.
4.9. The Tournament Manager should regularly monitor the temperature during play. As a guideline, if the temperature reaches 34 degrees in the shade on a humid day, it is time for the Tournament Manager to consider suspension and adjustment of play. Play must be suspended at 37 degrees in the shade in all conditions.
4.10.The Tournament Manager has the authority to adjust play by taking one of the following actions:
a) rescheduling the rest of the entire tournament.
b) delaying starting any further games (and optionally, pegging down games in progress) until later in the day when it is cooler, or the evening.
c) calling a Players and Officials conference, to discuss whether they wish to continue play as scheduled. If opinion is mixed, the Tournament Manager should try to meet the wishes of those players who want to defer play. Players who elect to play on after a heat stress conference are to be advised they do so on their own responsibility.
4.11.The practice of “start early to beat the heat” is not recommended. It is difficult to arrange, and of little effect because most tournaments will still play through the hottest part of the day even if started early.
5. Policy Recommendation:
The WACA is guided by DSR recommendations regarding play in hot weather, and will ensure that Committees and Tournament Officials are familiar with these guidelines.
This policy is for constitutional reasons (excluding hosted WACA and
WACA Recognised Events) not binding on Member Clubs. However, it is strongly
recommended by WACA that Clubs formally adopt and implement this policy.