LAWS-2020-21-2-6-21-update.pdf
HMO-17th-edition-July-2023.pdf
Dear League Players and Parents/Carers of Junior Players,
A very warm welcome to the 2024-25 season for the Kendal & District Table Tennis League.
We have two senior divisions running this season, each with 9 teams taking part. Our Junior League will also be getting underway shortly.
As in previous seasons, all fixtures, results, player averages and TT365 rankings are on the League website (https://www.tabletennis365.com/Kendal).
In my letter at the beginning of last season the focus was upon supporting our League player umpires and I attach below the guidelines issued then.
This season we have 6 junior players registered in Division Two and some of them may also make an appearance or two playing up in Division 1 during the season. The interaction between adults and juniors in a competitive environment requires care and consideration. As does the interaction with all who may come into contact with us on a match night. As a League we adhere to the Table Tennis England Code of Conduct for both adults and juniors and I would like to take this opportunity at the start of this season to highlight a few key points.
· Table tennis in our League matches should be fun for all and always a welcoming and friendly experience.
· Adult players must be excellent role models at all times
· There is no place for rude, aggressive, confrontational, or intimidatory behaviour towards another player, an umpire, a spectator or anyone entering the playing area-we operate in public village halls and occasionally get interrupted. Please be friendly at all times.
· Please respect the decisions of umpires. Most of us are not qualified umpires and may at times be unsure of the correct decision. Guidelines about this are below.
Thank you for your support.
An important development for table tennis in our area is that we are working with Table Tennis England to start running 1star tournaments in Cumbria. The venue chosen for this is the sports hall at Kirkby Stephen Grammar School. The important factors in this decision have been the willingness of the venue to get involved to host table tennis tournaments, the quality of the venue in terms of size, lighting, floor and existing tables and the commitment of Mike Sunderland and Thomas Metcalfe of Kirkby Stephen TTC who are willing to become Tournament Organisers.
We are holding our Kendal League Annual Tournament at KSGS on Sunday 9th March 2025. Please put this date in your diaries.
I hope that we will be able to agree a date for the first 1star tournament for late March/Early April 2025.
Our League is run by the hard work of volunteers at both club and league level. A lot of work is done be a few and we are always looking for more helpers. Please offer your support if you can devote some time to running table tennis in our district. A big thank you to all who are already doing this for our clubs and the League.
Good Luck to all playing in our League this season!
Yours Sincerely
Peter
Peter Leahy
Chairman,Kendal & District Table Tennis League
Guidance for playing and umpiring which all Clubs and League Players are expected to follow.
PLAYER RESPONSIBILITY
A player is responsible for his/her own conduct, and it is required that a player will play by the rules and behave politely and respectfully to other players and match officials.
CLUB RESPONSIBILTY
In the first instance the Club that a player represents has a duty for ensuring that player responsibility is complied with, and the Club must act if it is aware that a player is foul serving or breaching any law or principle of the game. The Club is in the best position to do this. For example, if a player is regularly foul serving or swearing audibly during informal match play at a Club Night practice, the Club should be taking steps to make the player aware and help remedy the fault. The Club should not ignore the issue.
TEAM RESPONSIBILTY
In a League match teammates must not sit back and ignore one of their number foul serving or misbehaving. A quiet word at the end of a rally should be sufficient to ensure the issue is dealt with before the umpire has to take any action.
DUTY OF UMPIRE TO ACT IMPARTIALLY
We all take turns at umpiring our League matches and we have a duty to apply the laws of the game fairly and impartially to both players/teams. This duty of impartiality takes precedence over team and Club loyalties no matter what stage of the game.
THE UMPIRE’S DECISION IS FINAL ON QUESTIONS OF FACT
The umpire’s job is to control the match and apply the laws. There is a difference between decisions of fact and decisions interpreting the laws of the game. On a question of fact the umpire’s decision is final (eg was the serve high enough, did the ball hit the playing surface or the side of the table). For our League matches it is important that we apply this principle. The umpire makes a decision, and the players get on with the game.
UNSIGHTED UMPIRE
A question of fact is not always straightforward. If an umpire is unsighted then the correct practice is still that a decision is taken and the point awarded one way or the other. For example, in the case of a very fine edge which the umpire is unsure of. In those circumstances the umpire considers the body language and reaction of the players to the “edge” and if still unsure can ask the players if they agree who has won the point. If the players do not agree the umpire has to make the decision. Anecdotally, when this happens with professional players the player who wins the point may choose to deliberately give away the following point by serving into the net. As a League we have generally dealt with this issue by the umpire calling a let and replaying the point. This is what we will continue to do as a League unless both players agree which way the point should be awarded.
EXPLAIN DECISION
A player may ask an umpire to explain a decision, but this request must not be made in a confrontational manner. It is perfectly acceptable for the umpire to provide a very short explanation “the serve throw was not high enough”, “the ball hit the side of the table”, etc.
INCORRECT INTERPRETATION OF THE LAW
In a tournament if an umpire makes an incorrect interpretation of the laws (as opposed to an issue of fact) a player can appeal to the tournament referee. In a League match this is not possible and in such circumstances the umpire should halt play and consult with the two opposing team captains and players to see if there is a consensus of what the correct rule interpretation should be. If there is consensus the disputed point is awarded and play continues. If there is no consensus the umpire’s decision prevails and the game continues. The team disputing the law interpretation and the umpire must report the matter to the League Secretary but the match scores remain unchanged on the grounds that a single misinterpretation issue cannot be held to warrant overturning the entire match score. The League will issue a note of clarification for the disputed matter.
BAD BEHAVIOUR AND PENALTIES
In our League matches, umpires and players must be sensitive to ensuring that behaviour of all players is appropriate for the duration of the match evening. In a Table Tennis England or ITTF tournament, the focus is on ensuring that the game is not brought into disrepute, that spectators are not offended and that players are respectful to each other and to match officials. In such tournaments often an informal warning will be given. This is followed by a formal warning by means of a yellow card. If there is a further infraction a yellow and red card is issued and one point awarded to the opponent. After that the offence results in two points being awarded to the opponent. Anything more and the tournament referee would be called, and it is likely the player would be disqualified. These rules are applied to players, coaches(“advisers”) and other members of a team.
UMPIRING BAD BEHAVIOUR IN LEAGUE MATCHES
With reference to our League matches specifically, the umpiring of bad behaviour during play is an issue that needs to be addressed and our umpires supported. The official Laws of the game do not mention bad behaviour. The only reference to this is within the law that explains the circumstances when an umpire may call a let (ie stop play during a rally) and one of these circumstances is “to warn or penalise a player or adviser”.
At League level this makes things more difficult because an offending player may challenge an umpire by saying that it does not say anything in the Laws about bad behaviour, swearing, throwing your bat in anger, kicking the barriers etc. That argument is not valid however because the Laws are supplemented by ITTF regulations. The ITTF regularly issue a Handbook for Match Officials (HMO) which is used by all qualified umpires and applied by all ITTF members including Table Tennis England. The latest edition, July 2023 is attached along with the Laws. The HMO is essential reading for any League player who is going to umpire - it is a very helpful document.
We do not expect there to be many instances of bad behaviour, but any incident should not be ignored. We would strongly encourage umpires to try an informal warning before calling a let during play to issue a formal warning. What constitutes “bad behaviour” is a subjective matter for the umpire as there is not a definition or list. Examples would be:
ball abuse, racket abuse, intentionally hitting or shifting the table, kicking barriers, audible swearing, abusive language to players, officials or spectators, intimidatory behaviour, spitting on the floor, deliberately trying to distract a player who is about to serve.
If when umpiring you feel uncomfortable about something you should consider an informal warning between rallies as a minimum and state what the problem is. Please do remember that it is the umpire’s decision.
ACTION TO TAKE IF LAW BREACH OR BAD BEHAVIOUR CONTINUES IN A LEAGUE MATCH
Rule breaches such as bad behaviour or time wasting may be dealt with initially by an informal and or formal warning but there is no mandatory requirement for a warning. If you see a clearly illegal serve when umpiring you should call it as a fault and award a point to the receiver but, if the serve is of doubtful legality the first step should be a warning. This gives League umpires some latitude.
If bad behaviour continues the action an umpire should take in our League is as follows:
· First, issue a formal warning (equivalent to a yellow card but a yellow card is not used for a service warning)
· Second, issue a second warning and give one point to the opposing player (Yellow and red card)
· Third, issue a final warning and give two points to the opposing player (second yellow and red card)
After the final warning, if there is any further incident (related or unrelated to what has happened before) the umpire must suspend that match and refer it to the League Secretary. The player involved who has received the warnings is not eligible to play in any other matches that evening but any matches that have been completed will be counted unless the League decides otherwise. Matches for other players should be played. The League Disciplinary Committee will decide how League points are allocated and if applicable will take into account the level of support provided to the umpire by the player’s team.
BAD BEHAVIOUR DIRECTED AT THE UMPIRE OR TOWARDS ANOTHER PLAYER
If at any stage during a League match an umpire feels that he or she or any other player is being subjected to verbal abuse, discriminatory or confrontational behaviour, intimidation or bullying, the match in question shall be suspended whilst the umpire informs the two team captains, who then must assist and support the umpire in resolving the situation. If the umpire is happy to continue the match may proceed (possibly following the issue of a penalty point). If the umpire is not happy to continue the match, he or she will suspend the match and refer it to the League. The League may take such action against the misbehaving player and his or her Club as thought appropriate in the circumstance. The player(s) at fault shall not play any more matches that evening.
The intent of these provisions is to offer maximum League support to those who are umpiring and to make it clear that team captains must assist umpires if one of their own players is involved. If matches are referred, the League will constitute a disciplinary committee comprising Management Committee or Council Members of Clubs other than those involved in the incident.
IF YOU THINK YOUR OPPONENT IS FOUL SERVING BUT IT HAS NOT BEEN SPOTTED BY THE UMPIRE.
The correct thing for a player to do in this situation is to advise the umpire between rallies that you think your opponent is foul serving. If as a player you catch the ball and call a let exclaiming “it is a foul serve” you run the risk of the umpire not agreeing with you and awarding the point to your opponent because the umpire thought it was a good serve or awarding the point against you for deliberately obstructing the ball. If the umpire agrees with you he may call a let but may also warn you against taking such action again as the decision rests with the umpire alone.
In our League we feel the procedure to follow would be to raise the matter immediately by following the correct procedure outlined above so both umpire and opponent are aware of the issue.
