Burton & District Inter Club Tennis League Regulations
1. The competition shall be called: 'THE BURTON & DISTRICT INTER CLUB TENNIS LEAGUE'
2. (a) The competition shall only be open to Tennis Clubs that are affiliated to the County Association appropriate to their location.
(b) The League shall be affiliated to the Staffordshire Lawn Tennis Association and shall be governed by its rules and regulations.
3. The constitution and rules of the competition shall be subject to agreement at the Annual meeting of representatives of competing clubs, which shall be held in the Spring of each year.
4. All competing clubs shall be entitled to send representatives to the Annual meeting. Each club represented shall be entitled to one vote in respect of all elections and notices of motion.
5. The competition shall be administered by a League Committee, made up of a League General Secretary plus FOUR other members, one of whom will function as Treasurer to the League, the other three performing functions as determined by the committee shall have the power to co-opt other Members if considered necessary. Each member of the general Committee shall have one vote, but the General Secretary shall have an extra vote which shall be the casting vote, co-opted members shall not have a vote, but members co-opted to fill a casual vacancy shall be entitled to vote.
6. The League Committee shall be elected at the Annual Meeting and Shall have responsibility for all aspects of the competition including the grouping of competing clubs, monitoring and enforcement of all rules relating to the competition and all financial arrangements including the preparation of an appropriate audited statement of accounts.
7. Nominations of persons to act for the ensuing year as members of the Committee may be made by any competing club. Each such nomination should be proposed and seconded at the AGM. Before a nomination is made, the proposer must ensure that the nominee is prepared to stand.
8. All competing clubs shall pay a league fee for each team entered and accepted into the competition. The amount of the fees shall be determined by the Annual Meeting and shall be payable to the Treasurer at or before the start of the season.
9. Each competing club shall be a separate organisation under paragraphs (a) and (b) of Rule 37 of the Rules of the L.T.A. and a player shall be entitled to represent a club if he shall have been a bona fide member of that club for at least fourteen days standing prior to a match. No player shall be entitled to play for more than one club during one season, in each competition i.e. Mens1 Ladies/Mixed.
10. A club desirous of competing or resigning shall give notice of its desire in writing to the League General Secretary on or before the 31st January of the same year.
11, (a) The competition shall be played during the months of April, May, June, July, August and September. All competing clubs shall be responsible for arranging their own fixtures. A complete list of the dates and times agreed upon shall be forwarded to the Fixtures Secretary by the representatives of each club before the end of the evening on which the fixtures meeting takes place.
(b) The dates thus agreed upon shall be strictly adhered to and no match shall be postponed for any reason except bad weather or the unfit condition of the courts. 1n the event of a match having to be postponed, the Captains or other responsible officials of the two clubs shall notify the Fixtures Secretary within 10 days and shall state the re-arranged date. Evening matches shall commence not later than 6.30 pm. Any player not on the ground within 15 minutes of the arranged time of commencing shall lose the first rubber 6-0. 6-0. If by 7pm any team which arrives with less than the full team complement but with at least two players the match between two pairs may be played but the other unplayed rubbers will be conceded 6-0. 6-0. by the team who were short. The two players rubbers will count towards the match result. Unless floodlights are available to complete a match, or the Captains mutually agree otherwise, the time of cessation of play shall be at sunset.
(c) All league matches must be played by the last Sunday in September and results received by the Fixtures Secretary not later than 30th September. Final tables will be approved by the League Committee and confirmed at the Annual Meeting. (Note 21 a and 22)
12. For the purpose of these regulations a rubber is the best of three sets. The normal, first to seven points, tie breaker shall operate at 6 games all in the first two sets. Should the match stand at one set all a special tie break to 11 points (two points clear, thereafter) shall be played instead of a third set. This will count as the third set for scoring purposes.
13. Points for each match shall be awarded on the basis of one point for every rubber won. In four rubber matches the total number of points available per match will be four.
14. Each club shall play two matches, one home and one away, against each other club in the same division. The home club shall have the right to decide the type of surface to be used, in the
event of a deterioration of the original surface shall have the right to change the surface during the course of a match.
15. Should a club give a walk-over to another club, that latter club shall score four points. The Committee shall, however, have power to ignore all the matches played by a club which does not fulfill all its engagements. (A walkover shall only be recognized when signed match cards have been received by the Fixtures Secretary from both Captains concerned, acknowledging the walkover).
16. (A) The home club shall provide for each match at least 6 new L.T.A. official balls in 2 pair matches and 9 in three pair matches. Only balls manufactured for use during the same season as matches are to be played shall be used.
(b) Predominately white dress shall be worn by all players.
17. Each club shall be represented by a team of 4 players. The captains shall arrange the teams in pairs and each pair shall play each opposing pair, one rubber.
18. Once a match has commenced, and is then abandoned e.g. weather conditions, the match must be continued exactly from the position when the abandonment took place. There must be no change of player for the recommended match.
19. Play in each rubber shall be continuous and without unnecessary delay on the part of any player from the first service until the rubber is concluded. If, towards the end of a round, two pairs are set-all the special tie break to eleven points shall be played immediately and not postponed to a later period in the match.
20. Any club intending to scratch shall give information of its intention to do so to the Match Secretary of the club not less than three days before the date agreed upon for playing and, in default of so doing, shall have the power to take such action as they may deem expedient. The club scratched may be required by the committee to explain the reasons for its inability to raise a team.
21. (A) The Captain or other responsible official of the winning club shall be responsible for notice in writing of the result of each match with the score of all rubbers, sets and games won and lost. The results shall be received by the Fixtures Secretary on the score cards provided within seven days of the conclusion of each match, duly counter-signed by the Captains, or other responsible official of the losing club. In the event of a draw the Home Captain to return the score card. The Home Team is to provide the Results Card.
(b) The League Committee shall meet by the second week following the completion date for fixtures in order to compile the final League Tables for the season. Any written result not received by the League Committee by the commencement of the meeting will be regarded as a lost match for each of the teams
Concerned. Any outstanding results will be recorded as 0-4 for each team involved, and will be included as such in the final League Tables.
(c) Club representatives shall contact the Fixtures Secretary by 30th September each year in order to confirm that all submitted result cards have been received.
22. The Committee shall be under no obligation to take official cognisance of the result of any match, notice of which has not been sent to the Fixtures Secretary in accordance with these regulations, and one point may be deducted from the score of the club in default.
23. If it shall be found impractical to complete all matches during a season, the Committee shall decide promotion and relegation of clubs.
24. (a) The club scoring the highest number of points in Division One shall be the Champion club of the year.
(b) The bottom two teams in each Division shall be relegated and the top two teams shall be promoted.
25. If two or more clubs in any one Division shall score an equal number of points, the order of precedence in the Division shall be decided by matches won and then if necessary by sets and then games.
26. All questions of eligibility, qualification or competitors' interpretation of the regulations shall be referred, through the League Secretary to the Committee, whose decision shall be final.
27. Any dispute arising between clubs in the competitions shall be referred to the sole arbitration of the Committee, whose decision shall be final and binding upon all clubs. Should any club in connection with any dispute or protest have a member of the Committee, the said member or members shall not be eligible to sit on the Committee while such a dispute or protest is being considered.
28. At the conclusion of each annual competition the Final League Tables, as approved by the Committee, shall be published in the Burton Evening Mail.
29. The Committee may re-arrange each year the number of clubs in all Divisions in such a manner they deem necessary and, for the purpose of such re-arrangement, may promote to a Higher
Division or relegate to a Lower Division more than two clubs, or may not relegate any club, provided that, in such rearrangements, the order of precedence established by the previous competition is strictly maintained.
30. Clubs with more than one team in the same League must observe the following:
(a) Nominated players shall under no circumstances play for a lower team. Exceptions or changes in Nominated players during a season shall be considered by the Committee only after receiving communication from the team concerned.
(b) A player in the lower team of a club may play twice for a higher team. On the third appearance the player shall automatically become a player of that higher team and shall not be able to make further appearances in the lower teams.
(c) Before the first match of the season each club which has more than one team in each league competition must communicate nominated players for all but the club’s lowest team to the relevant league secretary. For the Mens and Ladies leagues this is 3 nominated players for each of the club’s teams other than its lowest team. For the Mixed team one Gentleman and one Lady player must be nominated for each of the club’s teams other than its lowest team. Under no circumstances can a nominated player play in a lower team than the one they have been nominated for.
(d) The Committee shall reserve the right to request from a club, at any time during the season, a list of their first team players, and subsequent teams if applicable.
(e) Where a club has two teams in the same Division, these two teams must play their fixtures against each other before any other fixtures are undertaken.
31. The Committee may, at the Annual Meeting, specify dates on which fixtures may not be made.
32. An Extraordinary General Meeting shall be convened by the League Secretary.
(a) By direction of the League Committee whenever it shall think fit.
(b) Upon receipt by the League Secretary of a request for such a meeting, made in writing, supported by not less than ten teams from a minimum of five clubs.
Notice of an Extraordinary General Meeting shall he sent to all team representatives within 14 days of receipt of the request for a meeting. The League Secretary will give teams 21 days notice of an Annual General Meeting.
33. These rules shall only be altered, rescinded or added to at an Annual or Extraordinary Meeting of the League. Notice in writing of any proposed alteration or addition to these or any other notice of motion must be received by the League Secretary 14 days before the date of the Annual General Meeting or 21 days before the date of an Extraordinary Meeting.
BURTON & DISTRICT LAWN TENNIS ASSOCIATION Rules for Cup Competitions
1. The competitions are:
a) Salt Brothers Cup - Mens Doubles
b) E. J. Manners Cup - Mixed Doubles
c) L. Clements Cup - Ladies Doubles
2. The cups will be competed for annually by affiliated clubs according to the following rules.
3. The President and Hon.Treasurer of the Burton Area of the L.TA. shall for all intents and purposes hold the cups in trust for the Association.
4. The management of the competitions shall be entrusted to the Area Committee.
5. Clubs will automatically be entered into the draw for the appropriate competition(s) unless the committee is informed to the contrary before the end of January.
6. The cost of entry, it any, will be set by the committee and payment made at the A.G.M. or by personal arrangement with the Hon.Treasurer.
7. The competitions will be 'knock out" and the draw will be made by the committee prior to the A.G.M.
8. Matches may be played at any time by mutual consent up to and including the final date set for completion of the round. These dates will be indicated on the draw,
9. The home team will have the choice of ground and will make up all the necessary arrangements for the fixture except that it will be the responsibility of the away team to provide the balls. It will be the responsibility of the winning team to report the result of the tie.
10. Players must be bona fide members of the club which they are representing and must not have played for another club in
any league or cup matches administered by the Burton & Districts LTA in the season concerned.
11. Each team will consist of two pairs each pair playing each of the opposing pairs. Each rubber will consist of the best of three sets. The normal, first to seven points, tie breaker shall operate at 6 games all in the first two sets. Should the match stand at one set all a special tie break to 11 points (two points clear, thereafter) shall be played instead of a third set. This will count as the third set for scoring purposes. In the event of each team winning two rubbers then the team winning the most sets will be declared the winner. If both teams have won an equal number of sets then two nominated players from each team will play a single tie break to decide the match.
12. A club may vary its team throughout the competition but no change may be made in the composition of the team after the start of play.
13. If a pair is not available for play, within fifteen minutes of the scheduled start of the match they will forfeit the first rubber.
14. If a match cannot be completed on the arranged day it must be continued as soon as possible thereafter from the position in which it was left i.e. previous score, court occupancy and ends will pertain.
15. The away team will provide not less than three balls of an approved and current manufacture for each court.
16. The winning team will send notice of the result to the League Hon Secretary within three days of the completion of the tie.
17. Trophies will be held by the winning team for one year. The clubs concerned will be responsible for the safe keeping of these trophies.
18. Any disputes, questions of eligibility, qualification of competitors, interpretation of rules or any other matter relating to the conduct of these competitions must be referred to the committee whose decision will be final.