April, 2007
1. Scheduling
A. All matches must be played Sunday afternoons at the start times stated
in paragraph 6, except where postponements due to weather necessitate
playing on the first following Saturday afternoon (same start times) that
both teams do not have a make-up already scheduled (the Saturday Deadline).
Captains may ask for accommodations in scheduling the time of a match
(BUT NOT FOR A DIFFERENT DAY OF THE MATCH), the opposing captain can refuse
if his team cannot accommodate the request. Any matches that a team cannot
play on the appropriate day must be offered as a default. No substitute
day will be allowed! If the home team has a conflict at their club the
opposing Captain must be given the option to hold the match at their club.
If both teams are unable to play at their club on a make-up date, then
the divisional supervisor will decide the outcome.
B. Matches will not be scheduled on Mothers Day weekend or Memorial Day
weekend. If both Captains agree, makeup matches can be played on the Saturday
of either Mother's Day weekend or Memorial Day weekend.
C. Final say on whether conditions permit play is to be made by the home
captain, but the clear intent is to play unless considerations of safety
and court damage mitigate strongly against it. A decision against playing
must be communicated to the visiting captain by no later then 10:30 AM
of the match day.
D. In the event of a postponement of any individual matches after lineups
have been exchanged, and before the individual match has begun, a team
may substitute players on the make-up date (the Saturday Deadline) provided
that the lineup resulting after the substitution is still in proper order
(see Rule 4.F), and provided that the opposing captain, in his sole discretion,
does not object to the change. If the opposing captain objects, the match
between the original teams shall be played as soon as possible. A captain,
wishing to substitute a team, must contact the opposing captain for approval,
at least 48 hours before the scheduled match. Failure to adhere to this
schedule will result in forfeiture of the individual match.
E. Once the individual match has begun, the match shall re-commence at
the same point it was left off. The same players must complete an individual
match that has begun, as soon as possible.
2. Match Format
A. A Team Match shall consist of three (3) singles and four (4) doubles
matches for a
Total of seven (7) individual matches. Each match shall be the best of
three tiebreaker sets. The twelve-point tiebreaker is to be used at six
all in each set. The winner of four of the seven individual matches shall
win the Team Match.
B. If any player in a match wants new balls in third set, then the match
will continue with new balls to be supplied by the home team.
3. Scoring and Standings
A. One point shall be awarded for each Team Match won.
B. Division standings will be determined based upon the total points
accumulated for Team Matches won during the course of the season, the
team with the highest point total being declared the division winner.
Should two teams have identical point totals, the result of the head-to-head
match between the two (if decisive) will determine the higher-placed team.
If that result is not decisive, or if more than two teams have identical
point totals and no one of them has defeated all of the others head-to-head,
placement will be determined based upon the most individual matches won.
C. The team in each of the lower 3 divisions may elect to move up to
the next Division. In the event that the team(s) elect to move up, then
the last place team in the Division shall automatically move down.
D. The winner of the Rough Divsion will be determined by a three team Play-off to be held on the Saturday and Sunday following the last regular season match, weather permitting. The top three teams shall make the Play-offs. The second and third place teams shall play each other on the Saturday following the regular season match at the second place team home courts. The winner playing the first place team at their home court. To be eligible for the playoffs a player must have played in 3 regular season matches. No accommodations to that requirement may be made without Board approval.
4. Eligibility
A. Only full time members paying the full time (single or family) membership
rate (for his AGE category) of their club are eligible for team play.
In the event a club has multiple membership categories and therefore multiple
membership rates, then in order to be eligible for team play, the member
must pay the HIGHEST FULL TIME membership rate that the club charges.
A person who plays without having paid the appropriate fee is an "illegal
player". Cases of individual financial hardship may be confidentially
submitted to the Executive Committee of the League, for consideration
and a ruling, in advance of an individual playing a match.
B. Tennis Professionals (those people who consider that playing or teaching
is their primary employment), employees or affiliates of that club cannot
play for the club where they teach or work. They may play for a club other
than the club they teach or work at, if they normally play tennis there,
and providing they pay the HIGHEST FULL TIME membership rate, as described
above, and annually sign the Tennis Professional Declaration prior to
playing their first match. Team captains are responsible for co-signing
and submitting declarations for all Tennis Professionals to the League
Executive Committee, before allowing such a person to play. A Tennis Professional,
who plays without having a filed Declaration or otherwise not abiding
by this rule, is an "illegal player".
C. A player may play once, in either singles or doubles, in any one-team
match and cannot switch and play for another team on that same match date
or make-up match that they already played for the first team. It is further
stated that a player with more than one club membership can only
play for one club for that entire season. NO CHANGES WILL BE PERMITTED!
D. Players will be allowed to make one change to a newly joined club during a season.
Once a player has played for a second club, he may play for only that
club for the remainder of the season.
E. No player may be allowed to compete on more than one team on the same day or match. To permit needed flexibility,
interchange of players will be allowed during periods of temporary
player shortages. It shall be the goal of each club to field the strongest
"A" team possible. Deliberate use of "A" team players
on a "B" team or "B" team players on a "C" team to gain a competitive advantage shall be considered
"stacking" and shall submit a team to possible forfeiture of
that entire lower team match. In addition, any player that plays three times for a team may under no circumstances play for a lower team. Any movement between teams should be from the bottom of the higher team to the top of the lower team.
F. It is the intent of the league that teams display fair lineups, placing
singles players and doubles teams according to their relative abilities.
A team may place their best players either in doubles or singles, however,
a captain must place the three singles players in order of their relative
ability (the best at #1) and the four doubles teams in order of their
relative ability. Any "stacking" is illegal. The Executive Committee
of the League shall look in to any reports of "stacking" and
may submit the offending team to possible forfeiture of the Team Match.
5. Attire
All players shall be appropriately attired in white tennis shorts and
collared white tennis shirts, if this is a dress rule of the home club.
It is the responsibility of the visiting club captain to be sure that
his team is in compliance with the home club rule.
6. Defaults, Other Penalties (Including Expulsion) and Rulings
A. Assuming that four courts are utilized for team matches, the first round of begin at 12:30 PM with the #1 and #2 Singles and the #1 and #2 Doubles. The remaining matches will be scheduled for 1:45
PM but begin upon completion of the first round matches with #3 Singles followed by #3 Doubles and #4 Doubles. A fifteen-minute default period will begin at these times. A default must
be offered if the player/team is more than fifteen minutes late of the scheduled start time.
B. Use of an "illegal" player shall result in loss of the point
for the match in question, and subject the team to expulsion from the
league.
C. Use of a "stacked" lineup shall result in loss of the point
for the match in question.
D. All "new" teams entering the League will automatically be
on probation for one season.
E. The Executive Committee will place any team with repeated defaults
or other inconsistencies on probation for one season.
F. Teams on probation can be automatically expelled from the league by
a vote of the (Five member) Executive Committee.
G. The Executive Committee of the league shall serve as a Ruling Committee,
and shall be available to any Captain for a ruling. The decision of this
(Five person) Committee shall be final.
7. Exchange of Lineups and Reporting of Scores
A. To prevent an unfair advantage for a home team, written lineups shall
be exchanged for all seven matches promptly at the scheduled start time
for the first match (presumably 12:30 PM).
B. Winning teams are responsible for faxing results of each team match
to their respective division designee, as soon as possible after conclusion,
but no later than 12:00 PM of the following day of the match (to ensure
that the matches were played on Sunday).
8. Probation and Expulsion from the League
A. All "new" teams entering into the league will automatically
be on probation for one season.
B. Any team with repeated defaults or other inconsistencies will automatically
be put on probation with the possibility of being expelled from the league.
Any team that has been "officially warned" will be put on probation
with the possibility of expulsion if the offense is repeated.
C. The executive committee can automatically vote to expel any team from
the league on probation. |
