1. Name.
2. Constitution.
(b) The purpose of the League is to promote the sport of tabletennis
in and around the Bury area.
(c) The League may only be dissolved at a properly convened
General Meeting and if no less than three-quarters of those
present and voting agree to the dissolution.
(d) In the event of dissolution, after settling all the liabilities of the
League the Committee shall not distribute the remaining assets
to members of the League but shall transfer them to some other
voluntary organisation having similar objectives to the League.
3. Subscriptions.
4. Officers.
(b) Honorary Life Members may be elected by the Management
Committee.
5. Annual General Meeting.
6. Meetings.
7. Alteration of Rules.
8. League Rules.
(b) Each Club shall register with the Match Secretary sufficient
players to enable it to run the team or teams entered, these
players to be registered in strict order of playing ability. All
players to be registered with the Match Secretary at least the day
before taking part in any match. No player shall be allowed to
take part in a match unless that player has made a payment of £5
(Seniors) or £2 (Juniors, i.e. players under 17 years of age on the
30th June prior to the commencement of the season). This
payment will entitle the player to enter the end of the season
Bury Closed Championships at no cost, as long as the
qualification requirements have been met. The registration of
any player shall be subject to the approval of the Management
Committee, and in particular, the registration of any player after
31st January in any season shall only be approved specifically by
the Management Committee at their next scheduled meeting.
Clubs must supply to the League or Match Secretary ETTA
personal data in respect of all their registered players.
(c) Players shall be ranked in order of playing ability and such
ranking lists shall be subject to the acceptance of the
Management Committee. Players ranked 1 to 3 constitute the
first team: Players ranked 4 to 6 shall constitute the second team,
and so on according to the number of teams entered. A player
may assist a higher team than that for which he is ranked, but
may not play for a lower. Any team playing an ineligible player
shall be fined £3 for each player and, at the discretion of the
Management Committee, may forfeit the match except in the
case of a cup match which will be forfeited. If a regular player or
reserve is not available for a match, a guest player will be allowed
to play. The guest player will be a registered club player not
eligible for that team and his or her games would not count.
(d) The Management Committee shall have power, if they consider a
player is not playing frequently for a Club, to co-rank that player
at a position in the Club's ranking list equal with another player
or players.
(e) A registered player who wishes to transfer to another Club shall
make application to the Match Secretary who shall place such
application before the next meeting of the Management
Committee. If the Management Committee approves such an
application the player will be permitted to play for his new Club
in the week after permission has been granted. Not more than
one transfer per player per season will be considered.
(f) All matches should be played on the date stated in the
handbook.
Matches may be brought forward by agreement between the
secretaries of both clubs. The home club secretary must notify
the Match Secretary of the revised date before the match is
played. The new date will take the place of the original date for
the purposes of any League rule.
Matches may only be postponed if:
(i) the home team's room is unavailable or
(ii) a player of either team is required for a Bury League
representative match or
(iii) the secretaries of both clubs agree.
The home team secretary must inform the Match Secretary of the
postponement no later than 3 days after the scheduled match
date.
Every effort must be made to re-arrange the match. Possible
options are:
(i) Both club secretaries agree on a new date - this date to
be no later than the last week of scheduled League
matches or the scheduled date of the return fixture,
whichever is earlier. The teams must reach agreement
on this date within 14 days of the original scheduled
date and the home team secretary must advise the
Match Secretary of the new date immediately after
agreement.
(ii) Amalgamate the match with the return fixture in the
second half of the season and play for double points and
double wins. This will apply to any first-half match that
has not been played by the scheduled date of the return
fixture.
If a postponed match is not re-arranged in accordance with this
rule then the Match Secretary may specify a date and venue for
the match, after consultation with the club secretaries.
If the match is still not played then the Committee may award
the points and wins to either or neither team and impose a fine
of £15 on either or both teams.
(g) It shall be the responsibility of a Club changing its Secretary,
Headquarters or Match Night, or the Secretary changing his or
her address, to notify in writing the Secretary and the Match
Secretary and the Secretary of each Club in the division or
divisions to which they are attached whose teams they still have
to play at home. Where a club changes its headquarters or
match night, all opponents for home Cup matches must be sent
a reminder at least 7 days and not more than 10 days before the
Fixture. No one person shall be the secretary of more than one
club at any one time.
(h) Should a team resign from the League after their entry has been
accepted the Management Committee may impose a fine, make
any adjustments to the league tables it considers appropriate
and may suspend any regular players for that team for the rest of
that season.
(i) All matches are to commence not later than 7.30 p.m.; two
players must be in attendance by 7.45 p.m. and the third player
by 8.00 p.m. In the event of the non-arrival of players by these
times, the opposing team may claim the sets of the absent
players. If no player is in attendance by 8.00 p.m., the match may
be claimed. Any one player with a reason acceptable to the
opposing team may play if in attendance by 9.15 p.m., but the
score card must be endorsed with the time of arrival and the
reason for lateness and the opponents must also be told by 7.30
p.m. All sets must be completed and any player not completing
all his sets may be subject to disciplinary action, in addition to his
club, by the Management Committee. Any team not fielding
three players in any match shall be fined £3 for each player
missing.
The team whose players were present on time in the
circumstances described in this rule may choose to regard the
match as postponed rather than claim it, in which case the
provisions of rule 8(f) will apply.
(j) Score cards with the result of the match must be forwarded by
the home Club to the Match Secretary. All cards must either bear
a postmark within 48 hours of the match or be delivered by hand
within 72 hours of the match, otherwise a fine of £2 will be
imposed. Sunday shall be ignored for all purposes of this rule. If
a score card is submitted with the scores filled in for a player who
was not actually present, each team shall be fined £5 and the two
players signing the card shall be suspended for one match. If the
card is not signed by a team, the suspension shall apply to all
players of that team present during the match.
If a player is proved to have played under a false name, that team
shall be fined £15 and all players who took part in that match for
that team shall be suspended for two matches.
All suspensions are to commence on the Monday of the week
following the decision by the Management Committee
(k) The divisions shall play their matches as follows:
(i) In divisions of 8 teams or less, each team shall play all
other teams in its division three times in each season, at
least once at home and at least once away. In divisions
of more than 8 teams, each team shall play all other
teams in its division twice in each season, once at home
and once away.
(ii) Teams shall consist of not less than three players nor
more than five players. The three players for singles shall
play each member of the other side one set. In addition
two players (not necessarily the same as in singles) shall
play a doubles match against two players of the other
side, one set.
(iii) The sets shall be played in the following order:
1 v 2; 3 v 1; 2 v 3; 3 v 2; 1 v 3; D; 2 v 1;
3 v 3; 2 v 2; 1 v 1; home team first in each case.
If a match is played out of score card order through an
acceptable reason, the order shall be decided by the
opponents of the team causing the match to be played
out of order.
If both teams agree, the doubles may be played as the
last set of the match.
(iv) The home captain shall write the names of his team on
the score card before the opponents.
(v) Umpires shall be agreed upon mutually and the
Umpire's decision on all points shall be final.
(l) A Top Ten competition shall be held for each division whereby
each player is awarded one win for every singles win in league
matches whether awarded or played. The winner shall be the
player with the most number of wins each season. In the event
of two players finishing with an equal number of wins, the player
with the least defeats shall be adjudged the winner and in the
event of continued equality a play-off over five games shall be
arranged by the Management Committee to decide the winner.
If a match is awarded to a team under Rule 8(f) then this team
must submit a scorecard recording the results. The players
named on the scorecard will be credited with wins for the
purposes of the Top Ten competition.
If sets or a match are claimed under Rule 8(i) then the players
present will be credited with wins for the purposes of the Top
Ten competition.
Defeats will not be recorded against any player under the
provisions of Rules 8(f) and (i).
(m) In a match a team shall be credited with one point for each set
won, each such point to count in the league table. At the end of
the season the top two teams shall be promoted and the bottom
two teams relegated. In the event of a tie on points the deciding
factors shall be, in order of precedence:
(i) matches won
(ii) matches lost (the fewer losses determining the higher
league position)
(iii) the aggregate result of the home and away fixtures
between the teams involved.
If there is still a tie, a play-off over nine sets shall take place
between the teams on a neutral table to be decided by the
Management Committee. In any event, at the start of the season,
the Management Committee will consider all accepted entries
and will allocate the teams to such divisions as they deem fit. All
applications for a new season shall be accompanied by a list of
the players who it is intended shall play for that club in ranking
order. After a team has been allocated to a particular division,
the Management Committee shall have the power to refuse the
registration of a player who has proven ability at a higher level
than the division to which his team has been allocated.
(n) Laws and equipment
(i) The current laws of table tennis as adopted by the
E.T.T.A. shall apply to all matches in the League.
(ii) All balls and rubbers used in League competitions must
be in the relevant ITTF authorised lists specified by the
Management Committee.
(o) Cup Competitions. The draw for each round of each cup shall be
drawn by at least two nominated member of the Committee.
Those clubs who have submitted an official e-mail address shall
be notified of the full draw at least 10 days before the
commencement of the next round. Other clubs shall be notified
by post. The following rules mentioned above shall apply to the
competitions: 8(b); 8(c); 8(d); 8(f); 8(g); 8(i); 8(j); 8(k) (ii) and (iii)
(except that no doubles shall be played) (iv) and (v); 8(n). No
player may represent more than one Club in a season in any of
the competitions. No player may play in the semi-final or final of
any competition unless he or she has played five league matches
for that club by the first Friday after 31 January or other date
specified by the Management Committee, with only matches
scheduled to take place by that date being taken into account.
In the case of the lowest ranked team in a club, or a club with
only one team, someone who has not played five matches may
be allowed to play in a semi-final or final subject to the prior
approval of the Management Committee.
The cup competitions shall be:
Dwyer Cup - for all teams in the league competition and shall
be played on a handicap basis whereby each player shall
receive a handicap prior to the match, the handicap
to be decided by the Management Committee prior to first
round.
MacDonald Cup - for first division teams and
shall be played on a handicap basis whereby each player
shall be allocated a number of points handicap for the match, the
handicap to be decided by the Management Committee
prior to first round.
Poytress Cup - for second division teams and
shall be played on a handicap basis whereby each player
shall receive a number of points start in each game, the
handicap to be decided by the Management Committee
prior to first round
Pressman Cup - for third division teams and
shall be played on a handicap basis whereby each player
shall receive a number of points start in each game, the
handicap to be decided by the Management Committee
prior to first round.
Hilton Cup - for fourth division teams and
shall be played on a handicap basis whereby each player
shall receive a handicap score. These are to be added to team-mates handicap scores and the match is played for cumulative points rather than individual wins/losses. The
handicap to be decided by the Management Committee
prior to first round
Lomax Cup - for fifth division teams and
shall be played on a handicap basis whereby each player
shall receive a handicap score. These are to be added to team-mates handicap scores and the match is played for cumulative points rather than individual wins/losses. The
handicap to be decided by the Management Committee
prior to first round
Sponsors Cup - for all teams eliminated in the first round of the Dwyer Cup and
shall be played on a handicap basis whereby each player
shall receive a handicap score. These are to be added to team-mates handicap scores and the match is played for cumulative points rather than individual wins/losses. The
handicap to be decided by the Management Committee
prior to first round
All cup finals shall commence at 7.30 p.m. and shall be
played in exact score card order with any player forfeiting
the set if not available when called upon to play.
(p) In order to take part in any end of season tournament, a player
must have played 5 league matches by the closing date for the
receipt of entries. In the case of any Divisional Championships,
the league matches must have been for the same team in the
division for which the player is entering. In all cases, only
matches scheduled to be played before the closing date shall
count towards qualification. A minimum entry of four shall be
required for any event to take place. A minimum entry of two
shall be required for the ladies singles event, which shall be
played on a handicap basis.
(q) Any protest or appeal relating to any violation of the rules of the
League shall be lodged in writing with the Match Secretary
enclosing a £5 fee (which will be returned if the protest or appeal
is upheld) and at the same time a full copy of the protest or
appeal shall be sent to the Secretary of the opposing Club. This
must take place within 7 days of the match in question having
taken place, and come from the Club Secretary of the team who
are putting forward the appeal.
(r) The Management Committee shall have power to fine or
suspend any player for unacceptable behaviour in the course of
a match.
(s) The Management Committee shall have the power to appoint
any number of sub-committees to deal with any matter
providing that the majority of such sub-committees shall be
members of the Management Committee.
(i) In particular the Management Committee will appoint
an Emergency Committee made up of three nominated
and elected people, who shall discuss and rule on any
matter which, in the opinion of the Chairman of the
League, cannot wait until it is heard at the next
scheduled Management Committee meeting. The
Management Committee shall nominate and appoint a
first and second reserve for the Emergency Committee
who shall stand in, in order, should any of the three full
Emergency Committee members be unavailable or
ineligible (due to having an "interest" in the matter) to sit
on a particular issue.
(ii) The Emergency Committee needs to report its
conclusions at the next meeting of the Management
Committee, who must uphold its decision (subject to
any appeal as set out in 8(q))
(iii) Any reference to "Management Committee" in the rules
also covers any sub-committees thereof.
9. Other Matters.
(b) In the event of any question or matter which is not provided for
in these rules, the Management Committee shall deal with the
matter and their decision is final.
(c) The handbook shall contain all the previous season's winners,
runners-up and final league positions.
(d) All trophies shall be returned to the League by the dates
requested otherwise a fine of £2 shall be imposed on the club
involved. In addition, where any trophy is returned in an unfit
condition, the club shall be fined £4.
(e) Teams that win trophies must have a representative on Finals
Night. Failure to attend: £10 fine.
(f) Any fine imposed under the league rules may be waived or
reduced at the discretion of the Management Committee.
Subscriptions, Fees & Fines - 2008 / 2009
Annual Player Registration - Rule 8(b) :
Senior £5.00
Junior £2.00
Late payment of team subscription, per month:
Rule 3 £5.00
Non attendance at AGM: Rule 5 £5.00
Playing of ineligible player - Rule 8(c) £5.00
Failure to complete a fixture - Rule 8(f) £15.00
Playing a player short - Rule 8(i) £3.00
Late score card - Rule 8(j) £2.00
False score card - Rule 8(j) £5.00
Playing under false name - Rule 8(j) £15.00
Late return of trophies - Rule 9(d) £2.00
Trophies returned in unfit condition - Rule 9(d) £4.00
Failure to collect trophies - Rule 9(e) £10.00
