SSTA
RULES
FOR
15-WEEK MIXED COMPETITION
(As at 5
October 2009)
Note: Changes from the previous version of the Rules (dated
October 2005) appear in BOLD.
1. Courts/Fixtures
Each court must be first approved by the Executive
before it is available for a match.
Each club must nominate a
playing surface (Grass, Hard or Synthetic) on the team nomination form and have
a minimum of 2 courts available for play.
In the event that courts are not available for any
reason, it is the Home Team’s responsibility to arrange change of venue and to
notify the opposing team.
Each court must have a correctly adjusted centre
strap.
Each club must make a
thermometer available and affixed in a suitable position.
2. Playing days
Matches will be played on Saturdays. A player may not
take part in more than one match of any particular Pennant scheduled for any
one day. (NOTE: This covers matches played on dates other than those originally
fixed.)
3. Membership
Players must be financial members of a South Suburban
Tennis Association
affiliated club.
4. Teams
Each team shall consist of 3 men and 3 ladies. All
players (including reserves) must be included on the team nomination form. All
players (including reserves) must be ranked in order of playing strength.
5. Nominations
All team nominations to be made on a prescribed
nomination form created by the Association and such nomination form to be
lodged with the Association for consideration. Such prescribed nomination form
shall contain:
a) The full name of each player.
b) Previous playing grade - if a new player to the
Association, special details
of prior tennis experience and level of ability to be
fully advised.
c) Clubs must nominate a minimum of 3 men and 3 ladies
to comprise a team.
Reserves
for each time are to be nominated
as such.
d) Each player,
including reserves, must be ranked in order of playing strength
within the team.
Refer to Rule 9
covering playing order.
LATE
NOMINATIONS
Late
nominations will be considered on a month by month basis under the following
guidelines:
Delegates
meetings:
October - Nominations close
October –
November - Clubs may nominate players after
seeking approval from a member of the SSTA Executive Committee.
Details of player/s
nominated must be included on the reverse side of the score sheet on their
first playing day. Player may continue
to play on weeks following without further nomination requests being made or
completion of details on reverse side of score sheet.
The Club must submit
details of this nominated player on the prescribed Late Nomination form at the
November Delegates meeting where the player/s will be officially approved and
registered by the Recorder.
A one-off Late
Nomination fee of $5 will apply regardless of how many matches played by the
nominee prior to the November Delegates meeting. This fee must be submitted with the Late
Nomination form at the November Delegates meeting.
November – December Will not normally
be accepted but may be approved by the Executive in the case of injury or other
exceptional circumstances.
Players nominated and
approved during this time are only approved on a playing day to playing day
proposition.
Each time the player
is required, the Club concerned must seek approval from a member of the SSTA
Executive Committee and if approved, that players details must be included on
the reverse side of the score sheet on each day of such approval.
The Club must submit
details of this nominated player on the prescribed Late Nomination form at the
December Delegates meeting where the player/s will be considered by the
assembled delegates for permanent registration.
A Late Nomination fee
of $5 applies for each match this player has played during this time and must
be submitted with the Late Nomination form at the December Delegates meeting.
December – finals Will not
normally be accepted but may be approved by the Executive in the case of injury
or other exceptional circumstances.
Players nominated and
approved during this time are only approved on a playing day to playing day
proposition.
Each time the player
is required, the Club concerned must seek approval from a member of the SSTA
Executive Committee and if approved, that players details must be included on
the reverse side of the score sheet on each day of such approval.
The Club must submit
details of this nominated player on the prescribed Late Nomination form at the
February Delegates meeting.
Players nominated
during this time will not automatically be considered for permanent
registration. An official request must
be made by the Club concerned and will only be considered under exceptional
circumstances and in the best interests of SSTA pennant tennis.
Decisions regarding
this will be made at the Delegates meetings.
A
Late Nomination fee of $10 applies for each match this player has played during
this time and must be submitted with the Late Nomination form at the next
scheduled Delegates meeting where their permanent registration will be
considered.
Late nominations will not be accepted if he/she is
deemed to strengthen the team unless
special circumstances prevail a decision will be made
by the EXECUTIVE.
If a player
plays without the approval of a member of the Executive or without being
officially registered at a delegates meeting, that players sets will be
forfeited and recorded as a “0–6 Forfeit”.
UNREGISTERED PLAYERS - If a Club receives permission
to play an unregistered player, that player's full name and the name of the
member of the SSTA Executive giving permission must be stated on the back of
the score-sheet. If this information is not given, all that player's sets will
be forfeited. The Club must subsequently register the player as specified above
(see LATE NOMINATIONS). If an unregistered player plays without permission of
the Executive, that player's sets should be shown as "0-6 Forfeit".
6. Match starting time
Play
is to start at 1.30pm unless re-scheduled to another time. In the event of a
player being a late arrival, the opposing
Captain may claim a forfeit on any set not commenced within 10 minutes of start
time if there is a court available for the set to be played
7. Player absent
Late
Arrival
a)
Should a team arrive with any of its players missing, ie a late
arrival, then that team should forfeit all sets affected by the
late arrival that the missing players or players are required to play. If
such a forfeit is enforced by the opposing Captain, it shall only be enforced at
the start of each set that the player is required to play. It shall not
be enforced at the start of the match for the whole match.
Unavailable
b) If a team is aware they
cannot field a full team but wish to continue to play, they are to contact the
opposing team Captain at the earliest opportunity and advise him/her of
such. The opposing Captain shall not refuse to continue play due to
lacking opposition numbers and all possible sets are to be played for a
result. The Captain of the team with insufficient numbers is to ensure
that available players play in their correctly seeded order as per Rule 9b, ie. if
the Nr 1 man is absent, the other male players play at 1 & 2 with the
highest ranked player on the day at Nr 1. Nr 3 player is forfeited.
If
a compromise can be reached between the Captains to accommodate later play or a different playing day, it can be done and the Recorder is to be
notified forthwith. However either Captain has the right to
refuse a different start time and enforce
the forfeit as outlined above.
8. Format of play (all grades)
A match shall consist of 15 sets being:
· 9 Mixed Doubles)
· 3 Men’s Doubles) in all sets a tie-break is to be
played at 6-all.
· 3 Ladies’ Doubles)
9. Order of play
a) The order of
play, regardless of number of available courts, is as follows:-
Rnd 1 - 1 x Men’s Doubles (1
& 2), 1 x Ladies Doubles (1 & 2), 1 x Mixed Doubles (3 & 3)
Rnd 2 - 1 x Men’s Doubles (1
& 3), 1 x Ladies Doubles (1 & 3), 1 x Mixed Doubles (2 & 2)
Rnd 3 - 1 x Men’s Doubles (2
& 3), 1 x Ladies Doubles (2 & 3), 1 x Mixed Doubles (1 & 1)
Rnd 4 - 3 x Mixed Doubles (M1
& L2), (M2 & L3), (M3 & L1)
Rnd 5 - 3 x Mixed Doubles (M1
& L3), (M2 & L1), (M3 & L2)
b) Players must play in ranked
order on the day according to the team rankings submitted by the team and
held by the Recorder.
c) Interchange Players
i)
Teams may nominate interchange players for a
match. Interchange players must be
registered players of the team or a lower graded SSTA team within the Club.
ii)
No more than one male and one female may be
used for any one match. The team,
including interchange players, must be recorded on the score sheet prior to the
commencement of play.
iii)
All team players, including the interchange
players, must be recorded on the score sheet in ranked order.
iv)
The interchange player must play at least one
set during the day to be classed as having played a match for finals qualifying
purposes. Listed interchange players who
do not play a set will not be considered as having played a match on that day.
v)
A player interchange for each gender, may only
occur once throughout the days play, ie. Once an
interchange has occurred, the incoming player must play the remaining sets for
the day. The player who was interchanged
may not play any further sets for the day (except in the case of a further
injury – see rule vi of this sub-section)
vi)
If a player interchange has occurred and an
injury occurs to another member of the team, the previously interchanged
player, if available, may be brought back into the team for the remaining sets
but cannot be used to complete the set in which the injury occurred (see rule
vii of this section). An “injury” does
not include heat related stress, fatigue or illness.
vii)
An interchange player may not be used to
complete an unfinished set of an injured player, but may play that players
remaining sets for the day.
viii)
An injured player cannot be replaced by another
player who was not originally recorded on the score sheet as an interchange
player.
ix)
It is not necessary for any interchange player
to be present at the start of the days play providing the interchange player is
recorded on the score sheet prior to the commencement of play.
x)
The interchange player must be ready for play
when the set he/she is required to play, is ready to commence. Should the interchange player not be present
and ready for play, only the sets affected by the absence are forfeited and the
score will be recorded as 6 – 0 to the opponents. (see also Rule 7 Player absent – Late Arrival).
xi)
An interchange player may be listed on the
score sheet of more than one club team (playing at the same venue) at the
commencement of the days play but is not permitted to play in more than one
team on a playing day, ie. Once the interchange
player plays in either team, he/she may not be used in any other team on that
day.
xii)
A team Captain is to advise the opposing
Captain at the time an interchange of player/s is about to occur.
xiii)
Should a match be cancelled due to the heat
rule (Rule 11(i)) where the ABC news forecast the temperature for the day to be
37°or higher and the Captains complete a score card for recording purposes, an
interchange player shall not be included on the score sheet.
xiv)
If a match has already commenced when the heat
rule or rain causes play to be abandoned, any nominated interchange player will
be recorded as having played that match.
xv)
As SSTA pennants involve five (5) ‘rounds’ of
tennis, each ‘round’ consisting of three (3) sets, an interchange may only
occur prior to the beginning of a ‘round’, not during a round. This should be monitored particularly when
only two (2) courts are available for play.
xvi)
Teams are not obliged to have an interchange
player or players.
10. Tossing for service
The first service for each set shall be tossed for.
11. Inclement weather
i)
Rain
Where rain or inclement weather, including heat, interrupts play or
prevents play in excess of one hour between 1.30p.m. and
5.00p.m. (see
sub section ii of this section) on any match date, the following
procedure is adopted:
a) All completed sets, as recorded on the score-sheet,
are counted.
b) The remaining uncompleted sets are shared.
c) If the sets
played provide a winning result, 2 win points are awarded to the winning team.
d) If the sets
played do not provide a winning result, the win points are shared.
Play may only be continued after sunset with the
agreement of both Captains (for reference see sunset times shown in daily
press).
After any attempt to play after a delay caused by rain, at any stage during
the match with the agreement of both Captains, play may be abandoned.
The Captain of the Home Team shall decide whether the
courts are safe and suitable for play. If in the opinion of the Home Captain
play is unable to proceed due to the state of weather, i.e. rain or the effects
of rain on the courts, posing a safety hazard, the match will be cancelled. A
score-sheet must be submitted - even if the match is washed out. It is the Home
Team’s responsibility to submit the score-sheet and it must be signed by both
Team Captains.
Heat
If the 11.00 am ABC radio news or by confirmation with
the Weather Bureau on the day of play indicates the temperature for the day to
be 37º or higher, play is
abandoned, and points shared. In the case of Finals, matches will be
re-scheduled. Refer rule 13.
Each Team Captain must submit a signed score-sheet listing their team for the
day.
If the above media indicate the temperature below 37° but rises to 37° or above during play and prevents play in excess of one hour,
the procedure to be followed is in
accordance with items (a), (b), (c) and (d) of sub section (i) of this section.
ii) In the case where a game is lawfully
re-scheduled and commences at a time different to the normal start time of
1:30pm, the interruption period will be three and one half hours from start
time.
It is the Home Team’s responsibility to submit the
score-sheet and it must be signed by both Team Captains.
12. Scoring
set won. An
additional two points are awarded to the winning team.
13. Finals
SEMI-FINALS: The teams finishing first and fourth play each other.
and the teams finishing second and third play each
other. In each semi-final, the teams finishing first and second following the
qualifying rounds will host the semi-final – refer Rule 20. The Captains of the
winning teams are to telephone the results of their semi-final matches to the RECORDING
OFFICER on the evening of the match.
FINALS: The winners
of the Semi-Finals will play in the Final. The team that finished highest on the ladder following the qualifying
rounds will host the Final – refer
Rule 20.
A referee will be present at all Finals matches -
refer Rule 21.
If a Final is cancelled due
to inclement weather, it is to be continued at
14. Final qualifications
No
player shall take part in any semi final or final unless he/she has played the
minimum number of qualifying matches
as approved. Qualification will be one third of the total matches available for a
Division and does not include Byes.
Example:
8 team Division = 14 home & away matches = (4.66) or 5 matches to
qualify (rounded up)
8 team Division (7 teams + bye) = 12 home & away matches = 4
matches to qualify
6 team Division
= 15 home & away matches = 5 matches to qualify
This qualification period may be
reviewed by meeting of delegates following a motion to alter.
Qualification
can be achieved by playing the required number of games in any Division of the
Competition.
No
player shall take part in any finals match unless he/she has been officially
registered by the Recording Officer.
Team Captains are to ensure their
players are qualified for finals and shall have no right of appeal to the Executive
should permission to play any unqualified players not be granted by the
Executive.
The Executive Committee, upon
receipt of a written application, may consider approving an unqualified player
or players, if it can be satisfied that the decision is in the best interest of
the competition and the spirit of tennis.
Refer also to Rule 16
15. Two or more teams in one grade
Where a Club has two or more teams in any one Grade,
players are NOT interchangeable between such teams. (Except as per Rule 16)
16. Incapacitation of players
Upon written or verbal application from a Team Captain
or Club Representative, the
Executive shall have special power to vary Pennant Rules 14 and 15 to the
extent required to accommodate emergency situations which may arise within a
Club due to the "incapacitation" of a player.
Should an unregistered or unqualified player be approved to play in any
home/away round or finals match, it is the responsibility of the Team Captain
to notify the opposing Team Captain of this approval prior to the commencement
of play and ensure that the players details are
recorded on the reverse side of the match score sheet.
17. Grading of players
Should a player play in one-third of the matches in a
Division above his or her original Division, he or she will be automatically
excluded from further matches of the lower Division during the season.
DOWNGRADING OF PLAYER Applications
to have players downgraded shall be sent to the Recording Officer in writing.
Such applications shall be considered at the next Executive meeting, following
receipt of such a letter. Applications shall only be agreed to after due
consideration has been given to:
a) results of the individual
in question; and
b) the position of the team
which would be affected by such re-grading.
NO application will be considered after the completion
of 50% of the Home and Away matches have been played. Should the number
of qualifying matches be an odd number then it will be rounded–up to the next
whole number.
18. Transfers
A player may transfer from one Club to another after
commencement of Pennants only if his/her written application, accompanied by a
clearance from his/her former Club, is approved by the Executive.
NO transfers shall be allowed after 50% of the
qualifying matches have been played. Should the number of qualifying matches be
an odd number then it will be rounded–up to the next whole number.
19. Results of matches
A score-sheet, signed by both Captains, must be posted
or faxed to the Recording Officer; by
20. Tennis balls
Six (6) new balls of a make approved by the
Association shall be provided by the HOME TEAM. This applies to ALL court
surfaces. Unbranded balls are not
to be used.
FINALS: For Semi-Finals and
Finals, the HOST team shall supply the balls and charge their opponents $2 per
player.
21. Referees
A Club that is hosting any final matches is to appoint
a Referee to adjudicate such matches.
22. Naming of players
Opposing Team Captains to exchange team lists, written
on paper in order of play, prior to commencement of play, those teams to be
entered on score-sheet unaltered.
23. Forfeits
When a Team receives a forfeit, it will be
awarded 7½ points. No points for a win will be awarded.
If the forfeit has any effect on the positions of the
final four, then the Executive shall investigate further and take whatever
action is necessary.
A fine of $30.00 will be imposed on a club for any
pennant team who forfeits a scheduled pennant match.
Any team fined under this rule may lodge a written
application to the SSTA Secretary for the waiving of the penalty. The decision
will rest with the Executive Committee and will be final.
Failure to pay such fine may cause loss of match
points and/or ineligibility for future pennant play.
If the match was scheduled to be played on hired courts,
then the team giving the forfeit will be responsible for payment of such fees.
24. Tennis attire
The rules currently in use by Tennis West are to be
used as guidelines regarding tennis attire. It is the Club's responsibility to
bring these rules to the attention of its members. The Captain of the HOME team
may prohibit any player wearing improper shoes from taking part in a match. The
score-sheet should be used to record any incident of improper tennis attire.
25. Complaints
The reverse side of the score-sheet should be used to
record any incident of improper conduct, unsatisfactory playing conditions or
any other incident that needs to be brought to the attention of the Executive.
In the case of a serious complaint, a written report must be made to the
Executive as soon as practicable after the match. Such report must be first endorsed by the Club Committee and
forwarded under the Secretary’s signature or in his or her absence the Club
President’s.
A demerit point system for complaints of unsportsmanlike
behavior of any type that have been brought to the attention of the Executive
Committee will be used with a minimum of 1 point up to a maximum of 6 points
being recorded against a player if the above behavior is proved. The number of
penalty demerit points will be determined by the Executive and will depend on
the severity of the incident.
When a player reaches 6 demerit points, he/she will be
suspended from play in SSTA pennants or any other SSTA sanctioned event for a
period not exceeding 3 weeks from the date of the ruling.
A further offence will cause the player to be
suspended from play in SSTA pennants or any other SSTA sanctioned event for a
period not exceeding 12 months.
A further offence may involve life suspension from the
SSTA at the discretion of the Executive Committee.
Demerit points recorded against a player will be
rescinded after two (2) years from the date of enforcement.
THE END