Commercial League Rules

Last Updated on Wednesday, 12 January 2011 15:11 Written by 1 - Administrator Wednesday, 12 January 2011 14:17

2007 BERMUDA LAWN TENNIS ASSOCIATION COMMERCIAL
TENNIS LEAGUE (“League”)

2007 Official Rules and Regulations

1) PLAYER ELIGIBILITY

a) To be able to play for a team entered in the League a player must:
b) Be resident in Bermuda at the time of each match in which he or she plays and for this purpose a player will be deemed to be resident in Bermuda if he or she retains a place of residence here, although from time to time not physically present. Whether or not a person complies with this requirement shall be a matter which shall be at the sole discretion of the BLTA Commercial Tennis League Committee ("the Committee") and from whom there shall be no right of appeal in this respect;
c) Be registered as a League player and in this connection the Committee may refuse to register any person who does not comply with sub-rule 1(a) above. Any unregistered player will cause the individual events in which he or she plays to be forfeited by his or her team and awarded to the opposing team.

2) APPLICATIONS BY NEW TEAMS TO JOIN THE LEAGUE

a) An application for membership must be received by the Committee prior to the deadline set by the Committee.
b) Any applications made after the deadline referred to at sub-rule 2(a) hereof will be deferred until the next League season unless the Committee in their absolute discretion waives the requirement.
c) A team making an application for the first time to join the League or to rejoin the League will, if accepted, be placed in a division determined solely by the Committee.

3) LEAGUE DIVISIONS/COMPOSITION OF TEAMS

a) The League will be divided into divisions at the discretion of the Committee.
b) For every fixture each team will provide a maximum of four men and four ladies or a minimum of two men and two ladies.
c) Each fixture will consist of 5 events - a men’s singles, ladies singles, men’s doubles, ladies doubles and a mixed doubles.

4) TEAM AND PLAYER REQUIREMENTS

a) A player may represent one team per League season only unless the Committee in its sole discretion shall authorise otherwise.
b) A player will only be able to play in a maximum of two of the five events, which comprise the fixture. Failure to comply with this rule will cause the third event in which the player has participated to be forfeited and the event awarded to the opposing team.
c) A player who is a member of an organisation with more than one team in the League may play for only one of those teams on any one day. Failure to comply with this rule, will cause to be forfeited the individual events in which such player has participated and such events will be awarded to the opposing team.
d) When an organisation has teams in different divisions, all players registered with "lower" division teams may play for a "higher" division team, but not vice versa, subject always to 4(c) above.
e) When an organisation has more than one team in the same division, it must designate the teams in their order of strength i.e. #1, #2, with the number one team being the stronger team. Players registered with a "lower" strength team may play on the company’s "higher" strength teams, but not vice versa. Failure to comply with this rule and sub-rule 4(d) above will cause to be forfeited the individual events in which such player has participated and such events will be awarded to the opposing team.
f) An organization is not obligated to provide players from its lower to its higher or from its No. 2 to its No. 1 team. These matters are purely internal matters and the League shall not be involved in the adjudication of any related conflicts.
g) The committee reserves the right to rank any registered player playing in Division 2 or lower, where the committee believes the player’s standard of play is recognised as being significantly higher than the general standard of play in the division in which their team has been assigned. In prior seasons this would automatically restrict the ranked player to participation in only one event in the fixture. A captain may elect to play a ranked player in more than one event, however electing to do so will incur a six-point penalty. In order to remind captains of this rule amendment a separate line item will appear on the results form. A list of ranked players will be circulated to all captains prior to the commencement of the season.

5) REGISTRATION OF PLAYERS

a) Each team must register a minimum of two male and two female players.
b) Player registrations must be made in writing by the day nominated by the Committee. After the initial player registration period, additional or new players may be registered at any time by written notification (i.e. email) to the designated Committee official two days prior to the fixture in which the newly registered player will participate. Any player who plays while unregistered will have the individual events in which he or she plays forfeited and such events shall be awarded to the opposing team.
c) After the registration deadline date, the committee reserves the right to refuse the registration of any additional (non-employee) player whose standard of play is deemed to be significantly higher than that of existing team members or whose inclusion in the original team registration form would have resulted in that team being placed in a higher division.
d) There is no limit to the number of players that each team may register.

e) RANKED PLAYERS

The Committee reserves the right to rank a player who they deem to be playing in a lower division than expected for their standard of play. If a player is ranked, they may only play one event per fixture and furthermore only one ranked player per fixture is permissible where there are two ranked players in a team. In the event the team is composed of two ranked players in a fixture, 6 points will be deducted before bonus points are awarded.
f) The Committee also reserves the right to reconsider the ranking of a non-ranked player at any time.

6) TEAM CAPTAINS

a) Each team will appoint a captain (or representative) and indicate his/her identity to the Committee prior to the commencement of the League season. Any subsequent change in captaincy/representation must immediately be notified to the Committee.
b) The captain will be responsible for the running and conduct of his team, for reporting the results of fixtures, for player registration and for liaising with the Committee.
c) Captains are official fixture referees, except for individual events in which they themselves play, when they shall appoint an alternative referee for the purpose of such individual events only.
d) Team captains prior to the commencement of a fixture shall present to each other their respective score sheets containing the order of their respective teams. Such notification shall be simultaneous and no captain shall be obliged to hand over his score sheet prior to the opposing captain doing so. There shall be no alteration of the team so notified.
e) Team Captains of both teams shall be available at the fixture venue at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled starting time in order that they may implement this rule properly.
f) It is strongly recommended that each team appoint three (3) men and three (3) women to play in any given match to help avoid defaults.

7) EQUIPMENT / VENUES

a) Playing times and venues will be arranged by the Committee. Pressurised tennis balls for each fixture will be provided by the Committee. Team captains are responsible for supplying one new can of balls for each fixture. Balls from incomplete fixtures should be kept and re-used at the completion of the fixture.
b) Any used balls would be greatly appreciated for use by the Juniors. Please offer the used balls to the venue played at, your local club, or save them up for distribution at the end of the season.

8) SCHEDULE

a) League play will initially be scheduled for weekday nights at 6pm. In the case where League play is delayed through inclement weather, the Committee reserves the right to schedule make-up matches on Saturdays or Sundays.
b) It is strongly advised that ALL players aim to be at the appointed venue by at least 5:45pm so that play can START at 6pm.
c) Each fixture is to be played with the minimum of delay between each event. The team captains should therefore appoint substitute captains to ensure, whilst they are on court, that other events commence without delay. The "warm up" period prior to each event shall not exceed 5 minutes. There shall be no greater than a 10-minute interval between the finish of one event and the commencement of the next including the "warm up" period.
d) There should be a minimal delay in the start of the mixed doubles match. Should a court be available the mixed doubles match should start not later than 10 minutes after a court becomes available. Should the a player originally scheduled to play in the mixed doubles still be involved in the singles match a substitute from a player registered to play that night shall be used. Failure to do so will cause the mixed doubles to be forfeited.
e) Players are reminded that a match is scheduled from 6pm until completion and should avail themselves accordingly.

9) FIXTURE MATCHES SCORING

a) Each of the 5 events in every fixture will consist of an eight game pro-set. No advantage rule will be played at the end of each game. In the event of teams being tied at seven games each, the winner of the fifteenth game will be declared the winner of that event.
b) If deuce is reached in the mixed doubles event, the server must serve to the opponent of the same sex. In men’s and ladies doubles, the receiving team may choose which player receives serve.
c) The winner of the fixture is the team, which has won the greater number of points.

10) THE ORDER OF PLAY FOR EACH FIXTURE SHALL BE:

a) Ladies Doubles
b) Men’s Doubles
c) Ladies Singles
d) Men’s Singles
e) Mixed Doubles

11) SCORING FOR EACH FIXTURE SHALL BE AS FOLLOWS:

a) One point for each game won
b) Ten points for the team that wins the most events.
c) In the event the men’s and ladies doubles are unable to commence at 6.00 p.m. (Rule 8 b), there will be a 5-point deduction to the team unable to start (unless an agreement is reached by both captains prior to the start of the fixture). Play should then commence in any of the events to start play (i.e. ladies doubles and men’s singles will begin, and continue with mixed and ladies singles). Furthermore, if a team does not have sufficient players to commence play (in any of the five events) as stated above, by 6.15 p.m., the opposing team wins by default.
d) In the event of a fixture being defaulted, the defaulted team will receive the maximum number of points and the defaulting team will receive no points.
e) In the event that a captain elects to play a ranked player in more than one event in a fixture, a six-point penalty will be incurred in accordance with Rule 4 (g).
f) A team not fielding the requisite number of players for any one particular fixture loses by default the events that they are unable to participate in. Attention here is drawn to sub-rule 4
(b) which will not be waived.

12) FIXTURE RESULTS

a) The captains of both teams shall email the result sheet to the Division Representative as indicated on the results form and fax it to the Royal Gazette (on 292-2498) within 3 days of the date of the fixture.
b) N.B. Results must be submitted as above whether fixtures are wholly or partially completed or for any reason whatever do not take place, e.g. are rained out. The reason for non-completion of the fixture shall be stated on the result form.

13) POSTPONEMENTS

a) Fixtures may only be postponed due to inclement weather, meaning that the courts are in an unplayable condition. Each team captain must contact the designated scheduling committee member (to be advised to all teams at the commencement of the season) by 4.00 pm to receive confirmation that the matches will commence as planned.
b) In the event of a fixture or event being postponed due to inclement weather, all completed events shall count and the score of all incomplete events shall stand, i.e. the event will be continued from the score at the time of postponement.
c) If, for any reason, a team is unable to compete in a fixture as scheduled, please advise the designated scheduling committee member by 10.00 am on the day of the fixture. The team Captain of the defaulting team should also advise the opponent’s team captain. This is as a courtesy to all players involved and to ensure that courts are cancelled as necessary. The defaulting team will receive no points, and the defaulted team will receive the maximum number of points.

14) RESCHEDULING

a) All incomplete or events not played shall be completed or played upon resumption of the fixture by the same players unless a player is unavailable at the resumption for good cause, e.g. illness or business commitments. The replacement must satisfy all of the registration and player requirements of paragraphs 4 and 5 above and the event will be continued from the score at the time of ostponement..
b) In the event of a postponement, the captain of the home team will inform the appropriate Committee member of the postponement.

15) LEAGUE TABLES

a) The position of each team in the League table for the division in which it plays shall be determined from the cumulative total of points won during the season. The team with the greatest number of points is the first place team and the team with the least number of points is the last place team.

16) END OF SEASON TIES

a) In the event of a tie for first place in any division, the following play-off system will be put into effect on a date or dates to be stipulated by the Committee.
Two-way-tie: The play off will be carried out in the same manner as a regular fixture. Three (or more)-way-tie: All teams will play each other once in the same manner as a regular fixture.
b) The winning team will be the one with the highest cumulative number of points from the play-off fixtures. In the case of a tie, the winner will be determined on the basis of the highest percentage of games won during the play-off fixtures (i.e. using the total number of games in each event from all play-off fixtures).

17) PROMOTION AND REGULATION

The decision to promote or relegate teams will lie entirely with the Committee.

18) END OF SEASON COMPETITION

Following the regular divisional League season, a knock-out tournament will take place. The format of play for this tournament will be at the Committee's sole discretion. Players must have played in a minimum of two fixtures during the season to be eligible to play in the knock-out tournament. The order of play in the Knockout will be the same as in the regular season:
i) Ladies and Men’s Doubles
ii) Ladies and Men’s Singles
iii) Mixed Doubles
There will be no deductions or bonus points in the Knockout and the first team to win 3 events wins the fixture. A separate score sheet will be supplied for the Knockout results.

19) GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES

a) Any team, with the approval and concurrence of its captain, which has a grievance related to the League competition, may file an official grievance. The grievance must be in writing and must be physically received by the CTL Chairperson within 96 hours of the occurrence giving rise to the grievance. Any grievance is null and void if not received within the 96 hours time frame. Upon receiving such a grievance, the Committee will adjudicate upon it and communicate the decision in writing to the team captains concerned.
b) In no cases will members of either of the teams involved in the grievance participate in adjudicating a grievance.

20) PLAYING DEFAULTED MATCHES

In cases where a default directly affects the outcome of the League standings, the Committee has the right, but not the obligation, to order a fixture that has been defaulted by any team, to be played at a date as determined by the Committee.

21) LEAGUE DUES

An entry fee as determined by the BLTA Commercial Tennis League Committee must be paid prior to the commencement of the League season. The Committee reserves the right to remove any team from the League for non-payment of dues.

22) TENNIS ATTIRE

All players participating in the League are expected to abide by the regulations established by the playing venues. In any event, recognised tennis attire is required i.e. proper tennis shorts are to be worn by all males as are tennis shirts with collars. Ladies may wear similar clothing as per the men or recognised tennis dresses. Bathing suites (or parts thereof), ripped shirts, jeans, sports bra style tops, cycling styles shorts, tank tops, spaghetti strap tops are examples of UNACCEPTABLE clothing. Tennis shoes are to be suitable for the type of court to be played on i.e. do not tear up clay courts or badly mark or scar hard courts. (Running shoes or football shoes are not acceptable).

23) ETIQUETTE

All players participating in the League are expected to abide by the generally accepted standard of tennis etiquette.
a) No swearing, in any language.
b) No equipment abuse.
c) If you are not 100% sure that an opponent’s shot is out then it must be called as in.
d) While we encourage all players to be ready to START at 6pm; if there are other players
already on the court assigned to you wait OUTSIDE the playing area until 6pm. We have received reports in the past of league players being rude to players already on the courts.This will NOT be tolerated by the committee and will be severely dealt with. Remember, we are guests of these venues, act accordingly.
e) Experienced players are obliged to point out rule infractions to less experienced players BEFORE points are lost or deducted.
f) The matches are to be played in the spirit in which the league intended; competitive but FRIENDLY.

24) EFFECT OF RULES

All teams and players participating in the League do so upon the express condition that they are subject to and will abide by these rules. In the case of uncertainty or misunderstanding of any of these rules and regulations, or in any other instance whereby a circumstance or incident is not covered by these rules, the Committee is the sole authority to adjudicate such uncertainty or misunderstanding and their decision will be final and binding.