Wingecarribee Tennis Association

COMPETITION RULES

Wingecarribee Tennis Association Inc.

Women’s Thursday Competition Rules – 1 January 2023

1.REGISTRATION

  1. All players must be financial members
    of a Club and the Wingecarribee Tennis Association Inc.
  2. All players must be financial members
    of Tennis New South Wales.
  3. All new players who enter the
    competition after commencement must first be approved by the Match Committee or
    their sets may be forfeited, and must be financial members of both the
    Association and Tennis NSW.
  4. Registration Form for any new players
    must be handed in with money enclosed together with the Result Sheet.

2.SCORE SHEETS

  1. Full names of all players (first and surnames) are written in order 1 – 4 on the top of the Result Sheet prior to the first set. Each team is responsible for their players’ first names and surnames being written on the Result Sheet.  Once the names are entered the order of players cannot be changed. If any player’s name is incorrectly recorded, a warning to the offending team is given on the first occasion and, if the error is repeated, the team loses 4 or 5 points, depending on whether it is a 6-set or 8-set match.

3.RESERVES

  1. Team Captains must notify the Match Committee of their intention to register and play new players and their Registration fees for both the Association and Tennis New South Wales must be paid.

4.MATCH START TIME

  1. Match start time is 9.30 am SHARP.
  2. If a team is unable to commence within 15 minutes of the starting time, the opposing team must claim the first set on forfeit.
  3. If all players in a team are not present at the time to commence the second set, the match is awarded to the opposing team on forfeit and the first set result is disregarded.
  4. In PLAY-OFF matches, teams should toss for HOME TEAM before commencement of the first set.

5.COMPETITION POINTS

  1. Competition points are decided on
    sets won. Each team is awarded 1 point for each set won. If equal on sets the
    winner is decided on total games won. The winning team is awarded an additional
    2 points. For a drawn match by sets and games the total points are divided,
    i.e. 5 points each for an 8-set match and 4 points each for a 6-set match.
  2. Points are not awarded to a team for
    sets or games won with a player borrowed from a higher division.

6.COURT REQUIREMENTS

  1. A match may be played on any registered court acceptable to both Team Captains. The Home Team is to prepare the court for play. Nets must be equipped with net tape and tied at each end. Due to the lack of certainty of supply of any particular brand of tennis ball, each Home team is required to provide four new balls of premium quality (i.e. from an airtight tin) for matches played on two courts. Where matches are played on one court, two new balls must be provided by the Home team.
  2. Upon players arrival, if one match court is found to be unplayable, ALL six or eight sets must be played on a single court.
  3. Two courts must be registered for each team except, where two teams operate from the same venue, two courts in total may be registered (assuming that only one will be home each week).
  4. Any registered court is for exclusive Women’s Thursday competition for the duration of a match.
  5. If players have children present, play may be restricted to one court, as long as the captain of the team with children notifies the opposing captain that this will be the case.

7.RESULTS

  1. Results Sheets must be lodged by the WINNING TEAM. A copy of the result sheet should be emailed, or SMS’d to the registrar by NO LATER THAN 12 NOON ON THE SATURDAY FOLLOWING THE MATCH. Hard copies should be delivered to Bowral Tennis Club, and left in plastic results tray, when convenient. If the results are not received by 12 noon on the Saturday following the match, NIL POINTS will be awarded to the WINNING TEAM. Points won by the LOSING TEAM will be awarded.

8.FORFEITS

  1. HOME TEAM is responsible for notifying the Match Committee by Sheet or Phone if a forfeit is given or received.
  2. Forfeit points of 10 or 8 points (depending on number of sets that should have been played) are not awarded to the opposing team if all other matches are washed out.

9.WET MATCHES

  1. HOME TEAM is
    responsible for notifying the Match Committee by Sheet or Phone if a match is
    WASHED OUT or a match is called off due to rain.
  2. The HOME TEAM Captain may call
    off a match due to rain only and must inform the VISITOR Team Captain of
    the call-off by 9.00 am. If, on being so informed, the Visitor Team Captain
    decides that play could be possible, both teams in the spirit of good
    sportsmanship are to be ready to play by 10 am. At that time, either Captain
    may call off the match due to the rain.
  3. A MATCH MAY NOT BE CALLED OFF DUE TO
    WIND CONDITIONS    .

10.HEAT RESTRICTIONS

  1. When the thermometer temperature reading reaches 30oC it is compulsory that play ceases immediately and is not resumed until the temperature has fallen to below 28oC. THE THERMOMETER MUST BE PLACED IN THE SHADE.

11.WINDY CONDITIONS

  1. Where windy conditions create an unacceptable risk, play may be suspended. Examples of such conditions are: foreign objects being blown onto the court; court furniture or court fixtures being disturbed; fences or court equipment being damaged, or player health being affected by the force of the wind.

12.AIRBORNE CONTAMINANTS

  1. Play may be suspended in any situation in which the air quality is compromised, presenting an unacceptable risk to players, especially if they have a pre-existing medical condition. Airborne contaminates can come in many forms, but the most common are sand, dust or smoke. If smoke presents any danger, through reduction in visibility or ability to breathe properly, then play must be suspended or cancelled.

13.BORROWING PLAYERS

  1. Two members of a team must be players for a match to take place. Only 2 players may be borrowed from within the same division for any one match. Players may be borrowed from lower divisions. If a team needs a third non-member to play before the match commences, that player must be registered as a member of that team.
  2. A player may be borrowed from a higher division; however points for sets and/or games won by the team in which that player plays are not awarded but the team does not forfeit the match.
  3. The two lowest divisions are free to interchange players whenever needed, provided there are 4 or more divisions in the competition.
  4. Players may be borrowed from within the same division as often as required but the same player may be borrowed only three times. For Semi-finals, Finals and Grand Finals, players may only be borrowed from lower divisions.
  5. Players who have played 3 matches with their own team may be borrowed 4 times by any one team but, on the 4th occasion, the player then becomes a registered member of that team.

14.FUNERAL RULE

  1. If the funeral of a team member or a team member’s immediate family is to be held on the day of competition play, that match may be called off with 5 or 4 points (depending on whether a 6-set or 8-set match) awarded to each team, provided that, at least 24 hour prior to the match day, the Captain or nominee advises the Captain of the opposing team and the Match Committee of the funeral.

15.LUNCH

  1. There may be a lunch break of up to 30 minutes by mutual agreement of both Captains.
  2. While COVID protocols apply, players should provide their own food and drink.

16.UMPIRES

  1. If either team requests umpires then umpires must be used for that match.
  2. 32. It is court courtesy that the server calls out the progressive score during competition play.

17.GAME PLAYING – POINTS IN DOUBT

  1. All game points that are in doubt are to be replayed. In general, players receiving the ball have the right to call a ball IN or OUT, which call is to be accepted as given in total good faith by the opposing players without expressions or indications of doubt, dispute or innuendo.
  2. Balls that touch any part of the line, including the outside edge of the line, are to be called IN.

18.COURT ETIQUETTE

  1. If a ball moves onto or behind another court, play must cease on the other court before ball retrieval. Play is to be stopped and point replayed if a ball from another match rolls onto the court.

19.DRESS CODE

  1. Correct tennis shoes and clothes must be worn and offenders may be excluded from play. Ripple-soled shoes are not permitted.

20.IMPROPER BEHAVIOUR

  1. Improper behaviour such as cheating, swearing or offensive court behaviour should be reported in writing to the Match Committee and offenders may be subject to penalty.