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- The League shall be called the Mendip Table Tennis League and shall
be affiliated to the English and Somerset Table Tennis Associations
(when approved by E.T.T.A.)
- The objects of the League shall be to conduct annual competitions
between member clubs, to assist and encourage the formation of the Table
Tennis Clubs in Mendip area and to promote the game of Table Tennis
in every possible way.
- SUBSCRIPTIONS. All subscriptions to be fixed at the Annual General
Meeting. All subscriptions to be paid on a Registration night to be
held about two weeks before the commencement of the season.
- ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING. The annual general meeting shall be held not
later than the first week in July, and the League to commence by the
first week of October. All members shall be entitled to attend the Annual
General Meeting but only one delegate from each team shall be entitled
to vote. Teams shall be entitled to one vote only. The financial year
shall end on the 31st May. A Special Committee shall be convened by
the Executive Committee should they consider it necessary, or if the
same should be desired by one third of the member teams. The decisions
of every Annual or Special General Meeting shall be final and conclusive
and shall be binding on all teams and registered members. At least ten
days notice of every Annual or Special General Meeting shall be given
to all member teams. Any suggested alterations to the rules must be
made in writing and such suggestions must reach the League Secretary
14 days before the date of the Special or Annual General Meeting. No
member shall be allowed to vote at any meeting on any protest or any
dispute that affects his or her team.
- OFFICES. The Honorary Officers of the League to be elected at the
Annual General meeting shall be the Chairman, Vice Chairman, Hon. General
Secretary, Hon. Treasurer, and Results/Press Secretary. The League shall
have the power further to elect a President and Vice President. All
officers shall retire annually, but shall be eligible for re-election.
The Officers of the League shall be empowered to act in an emergency,
but must report on such action at the next Annual General Meeting.
- EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. An Executive |Committee consisting of officers
of the league together with at least one representative of each division
of the league and a Somerset T.T. representative (who shall be elected
at the AGM) shall be formed. The Executive Committee shall have the
power to fine, suspend or expel any team or member found guilty of breaking
the rules of the League and shall decide all appeals made by teams arising
out of or in connection with the league and Championship competitions.
It shall have the power to decide anything not provided for in these
rules. Every decision and order of the Executive Committee shall be
binding on all teams and registered members, subject to an appeal to
a Special General Meeting called in accordance with Rule 4. The Executive
committee shall meet at regular intervals to be decided at the AGM.
Five or more shall form a quorum.
- Teams competing in the League Championship shall consist of three
members who shall play a singles match against each opponent. There
shall also be played one Doubles Match, in which a reserve may be played.
All matches shall be the best of five games, eleven up, each game won
to count as a point.
- Teams tying for first or second place in the League Table at the
close of the season, or those tying for a relegation place shall
play off the tie on a neutral table - to be nominated by the Executive
Committee. The match to be decided by playing nine singles only.
In the event of there being three or more teams tying for a particular
place, the Executive Committee shall organise a round robin"
competition to decide placings - on a neutral table
- All matches to start by 7.30 pm but by prior arrangements between
teams can start at any time. If no prior arrangement has been made
as to time and the opponents have not arrived by 8.00 pm, the awaiting
team shall inform the Results Secretary who shall award the points
to the waiting team. Such action to be ratified at the next Executive
meeting.
- If it is not possible to complete the games in a match for any
reason, the facts must be submitted to the Results Secretary when
the score card is sent in.
- When all three singles players are absent at 8.00 pm, or a team
concedes a walkover, the offending team shall be fined £3
(subject to a right of appeal to the Executive Committee).
- Matches should be played on the night specified in the handbook.
Matches may only be brought forward or changed to another night
in the same week with the mutual agreement of both clubs, and with
notification to the Results Secretary. Postponements shall be limited
to two per team per season, thereafter teams must play without a
full side or concede a walkover. The Club postponing the match must
notify the Results secretary or be fined £1. Postponed matches
are to be re-arranged and played within 28 days of the original
date except towards the end of the Season when the final date of
playing will be as shown in the Handbook. The home club to offer
two dates (League and Cup commitments excepted) which are to be
notified to the Results Secretary. Forty-eight hours notice of cancellation
and acceptance of one of the dates must be given. Should any match
not be played within the time limits allowed, then the Executive
Committee shall have the power to assess the result at the next
meeting. Team Secretaries should do everything in their power to
play matches on the normal night leaving the two postponements allowed
to be used for real emergencies.
- The match result card must be sent to the results Secretary by
the home team, to reach the results Secretary within 5 days of the
date of the match. Any team failing to do so will incur a fine of
£1. (When cards are sent by post, the postmark will be accepted
as proof of posting within the prescribed period).
- Any team changing its secretary, venue, or playing night after the
commencement of the season MUST inform the General Secretary and the
Results Secretary and circulate all secretaries of teams in their respective
division and Handicap Cup Competition to this effect, giving three days
notice in respect of the first fixture affected. Failure to do so will
incur a fine of £1.
- The scorer for each game shall be agreed mutually and scoring
shall be generally undertaken alternatively by a member of the visiting
and home teams. In case of a dispute as to who should score, the
visiting team shall have the choice. In the case of a disputed point,
the scorer’s decision shall be final - subject to the decision
agreeing with the E.T.T.A. laws of the game. The home team shall
fill in the score card first.
- All players must be registered with the General Secretary and
the full registration fee paid to the League Treasurer before becoming
eligible to play in a league match.
- No player may be registered for more than one club.
- If two or more teams are entered from one club, the players shall
be registered for the team for which they intend to play.
- A player may play for another team from the same club in a higher
division for an aggregate of two times, (including cup and league
matches)). On the third occasion he/she will no longer assist the
original team and automatically becomes eligible to assist the higher
team which he/she assisted as a reserve.
- No player shall assist a team in a lower league.
- In the event of a club having two or more teams in the same division,
the Executive Committee will rank the registered players involved.
A player so ranked may play as a reserve in place of a higher ranked
player for an aggregate of two times only. On the third time, he/she
shall no longer be allowed to play for original team and automatically
becomes eligible only to play for the team he/she assisted as a
reserve.
- After 31 December no new registration can be accepted unless
approved by the Executive Committee.
- Any player who has played in two or less matches by the end of
the season may claim a total refund of their registration fee by
writing to the league secretary.
- Any player wishing to change his/her club during the season for some
bona fide reason, may, upon application to the General Secretary and
the payment of 50p obtain a form of transfer providing the transferring
club has no objection, which must be in writing. A player obtaining
a transfer will, however, not be eligible to play in a league match
until 10 days have elapsed from the date of the transfer. No application
for transfer will be entertained after 31 December of the current season,
except by permission of the Executive Committee. All transfers must
be ratified by the Executive Committee.
- All teams shall receive a copy of the rules upon joining the League,
and all players shall be deemed to have knowledge of the rules.
- All teams that win promotion in their respective divisions must accept
promotion.
- All matches shall be played in accordance with the rules and laws
issued by the E.T.T.A.
- All trophies must be returned to the General Secretary on or before
the Championship date for engraving. The Mendip league will be responsible
for engraving all trophies. The trophy winner(s) shall be responsible
for the safety of the trophy during the time it is in their possession.
The Executive committee shall have the power to ask for the return of
a trophy earlier than the championship date, if circumstances dictate
this.
- All fines to be paid within 14 days of demand direct to the Treasurer
with the special card provided. Any team that persistently fails to
pay fines shall be expelled from the League (subject to the right of
appeal to the Executive Committee).
- Should any question or dispute arise which is not covered by the
Rules, it shall be decided by the Executive Committee. The right of
appeal against any decision or action arising from the foregoing and
the procedure to be followed is as laid down in the official E.T.T.A.
handbook.
- A neutral League Official must be appointed by the Executive Committee
for every Cup Final to officiate at each final. The two team captains
shall hand to the League Official the playing order of their teams after
the toss is made to decide which team plays “Home” and which
“Away”.
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