Changes to the Offside Wide Rule

In Ottawa Valley Cricket season 2003 we the players have been subjected to an interpretation of the One Day Iternational (ODI) ruling regarding Wide Deliveries. Currently the ODI ruling states:

25. LAW 25 - WIDE BALL

25.1 Law 25.1 - Judging a Wide

Law 25 shall apply with the following addition to Law 25.1:

Umpires are instructed to apply very strict and consistent interpretation in regard to this Law in order to prevent negative bowling wide of the wicket.

Any offside or legside delivery which in the opinion of the umpire does not give the batsman a reasonable opportunity to score shall be called a wide.

A penalty of one run for a wide shall be scored. This penalty shall stand in addition to any other runs which are scored or awarded. All runs, which are run or result from a wide ball, which is not a no ball, shall be scored wide balls.

OVCC in the attempt to implement the ODI rule concerning Wide Deliveries and their consistent interpretation have instructed the umpires to utilize the offside line which currently exists 24 inches from the middle stump.
It is this interpreation which contradicts the intent of the MCC Law 25 regarding Wide Balls. MCC Law 25 states:

Law 25 (Wide ball)
1. Judging a Wide
(a) If the bowler bowls a ball, not being a No ball, the umpire shall adjudge it a Wide if, according to the definition in (b) below, in his opinion the ball passes wide of the striker where he is standing and would also have passed wide of him standing in a normal guard position.

(b) The ball will be considered as passing wide of the striker unless it is sufficiently within his reach for him to be able to hit it with his bat by means of a normal cricket stroke.

The contradiction occurs because a batsmen at normal stance, ie. Middle Stump can reasonably reach a ball with his bat 24 inches out of middle stump. Considering bats are more than 24 inches long and without considering the arm length of the batsmen, a ball is easily reachable at normal stance.

It is thus that we petition OVCC in their attempt to keep a consistent interpretation of MCC Law 25 (Wide Ball) and ODI ruline 25.1 move the Offside line to 30 inches from middle stump. This will be 6 inches further to the offside from it's current postion.