Rules
2017-2018
MILTON KEYNES TABLE TENNIS LEAGUELEAGUE RULES FOR 2017–2018
The following abbreviations appear in the rules:
A.G.M: ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
S.G.M: SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
EC: EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
BCTTA: BUCKINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY TABLE TENNIS ASSOCIATION
TTE: TABLE TENNIS ENGLAND
(Please note that modifications to the Rules agreed at the AGM are in bold print.)
1. The League shall be known as the Milton Keynes Table Tennis League. A vote shall be taken at each A.G.M. and each S.G.M. as to whether the League shall affiliate to (i) Table Tennis England, (ii) the BCTTA, (iii) any alternative association. A simple majority will decide on (i), (ii) and/or (iii).
2. (a) There shall be elected annually any additional life members.
(b) The Honorary officers of the League shall be: Chairman, Vice Chairman, General Secretary, Treasurer, Registrations Secretary, Fixture Secretary, Tournament Secretary, Press Officer and Inter-League Secretary (if appropriate).
(c) A Patron shall be nominated for the League.
3. Management of the League shall be by an Executive Committee, consisting of the Officers of the League. Additionally, up to five persons shall be elected at the A.G.M. to serve on the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall have powers to co-opt.
4. (a) Every applicant, at the time of applying for League membership, shall also complete in full the application of Individual Membership (IM) of Table Tennis England and pay the current Table Tennis England Individual Membership fee unless the applicant already holds IM and states the IM number or indentifies any other Table Tennis England affiliated League through which IM has been obtained. Applicants shall also complete the affiliation form in force for the time being, and shall sign the same on behalf of the Club for which the application is being made. The EC shall have the power to refuse any application without giving reasons.
(b) The League shall be divided into divisions, the status being; Premier, Division 1, 2, 3, etc.
(c) The composition of the Divisions shall be based on a promotion and relegation basis of 2 up and 2 down. The EC shall have the discretion to promote a team by more than one division or to permit a team to enter a lower division than that for which it qualified at the end of the previous season. The EC also has discretion not to relegate or promote any team, as part of maintaining the playing strength and standard of each division.
(d) Any new club entering the League will be expected to serve at least one season in a lower division. No new club will be accepted into the Premier Division for the first season.
(e) The maximum number of teams in all divisions shall be 12.
(f) Each Division will, wherever possible, contain the same number of teams. Where there is an
increase or reduction in the total number of teams applying to enter the League in any
season, the composition of the Divisions may be altered by the EC to accommodate this.
5. The League shall award Life Membership to players or administrative members of the League who have given long and outstanding service to table tennis as a whole and the Milton Keynes Table Tennis League in particular, such membership shall consist of membership of the League without payment of any entry fee for League tournaments or functions including the Presentation Evening and shall enable the life member to vote at any A.G.M. or S.G.M. of the League regardless of whether he/she be a registered player or a club representative or neither.
6. All entry and registration fees to be fixed at each A.G.M. or S.G.M.
7. (a) The financial year of the League shall end before the date of the A.G.M.
(b) The funds of the League shall be lodged at a Bank and/or Building Society and all withdrawals and transactions through the account shall be signed by any two of the following: Chairman, Vice-Chairman, General Secretary or Treasurer.
8. (a) The A.G.M. shall be held in either the month of April or May when the Annual Reports and Annual Statement of Accounts shall be presented. The Accounts shall be audited annually by a person not on the League Committee as an elected officer or co-opted representative.
(b) At least 14 days notice specifying the place, date and hour of the AGM, together with the Agenda, shall be sent to all Officers of the League and Secretaries of Affiliated Clubs.
(c) Attendance at the A.G.M. shall be open to any person, but voting shall be restricted to the following; (i) Officers of the League, (ii) Registered players, (iii) not more than two representatives from any club not having any registered players present, such representatives to be notified in writing by the General Secretary before the Meeting, (iv) Life Members, (v) committee members who are not officers of the League or registered players.
(d) Each Club is required to delegate at least one member of the Club for each 20 players registered for the Club with the League for the current season to attend the A.G.M. or S.G.M. (numbers of members rounded up to units of 20 e.g. 6 players = 1 delegate). Failure to provide the correct attendance at the A.G.M. or S.G.M. will result in the Club being fined £20.00 per delegate not attending: the fine(s) payable with the registration fees due for the new season.
9. (a) A S.G.M. shall be convened on a resolution of the EC or of a General Meeting, or within one month of receipt by the General Secretary of a resolution signed by the secretaries of at least one third of the affiliated clubs.
(b) Rules 8(b) and 8(c) shall apply for a S.G.M.
10. The Standing Orders for the League as detailed in Appendix 1 to these Rules shall apply to all General Meetings.
11. All players must be registered with the League for the current season and as an Individual Member with Table Tennis England if the League has, at the previous AGM voted to affiliate to Table Tennis England. A player must be registered with the Registration Secretary 24 hours before the scheduled date of any match. The EC may refuse or cancel any registration or place any other restriction on a player registration they consider appropriate. All clubs are encouraged to organise their teams so that players are registered for teams appropriate to their expected playing standard. No player may be registered after January 31st except with EC approval.
(a) Clubs must register at least 3 players for each team when the application for membership is made. Any registered player may play for their own team only, or “play up” for any other team in the same Club, playing in a higher division, not more than 3 times in total during a season. THEY MAY HOWEVER ONLY PLAY UP AGAINST THE SAME OPPOSITION ONCE IN A SEASON. It is the responsibility of the player asked to play up to indicate whether or not he/she has already played up and for which teams. Any sets played in contravention of this rule shall be treated as having been lost by the offending team and shall not count towards the averages. When a player has played four times in higher divisions from that which he/she is registered, he/she is automatically re-registered for the lowest of such higher teams. Once re-registered for the lowest of such higher teams or for a higher team (if that player chooses and the team agrees) any subsequent match played in a higher division will automatically result in re-registration for that team. Having been re-registered after playing up, a player cannot play up for the remainder of the season.
(b) Any player may apply to the EC for re-registration to another club or other team of the same club, but (except where automatically re-registered under Rule 11(a)) must not play for the new club or team until written permission is received. No member of an affiliated Club shall be allowed to be registered by the Registration Secretary for another affiliated Club until all fees and dues have been paid to the Club for whom he/she was registered during the winter season (September to the following April). Players cannot be “loaned” from one Club to another.
(c) The EC reserves the right not to register players for a Club or team if it is felt that the player will be playing in a division significantly below their standard, unless sufficient justification can be put forward.
(d) The League team registration form must be filled in completely together with the Table Tennis England Individual Membership number and fee (if applicable) with full names, full address and date of birth for each player. Any player registered subsequently shall also provide such information unless evidence is provided that the player is already registered with Table Tennis England for that season. Failure to provide the completed Table Tennis England IM form and fee (or Table Tennis England IM number if already obtained) will cause games in any matches played by that player to be void and those games will be awarded to the opposing players but will not count towards the league averages.
(e) Any fines imposed by the League on a team will be treated as being owed by each registered member of that team at the time the fine was imposed. These team members will not be allowed to play in the following season until the fine is paid.
12. (a) A team shall consist of three players in the singles, although a fourth player may be used in
the doubles set of League or Cup matches, provided that player is registered with that team.
(b) A match shall consist of ten sets, each being the best of 5 games up to 11 points (subject
to Rule 17(b)).
13. (a) The home team captain for the night, shall decide the order of play for the home team, and the opposing team captain shall accordingly decide the order of play for their team. All matches will be played to the Match Card, with the Doubles always being the fourth set, except with the agreement of both team captains.
(b) Both teams should participate in the scoring of matches.
(c) A bat may not be changed during an individual set, unless it is broken.
(d) It is essential that all players accept that the umpire is the sole arbiter of any decision or
dispute during a game. If a player wishes to question any matter, that player shall refer the issue to the umpire, whose decision shall be final. The umpire must act impartially. Any comments made, or concerns of players not participating in a game shall be mentioned to their team captain between legs for referral to the umpire if required.
14. (a) League points shall be awarded on a basis of one point for each set won, walkover claims will be decided by the EC after receiving the Match Card. In the event of two or more teams finishing level on points at the end of a season, the league position shall be decided by the following, in order of priority:
(i) Greater number of matches won.
(ii) Greater number matches drawn.
(iii) Greater number of sets won.
(b) The EC may take disciplinary action against any Club, team or player for serious misconduct, persistent infringement of the League Rules or breach of the Code of Conduct.
(c) The winner of the Percy Hyde Trophy, awarded to the Premier Division player with the highest percentage of wins at the end of the season, must have played in not less than 66% of League matches in the season.
15. (a) The home team will provide a score card and clean Table Tennis England approved 3-star
balls. The home team is responsible for ensuring the score card is filled in correctly and
completely. The home team will enter their players on the card first – doubles players must
be named/identified. The first name and surname of each player must be specified. Failure
to comply may result in a fine of 2 points against the home team for a first offence, and 5
points for each subsequent offence.
(b) The home team captain for the night must post the match card to the Fixtures Secretary by first class post within 24 hours of the fixture being played, so as to be received by the Secretary within 4 days of that fixture being played. Failure to comply may result in a fine of 2 points against the home team for a first offence and 5 points for each subsequent offence. Scanned copies may be emailed to the Fixtures Secretary in lieu of the official card which then need not be sent but must be retained for at least two weeks in the event of any queries arising.
16. The League does not permit postponed matches except in the circumstances noted in 17(a)(iii) below. The fixture list shall be conclusive, except that a match may be played, with the consent of both team captains, no later than the Friday of the week in which it was scheduled to take place without notification to the Executive Committee, so long as the Fixtures Secretary has been notified of the change of date. A match can, with the consent of both team captains, be played earlier than the date in the League fixture list with no penalty to either team. This rule is subject to EC discretion under Rule 17(c).
17. (a) Procedures:
(i) If a match, in accordance with the League fixture list, is not played, each team captain shall submit a signed match card to the Fixture Secretary, explaining the cancellation. This will be referred to the Executive Committee, which will determine the offending and non-offending teams.
(ii) The offending team will receive 0 points and the non-offending team 7 points.
(iii) If the non-offending team would prefer that the match be played, then they have the option of offering two alternative suitable dates in the period up to two weeks after the scheduled week of the match, for it to be played. If the offending team is unable to play on these dates then 10 points shall be awarded to the non-offending team rather than the original 7 points. The offending team shall meet any costs associated with rearranging the match and both teams shall advise the Fixtures Secretary of the agreed arrangements. A suitable date is any Monday to Thursday during the period where a current league venue is available and on which the offending team does not have a scheduled match.
(iv) If no written explanation is received from a team, that team shall receive 0 points. If the Executive Committee considers that both teams were at fault, each team shall receive 0 points.
(b) The non-availability of one or more players shall not be a reason for non-fulfilment of a League fixture. At least 2 players per team should be provided. Wherever possible, a player from a lower division in the same club should be asked to play. If each team only has two players available, the match shall consist of 5 sets, being 4 singles and a doubles and a total of 5 points only will be available.
(c) The Executive Committee has the discretion to allow games to be played after a fixture date.
(d) In the event of a team being unable to fulfil at least one-third of its fixtures, the League
reserves the right to determine that such team shall be withdrawn from the League for that
season. In such circumstances, all results involving that team shall be expunged and no
individual games will count towards the averages. In the event that any registered player of
such a team has played up for one or more teams of the same club under Rule 11(a), that
player shall be treated as re-registered for the lowest of such higher teams and all games
played for such higher teams will count towards match scores and averages.
(e) In the event of the match not being completed for any reason (e.g. injury or otherwise), the
match card shall be marked to specify the matches played and shall be signed by both team
captains on the night. The reasons for the match not being completed shall be endorsed on
the front or reverse of the match card, or otherwise confirmed in writing to the Fixtures
Secretary by each team captain separately. The match result will then be determined by the
EC.
18. (a) Matches shall start at 7.30pm. The HOME team must have their venue set up ready for play by 7.15pm, so that matches can start on time. Start times to be recorded on score cards.
(b) Any team not having at least two players present by 7.45 pm shall, subject to EC decision, be liable to forfeit all points. The match card should be signed by one of the captains and posted by first class mail as soon as possible.
(c) If a player fails to appear in the match room by 8.30 pm, the opposing team Captain may refuse to permit that player to participate in the match.
19-25. Challenge Cup Rules - see Appendix 2.
26. When selecting teams to represent the League, Selectors shall not be bound to choose the best players available. A team place shall only be given to players whom Selectors consider will prove a credit to the League in all aspects of table tennis. The Selectors will give due regard to the current ranking lists.
27. All additions or amendments to League Rules must be received by the EC in writing or by email (via the General Secretary) at least 14 days prior to the A.G.M. or S.G.M.
28. All new clubrooms to be approved by the EC before being accepted for play within the League – points to be checked include lights, size of room, flooring material, table, nets and possible disconcerting noise. The Table Tennis England/Sports Council guidelines for playing conditions as amended by the League will be observed where possible although new Clubs will be expected to provide venues which comply with these guidelines.
29. In the event of any question or matter arising which is not provided for in these rules, such questions or matters shall be dealt with by the EC.
30. (a) Any individual or club aggrieved by a decision or action of the EC, or any Officer of the
League, may apply to the EC to review such decision or action, and the EC shall arrange a
Hearing if requested.
(b) Any such application for review shall be made in writing to the General Secretary within 14
days of notification of the decision or action of which review is sought.
(c) Any individual or club aggrieved by the result of a review of a decision or action after the
conclusion of a hearing may appeal against such decision or action to the B.C.T.T.A. (if
affiliation has been confirmed at the preceding League AGM) whose decision shall be final
and binding on all parties.
(d) Any such appeal shall be made in writing to the General Secretary of the B.C.T.T.A. within
21 days of notification of the decision or action appealed against and shall be accompanied
by the appropriate fee, which shall be returned if the adjudicating body consider the making
of the appeal to have been justified, whatever the result.
(e) Either party to the appeal shall be entitled to require a Hearing before the adjudicating body.
Any party may be represented at a Hearing provided that the County Association is notified in
advance in writing, of the intention to be represented.
(f) A Code of Conduct shall be agreed by the EC and will be set out in the League's
Handbook for each season and possibly on the League's Website, but shall be
provided on request to any league member - (see page 13).
31. In the event of this League ceasing to exist, the assets or liabilities of the League are to be divided
among the teams in membership at the time of cessation.
32. (a) Team captains are requested to ensure that a copy of the current season’s handbook is available for consultation on match nights.
(b) Where the League operates a website, the League rules shall, if possible, be set out on the website.
(c) In the event of any disparity between the rules set out in the league handbook for any
season and on any website operated by the league, the rules in the handbook shall
prevail.
33-36. Milton Keynes Closed Championship Rules - see Appendix 3.
37. SPONSORSHIP RULING
Should a Club or Team wish to give recognition in the Handbook to a sponsor by name, either
by prefixing the club or team’s name with that sponsor, or by use of the words ‘sponsored by . . .’
followed by the sponsor’s name, then that club or team shall pay the League £5.00 each time
recognition is given, with a minimum payment of £25.00 for a season’s sponsorship, the
exact figure being at the discretion of the EC. When the sponsor’s name is an integral part of
the club’s or team’s name, then the League shall have the discretion to waive the charge, or
enforce repeat charges arising, or decide on another appropriate charge. Should a club or team
use a longer form of wording giving recognition to a sponsor than that described above, then the
League shall charge the club or team a minimum of £5.00, the exact figure being at the
discretion of the EC.
38-39. Handicap Singles, Pot Luck Doubles, Hard Bat Competition & the Nick Warton Trophy Rules –
see Appendix 4 on Page 12.
40. Divisional Top Eight Competition Rules - see Appendix 5.
41. The Milton Keynes Table Tennis League through its affiliations to Table Tennis England and
Buckinghamshire County Table Tennis Association, plays under the auspices of these
governing bodies and observes the Rules and Regulations in force for the time being and as
applicable for the playing of table tennis at local League level.
NOTE RE UMPIRING
There are always queries over umpiring matches (which all players should take their turn at) and last year it was felt helpful to include on the inside front cover of the handbook the main areas that players should be aware of. Those experienced at umpiring matches would be fully conversant with these notes that are still applicable and they will be put on the web site as a good aide-memoire to all.
ITTF Double Hit Rule Change (from 1st September 2010)
2.10 A Point
2.10.1 A player shall score a point
2.10.1.6 if an opponent deliberately strikes the ball twice successively;
The Expedite Rule [ITTF Rule 2.15]
2.15.1 Except as provided in 2.15.2, the expedite system shall come into operation after 10 minutes play in a game or at any time when requested by both players or pairs.
The expedite system shall not be introduced in a game if at least 18 points (i.e. 9 – 9 or 10 – 8) have been scored (underlined words apply from 1st September 2010).
2.15.2 If the ball is in play when the time limit is reached, play shall be interrupted by the umpire and shall resume with service by the player who served in the rally that was interrupted. If the ball is not in play when the expedite system comes into operation, play shall resume with service by the player who received in the immediately preceding rally.
2.15.3 Thereafter, each player shall serve for 1 point in turn until the end of the game and if the receiving player or players makes 13 returns in a rally, then the receiver shall score a point.
2.15.4 Introduction of the expedite system shall not alter the order of serving and receiving in the match, as defined in 2.13.6.
2.15.5 Once introduced, the expedite system shall remain in operation until the end of the match.
NB: The time limit is 10 minutes.
APPENDIX 1
STANDING ORDERS
1. OBJECT OF STANDING ORDERS
To give guidance of procedure before, during and after A.G.M.s, S.G.M.s and Executive Committee Meetings.
2. The Standing Orders are Rule 10. Appendix 1 of the League Rules.
3. QUORUM.
For business to be conducted at the A.G.M. and S.G.M., at least one third of the current M.K.T.T.L. clubs must be represented and at least one third of the elected EC must be present.
A member of the EC can also represent his/her registered club.
For business to be conducted at an EC, at least one third of the EC members must be present.
At all meetings: If within 30 minutes of the appointed starting time a quorum is not present the meeting may be dissolved by a simple majority present.
4. Notice of the items on the Agenda shall accompany all notices convening Meetings (see League
Rule 26).
5. At all A.G.M., the following items shall be on the Agenda:
(a) Confirmation of the Minutes of the previous A.G.M. (and S.G.M.).
(b) Matters arising out of the Minutes.
(c) Officers Reports and Special Reports.
(d) Affiliations (see Rule 1.).
(e) Additions and amendments to League Rules (see Rule 26).
(f) Election of Officers.
(g) Any other business. This may include recommendations to the EC but cannot include any additional or amendments to the League Rules.
6. At a S.G.M., only business advertised for the S.G.M. may be discussed.
7. PROCEDURE AT MEETINGS
(a) The Chair shall be taken by the Chairman of the League.
(b) In the absence of the Chairman any member of the EC shall be elected to the Chair on a majority vote of those members present.
(c) The order of the Agenda may be varied at the discretion of the majority of the members present.
(d) A point of Standing Orders may be raised at any time and shall take precedence over all other business.
(e) The Chairman may limit the number of times members may speak on any one proposal but the proposer of a motion shall have the right to reply before the motion is put to the vote.
(f) The Chairman’s decision on a point of order shall be final.
(g) All proposals shall have a mover and a seconder except that proposals made by the
Chairman need not have a seconder.
(h) The first proposition on any particular subject shall be known as the original motion and all succeeding propositions on that subject shall be called amendments. When an amendment is moved to an original motion, no further amendments shall be discussed until the first amendment is disposed of.
(i) If any amendment is carried it displaces the original motion, any further amendments may then be moved that relate to any portion of the substantive motion, provided that it has not already been covered by an amendment of motion which has previously been rejected. After the vote has been taken, the surviving proposition shall be put to the vote as the main question and if carried shall become a resolution of the Meeting.
(j) Voting on all matters shall be by a show of hands unless a ballot is demanded by a simple majority of members present.
(k) In all cases of equality of votes the Chairman may use a casting vote; otherwise the proposal shall not be carried.
(l) In applying a ‘Closure Motion’ only the following motions shall be accepted at the discretion of the Chairman:
(i) That the meeting shall proceed to the next business.
(ii) That the question now be put.
(m) The right to call a member to order, or expel a member from the meeting room until an acceptable apology is received, rests solely with the Chairman. No member may leave the meeting before it closes, without addressing the Chairman.
8. MINUTES
(a) The General Secretary of the League shall be responsible for the recording of the Minutes of all Meetings.
(b) When there is a Motion, the Minutes shall record the proposer and the seconder of each motion; the results of the vote with the number of votes cast in favour, against and if desired abstentions.
(c) The Minutes of the A.G.M. (S.G.M.) shall be circulated to Affiliated Clubs.
(d) The Minutes, as recorded in a Minute Book, shall be numbered consecutively, starting with a new series for each season.
9. The EC shall have power to form Sub-Committees, each being directly responsible to the EC.
When finance is involved by individual Committee members or by a Sub-Committee, the EC
(unless previously instructed by the current A.G.M.) must decide whether estimates are required
and must keep close control of all expenditure.
10. LEAGUE RULES
Unless the full league rules are published in the annual handbook, a copy of the full rules shall be available to Club Secretaries on request.
Rule 10 shall be Appendix 1. (Standing Orders).
Rule 19-25 shall be Appendix 2. (Challenge Cup).
Rule 32-35 shall be Appendix 3. (M.K.T.T.L. Closed Championships).
Rule 37-38 shall be Appendix 4. (Handicap Singles, Pot Luck Doubles, Hard Bat
Competition & the Nick Warton Trophy).
Rule 39 shall be Appendix 5. (Divisional Top Eight Competition).
11. SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDERS
(a) Any of the foregoing Standing Orders may be suspended on a motion supported by two
thirds of the members present.
(b) The current copy of the Standing Orders shall be signed by at least four responsible League
members.
APPENDIX 2.
CHALLENGE CUP RULES
12. This competition is open to all teams in the League, and all matches are played in the second half of the season.
13. Entry is optional.
14. Matches shall be ten sets of two games only of up to 21 points per game except that there shall be setting if the score reaches 20-20 so that each game is won by 2 clear points.
15. (a) Each team shall be handicapped. The results of the match shall be decided by the points
scored by each team plus any handicap. No adjustments to the handicaps for the group
stage will be made once it has started (i.e. the Monday of the first week of matches).
A team can apply before then to the Challenge Cup Committee to have their handicap
reconsidered if there are special circumstances that will affect the team throughout
the group stage, or subsequently before any knockout round (even if no changes
might have been required in the group stage or an earlier knockout round). This
should be done as soon as possible and ideally at least 72 hours in advance as no
adjustment will be possible once a match has been played.
15. (b) GROUPS: Teams will be placed in groups. Two league points shall be awarded in each
match. Two points for a win, one point for a draw. The group winners shall be decided by
the league points scored. In the event of a tie, points difference shall decide the winners
and the decision of the Committee shall be final. If a match is not played the defaulting team
will not proceed to the First Knock Out round of the Competition.
(c) KNOCK-OUT ROUNDS: The team scoring the most points (including the handicap), shall go
forward to the next round. In the event of a tie, an additional doubles set shall be played
after each team has changed its pairings. A separate handicap will be given for this deciding
set of two games. The basis on which the handicap will apply for the additional doubles set
will be on a pro-rata basis (i.e. divide the total handicap by 20 and apply that handicap to
each game). In the event of a team being unable to change its pairings, then the offending
team shall be deemed to have lost the match. In the event that the extra doubles still result in a tie between the two sides, a further “Golden Doubles” leg shall be played with the
handicap adjusted pro rata for just this one leg. The lower ranked side will start with this
adjusted handicap, rounding up any half points. Each team can select any pairing for this
“Golden Doubles” leg.
(d) A handicap will be set for each knockout round and the handicap may differ in character from
any previous handicap set for group matches or any earlier knockout round.
16. In the Challenge Cup matches, if a player has not played for their registered team they may play up for another team in their club, but will suffer a penalty of up to a maximum of 50 points. The actual level of points will be decided by the Challenge Cup Committee in the light of the standard of the player who will be playing up. A player must not play for more than one team in the Challenge Cup during the knock-out rounds, except with the prior permission of the Challenge Cup Committee, provided that the registered team of the player concerned is not still in the Cup. To qualify a player must have played in at least ONE league match.
17. Separate scorecards are to be completed for the Challenge Cup and must be returned by first class post to the Committee member whose name and address appears on the reverse of the scorecard, as soon as matches are finalised. As for League matches, scanned versions will be acceptable with no need to send in the card but it should be retained in the event of any queries arising.
18. Unless otherwise specified in these rules relating to the Challenge Cup, normal league rules shall apply.
APPENDIX 3
M.K.T.T.L. CLOSED CHAMPIONSHIP
19. In general, all League Rules will apply to these Championships, but the Championships will be run under the jurisdiction of the Executive Committee who reserves the right to add or slightly modify rules as desired for the benefit of the majority of entries.
20. The Committee must seed in the Championship Singles and Ladies Singles.
21. The qualification to enter the ‘Closed’ events are; being a registered member of the M.K.T.T.L. League for the current season, and having played in at least 4 League matches for a Milton Keynes League Club during the current season. (The EC may waive this condition in certain circumstances). If events other than ‘Closed’ are held, the qualification must be quoted on the entry form.
22. The EC may cancel events if there is a lack of support.
APPENDIX 4
HANDICAP SINGLES, POT LUCK DOUBLES, HARD BAT & THE NICK WARTON TROPHY
23. These competitions are usually held on a Sunday during November or December and are open to players registered to play in the League during the current season. (The EC
reserves the right to alter the date in the interest of the League programme).
24. (a) In the Handicap Singles Competition, players from the Premier, 1st and 2nd Divisions will be seeded and placed in the draw according to their seedings. The remaining players will then
be drawn to complete the programme of first round matches which will be played in groups.
(b) In the Pot Luck Doubles Competition, players from the Premier, 1st and 2nd Divisions will be seeded and placed in a separate draw with the remaining players then being drawn to
partner the seeded players where available or form the remaining doubles pairings should there not be sufficient seeded players to partners.
(c) In the Hard Bat competition and the Nick Warton Trophy, any seeding will be decided on the
day of the competition according to entries.
(d) The Nick Warton Trophy competition will be a singles competition only open to players
registered for a team in Divisions 2 and below.
(e) All games in the Pot Luck Doubles, Hard Bat Competition and the Nick Warton Trophy
shall be the best of 5 games up to 11 points and the Handicap Singles event shall be the
best of 3 games up to 21 points ( in each case with setting if required).
APPENDIX 5
DIVISIONAL TOP EIGHT COMPETITION
25. (a) These competitions are open to the 8 players in each Division with the highest qualifying averages who are available to play on the designated evening.
(b) To qualify for averages, that player must play at least 50% of the possible matches after expunging the results of any team which has withdrawn from the relevant division.
(c) Players in the end of season League produced averages are invited to compete by the EC.
(d) A series of matches is arranged to produce a winner and runner-up for each Division.
(e) Final cut-off date to qualify is the week of the last scheduled fixtures.
CODE OF CONDUCT
AGREED BY THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE FOR THE SEASON AND APPLICABLE TO ALL CLUBS, TEAMS & REGISTERED PLAYERS
LEAGUE RULE 30 (f)
INFRINGEMENTS WILL BE DEALT WITH UNDER LEAGUE RULES 15 (b); 4 (a); 14 (b)
1. No Club shall approach players registered with another Club in membership of the League
without the written permission of the Club Secretary.
2. All matches shall be played in competitive but sportsmanlike fashion with no player acting in a manner which may give rise to serious misconduct or infringement of the League Rules. In particular, threatening language or persistent foul and abusive language shall not be tolerated,
nor will persistent refusal to accept the decision of an umpire, whether in one or more matches if reported in writing to the EC.
3. All teams will be expected to fulfil all fixtures arranged by the League in the competitions they have entered.
4. All Clubs will be expected to support the events, competitions and courses arranged or
supported by the League and to encourage their registered players to participate.
5. Any claimed infringement of this Code, whether by an individual, team or club, shall be
investigated by the EC, which shall request information from the team captains and/or
individual players concerned, either verbally or in writing. All players and non-playing team
captains are expected to co-operate with any such investigation. The EC will indicate the
outcome of such investigation, by post and/or email, to the team captains and individuals
concerned and, if necessary, the relevant Club Secretaries.