League Rules

Format of the League

• Depending on the number of entrants, there may be multiple divisions.
• A minimum of 4 players are required to fulfil a fixture.
• Match format: 7 singles and 2 doubles (4 singles in the first set, 3 singles in the second set, followed by 2 doubles).
• Teams are only required to match their opponent's number of players. Example: if your opponent only has 4 players, you only need to play 4 if you wish.
• If a team has fewer than 7 players, every player must play 1 game before being selected again.
• Home team writes players' names first on the team sheet.
• Home team breaks first, followed by alternating breaks.
• Home team refs the 1st match, then alternating refs from each team from there on.
• Teams will play home and away fixtures.
• Home team must provide food after the match.
• League points: total match score plus 1 bonus point for an away win.

Match Rules

• Matches will follow Blackball rules.
• Exception: the pocket for the black must be nominated.
• Referee must ask the player for the nominated pocket.

Player Registration

• Player entries must be submitted using the forms provided in the WhatsApp group before the first match.
• New player registrations must be made in writing to the league committee.
• Player entries must include full names (no initials or nicknames).
• Player transfers must be approved by the committee and will incur a £3 fee.

Competitions

• Eligibility: players must compete in at least 33% of matches (1 in 3). This will be monitored by the committee.
• First rounds of singles and doubles will be held at league venues. Last 16 matches will be played at the Red Triangle. Finals will take place on finals night.
• Triples matches will be played at the Red Triangle until the final, which will be played on finals night.
• Entries and draws will be managed via an electronic form.

League Fees

• League entry£10
• Good faith deposit£40 for new teams · refunded when attending finals night£20
• KO Cup£10
• Singles, doubles & triples entryper person£2
• Match feesper person£3

All fees must be paid before finals night.

Meetings

• Meetings will be held monthly for the first 2 months, then every 2 months thereafter.
• Meetings will rotate across venues. Each team must send a representative or receive a £10 fine.
• Missing 2 consecutive meetings results in removal from the league.
• The AGM will be held during the season break.

Postponements

• Each team is allowed 1 postponement per season (not including the KO Cup).
• The non-postponing team provides 3 alternative dates within the same month. If no agreement is reached, the committee sets the date.
• If the postponing team fails to attend the 3 dates or the committee's date, they forfeit. The match score will be awarded as the average points of that night in favour of the non-postponing team.
• All postponed fixtures must be completed before the final league match of the season.
• Cancellations with less than 48 hours' notice incur a £10 fine plus reimbursement for food costs.
• After using their 1 postponement, teams must fulfil all remaining fixtures with a minimum of 2 players. In this case, the maximum points they can earn is 5 (4 singles + 1 doubles).

WhatsApp Communication

• The league runs a WhatsApp group solely for reporting fixtures and rearranging matches.
• Only team captains are included.
• Fixture reports must show the match score and be submitted by 7pm the following Monday. Late reports incur a £5 fine.
• Only fixture/score-related messages are permitted. Other messages incur a £5 fine.