1 Match Scheduling
1.1 Arranging Matches
a) Matches are held on Wednesday evenings according to a fixture list released at the start of the season.
b) Postponements of fixtures are not permitted, except in extreme circumstances as determined by the Committee. For example, but not limited to - if train strikes are scheduled meaning teams cannot attend venues. In these situations individual matches, or whole gameweeks, may be reorganised by collaboration between Committee and teams.
c) The home team will cover the full cost of the match, including table hire and refreshments (snacks/sandwiches).
d) The Committee will liaise with venues to ensure that an appropriate number of tables are booked at each location.
1.2 Communications
a) The league requires that all team captains have in place a procedure to ensure they can be contacted regarding league matters, and they are responded to in a timely manner.
1.3 Team Knockouts
a) Arranging team knockouts follows the same rules as organising league matches. The team listed first becomes the Home Team.
b) The KO Director will attempt to book tables at home venues and liaise with the teams.
2 Matchday
2.1 Match start
a) At least 4 team players are expected to arrive at the venue by 6.30pm, 7.00pm at the latest. Failure to do so can result in the opposition claiming the match.
b) If any player is not at the venue prior to their designated frame being called to play, the opposing team may claim that frame.
c) Ordinarily, matches should be played with at least 6 players on each team. However, a team may field 5 players for a match if it isn’t possible to field a full team. When a team play with 5 players, the opposition captain nominates players to fill in the gaps where the missing player would have played. Each player on the team may only play one extra frame in this manner. When there are 5 on the team, 3 players would play an extra frame (two play singles and one plays doubles).
d) Substitute players can be used in the Reverse Singles & Doubles, but they must be declared to the opposing captain before that round of matches commences.
e) Teams will incur a 1 point league penalty for fielding only 5 players and individual player stats are not recorded for additional frames played.
2.2 Team sheets
a) Before the start of the match, the players for the first set of 6 singles are declared as follows:
- The home team captain will write down their players to play in the first six singles frames, plus any substitutes that may appear in the match. If they have fewer than 6 players, they will leave position 6 empty on the scoresheet.
- Then the away team captain will complete the same task.
- Next, the home team captain will pick the player from the away team to complete any gap in the sheet due to them being a player short.
- Finally the away team captain does the same.
b) Before starting the second round of six singles frames, the procedure from 2.2 (a) is repeated. In the reverse round of singles, players are to stay in their same numbered position, unless they are being substituted. As per rule 2.3 (d) this does not need to wait for the completion of all of the first six frames.
c) On completion of all singles frames, the home team writes down their doubles pairings, followed by the away team captain. If either team is short on players, they leave gaps in the third pairing. Finally, the home team nominates the player from the away team to make up the final doubles pairing, followed by the away team completing the home team’s doubles pairings.
d) Any substitutions for subsequent sections (reverse singles and doubles) to be notified to the opposing captain prior to the start of that section.
e) Scores will only be accepted by submission through RackemApp.
f) Both participating team captains must confirm the scoresheet on completion of the match.
2.3 Match play
a) All frames are played to International Rules.
b) The home team will referee one table and time on the other. The away team will complete the opposite role to the home team on each table..
c) A lag is carried out at the start of every frame to determine which player will break.
d) Frames are played in order, as specified on the team sheet, on the first available table.
e) Where insufficient tables are available at a venue for all matches to be played, teams can play on one table and expand to additional tables as they become available from other matches.
2.4 Doubles
a) Doubles frames are played in an alternate shot (scotch) format.
b) The pair winning the lag may choose which of their players will break, and every shot thereafter must alternate player.
c) If a player plays a shot out of turn, this will result in a standard foul.
d) Following a legal break where one or more balls are potted, the breaking pair may have a discussion in the normal way as if it were prior to the first shot of their visit.
e) For the first shot of a visit in a doubles frame - the shot clock is set to two minutes to enable discussion. A warning is provided to players when there are 30 seconds remaining of the turn. A countdown from 5 seconds is provided in the standard manner. All other shots in a visit are played to the usual shot clock format.
f) Discussion is only allowed prior to the first shot of a visit. Referees may award standard fouls where players are clearly and repeatedly attempting to influence the next shot following their visit. Players should step away from the table after their shots and not breach coaching rules.
2.5 Result scoring
a) In calculating the final score, each frame is worth one, resulting in the match being best of fifteen.
b) Points are allocated to teams based on the following:
- Win (13+ frames) – 5 points.
- Win (10 to 12 frames) – 4 points.
- Win (8 or 9 frames) – 3 points.
- Loss by 1 frames (i.e. score of 7-8) – 1 point.
- Default – 4 points awarded to the non-defaulting team as a 10-0 win, with 2 points deducted from the defaulting team.
- 1 point deduction for a team playing with 5 players.
3 League placements
3.1 Singles rankings
a) To qualify for the singles rankings trophy, a player must have participated in at least 75% of the matches played.
b) Singles rankings will be based on total singles frames won in league play. (Doubles frames in league matches and singles frames in Team KO matches are not included.)
c) Ties for singles rankings will be broken by percentage of frames won.
d) A frame win is awarded to a player who wins a defaulted frame.
3.2 Team rankings
a) League positions are determined by the total number of points won from matches in league play only.
b) In a situation where two or more teams have scored the same number of points at the end of the season, the position where the team will finish will be determined, in order, by:
- Number of matches won
- Total number of frames won
- One off play-off match to league format
3.3 Relegation and promotion
a) At the end of a season with two divisions, the 2 teams with the lowest number of points in the 1st division will be relegated.
b) At the end of a season, the 2 teams with the highest placement in the 2nd division will be promoted.
c) If 1 team withdraws from division 1 during the course of the season, they will be given a zero score (see section 4.2) and count as 1 of the 2 teams to be relegated.
d) Prior to the start of the new season, the Committee has the discretion to promote additional teams from division 2 to prevent imbalance.
3.4 Trophies
a) The Committee shall organise purchase of trophies for winners of competitions in the following configuration:
- League winners (up to 8 trophies; per division)
- Team KO winners (up to 8 trophies)
- Singles KO winners and runners up
- Doubles KO winners and runners up
- Top Player (per division)
4 Registering teams
4.1 Registration
a) Teams must register to take part in a season prior to the start of that season.
b) Invoices for league fees will be sent out following submission of entry to the league season. These must be paid prior to the beginning of the season and release of fixtures. Failure to do so will result in a team not registering for the season.
c) By registering for the winter league, a teams agrees to send representation to the AGM. This requires one person from the team to vote on behalf of their team (this can be done by proxy). Any team that does not have representation at the AGM, was registered in the previous season, and wishes to register for the following season, will have a three penalty applied for non-representation.
4.2 Withdrawal
a) Where a team withdraws from the league during the season, they should do this by written notice to the League Chair and Division Director.
b) Regarding the results of matches that have been completed by the withdrawing team, the committee will treat the removal of those results on a case-by-case basis to ensure the fairest outcome. As a general rule:
- Where a team has yet to play every other team in the division then all match results involving the withdrawn team will be deleted; and the incomplete fixtures removed from schedules.
- Where a team has managed to play every other team at least once in the division, the results from the first time each team was played will stand. Any results from the teams playing a second time will be deleted, and any incomplete fixtures removed from schedules.
5 Registering players
5.1 Registration
a) Players are registered by the captain registering them on RackemApp.
b) All players a team wishes to play for their team during a season must be registered with the league in advance of the player participating in their first match.
c) If a team plays an unregistered player in a match, any frames that player is involved in (singles and doubles) will be awarded to the opposing team.
d) A player once registered for one team is not allowed to play for another team during that season, except in the case where its team withdraws and its results are disregarded.
e) A team may register a maximum of 14 players for a season. If a team wishes to register a 15th player, they may only do so by ‘releasing’ a registered player who has not played for them this season.
6 Committee Rulings
6.1 Committee Discretion
a) The league rules are designed to provide a clear and comprehensive framework and it is also expected that teams will play to the spirit of the game. Where the Committee consider that this has not been done, or in the event that there is no defined rule on a specific matter raised, the Committee will aim to consider all circumstances and apply consistency and fairness for all.
Ultimately, in order to facilitate matters, such decisions are at the Committee’s discretion and are final.