PLYMOUTH AND DISTRICT TENNIS LEAGUE RULES
Documents
1. NAME
The League shall be known as the HEAD Plymouth and District Tennis League.
2. MEMBERSHIP
a)
Membership of the League shall only be open to clubs who are members of P&D Tennis
b)
There shall be an entry fee per team, which must be paid before the start of the League programme.
3. LEAGUE STRUCTURE
a)
Teams shall be arranged in Divisions, up to a maximum of six teams in each Division, to be agreed annually at the Annual General Meeting.
b)
Normally, the top two teams of each division will be promoted (other than for Division 1) and the bottom two teams relegated (other than for the bottom division). The Executive Committee will propose whether any more and/or less teams will be promoted or relegated once the number of teams entries has been determined for the following year. This is to ensure that the league structure can be modified to include all teams who wish to enter. The proposal may not be the same for Ladies and Men’s leagues. No guarantee can be given that a two up/two down process will be used.
c)
No club shall have more than 2 teams in Division 1.
4. ELIGIBILITY OF PLAYERS
a)
All players must be at least 14 years old on the first day of league and be members of the club that they represent on a permanent basis, ie membership without limitation to a period of the season.
b)
All players must be registered with the League Secretary on a form to be signed
(electronically or otherwise) by two officers of the club, verifying that all players are
members of the club on a permanent basis and will be at least 14 years old on the first
day of league.
Additional players may be registered during the course of the season and are eligible to
play once the League Secretary acknowledges their registration. Players can participate in
any matches played on or after their date of registration, regardless of the original
scheduled date for such matches.
c)
A player may only play for one club during the course of a season.
d)
A player may not play in more than one match fixture for the same week, a rearranged or postponed match shall count for the week in which it was originally fixtured. Contravention of this rule will cause forfeiture of the points gained in the lower team(s) in which the player(s) played. The League Secretary shall define, each season, which fixtures constitute the weekly grouping.
e)
Where a club enters two or more teams in the League they shall be identified as “A”, “B”, “C” etc in order of merit. A player of a lower ranking team may play a total of two matches for the higher-ranking team(s) but playing a third match (chronologically) will render the player ineligible to play for the lower ranking team(s).
f)
A team playing an unregistered or ineligible player shall forfeit any points gained in events in which such players were involved. The points shall be awarded to their opponents along with any bonus points.
5. MATCH FORMAT
a)
A minimum of one home and one away match shall be played between each team in a Division.
b)
Matches will consist of four doubles events, there being four players in each team. Each event shall be the best of three sets. The first two sets will be tiebreak sets at 5 – 5. If the sets are shared the third set will be played as a match tiebreak ie the first pair to ten points or two clear points if the score reaches 9 – 9.
c)
The HEAD tennis ball shall be the “named” official ball shall be used for League matches and all clubs are expected to use this ball. The home team in each match shall provide a minimum of eight new current season authorised balls.
d)
For each match, a team shall have one player identified as the team leader who will be responsible for any decisions regarding that team to be made on that occasion.
e)
The home team shall identify two outside courts of the same surface for each match. The visiting team shall have the choice of order of play as well as on which of the two courts each pair shall play.
f)
Courts will be considered as fit to play if both team leaders agree (see rule 7). Where two matches are scheduled for the same club on the same evening and less than the required number of courts are fit to play for both matches to proceed, then the match involving the higher ranked of the home teams shall proceed.
g)
Should there be any reason not to use outside courts, inside courts may be used as an alternative as long as both team leaders agree.
h)
Matches will normally start (that is after the knock-up) at 6.30 pm. An earlier start time may be agreed but must be evidenced by an email exchange between the designated team leaders at least 3 days before the match date. Any alternative start time would normally be no earlier than 6.10 pm.
i)
Once a player has commenced playing in a match that player may not be withdrawn to play in another match.
j)
When available, floodlights will be used to complete a match unless the away team objects to their use before the match begins.
k)
Where players fail to arrive in time to start their event, the opposing pair(s) may claim the first set (6 – 0). This ruling applies to the second set from 20 minutes after the agreed start time. All claims must be made before their event begins.
l)
Where a team only has one pair ready to play within 50 minutes of the agreed start time, the opposing team may claim all events involving the late or missing pair. The two non- contested events shall be scored 18-0.
m)
On each occasion that a team fields only one pair, that team will receive a penalty of ten points unless the League Secretary receives an acceptable explanation in writing within three days of the fixture.
n)
A club that provides only 1 pair on multiple occasions throughout the league season shall be investigated by the Executive Committee for any action deemed necessary by them.
o)
Where a player is unable to continue due to injury, his/her team will receive points for any games or sets won up to that injury. All unplayed games or sets will be awarded to the opposing team along with any bonus points.
p)
Where a team fails to fulfil a fixture, either by informing the opposition in advance or by no more than one of the opposing team being ready to play within 50 minutes of the agreed start time, then the whole match shall be forfeited and the offending team penalised an extra forty five points.
q)
Any team failing to fulfil two or more fixtures will, normally, be deemed to have withdrawn from that division and shall have to re-enter in the bottom division in the following year. Failing to fulfil a fixture shall be either leaving a match un-played by the end of the season or failing to put out at least one pair in a match for whatever reason.
6. ABANDONED MATCHES
In the event of matches being abandoned due to safety or weather considerations, where two events have not been completed, the match shall be deemed not to have started and shall be replayed. Where at least two events have been completed the points are awarded for those events and then for any completed games.
7. AWARDING OF POINTS
a)
One point shall be awarded for each game won in the first two sets, plus six bonus points for the winning pair in the event (ie winning two sets). If the match tie-break (set 3) is required, it does not carry a point for a game, but the winner of set 3 will get the six bonus points.
b)
Each club must have one or more members identified and trained to submit the score
sheets on line. A designated member of the home club shall be responsible for submitting,
on line, the completed score sheet, within two days of the match being played (assumed at
2359).
Where a score sheet has not reached the League Secretary within the specified time the
home team shall be penalised eighteen points.
c)
Any disagreement over points will only be investigated if a hard copy, signed by both team leaders, can be produced and a copy submitted to the League Secretary within five days of the score being submitted on line.
8. FIXTURE POSTPONEMENT, RE-ARRANGEMENT AND FULFILMENT
a)
All matches shall be played on the date on the fixture list unless both teams agree to an earlier date. Under no circumstances, except for bad weather, shall matches be postponed until after the original fixture date. In the event of severe weather warnings being issued, the League Secretary may contact all team contacts advising that either team may postpone a match if considered potentially hazardous to their players. All matches must be played before 1 st August or 15 days after the first day of the last scheduled week, whichever is the later date. No points will be awarded for matches which remain un-played by that date.
b)
Where bad weather causes a postponement in any week (except the last
week) the home team must within FOUR days of the original date offer the
away team at least three new dates of which two must be on different days of the
week.
The first date must be at least seven days from the date of offer and the dates offered must
not clash with any fixture date of the away team, or any day within the ‘No Play’
Championships week or within the ‘No Play’ Whit week
unless mutually agreed by both teams.
Within THREE days of receiving the new dates, the away team must accept one of the
dates and notify the home team who will inform the League Secretary.
If the postponement is in the last fixture week, the home team must within
TWO
9. LEAGUE POSITIONS
a)
League positions will be decided by the most points gained in matches played before 1 st August or 15 days after the first day of the last scheduled week, whichever is the later.
b)
Where two teams finish equal on points at the end of the season their positions shall be decided by:-
- Points difference, and if still equal by:-
- The aggregate of the two matches between each other during the season.
- The aggregate of events, then sets, in that order of priority.
- Events difference across the whole campaign.
10. ALTERATION OF RULES
The League rules may only be altered at the Annual General Meeting and notice of any proposed alteration must be submitted, in writing, to the League Secretary, by 31 st December preceding the meeting. These will be circulated to all member clubs and any proposed amendments must be submitted, in writing, to the League Secretary by 31 st January.
11. APPEALS AND COMPLAINTS
Any appeal against a decision made, or a complaint about any matter, shall be lodged with the League Secretary within 48 hours of the incident. A sub-committee determined by the Chair will then meet as soon as possible, but within 3 weeks, to discuss the issue. Notification of any incident may initially be made by phone but must immediately be followed up in writing (letter or e-mail) after that date. The outcome of the sub-committee discussion will be notified to those involved within one week of their meeting.
12. OTHER MATTERS
The Executive Committee of Plymouth & District Tennis shall have the power to deal with any matters not covered by these rules.