Llandudno & District Table Tennis League Regulations (As amended at AGM 7th Aug 2024) in Red
1. The playing season shall commence not earlier than 1st September in each year and shall terminate not later than 31st May each succeeding year.
2. The Annual Subscription for each team and players registration fee for the League shall be fixed at an annual Meeting. Any additional levy to be made by the North Wales Association will be added to these. Fees include entry to local tournaments.
2a .Players must affiliate to a table tennis National Governing Body, individually, and they must make their own arrangements to pay the NGB direct.
3. All applications for registration of players with the League are subject to the approval of the Management Committee. The Committee may delegate this authority to nominated officials. No registration of players will be allowed after 31st January.
4. All fees for any player new to the League must reach the League Treasurer at least seven days before his/her first match is played. Registration Fees for all players must reach the League Treasurer before 15th October. A team failing to meet this deadline may be expelled and their record expunged. All teams must register a minimum of three players paying the full registration fee before they will be permitted to play any League or Cup fixtures. The sole responsibility for ensuring timely registration rests entirely with each clubs’ secretary and/or team captain.
5 (a) Should a registered player wish to transfer from their present club/team to another club/team in the League during the playing season they first must obtain the consent of the Management Committee. Transfers can only take place after 31st January at the discretion of the Committee.
5(b) The Management Committee will inform all member clubs of the transfer of any registered player together with their ranking at their new club.
6. A player shall be eligible to play for their new club immediately upon such consent being given, but any objection raised by a club against signing for another club shall be considered by the Committee, who have the power to cancel such registration. A player changingtheir club between seasons does not require this permission.
7. Any Club entering more than one Team in the League shall, when registering those Teams at the beginning of the Season, also declare a Club Ranking for every player being registered, with the strongest Club player being allocated the first place, and all other players being allocated successive positions in accordance with their playing ability. Players judged to have equal ability may be allocated equal Club Ranking positions.
a. The Rankings so declared by the Club shall be subject to ratification by the League’s Management Committee, or any individual or group of Committee members designated by them for the purpose, and the decision of the Management Committee or this individual or group shall be final and binding on the Club.
b. Teams with an approved Club Ranking for their players may thereafter call on a player from another Team in the same Club to act as substitute for a missing player for League or Cup matches only, provided that the Club Ranking of the substitute is no higher than that of the missing player.
c. Only one substitute player per Team may be used in a match, and no player may play for different Teams on the same night.
d. Any player having played as a substitute on three occasions shall be ineligible to be called on as a substitute for the remainder of that Season unless approved by the Committee.
e. Players registered after the Season has commenced but before 31st January may play as substitute during that Season. The player must be given a ranking by their club and have this ranking approved by the Management Committee before being allowed to play as a substitute.
f. The Management Committee may alter a player’s ranking during the season and must inform all member clubs of the new ranking.
g. The Management Committee will inform all member clubs of the registration of players new to the League together with their ranking at their club.
h. New clubs/teams entering the League will be placed in a division appropriate to their perceived playing strength.
8. Players registered as reserves are entitled to play a total of five League and/or Cup matches for the team for which they are registered which can include up to three matches for other teams in their club. They must also be ranked within the club’s ranking list.
9. Each match shall consist of nine singles and one doubles, i.e. three players shall play three opponents and any two players shall play two opponents in the doubles. Each set will be the best of five games of eleven points up, unless both players shall have scored ten points when the winner of the game shall be he who first wins two more points than his opponent. Should a player not conclude his game, the opponent will be awarded the set in League & Cup Matches, or points, in the case of a Handicap Cup match.
10. The order of play shall be as shown on the score card. Where matches are played out of order, for whatever reason, it should be considered unsporting to require an opposing player to play two consecutive games, but in that event, that player is to be allowed a 10-minute break between games.
11. All matches should start no later than the time stated in the handbook for the home team. Non-attendance by thirty minutes of the start time shall result in the loss of the match.
12. Teams shall take turns to score matches.
13. All teams shall play home and away games as per the fixture list. All League matches are to be played on the night stipulated in the fixture list or before by mutual arrangement.
14. If a team is unable to fulfil a fixture due to circumstances outside its control, the venue and home night may be reversed. In the event of a postponement, a new date must be decided immediately by both captains, and this date and the reasons for the postponement must be notified to the Fixtures Secretary by the end of the week when the game should have been played. In the case of non-agreement, the Management Committee may require the match to be played on or by a specific date.
15. Teams who have Junior players (under the age of 19 on Dec 31st in any year as per ITTF Rules), may, if they wish, request to play an away game at a neutral venue to avoid long distance travelling (this neutral venue to be decided by the League Committee if both teams are unable to agree). The team requesting the implementation of this rule shall make the necessary arrangements for booking the venue plus be liable for any costs incurred, which should include a contribution (maximum £10 to be reviewed annually) towards the added fuel cost of the travelling team.
16. One point will be awarded for each game won by each player. Therefore 30 points per match are available to each team. In the event of teams being level on points at the end of the season then the Championship, promotion, and relegation issues will be decided by two points for a win, one point for a draw basis. If the teams are still level then a play-off will be staged using the rules of a Cup Final replay.
17. The winner and runner-up in any division shall be eligible for promotion to a higher division and the bottom two teams of any division eligible for relegation. If a team enters a much weaker team in a high division then it may be moved to a lower division. Decisions concerning promotion and relegation issues shall be made by the Management Committee.
18. The position in a division shall be determined by the number of points obtained.
19. Match score cards shall be signed by each Captain and sent by the Home Club either by post, or electronic imagery, to the Fixture Secretary as soon as possible after the match has been played.
20. Any team playing an ineligible player will have that players games or sets (league cup) awarded to the opposition.
21. Any Club who plays a player who is not eligible, but who plays only to provide the opposing team with the number of games expected, shall do so only by prior agreement between the teams. The games or sets (league cup) played by this player shall be awarded to the opposition (as in Rule 20).
22. Any team resigning or being expelled from the League during a playing season shall have their record expunged, and the record of other teams in their Division shall be amended accordingly. Registered players from such a team may register for another team in the League subject to permission from the Management Committee. The Management Committee will inform all member clubs of the new registrations and of each player’s ranking within his/her new club.
23. In the event that a team fails to notify their impending non-appearance, the Committee shall decide either to award a 30-0 win or a bye (cup competitions) to the team offended against or order the match to be played on or by a specified date. Any team failing to fulfil a fixture without prior notification to their opponents on more than one occasion shall be liable for expulsion from the League.
24a) All registered team members of League Champions and Cup competition Winners will be awarded a prize by the League, provided they have played in the relevant competition.
b) A trophy may be awarded to a winning team or winning individual at the end of each season which is to be retained for one year. Should any team or individual fail to return such trophy the club that the team or individual represents will be required to reimburse the League for the cost of the replacement trophy as part of their fees at least seven days prior to any of that club's first match.
25. A trophy shall be awarded to the player in each Division who has the highest success average, and having played in at least 60% of the singles; this includes games forfeited by opponents.
26. The Gott & Wynne Cup will be awarded to the team in the highest division whose doubles pairs achieves the most matches/sets won in a season. This includes matches/sets forfeited by an opposition team. If teams are level on matches/sets the team winning the most games will be given the award. If the teams are level on all counts then the trophy will be shared.
27. Trophies will be similarly awarded to the teams with the best doubles record in each of the other divisions.
28. All protests and disputes must be forwarded to the League Secretary in writing for consideration at the next Management Committee meeting. No protests relating to a match will be considered unless received by the Secretary within seven days from the date of the match.
29. Any item of clothing worn by players other than socks and shoes shall be of any colour other than white.
30. Only the balls approved by the ITTF may be used in matches and tournaments played under the League Management.
31. All players must use bats with ITTF-approved rubbers, black on one side and any ITTF approved colour on the other.
32a. In order to be eligible for membership of the League, Clubs should have a table complying with ITTF rules and should be required to have lighting and a playing area conforming to ITTF recommendations subject to the approval by the Management Committee. The Officials of the League have authority to visit various clubs at any time during the playing season to inspect the playing conditions.
32b.The league recommends the use of scoreboards, operated by the umpire during matches, that clearly indicates the score & number of games won by each side. The scorecard should be of sufficient size & clarity to be seen by all players. This recommendation is intended to ensure that, during matches played in noisy environments or where a players’ hearing may be reduced, all players are aware of the score at all times and no-one is disadvantaged for their inability to hear the score called by the umpire.
33. The League expects players selected by them to offer their services in organised matches at any time during the season. Inter League games shall have priority over club games but clubs with a player so picked shall not be penalised under any of the foregoing rules.
34. All players registered by the closing date for entries shall be eligible to enter the Closed Tournament, providing the player’s registration fee has been paid in full before the date of the draw and each player has played in at least three League match before the Tournament.
35. The rules of Table Tennis adopted by the ITTF approved by TTAW and as published on the ITTF website, shall be the match rules of the League.
36. The above rules apply to organised Tournaments that may be held during the season.
37. All matters not provided for in these rules and arising during the playing season shall be decided by the League Management Committee.
CUP REGULATIONS
38. The Management Committee will organise a Cup Competition for each Division and any other Competition as required by the League.
39. These competitions shall be run on a knockout basis, i.e. one match deciding which team goes forward. However, if circumstances justify it, the Management Committee shall have power to arrange for matches to be played over two legs (one home, one away) in which case the aggregate winner of both games shall go forward.
Losing teams in the first round in any Cup Competition may be entered into a Consolation Cup competition if such competition is arranged. Teams that concede their first match without playing, or play with fewer than three team members and lose, will not be eligible to enter.
40. The draw will made in full at the start of the season or at the first committee meeting. The Secretary shall notify all clubs of the draw as soon as possible.
42. The date and a neutral table for the final shall be arranged by the Committee unless a venue is mutually agreed between the opposing teams. Designation of Home & Visiting Teams shall be decided by the Match Secretary.
43. The League Cup Competitions will not include a doubles set, The winners shall be determined by the team that wins the most sets. In the event of a drawn match, the aggregate games will decide the winners. When the teams are drawn on games, the aggregate points shall decide the winners. In the event of points being equal, the tie shall be awarded to the "Away" team.
43b. In order to play in a Cup Final, any player must have played in at least three League matches prior to the final.
44. A Handicap Cup competition open to all teams in the League may be organised by the Management Committee. Each player will be given a fixed handicap before the first round. The total handicap of those players playing in the match will be that team's starting handicap. Each of the ten sets will be one game up to a number of points to be decided upon by the Management Committee, starting at love-all and players changing ends when one player reaches half the number of points required to win the game. It is not necessary to have a winning margin of 'two clear points'. In the event of the total points, including the team handicap, being equal at the end of the match the tie will be awarded to the ' Away' team. In any match in both the Handicap Cup and the President's Trophy each team shall consist of a maximum of three players.
45. The Trophy presented by the League President is competed for by teams eliminated in their first scheduled match in the Handicap Cup. However, teams who concede their first match without playing or play with fewer than three team members and lose will not be eligible to enter. The rules of the Handicap Cup shall apply in all other aspects and it will be considered an extension of the Handicap Cup competition regarding the eligibility of players to take part.
46. No player may play for more than one team from the same club or play for two different clubs in League Cup competitions in the same season. ALL of the individual League Cups are considered to be one competition in respect of this rule. No player may play for more than one team from the same club or play for two different clubs in the Handicap Cup and President's Trophy competitions in the same season. BOTH these competitions are to be considered as one competition in respect of this rule.
