SEPT 2015
MATCH RULES
COOPERS ALEHOUSE METRO LEAGUE 2015-16 (Division One and Two)
Combined Division One Competition – Eastern, Metro Lawn, North East and Western Districts Tennis Associations
PLAYER REGISTRATION
Players must be registered members of their Club, and their details must be recorded in full on ResultsVault Competition Planner by the third programmed match and subsequently by the Tuesday following the first match played by that player.
MATCH PROCEDURE
Each home team to provide a minimum of 2 courts.Starting time 1.00 pmor 3.30 pm as scheduled. Matches at 3.30pm must have 4 courts available for Singles. All players must play in order of merit. No player may move more than one ranking position up or down in consecutive matches. Six players may play in any ONE programmed match. If a club has more than one team in a division , a player may play 3 matches before being bound to a team – no player is permitted to changeteams after the end of January. State League players that have played 5 matchesare ineligible for Metro League unless with prior approval of the Metro League Match Committee. Captains should complete and exchange score cards before the match begins. Matches will commence with both Doubles matches, unless previously arranged.Doubles to be listed prior to start of match and all Singles to be listed prior to start of any Singles or at start of match.
MATCH FORMAT
Singles & Doubles- 2 sets, tiebreak at 6 all then super tiebreak if one set all.
Super tiebreak- First player to 10 points with a 2 point margin, or 2 point margin after 9 all. This tiebreak set will count as a 7-6 set
FORFEITS
Clubs are expected to fill Metro League teams each week. Clubs need to fill teams from top down; State League, Metro League, Association Div 1, 2 etc. A team forfeiting shall notify the opposing team as soon as possible. A team so giving a forfeit shall, in the absence of providing a reasonable written explanation to the Recording Secretary prior to 6:00pm the following Tuesday, is liable to lose two premiership points & pay $25 to relevant Association within 30 days of forfeiting. (depending on which Association the club is affiliated with) If any team cannot commence both Doubles rubbers (unless by prior mutual agreement) by 1.15 pm that team shall forfeit any rubber that cannot be commenced. Any team not able to commence two rubbers within half an hour of the scheduled starting time,shall be liable to forfeit the entire match. This is a Competition requirement, not at the discretion of team captains.
Any player unable to commence or complete his or her set or sets due to illness, injury or any other cause, other than postponement of a match, shall forfeit such set or sets or the remaining games to the opposing player. Players do not move positions in these situations.
TENNIS BALLS
All balls must be of a type approved by Tennis Australia. The Home team shall provide eight new balls for each match. Finals: each team to provide four new balls.
SCORING
Matches shall be decided by rubbers, then sets, then games. Four points for a win, two for a draw, and one for each winning rubber. Super tiebreak to
count as 7/6 set. A team receiving a match forfeit must record match details on Results VaultCompetition Planner to ensure players qualify for finals.
RESULTS
The Club of the winning teams must advise the Sunday Mail the final scores, Ph 1800 211 909 by 7.15p.m. on the day of the match.
Each team/club is to record own results on Results Vault Competition Planner () Metro League TA by Tuesday 10.00pm. Finals to be recorded by Sunday 10.00pm. PENALTY: Loss of 2 points, no points for match if no result recorded by either team.
All correspondence or disputes to the Recording Secretary, via email .
If a result is disputed or contrived the Metro League Match Committee has the power to investigate and order a re-match. and/or may impose other penalties, including loss of premiership points by offending teams
INTERFERENCE IN MATCH
The coaching of, or interference with, players during the progress of a match, set or event shall be considered grounds for protest.
INELIGIBLE PLAYERS
Any team playing a player listed on Tennis S.A’s list of ineligible players shall be penalised by the loss of six premiership points. An additional penalty as decided by the Metro League Match Committee may be imposed
DISPUTES
All disputes shall be forwarded in writing by email to the Recording Secretary within three days of the event which caused the dispute. The Metro League Match Committee may determine a dispute in any way it sees fit and impose a penalty, including but not limited to the forfeit of matches or sets, and the loss of premiership points, on any club or player involved in such a dispute. Committee shall act as per Committee Code of Conduct document.
MATCH CANCELLATION
Matches will be cancelled when the forecast maximum temperature on match day, issued by the Bureau of Meteorology prior to 9.00 am on the morning of matches, is 37’ or more. Players should check whether matches are cancelled by checking phoning 8411 6006 or posted on Association websites. Cancellations due to wet weather can be checked by phoning 8411 6006 after 11.00am, or checking participatingAssociation websites and club contacts will be notified.Matches cancelled for inclement weather shall be decided by Metro Lawn for lawn courts and each hard court association for hard court matches.
WEATHER
Every match shall be played to a finish, weather permitting. In the event of any match being postponed or being unfinished on the day set down for such, the matter shall be referred to the Metro League Match Committeefor decision. Players must remain at the courts until at least 2.00 p.m. before making any decision to abandon the match. In the event of wet lawn courts being unplayable, matches may be transferred by agreement of both Captains. A round of matches will be cancelled if less than 50% of matches in a division are completed.
In major round matches players must remain at the courts until 4.00 p.m. or 2.00 pm for lawn court matches before making any decision to abandon the match. Before leaving the courts arrangements must be made to complete the match, started or not, on the following Sunday, times by mutual agreement. Some sets may be played early in the next week if agreed.
PREMIERSHIP TABLES
Premiership Tables to be decided by points, and in the case of equality of points at the end of the minor round, the team with the best percentage for and against (rubbers, then sets, then games) shall be deemed minor premiers. In divisions with a bye, the Premiership table will be decided by Match Ratio. If in any round, less than 50% of matches in a Division are cancelled or not completed and the round is recorded, then the Premiership table will be decided by Match Ratio (Match Ratio is the Premiership points divided by the number of matches played. If equal Match Ratio then by rubbers, then sets, then games)
FINALS
To decide the Premiership, the first team shall play the second team and the third team shall play the fourth team. The losers of the first and second teams shall play the winners of the third and fourth teams. The winner of this match shall play the winner of the first and second teams for the premiership. Where the first week of finals are cancelled or no result achieved due to weather conditions then the second week will be played by 1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3 and the winners play the next week in the final.
QUALIFICATION and FINALS NOMINATIONS
To qualify a player must have played in more than one third of therounds in Metro Leagueor below (“Played in” includes a minor round subsequently cancelled due to weather provided the player is recorded on a completed score card, signed by both Captains which was received by the Recording Secretary as required by the Match Rules.) Nominations of finals teams including Singles and Doubles pairings in writing shall be forwarded to the Recording Secretary by the Monday at 7.00 pm before the first finals round. ONLY PLAYERS NOMINATED AND APPROVED MAY BE USED. The team that finishes 1st and 3rd is allocated home courts for semi-finals, loser of 1v2 - home courts for preliminary finals, winner of 1v2 - home courts for grand final. All court allocations to be decided by the Metro League Match Committee having consideration to court availability and the standard of courts.Associations to allocate court numbers at club venues for all finals.
MAJOR ROUND DRAWS
A Major Round draw shall be decided by both doubles playing Match Tiebreaks immediately after the match. The doubles shall be played by the same players in the same pairings that played in the drawn match. Match Tiebreak is the first to 10 points with advantage of two points. The team winning the most tiebreakers, or if equal most points in the tiebreakers shall be the winner. If equal repeat the tiebreakers.
September 2015