League Rules

General organisation

  1. The competition will be called “The Chelmsford & District Lawn Tennis League”.
  2. The competition will be open to Clubs affiliated to the Chelmsford & District Lawn Tennis Federation.
  3. All Clubs must be LTA registered venues.
  4. Leagues will be arranged annually at the Annual General Meeting (AGM).
  5. Any club wishing to compete must notify the League Secretary of the Federation before the closing date for entries and must pay an entry fee, as decided at the AGM, for each team entered. Clubs may enter as many teams as they wish, in any League.
  6. The Secretary of the Federation will call a meeting of representatives of competing Clubs to arrange the dates of matches. If a club is not represented at this meeting, the onus is on that Club to contact all other Clubs to arrange its matches. The date of a match may be changed only by mutual agreement of the two Clubs concerned.
  7. The home team is responsible for providing courts and 4 new LTA approved tennis balls per court.
  8. (a) The MENS LEAGUE will consist of two pairs. Each pair will play TWO traditional sets against each pair of the opposing team, with a tie-break at 6-6 if necessary;
    (b) The LADIES LEAGUE will consist of two pairs. Each pair will play TWO traditional sets against each pair of the opposing team, with a tie-break at 6-6 if necessary;
    (c) The MIXED LEAGUE will consist of two pairs. Each pair will play TWO traditional sets against each pair of the opposing team, with a tie-break at 6-6 if necessary.
  9. 2 league points will be awarded for each set won, a total of 16 points being available.
  10. Both teams will send the scores, by email, using the sheets provided (a photo attachment will suffice), to the League Secretary of the Federation within three days of the match.
  11. All scorecards should be completed accurately and truthfully. Should there be any doubt, Clubs should seek guidance from the League Secretary.
  12. In any division, the team scoring the most points throughout the season is the winner of that division. If two or more teams score the same number of points, the team with the greatest games difference shall be deemed the winner. If there is still a tie, then the head-to-head result from the two matches (including number of games if necessary) will determine the winner.
  13. If there are several divisions in any League, at the end of the season, the top team in each division will be promoted to the next higher division, if possible, and the bottom team will be relegated to the next lower division, if possible.
  14. Only playing members of a Club may play for any team in the Club. A player may not play for more than one Club in each League in any one season. A “playing member of a Club” is defined as any person entitled to the full playing facilities at a Club for at least two months of the current season. Should this occur the results for any ineligible sets will be removed.
  15. If a Club has two or more teams in any League, a player who has played three times in a higher team may not subsequently play for a lower team. Should this occur the results for any ineligible sets will be removed.
  16. If a Club has two teams in the same Division, both fixtures must be played before the end of July. No points will be awarded for any match after this date.
  17. Any Club intending to withdraw a team must notify the Secretary of the Federation in writing. Any matches previously played by such a team will not count towards final League positions.
  18. All questions of eligibility or players, interpretation of regulations, or any other queries in relation to these competitions must be referred to the Federation whose decision will be final.

Match play

  1. All matches must be played within a 15-mile radius of Chelmsford Shire Hall and between 1st April and 30th September. If any matches are not played, points will be awarded in accordance with the rules relating to the reason for not playing.
  2. Play should begin within 10 minutes of the scheduled start time. If a player is absent for more than 30 minutes after the scheduled start time, they and their partner will be considered to have lost the first set by the maximum score (6-0), unless both captains agree otherwise. If a player is absent for more than an hour after the scheduled start time, they and their partner will be considered to have lost both sets of the first rubber by the maximum score.
  3. No change may be made to the composition of a team during a match.
  4. In the event of a match being unfinished due to bad light, bad weather or floodlight timing restrictions:
    (a) before completion of the first round, the match will be deemed abandoned and then rearranged;
    (b) after completion of the first round, any remaining uncompleted sets shall be halved.
  5. In the event of a cancellation, except when the cancellation is necessitated by inclement weather, the opposing side (ie the side not responsible for the cancellation) may, at their discretion, choose to rearrange the match or claim a walkover. Points awarded for a walkover shall be calculated at the end of the season by the League Secretary: The claiming team will receive half the sum of the average sets won by the claiming team and the average sets lost by the conceding team. The conceding team will be deducted 4 points (2 sets) for the fixture.
  6. Any matches that have not been played at the end of the season will be recorded as a 0-0 draw.