Set: 29-01-2024
| NAME |
| 1 |
| The League shall be named the South Warwickshire Summer Tennis League. |
| OBJECTS |
| 2 |
| To organise a League in the South Warwickshire Area, to formulate and enforce the League Rules and to run other tennis competitions as required. All clubs in the league must be affiliated to their respective County and the Lawn Tennis Association. Clubs who have fines or monies owed to any league or Association, may not participate in this League. |
| MANAGEMENT |
| 3 |
| The League shall be managed by a Committee consisting of a Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer plus Divisional Organisers who shall be elected at the A.G.M. The League may also elect a President who shall be a non-voting officer. |
| MEETINGS |
| 4 |
| A General Meeting shall be held annually in February. The business of the Annual General Meeting shall be the confirmation of the minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting and of any subsequent Extraordinary General Meetings. To receive reports from the officers of the Club and approve the Accounts for the preceding year. To elect the Officers of the League for the ensuing year, and any items of which notice has been given and details included on the agenda.
An Extraordinary General Meeting shall be held if requested in writing by not less than four League Clubs.
A quorum for any General Meeting shall be ten members.
Written notice of General Meetings shall be given by the League Secretary to all League Teams not less than fourteen days prior to the meeting, together with a copy of any proposed amendments to the Rules. All Clubs must send a representative.
The Rules of the League may be amended only by a General Meeting. Written notice of any proposed amendments must be received by the League Secretary not less than twenty-eight days before such meeting.
On general matters voting shall be by simple majority. Where a resolution calls for alteration to the League Rules a two-third majority is required for adoption.
Any member of League Clubs may attend General Meetings and contribute to discussion but each Club shall have one vote only for each team entered in the League during that season. This is in addition to the elected officers. In the event of an equal vote the Chairman shall have an additional or casting vote. |
| ACCOUNTS |
| * 5 February 2018 |
| The Treasurer shall keep records of subscriptions paid and due, and of all payments made on behalf of the League, and shall prepare an Income and Expenditure Account for the year ended 31st December and a Statement of Retained Bank Reserves as at the date, for submission to the next Annual General Meeting. This meeting shall also decide the annual subscription to be paid for each team entered in the League for the forthcoming season. The Annual Subscription must accompany the entry of teams for the next season and is not returnable.
In the event of the league being dissolved, the remaining and audited bank reserves shall be distributed equally between those clubs in that season's competition, or if dissolved before that season starts, those clubs in the previous season. |
| DIVISIONS |
| 6 |
| The League shall consist of one or more Divisions playing Men's Doubles. (Teams, while not encouraged in this policy may field women where player shortage could mean failure to fulfil fixtures.) |
| FIXTURES |
| 7 |
| The Secretary shall arrange all fixtures and shall send a fixture list to each Team not later than April 1st. The captain of the home team, prior to the date of the fixture, must confirm home matches with their opponents. |
| POSTPONED/ABANDONED MATCHES |
| 8 |
| All matches must be played on the date fixed, the only reason acceptable for postponement being the unfit conditions of the courts. Both Teams must turn up unless they have been advised that conditions will not allow play. The Home Captain shall decide upon the fitness for play, and if the match is abandoned or postponed, the Home Club must notify their Divisional Organiser within seventy-two hours giving reason. In the case of abandoned matches, close of play scores must be submitted at the same time. The visiting team shall not refuse to play or continue a match but may lodge a protest against any decision by the Home Captain, under this Rule, with their Divisional Organiser within seventy-two hours. The decision of the Divisional Organiser may be appealed to the League Secretary whose ruling shall be final.
Unfinished matches shall be continued from the point of interruption. Postponed or abandoned matches must be played or continued at the original ground within twenty-eight days of the original date, and the home team must offer three new dates within 7 days (ensuring the opposition have no other league match) informing both the visiting team and their Divisional Organiser. The away team must accept one of these dates and inform their Divisional Organiser and the home team as soon as possible and in any case within 10 days of the original match. Any dispute will be ruled on by the Divisional Organiser whose decision shall be final. In exceptional circumstances, by agreement between the two Captains and with the consent of the Divisional Organiser or the Secretary, one substitute player can be fielded by either or both teams in order to permit completion of unfinished matches within the twenty-eight day rule. Any rubber in which the substitute players take part must be commenced from scratch. |
| TEAMS AND SCORING |
| 9 |
| Each team shall consist of two pairs and both pairs will play each opposing pair. Fielding only one pair will result in a penalty as stipulated by the committee. The best pair from each team shall normally play each other first, unless a mutual agreement by both Captains is reached. Each Match is worth four points, one point is awarded for each rubber won. Wimbledon tie-break system shall be used at six games all in the first two sets. If scores are one set apiece instead of playing a third set a “Championship” tie-break scoring system shall be played to decide the rubber. In this “Championship” tie-break the first team to reach ten points by a two clear point margin shall be the winner of that rubber. When Clubs have an equal number of points, the position in the League Table shall be determined by sets difference, if still level by games difference, and if still level by games percentage. |
| COURTS |
| 10 |
| The Home Club shall provide two courts for each match, the choice of courts shall be made by the Home Captain. A change of surface during a match must be made by mutual consent of both Captains. Floodlights, when necessary will be used to complete a match. The costs of floodlight use will be shared by both teams equally. |
| MATCH BALLS |
| 11 |
| The home Club shall provide four top grade new International Federation (I.T.F.) approved tennis balls for each of the two courts in every match. |
| PLAYER ELIGIBILITY |
| 12 |
| All players must be legitimate fully paid-up members of the club that they are representing. No player can play for more than one Club in the League during one season. All members of a team playing in a League Match must wear recognised tennis clothing at all times. Players must be aged 13 years or over at the start of that current season. |
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| 13 |
| When a Club has more than one team in the League, no player may play more than three times for a higher ranking team(s). On any fourth occasion he plays for the higher ranking team(s) he will be deemed to be a member of that next higher team and can not return to play for the lower team during the season. In extreme circumstances Teams may apply in writing to the League Management Committee for a relaxation of this rule. |
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| 14 |
| Clubs playing ineligible players shall forfeit the match, but their opponents shall only be entitled to the rubbers they have won plus any rubbers lost against an ineligible player. |
| MATCH TIMES |
| 15 |
| Matches shall preferably be played on a weekday evening commencing at 6.30pm although Sunday mornings at 10am is an option if court availability is a problem for the team. All matches shall commence not later than the set time and any pair not ready to commence play at this time may be liable to forfeit the first set and after fifteen minutes further, may be liable to forfeit the first rubber by two love sets, and that rubber shall not be played. Any dispute shall be referred to the Divisional Organiser and if necessary the League Secretary. |
| RETIREMENTS |
| 16 |
| Any rubber not completed because of retirement shall be forfeited. |
| SCORECARDS |
| 17 |
| Scorecards must be provided by the home team for every League match. These scorecards must be completed and signed by both team captains on the day of the match. The original scorecard must then be kept safe by the home side in case of a dispute and produced if requested by the League and not disposed of until at least two weeks after the date of the last fixture. The home side will then be responsible for transferring the details onto a scorecard template provided on the league MyDivision.com web site and this must be submitted within three days of the match via the online facility. The Divisional Organiser must also be advised of any uncompleted matches by the Home Team and the arrangements made for completion. Failure to submit a scorecard online within the prescribed time may result in a deduction of one point from the team responsible. In the event of an incompleted match the scorecard must still be submitted in the stipulated time. |
| GENERAL |
| 18 |
| All League Fixtures shall be completed by August 31st each year. |
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| 19 |
| All disputes shall be referred to the Secretary in writing whose decision shall be final. |
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| 20 |
| Any Team changing its Secretary shall inform the League Secretary immediately. |
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| 21 |
| Any Team winning a Trophy must return them to the League Secretary four weeks before the circulated date of that year’s end of season Presentation Event. Failure to do so will result in a fine. The cost of any League Trophy lost, damaged or destroyed will be borne by the club in whose care or control they were in. |
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| 22 |
| The League Committee shall have the power to impose a fine on any Club violating these rules, and/or to award the points for any match involved against the offending Club, and/or declare such a match void. |
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| 23 |
| Any matter arising not provided for in the Rules shall be dealt with by the League Committee. |
| Deductions |
| 24 |
| If opponents do not field one or two pairs for the scheduled match then points will be awarded and deducted as shown in Rules 25 & 26.
If a team fails to field two pairs on three occasions then that team will have all results and fixtures made void and automatically relegated. |
| Walk Over Points |
| 25 |
| Two walk over points are automatically awarded if one pair from the opposing team fail to turn up, and four walk over points awarded if both pairs fail to turn up. |
| Penalty Points |
| 26 |
| If a team fail to field one pair, then they will be deducted one penalty point. If a team fail to provide any pairs then they will be deducted 2 penalty points. |
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