HATFIELD HOUSE TENNIS CLUB TOURNAMENT RULES
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GENERAL RULES
1.1 Club Tournaments are conducted in accordance with the T & RA Tennis Rules and Procedures as amended by local rules at Hatfield House
1.2 In level competitions entrants are seeded according to their handicap on the closing date for entries. In the event of two players having the same handicap, seedings will be drawn
1.3 Competitors are reminded to wear predominantly white dress on court.
1.4 The decisions of the Tournament Committee will be final in all matters.
FINALS DAY
2.1 The Finals of the principal Club Tournaments will be played at the Hatfield court on FINALS DAY. Under no circumstances will players be permitted to play such Finals on any other day or at any other court.
2.2 It is accepted practice for players who know they will be unable to play in subsequent rounds to scratch at match point. Competitors who know that they will be unable to play on Finals Day should scratch at match point in the preceding round. Players who subsequently become unavailable should withdraw from the tournament as soon thereafter as possible.
2.3 The Timetable for Finals Day will be drawn up after the Semi Finals have been completed and will take into account the need for players involved in more than one Final to be given adequate rest periods.
2.4 Provided adequate notice is given, the Tournament Organiser will take into account, but will not be bound to comply with requests from players to avoid certain times. However, under no circumstances will any request to alter the Timetable be considered once it has been published and displayed on the Club Notice Board. Thereafter, any player unable to play at the time specified will forfeit the match.
CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP & PETER BRODIE TROPHY
3.1 A player who wins Division 2 or 3 of the Club Championship and who qualifies by handicap for the Division above must play in the higher Division for the year following his/her win.
3.2 Players are responsible for arranging their own matches, for marking and for booking court time up to and including Semi-Finals. They should not rely on the professionals to do this for them. Court fees will be payable for each round of the competitions excepting the Final.
3.3 The first named player of each match shall have responsibility for ensuring that the match is arranged and played before the closing date for each round. He/she should make provisional court reservations and make early contact with his/her partner/opponents. Three reasonable dates should be offered, over at least 2 weeks, and with a choice of peak and off peak courts.
3.4 After the agreement of both players and the entry of names on the booking sheet, the match is deemed to have been arranged. In the event that the match is subsequently cancelled, and cannot be re-arranged by the due date, the player responsible for the cancellation will be scratched.
3.5 In the event that the players fail to complete their match before the due date the player who in the opinion of the Tournament Committee is mainly responsible will be scratched. In cases where both parties are considered to be equally to blame the winner shall be decided by the toss of a coin.
3.6 All matches in the main Tournaments are to be the best of 3 ? 6 game sets. It is suggested that players book 2 hours to ensure they complete each match.
3.7 The winner of each match is responsible for the immediate entry of the full score on the draw sheet posted on the club notice board
TUFTON RACKET
4.1 The preliminary rounds will consist of Leagues of four players drawn up by the Tournament Organiser. Each League will occupy a three-hour session with timed 1-set matches off handicap.
4.2 All players must be available to play or mark from the start of each group session. There will be penalties for lateness. [One game will be forfeited to all opponents for each 5 minutes that a player is late on court for his/her scheduled game]
4.3 Any competitor who is unable to play on the date indicated should attempt to change Leagues with a player from another League at the earliest opportunity. The Tournament Organiser and the Professionals should each be informed of the outcome at least one week before either player is due to play. If a direct switch cannot be arranged, the Tournament Organiser should be contacted as there may be other players waiting to join, or other options available.
4.4 Players who do not turn up for their preliminary round matches, or their Knockout match, without prior notice of at least one week to the Tournament Organiser, will be charged for their courts at peak rates. Late withdrawals spoil the competition for the others in the League.
4.5 Preliminary League matches will consist of one 6 game set, or 30 minutes, whichever is first, (this includes warm-up time). Games will be played off current handicaps, with ‘40 all’ games i.e. no deuces. When the buzzer sounds, play will stop immediately, and the point being played will not count. The player with the most completed games at that time is the winner. If the game score is level, then the game being played should be finished to decide the winner. Winners get 3 points, with losers receiving 1 point.
4.6 The top two players from each League will qualify to play in the Knockout stage of the Tournament. In the event of two players having equal points, the player with the best games ratio (games won divided by games lost) will qualify. If still equal the winner of the match between the two equal players will go through.
4.7 Should either be unable to play on the scheduled Knockout round day he/she should advise the Tournament Organiser as early as possible and the third placed player in the League will qualify. If there is a further vacancy the fourth placed player will be invited to play. No other substitutes will be permitted and players who drop out after the start of the Knockout stage will not be replaced and their opponents will receive ‘byes’ to the next round.
4.8 Knockout matches will also consist of one 6 game set, or 30 minutes (whichever is first).
4.9 The Final will consist of one 8 game set.
Hazel Dunn - Tournament Organiser
Tournament Committee: H. Dunn, N.J. Lloyd, C. Dean, J. Dawes, A. Fowler
[Rev 7/03]