1)    Overview 

a)  All Competition FINAL dates are set at the beginning of the season and shown in the Handbook and on the Website. Players or Teams should not enter any Competition knowing that they will be unable to fulfil their obligation to compete on the set Final date.

b)  Any Players or Teams who do compete, then inform the Executive they cannot attend for the Final after playing a round(s) will be immediately removed from the Competition and their current drawn opponents put through to the next round.

c)   Should this unfortunate situation occur, that Player or Team will be fined the equivalent of the entry fees of anyone they have beaten in the previous round(s). That fine should be paid within one month of it being notified, and they will not be allowed to enter ANY Competition in the following season unless that fine is paid as required by this rule.

 

2)      League registered players: 

 

a)  They shall be allowed to enter competitions from any affiliated club, and that will be deemed their home club throughout that competition. Losing semi-finalists in all but team competitions will receive a prize.

b)  Competition entrants must have played a minimum of 3 games in the current season OR 5 games in the current and last season combined.  (The '3/5 rule'). This applies to all competitions, the only exception being where the entrant is under 18 years of age (and does not play in other leagues or competitions outside of HBSA). In this scenario the '3/5 rule' is waived.

 

3)      Handicap competitions:

a)  All entrants must be members of an affiliated club. Handicaps revised during the course of any competition must be used in the round following notification.

b)  Winners of handicap competitions will have their handicap reviewed as deemed appropriate. This will be in addition to the review based on league performance during the season.

 

4)  Arranging matches: Both home and away players/teams must attempt to make contact. Should there be any difficulty in contacting opponents, or good reason for not playing a match on time, the Competitions Secretary should be advised a.s.a.p. As a matter of courtesy please give three or four possible dates for the match prior to the closing date.

 

5)  Referees: Players/teams should endeavour to provide a referee for all matches up to and including quarter-finals. For semi-finals and finals, referees will be appointed by the Competitions Secretary.

 

6)  Notification of results:

a)  Up to and including quarter-finals, it is the winner’s responsibility to notify the result to the Competitions Secretary within 24 hours of the match being played.

b)  Appointed referees will be responsible for notifying the result of semi-finals and finals that are played on neutral tables.

 

7)  Unplayed matches: If no information is received from either player by the closing date, both players will be disqualified.  ln the event of disputed information being received, both players may be required to attend the next committee meeting to state their case.

 

8)   Junior competitions: Entrants must be under 20 years of age on the competition closing date to be eligible.

 

9)   Dress code for Finals fortnight:

a)      All players involved in any League Competition Final will be required to adopt a dress code which is appropriate for the occasion; this will be a smart shirt or a polo shirt, smart dark trousers and appropriate footwear.

b)      Unacceptable attire would be as follows: - Jeans, shorts,  T  shirts or working boots.

c)       Should any player appear for a Final with unacceptable clothing, then they will be disqualified from participating in that Final or until they change into suitable attire.

d)      This disqualification will be at the discretion of the Match Official or Referee in charge of that Match.

e)      Mobile phones must be switched off as their use is incompatible with Match Play Events   

 

10)  Trophies: Trophies must be returned by the March meeting, failure to do so will incur a fine of £25.00. Team trophies must be kept at the winners’ clubs at all times; individual trophies may be kept at the homes of the winners. All trophies must be returned in a clean and presentable condition, the cost of replacing or repairing trophies will be the responsibility of the club or individual in possession of them. All costs incurred to clean a trophy (that has been returned in poor condition) will be charged back to the Club concerned, via a fine. This will be added to the League registration fees for the following season and payable as a condition of registration.