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HASTINGS & DISTRICT TABLE TENNIS ASSOCIATION DIVISIONS 1 - 3 LEAGUE RULES 2009/2010 1. A copy of these rules must be available at premises where league matches are being played. DIVISIONS AND SEASON 2. The league shall be divided into divisions, the number of divisions and the number of teams competing in each division being at the absolute discretion of the Executive Committee. 3. The season shall run from 5th October 2009 to 28th May 2010. TEAMS AND FIXTURES 4. Each team shall consist of 3, 4 or 5 players, three of whom shall play the singles matches (each play each) and any pair the doubles. 5. Fixtures shall be arranged by the League Secretary. 6. Each team in a division shall play all the other teams in that division as directed by the League Sub-Committee. LEAGUE MATCHES 7. A match shall start at 7.30 p.m., unless otherwise stated on the fixture list, or otherwise mutually agreed, except that when a starting time is 7.15 p.m. or earlier a team may request that the starting time be extended not later than 7.20 p.m. Any such request made to the opposing club’s secretary at least 24 hours before the match is due to be played will be granted. The League Secretary must be notified that such a request has been made. 8. A league match shall consist of ten individual matches; nine singles and one doubles. Each individual match shall be the best of five games at 11 points. 9. Once a league match has started, teams must be nominated within one hour of the scheduled start, except where rule 22 applies. Only players so nominated may play in the league match. 10. For individual matches 1, 3, 5, 6 and 8 the home captain shall nominate their player, and for individual matches 2, 4, 7 and 9 the away captain shall first nominate. 11. The doubles match shall be number 6 in each league match, except that should only two members of each team be present, it will be match number 5. 12. No player shall play more than two individual matches consecutively, excluding the doubles, except by consent of both team captains, unless they be the last three matches of the league match. 13. Players called upon to play in consecutive matches shall be entitled to a rest period, not exceeding 5 minutes between such matches. 14. The home team shall be responsible for the provision of umpires, but the away team will be expected to share these duties. 15. Only 40mm balls approved by the E.T.T.A. may be used for league matches. 16. The home team is responsible for returning the official scorecard. It must be completed, signed by both team captains and MUST BE RECEIVED at the designated address NOT LATER THAN 7 DAYS AFTER THE MATCH IS PLAYED. A fine of up to £5 for each offence may, at the discretion of the committee, be imposed on a club failing to comply with this rule. If a score card is not received within 14 days of the due date of the league match, the League Secretary will advise the home club and request its return. If the score card is not received within a further seven days of the reminder, the match may, at the discretion of the committee, be awarded to the away team. 17. A team winning a league match shall be awarded points in accordance with the following: - A team winning 10, 9 or 8 individual matches will receive 4 points. A team winning 7 or 6 individual matches will receive 3 points. A team winning 5 individual matches will receive 2 points. A team winning 4 or 3 individual matches will receive 1 point. If, at the end of the season, two or more teams are level on points the winner shall be decided by the number of individual matches won, and if the teams are still level the result shall be deemed a tie. 18. Should a winning score be reached in a league match not completed due to loss of suitable playing facilities the result shall stand as at the time of curtailment, but where a result has not been reached in such circumstances the whole match shall be played on another date unless either team agrees to forfeit the unplayed individual matches. FORFEIT OF MATCHES 19. A team shall forfeit an individual match if it is not ready to play: (a) Ten minutes after the agreed start time. (b) Ten minutes after a match has been forfeited. (c) Five minutes after a match has been played. 20. When only two members of a team are present their teams shall not forfeit any individual matches, other than any which may be forfeited before their arrival (rule 19a/b) until after the doubles has been played. 21. When only one member of a team is present their team does not forfeit an individual match until the player has played two matches. 22. A team not ready to play 30 minutes after the agreed time of start shall forfeit the league match. 23. No player shall forfeit or claim consecutive matches - doubles excluded - unless they be the final individual matches. If a player has not turned up by 9.15 p.m. the opposing team may claim all three matches from that player. 24. Should the name of an absent player who forfeits an individual match be unknown an X shall be entered in the space provided for the player’s name against the match concerned, this being substituted by the player’s name if he or she arrives. REGISTRATIONS 25. No player may play in a league match until such player has been registered with the Hastings Association and League on the official registration form. The League Secretary should receive the initial bulk registration form seven days before the start of the season. The submission of a registration without appropriate fee shall not be deemed an application for registration. No player may register more than one division lower than the highest division for which they have been registered in the past two seasons without the consent of the League Sub-Committee. When granted such registrations may, at the discretion of the committee, be subject to certain restrictions. 26. The League Sub-Committee may decline or withdraw any registration but club secretaries are entitled to an explanation if application is made within seven days. 27. All players residing or working within a ten mile radius of their club’s premises and any other players who played regularly in the league the previous year (at least ten matches) shall be eligible to play in the league providing they are registered in accordance with rule 25. Any person who has moved out of the specified radius, providing they have been a league player in the Association for at least one year, may maintain their eligibility by continuous unbroken membership to the Association through the same club. Registrations for other players will also be accepted on payment of an additional fee of £1. This additional fee will be refunded when such players have played in ten league matches. 28. No registration for the league shall be accepted by the League Secretary after 9th April without the consent of the League Sub-Committee. 29. The League Sub-Committee may grant special re-registration to a player should they deem the circumstances sufficiently extenuating. 30. Registration shall cover a player for the whole of the season, irrespective of whether such player is a member of more than one club and participates in one or more divisions of the league, but the provisions of rule 33 governing the conditions of playing for more than one club shall apply. 31 At least three players must be registered for each team entered in the league. Further players may be registered for use as reserves by nominating a division only, but where a club has more than one team in that division any reserves so registered will become registered with the first team for whom they play five times. The playing of all reserves shall also be subject to the provisions of rules 26, 34 and 35. 32. No player shall play for any team in a division lower than that for which he or she is registered. TRANSFERS 33. No player shall be registered with, or play for, more than one club in the league without first obtaining a transfer from the League Sub-Committee. A transfer may be granted provided that the League Secretary receives a written request from the secretary of the player’s proposed new club, AND it is accompanied by the written consent of the player’s former club secretary. RESERVES 34. Players may play in any of the divisions higher than that for which they are registered. The only restriction is that if they play for the same team more than four times during the season, then they will immediately become re-registered for that team and division irrespective of how many divisions higher that may be. 35. When a club has more than one team competing in a division, a reserve may play for any such team providing that they are not registered for any other team in that division. A reserve may not play for opposing teams in the same match. POSTPONEMENTS 36. All matches shall be played on the dates published in the fixture list issued by the League Secretary. Postponement of matches will only be allowed in very exceptional circumstances, i.e. severe weather conditions affecting transport, or loss of playing facilities, A club not being able to fulfill a fixture should give their opponents at least 48 hours notice. In the event of a match not taking place, both clubs shall submit a written explanation to the League Secretary within seven days of the due date of the match. The match will be forfeited by the defaulting team, but see rule 40 for team defaults where a team fails to turn up for a match. If a club thinks it has good cause for postponing and thereby not forfeiting a match, then both clubs shall write explaining to the League Secretary, within seven days of the due date of the match, applying for permission for the match to be re-arranged. If the committee is satisfied by the explanation, then they may exceptionally agree to the re-arrangement. Mutual re-arrangement of a match to a date prior to the published date, or played within the same week, is exempt from the above procedures. 37. League matches not played by the end of the week in which they were scheduled, and not notified, in writing, to the League Secretary in accordance with rule 36, may be declared void or awarded at the discretion of the League Sub-Committee. 38. In any event, matches not played within seven days of the last published league fixture shall be declared void. CLOTHING 39. Any clothing worn must comply with the I.T.T.F. regulations.
DEFAULTS, INELIGIBLE PLAYERS, TEAM WITHDRAWALS 40. In the event of a team not fielding a full side they shall submit a written explanation to the League Secretary within ten days of the match. Should an entire team fail to turn up for a match or should a team field an ineligible player, the club concerned shall be notified of such by the League Secretary and a written explanation must be submitted within ten days of receipt of this notification. In the absence of any explanation, or should such explanations received be considered unsatisfactory by the committee, the club concerned may be fined a maximum of £2 for each ineligible player or each player in a team defaulting. In the event of any similar offence by the same team, the club concerned may be liable to a maximum fine of £5 for each such offence. A fine of not less than the registration fee at the time shall be imposed on a club fielding an unregistered player, providing such player is not subsequently registered within ten days. All individual matches won by the ineligible player shall be awarded to the opposing team. 41. Should any player fail to complete their three individual matches, a written explanation must be submitted to the League Secretary within ten days of the fixture by the club secretary, team captain or player concerned. Should no explanation be submitted, or any such explanation be considered unsatisfactory, the committee may take such disciplinary action as it thinks necessary against the player or club concerned. 42. In the event of a team defaulting, the club at fault may be held liable for any reasonable expenses incurred by their opponents. Such expenses shall first be agreed by the committee. 43. Conceded League matches. If a team concedes a match they shall notify the League Secretary in writing within ten days: If they fail to do so, or if the excuse is considered unsatisfactory by the League, the team may be liable to a fine not exceeding £2. The team to whom the match is conceded should also submit a score card to the League Secretary claiming the match and stating the fact that it has been conceded. 44. Any team consistently incurring defaults may, at the discretion of the committee, be withdrawn from the league and its record expunged. CHANGE OF VENUE AND HOME NIGHT 45. A club changing its venue and/or a team’s home night, or withdrawing a team, after the fixtures have been published shall notify the League Secretary in writing. The club shall also immediately notify in writing such changes to all clubs concerned. The club may also be liable to a fine of up to £5.
OTHER
46. In the event of false entries being made on score cards the committee may take such disciplinary action as they deem necessary against the club and/or the players concerned. 47. Any disputes arising on the playing of a League match or the interpretation of these rules shall be referred to the committee to be dealt with in accordance with the Association rule 8. 48. Any occurrence not covered by these rules shall be dealt with at the discretion of the committee. 49. Bats and rubbers to comply with the I.T.T.F. regulations. (See web page www.ittf.com/_front_page/ittf1.asp?category=rubber).
DIVISIONAL AWARDS Three medals shall be awarded to each team winning a division. Additional medals may so be awarded at the discretion of the committee. Further medals may also be awarded to the other team members at the expense of the club concerned if, in the opinion of the committee, such players have contributed to the success of the team. No player may receive awards for more than one division in the League. RULES REGARDING PROMOTION AND RELEGATION [1] The top team in a division may play one division higher the following season, providing that they have the same players or, in the opinion of the League Sub-Committee, players of a reasonable standard for that division. [2] The second team in a division shall be considered to play one division higher the following season, providing that they have the same players or, in the opinion of the League Sub-Committee, players of a reasonable standard for that division. [3] Other teams may also be promoted at the discretion of the League Sub-Committee. [4] The bottom two teams in a division shall be liable for relegation. The runner-up of a division shall be given preference to the team finishing second from bottom in the higher division. [5] Other teams may stay in the same division providing that they have the same players or, in the opinion of the League Sub-Committee, players of a reasonable standard for that division.
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