LONDON BANKS AND CIVIL SERVICE TABLE TENNIS LEAGUE RULES
(as amended and agreed at the 2014 AGM)
TITLE
1. The name of the League shall be "The London Banks and Civil Service Table Tennis League" and it shall be affiliated to the English Table Tennis Association.
OBJECTS
2. The objects of the League shall be to conduct an annual league competition between teams of affiliated clubs, to conduct such other competitions and representative matches as may be decided upon by the Management Committee and to encourage the playing of Table Tennis between affiliated clubs.
MEMBERSHIP
3. Membership of the League shall be at the discretion of the Management Committee.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
4. Membership of the League shall be subject to the payment of an annual subscription fee for each team entered, as determined from time to time by the Management Committee and notified in the letter calling for entries to the League.
REGISTRATION OF PLAYERS
5. Each player taking part in any event organised by the Management Committee shall be registered. No player may be registered for more than one member club at a time.
6. Registration shall be subject to the prior payment of a Registration fee as determined from time to time by the Management Committee and notified in the letter calling for entries to the League. Payment of the Registration Fee shall entitle the player to a copy of the League Handbook, which shall be issued to Club Secretaries by e-mail.
7. No player shall be considered to be registered until the Registration Fee has been received by the Treasurer.
8. Clubs entering one team may register any number of players.
9. Where clubs are entering more than one team, players must be registered in order of merit and for a specific team. If the order is shown to be incorrect by match results the Management Committee may require the order of merit to be changed.
10. At least three players shall be registered for each team.
11. Players may only play for the team for which they are registered except that they may play for not more than three times as a reserve for a higher team. A player having played more that three times for a higher team may not play again for a lower team without the prior permission of the Management Committee
12. Players registered for a higher team may not play for a lower team without the prior permission of the Management Committee.
13. Players registered for a team which subsequently withdraws from the League may not re-register for another team without prior permission of the Management Committee.
14. Vacancies occurring in a higher team may be filled by promotion from a lower team even when the lower team is in the same division as the higher team.
15. Any registered player who leaves a member club during the course of the season may play until the end of the season.
16. Additional registrations may be made at any time during the course of the season. They must be made to the Treasurer, with the appropriate ETTA membership number, before the commencement of the match in which the new player is to take part. Failure to comply with this Rule will result in the player being unregistered and ineligible.
17. A registered player who has not played before the sixth-from-last scheduled match in the published fixture list shall not be eligible to take part in that and subsequent matches without prior permission of the Divisional Secretary.
18. Any team which plays an ineligible or unregistered player shall forfeit all games won by the ineligible or unregistered player.
MANAGEMENT OF THE LEAGUE
19. The Management of the League shall be vested in a Management Committee consisting of the Honorary Officers and up to eight other members who shall be members of affiliated Clubs.
20. The Honorary Officers shall consist of a Chairperson, a General Secretary, a Treasurer, with Assistant Secretaries, Divisional Secretaries and Tournament Secretaries as required. All members of the Management Committee shall retire annually and be eligible for re-election.
21. The Management Committee shall have the power to appoint such other officers as may be required, and to fill casual vacancies arising during the year.
22. The Management Committee shall meet at appropriate intervals during the playing season and at such other times as may be necessary to administer the affairs of the League. Three members shall form a quorum. The Management Committee shall have the power to fine or expel any member Club found guilty of breaking the Rules of the League, and it shall decide all appeals arising out of, or in connection with, the activities of the League. It shall have the power to appoint sub-Committees, and to arrange and select teams for representative matches or to decide that a member of the Committee shall do so on the Committee's behalf. It shall nominate delegates to represent the League as required.
23. The Management Committee shall have the power to decide any question or matter arising which is not provided for in the Rules.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
24. The Annual General Meeting of the League shall be held in May in each year for the purpose of
a) receiving the Annual Report, audited Statement of Account and Balance Sheet of the previous year
b) the election of Officers and members of the Management Committee and the election of Honorary Auditors
c) deciding on such resolutions as may be received
d) and conducting other Business
25. The Agenda of the AGM shall be circulated to all affiliated Clubs at least 14 days before the Meeting. Nominations for appointments and resolutions for discussion at the AGM must be sent to the General Secretary by 20th April each year.
26. Attendance at the AGM shall be open to all members of affiliated Clubs.
27. Resolutions and nominations shall be decided by voting, each affiliated Club being entitled to one vote. No vote shall be required where properly proposed and seconded nominations for appointment are unopposed. Proxy votes will only be recognised if they have been notified in writing and refer to a specific decision on a specific resolution proposed. Decisions of the AGM shall be binding on all affiliated Clubs and registered players and shall not be altered except by a subsequent General Meeting.
28. Only accredited representatives from Clubs whose affiliation fees are fully paid up may nominate, propose or second resolutions or vote.
29. A two-thirds majority of Votes at the AGM shall be necessary to carry any resolution in respect of Rules of the League. Other resolutions shall be carried by a simple majority and, in the event of a tie, the Chairperson shall have the casting vote.
30. Any Clubs failing to send a representative to the AGM shall be fined the sum of £3.00.
SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
31. A Special General Meeting of the League shall be convened on a resolution of the Management Committee, or within one month of receipt by the General Secretary of a resolution by the authorised representatives of at least one third of the affiliated Clubs, and the requirements for the circulation of notices and procedure shall apply as at the Annual General Meeting.
CONDUCT OF LEAGUE COMPETITION
32. For the purpose of conducting the League competition there shall be such Divisions, arranged in order of merit, and with the number of teams, as the Management Committee may decide. The League fixtures shall be arranged by the Management Committee and a copy thereof circulated to each affiliated team
33. Any new team applying for entry to the League shall, if accepted, normally enter the lowest Division. However where vacancies permit new teams may exceptionally be allowed to enter a higher Division.
34. The Laws of the game, as laid down by the ETTA, shall apply to this League. Matches must be played with a ball adopted by the ETTA.
35. No player shall wear white or light coloured clothing which may tend to un-sight an opponent
36. Teams competing in the League competitions should normally consist of three players and matches should normally comprise ten sets consisting of nine singles and one doubles as follows:
Singles :- A v X B v Y C v Z B v X A v Z C v Y B v Z C V X A v Y
Doubles :- Any pair from ABC versus any pair from XYZ
37. Each League match shall normally consist of ten sets and each set shall normally comprise the best of five games. League points shall be awarded as one point for each set won. In addition matches that are played in or before the scheduled week will attract a bonus of 3 points to each team.
38. Where a match is played with only two players on each side two doubles sets will be played. Each team will be credited with two sets, to which will be added the results of the sets played. In addition matches that are played in or before the scheduled week will attract a bonus of 3 points to each team.
39. A team must comprise at least two eligible players. Any team fielding only one player shall have the match awarded against them in accordance with the adjudication rules unless the opposing team agrees to a postponement and subject to the approval of the League.
40. Where only one player per team turns up for a match the match shall be void. The facts must be reported to the Divisional Secretary by the home team captain by the Wednesday following the week in which the match is scheduled, to enable the Management Committee to adjudicate. Failure to report by the due date shall leave the home team liable to a fine of £3.00.
41. If at any time during a season a team has failed to fulfil three matches the Management Committee may call for an explanation and may direct that the team should be expelled. Any team expelled or withdrawn from the League shall be treated as a new team if it subsequently applies to re-join, and may be placed in the lowest division.
42. Should a team concede more than three League matches then, at the discretion of the Management Committee, that team may be expelled.
43. In the event of withdrawal or expulsion of a team from the League during the course of a playing season its record shall be expunged from the Divisional League Table.
44. The Divisional Secretaries shall draw up Divisional League Tables for the Divisions they represent and shall circulate them during the course of the playing season to every club in that Division. The Management Committee shall circulate final complete Divisional Tables to all Clubs at the end of the season.
45. The position in the Divisional League Table shall be decided by the number of points won. In the event of a tie, the position shall be decided by the number of matches won. If these numbers are equal and promotion or relegation is not involved, the teams shall be deemed to have tied. If these numbers are equal and promotion or relegation is involved, the position shall be decided by the match results between the tied teams, the team winning most sets in the matches played between the tied teams taking precedence. If these numbers are also equal the position shall be decided by the games (as distinct from sets) difference of the tied teams, and for these purposes only sets awarded for walkovers (under Rule 70) shall be counted as 3-0 for the team awarded the walkover and 0-3 against for the team conceding the walkover, ie. 21 games for the team awarded the walkover and no games against and 30 games against the team conceding the walkover.
46. The top two teams in each Division shall normally be promoted and the bottom two teams shall normally be relegated. Any team withdrawing or expelled from the League shall be regarded as bottom of the Division. Vacancies in Divisions may be filled at the discretion of the Management Committee.
MATCH PROCEDURE
47. Clubs must nominate particular home nights for each team entered. While there is no requirement to confirm fixtures team captains are encouraged to do so. Teams must fulfil their fixtures on the night nominated by the home team, in accordance with the fixture list. Home teams shall not normally be allowed to deviate from the night of their choice.
48. Exceptionally the home team may elect to play a match on another night within the scheduled week if it notifies the way team captain not less than 7 days before the original date or not less than 7 days before the proposed date, whichever provides most notice. However the Rule may be waived with the agreement of the opposition team captain.
49. Should either team wish to postpone a match to another week it must first seek the agreement of its opponents, and then request the granting of a postponement from the appropriate Divisional Secretary. If any team seeking a postponement fails to contact the Divisional Secretary by the end of the week before the match was due to be played, then that team shall be liable to have the match awarded to their opponents on a default and to a fine of £3.00.
50. If a postponement is granted by the Divisional Secretary matches postponed in the first half of the season should be played before the second half starts and those postponed in the second half should be played before or during the two weeks following the season as shown by the published fixture list.
51. Should a postponed match not be played in accordance with Rule 53 the Management Committee shall be empowered to a) award points for the match to either or both teams, b) to fine either or both teams £3.00 c) to grant a further extension of time to play the match d) to declare the match void with no points awarded.
52. Any team penalised under Rule 51 shall have the right of appeal to the Management Committee within 14 days of the date of notice of the Rule being applied.
53. In the rearranged postponed match the team requesting the postponement will not receive the 3 bonus points awarded under Rules 40 and 41 but their opponents will.
54. In the unlikely event that both teams cause a postponement then neither team will receive the bonus.
55. If a match has to be postponed for reasons outside either team's control then the bonus will still apply to the rearrangement, subject to Divisional Secretary approval.
56. In matters of dispute over postponements the Divisional Secretary's or, where appropriate, the Committee's decision will be final.
57. The starting time for matches shall be 18.15, unless a different time is agreed beforehand, or, in the case of disagreement, as directed by the Divisional Secretary. If no member of a team is ready to play at 18.15, or such other time as has been agreed, then that team shall forfeit the match as a walkover in accordance with Rule 67. However this rule may be waived with the agreement of the opposition team captain.
58. Any member of a team who is not ready to play at 19.00, or 45 minutes after the agreed starting time, shall not be allowed to take part in the match, save with the agreement of the opposition team captain.
59. A set shall be won by the first player to win three games.
60. The order of play of both teams shall be entered on a result card. If either captain so requests each captain shall make a note of his or her team's playing order independently of the other captain: these notes shall then be exchanged and the orders entered without amendment on the result card before the commencement of the match. Any deviation from the order of play shown on the card shall take place only with the agreement of both captains.
61. Where teams play at a venue which has an early closing time any sets which cannot be played due to the late arrival of players will be awarded 3 games to 1 to the team not responsible for the delay. If both teams are at fault then sets will be awarded on this basis to each team by agreement. Any dispute must be referred to the Divisional Secretary with full details for resolution. Exceptionally, and only with the agreement of both team captains, when it becomes obvious that it will not be possible to complete all sets by the closing time, any remaining sets may be played so that they shall be won by the first player to win 2 sets.
62. Unless some other order is agreed by both team captains, the duty of an Umpire shall be undertaken alternately by a member of the home team and of the visiting team, with the home team providing the Umpire for the first set.
63. The captain of the home team must notify the Divisional Secretary of the result of the match, giving the names of the players and the scores in sets won and lost by post or e-mail.
64. If a match is played and no result card has been received by the appropriate Divisional Secretary by the Wednesday following the week in which the match was scheduled then the home team shall be liable to a fine of £3.00. If the match score can be established then the score shall stand but at the discretion of the Management Committee the home team may forfeit any points won at the match.
65. Any team penalised under Rule 64 shall have the right of appeal to the Management Committee within 14 days of the date of notice of the Rule being applied.
66. Any claims for points by default must be received by the appropriate Divisional Secretary by the Wednesday following the week in which the match was scheduled to have been played.
67. If a team is awarded a walkover, or has a match conceded to it, then 7 points and 7 sets shall normally be awarded to that team: in the event of an appeal the Management Committee shall have the discretion to award a different number of points or sets. The record of the team against which a walkover is awarded, or which concedes a match, shall show no points awarded and ten sets against for each walkover awarded or match conceded.
TROPHIES
68. The Hon. Secretary shall be made the legal owner of all trophies in trust for the League.
69. The winning club (where team trophies are involved) or player(s) (where individual trophies are involved) shall be responsible for the custody of the trophy and the trophy shall be returned in good order and condition when requested by the Hon. Secretary.
70. The League may insure all trophies against loss or damage.
71. Should a trophy be damaged or lost while in the custody of a club or player(s) that club or player(s) shall refund to the League such sums not received from insurance for the cost of complete repair or replacement of the trophy.
72. The League shall be responsible for engraving all trophies.
OTHER FINANCIAL MATTERS
73. The Financial Year of the League shall end on March 31st.
74. All subscriptions and initial registration fees, together with any fees, fines or other monies outstanding from the previous season shall be paid to the Hon. Secretary not later than September 30th each year. Any Club failing to pay such sums by the due date shall not be eligible to commence League engagements. Subsequent registration fees shall be paid to the Treasurer before the player concerned takes part in any League match.
75. The funds of the League shall be lodged at a Bank or Building Society, and all cheques, drafts etc. drawn on the account shall be signed by the Hon Treasurer and either the Chairperson, the Hon General Secretary or the Assistant Treasurer. All funds received shall be applied to further the objects of the League as stated in Rule 2. In the event of dissolution of the League all income and property shall be disposed of at the discretion of the Management Committee.
