WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA PLATFORM TENNIS ASSOCIATION WOMEN S INTER-CLUB DAY LEAGUE RULES AND REGULATIONS 2018-19 LEAGUE INFORMATION New Teams - New teams must submit their application in writing to the Secretary by August 1st for the ensuing play season. Clubs or townships applying to the Women s Inter-Club Day League must have a minimum of 2 courts at the same site. The Board reserves the right to make decisions of inclusion and placement of a team applying for membership. Disbanding Teams - Any team that is disbanding for the upcoming season must notify the Secretary in writing by August 1st. The vacancy created by any disbanded team will cause an automatic move-up from the division(s) below to fill the vacated spot(s) in all divisions affected. Any vacancy occurring after the season schedule is complete will result in a bye in that affected division. Team Change of Venue An existing team that wishes to change venue must submit a request in writing by August 1 st for the ensuing play season. At least 5 active rostered players from the previous season must be a part of the team requesting to change venue. The Board reserves the right to make decisions of inclusion and placement of a team applying for change of venue. Match Days and Starting Dates - The Women s Inter-Club Day League governs team play divided into 8 divisions. Divisions 1, 4 and 7 play on Tuesday; Divisions 2, 5 and 8 play on Wednesday; and Divisions 3 and 6 play on Thursday. The Women s Inter-Club also includes an Evening League. Women may play in the day and/or the Evening League, however, must be rostered on each separately. The Women s Inter-Club League play begins the first week of October. Schedules are to be posted on the website at least two weeks prior to the season. Rosters - Team captains must submit their preliminary rosters to the Scheduler by August 14 th. See PLAYER ELIGIBILITY for roster specifics. The Board reserves the right to request an earlier date. Learn the Rules - Each player MUST become familiar with the Women s Inter-Club Day League and APTA rules. Division Representative Responsibilities - The Division Representative supervises all interclub activity within her division, including, but not limited to, PLAYER ELIGIBILITY, FROZEN PLAYERS, REGULAR SEASON LINE-UPS, and CHALLENGE MATCH LINE-UPS. The Division Representative is the first contact in the event there is a dispute between teams in her division. The Division Representative also ensures that captains enter their match scores onto the website in a timely manner. The Division Representative assists the Board in approving the line-ups for challenge matches. Scorekeeper Responsibilities - The Scorekeeper oversees the Division Representatives and ensures that all teams in the league follow league rules including, but not limited to, PLAYER ELIGIBILITY, FROZEN PLAYERS, REGULAR SEASON LINE-UPS, and CHALLENGE MATCH LINE-UPS. In the event of a dispute between teams that had not been resolved by the Division Representative, the Scorekeeper is the liaison between the Board and the teams involved in the dispute. The Scorekeeper, as Board member, assists in approving the line-ups for challenge matches and helps with the seeding of local tournaments, if requested. PLAYER ELIGIBILITY A Player May Represent Only One Inter-Club Day League Team Of Which She Is A Member During a Season - The Women s Inter-Club Day League Board must approve any change of representation during a season or deviations from the above rule. Applications must be made in writing to the Secretary.
PLAYER ELIGIBILITY (Continued) Number Of Players Per Team - Each team must have at least eight players. There is no limit, but at least two additional players are recommended. For purposes of the Inter-Club Day League, there are no sub lists and players rostered on a lower division team may not be considered a player for purposes of meeting the eight-player rule. A player is either rostered or is ineligible to play. New Player Additions - New players may be added to a roster until the last two matches of the regular season. ONLY the Scorekeeper has the authority to add a player. The Captain MUST notify the Scorekeeper, the Division Representative, and all Captains in their division, of any addition, by 12:00 PM on the Monday prior to a scheduled weekly match. The waiting period is waived for the lowest teams in each club or township or for situations deemed appropriate by the Board. All Board decisions are final. Club/Township Teams In Same Division - When two teams from a club or township are in the same division, players cannot play for both teams. Tournament Eligibility See Tournaments. FROZEN PLAYERS Position In The Line-Up - Team captains must designate three frozen players. Frozen players are considered to be the top players of their team. When all three frozen players are available to play, two of the frozen players must play line 1 and the third must be on line 2. When only two frozen players are available, two can play line 1, or one can play line 1 and one can play line 2. When only one frozen player is available, she must play line 1. Frozen players can NEVER play below line 2. It is acceptable to NOT play any frozen players except for the week following a change in a frozen player. Please refer to Frozen Players Must Be Physically Active paragraph below. Captains must play their lines in order of strength. Playing frozen players incorrectly or playing lines out of order of ability WILL result in a 2 set penalty. All Board decisions are final. Changing Frozen Players The Scorekeeper is the ONLY person authorized to change frozen player status. When requesting a change in frozen player status, the Captain MUST notify all Captains in the division, the Division Representative, and the Scorekeeper. The Captains and the Division Representative can be contacted through broadcast e-mail on the website but a separate e- mail must be sent to the applicable Scorekeeper. The Scorekeeper, the Division Representative and all Captains must be notified by 12:00 PM on the Monday prior to a scheduled weekly match. Failure to abide by these rules WILL result in a penalty. All Board decisions are final. Frozen Players Must Be Physically Active - If a frozen player is injured or absent and has missed two consecutive matches, another player must be frozen in her place before the third consecutive match. In addition, the newly frozen player must play in the match following being frozen. Failure to follow these rules WILL result in the loss of one set. SUBSTITUTING FOR A TEAM IN ANOTHER DIVISION Adding A Sub The Captain MUST notify the Scorekeeper prior to the first match in which a sub is being played. That sub may play additional matches for the same team without notification to the scorekeeper. The scorekeeper is the ONLY person authorized to add a player as a sub at any time. Eligibility - Lower division players may sub for a higher division team at their own Club in addition to playing for their own rostered team. Higher division players may not sub for a lower division team. If a Day League team wants to use an Evening League player as a sub, the player MUST also be rostered on a lower division Day League team at their Day League club.
SUBSTITUTING FOR A TEAM IN ANOTHER DIVISION (continued) Ghost Teams - When two or more teams play in the lowest division at a Club, a ghost team may be created. The purpose of a ghost team is to support the lowest division teams by having a surplus of players to sub up and fill vacancies, in the same way that lower division players may sub for a higher division team at their own Club. Therefore, players listed on a ghost team will be the least experienced or weakest players at their Club. Experienced or stronger players may NOT be listed on a ghost team. Instead, they should be rostered on a team consistent with their skills, even if they are not available to play in all matches. Ghost team players may sub up to either team in the lowest division at their Club, but may not sub up to a higher division team. All ghost teams will be listed in an inactive division (e.g. Division 9) and are bound by all rules as outlined in this section. Position of Play - Players may sub for a higher division team three times and must play on line 3 or 4. Exception: If a SEASONED player is rostered on a team in a division lower than her level of ability would dictate, she still must sub onto the line that best matches her ability. If the most appropriate line is line 1 or 2, then the Captain MUST notify the Scorekeeper of the situation three days prior to the match and have the lineup of the sub approved by the Board. Playing a sub on lines 1 or 2 without prior approval of the Board may result in loss of line and a one set penalty at the discretion of the Board. Playing a sub in a line well below her ability may also result in loss of line and a one set penalty at the discretion of the Board. Substituting For More Than Three Matches - When a player subs for the fourth time on a higher division team, the player immediately becomes a member of that higher division team and is eligible to play on any line for the remainder of the season. A Sub Should Never Play Over An Available Rostered Player - In the spirit of fair play, the Board discourages playing subs over available rostered players. Playing a sub incorrectly may result in loss of line and a one set penalty at the discretion of the Board. TEAM MATCH FORMAT The Home Team Captain Must Contact the Visiting Team Captain At Least Three Days Before the Match - The home team Captain must confirm directions, match times, team playing order and home paddle hut telephone number. The home team makes the final decision concerning the order of play (lines 1, 2, 3 and 4) in the event of a conflict. Court Reservations - All clubs having teams must provide court time for team play on match days starting at 9:30 am. The home team Captain should reserve the courts well in advance for all home matches to avoid any conflict. Snow/Leaf/Debris Removal - The home team Captain must make arrangements with her club for snow/leaf/debris removal during the playing season. Courts must be playable by the scheduled match time. See Poor Court Conditions under WEATHER CANCELLATIONS below. Match Starting Times - All clubs must provide court time for team play on match days starting at 9:30 am. All teams may begin matches prior to 9:30 am, if it is by mutual agreement. If less than 4 courts are available, the later scheduled lines should arrive by no later than 10:15 am. Multiple Match Starting Times When two matches are scheduled at the same location on the same day, the first match should begin by 9:30 am and the second match at 12:00 pm OR the teams may share the courts and have two courts from each team begin simultaneously at 9:30 am, (both if it is by mutual agreement). When three matches are scheduled at the same location on the same day, two matches shall begin simultaneously at 9:30 am and the afternoon match shall begin at 12:30 pm.
TEAM MATCH FORMAT (continued) Match Scoring - When one team plays another team, there are 4 doubles matches or 8 players from each team. Each match is the best 2 out of 3 sets. A 12-point tiebreaker is used at 6-all in all 3 sets. The team with the most total sets won is declared the winner. The names of the players and their scores for each match must be reported by the home team Captain on the website the day of the match. The home team and visiting team captains and the Division Representative must verify the accuracy of the submitted scorecard. Failure to catch and notify the Scorekeeper of any discrepancy or error prior to the next scheduled match will result in the loss of ability to request a change in the scorecard. Errors impact standings, therefore, it is critical that scorecards be thoroughly reviewed. Regular Season Line-ups - Captains must prepare their line-ups in writing and exchange them before the match begins. Scorecards are available on the website. Team captains must play lines 1 through 4 in order of ability. The Inter-Club Day League will not tolerate switching of teams to win more points or the playing of subs over regular rostered players (particularly within the last three matches of the season). Failure to comply with this rule WILL result in a loss of sets through a decision of the Board. All Board decisions are final. Play Is To Be Continuous - All practice serves are taken before the match begins. A team may take no more than 5 minutes between the second and third sets. Please refer to the APTA s Official Rules of Platform Tennis for rules not addressed herein. Match Balls - The home team supplies the match balls. NO Let Ball - If the service ball touches the net cord, center strap or band and lands in the proper service court, play shall continue. Likewise, the service ball, if after touching the net, center strap or band, touches either member of the receiving team or anything they are wearing or carrying before hitting the deck, regardless of where they might be standing, on or off the court, the server wins the point. Disputes - The complaint must be filed in writing within two weeks of the played (disputed) match. The Division Representative is the first contact in the event there is a dispute between teams in her division. If the Division Representative cannot solve the matter to the satisfaction of the team or teams involved, or if there is a potential conflict of interest, the team Captain must request in writing to the Scorekeeper that the Board resolves the dispute. Such request must detail the nature of the dispute, all relevant circumstances and the redress the captain is seeking. The Board will notify the other team of the issue in writing and said team has five days in which to respond to the Board in writing. The Board will make the decision upon receiving all necessary information and notify both teams in writing. The Board reserves the right to issue either a warning or an immediate forfeiture of points depending on the situation. All Board decisions are final. WEATHER CANCELLATIONS Match cancellations - The only reason to cancel and reschedule a match is due to extreme weather conditions, school delays and/or poor court conditions (weather related). Rain is not considered to be an extreme weather condition. Both captains MUST AGREE to play the match; otherwise, the match should be rescheduled. Matches should not be cancelled officially until the morning of the match. In the event of cancellation, allow adequate time when contacting the opposing team captain due to travel distances. Rescheduling A Match - When a match is cancelled, team Captains should first attempt to play later that day. If not, the Captains should reschedule the match to the scheduled make-up date, OR both teams may mutually agree to reschedule the match prior to the scheduled make-up date. The Board strongly urges teams to schedule make-up matches as a TEAM rather than as individual lines. The home team Captain must notify the Scorekeeper and the Division Representative ON THE DAY OF THE POSTPONED MATCH that the match has been cancelled and the date of the make-up match.
Poor Court Conditions - If the courts are not playable for a team match, the visiting team Captain must be notified as soon as possible to either (a) reschedule the match or (b) play later that day. If the courts are not ready within 30 minutes of the regularly scheduled match time, the visiting team has the right to reschedule the match and play it on the visiting team s courts. If a team continually fails to provide courts at the regularly scheduled time, the Board reserves the right to deduct sets. DEFAULTS AND FORFEITS Defaults - If a team appears for a scheduled match with fewer than 4 teams or 8 players, the team that appears must compete against the opposing club s top teams. The order of forfeiture is line 4 first, and then lines 3, 2, and 1. If a line 1, 2 or 3 player does not show and line 4 has already played, the penalty is forfeiture of the missing line and all lines below. The Board will not tolerate an excessive number of forfeits of team or individual matches and will make a ruling regarding that team s status in Women s Inter- Club Day League. Late Arrivals - Any players arriving after the official match start time must forgo their warm-up time. If players arrive 30 minutes past official start time for unexplained reasons, opponents are entitled to ask for a forfeit of that line. Default Due To Injury - In the event of default due to injury, the injured team loses 2 sets. Sets won by the injured team prior to the default are counted. Games completed before the default are counted. Delays En Route - If the visiting team encounters an emergency or delay en route, the home team Captain must be notified immediately by phone. Good sportsmanship should be considered in an attempt to ensure all matches and lines are able to play even if beyond the 30-minute time limit. Forfeits - The THIRD match in which a team forfeits one or more lines, the team will incur a ONE set penalty in addition to loss of line. Subsequent matches with forfeits will also incur a one set penalty. MAKE UP MATCHES Line-Ups - Line-ups for the make-up match must remain the same if the line-up from the scheduled match has already been exchanged, the match has already begun, and cancellation occurred due to worsening conditions during play. Deadline - All make-up matches must be completed within one week of the last regular season match by the normal match day of the week. (Divisions 1, 4, and 7 by Tuesday, Divisions 2, 5, and 8 by Wednesday, and Divisions 3 and 6 by Thursday). The Women s Inter-Club League schedule includes a make-up day in both the first and second halves of the season. Make-ups may be played at any mutually agreeable time prior to the scheduled make-up date. Matches Not Played By The Scheduled Make-Up Date Will Result In A Penalty Score Of 0-8 For Both Teams. CHALLENGE MATCHES Team Challenge - Teams finishing first and second (except Division I) have the option to challenge into the division above them. The first place team can choose to challenge either the last place team or the next-to-last place team. Teams finishing second play the remaining team. ONLY the teams finishing first and second in a division may challenge. The Captains of the first place teams must email the Scorekeeper of their teams decision to challenge within 24 hours after the final standings have been tabulated and finalized. The Scorekeeper will then notify the team Captains affected as well as the Division Representative. Regular Season Tie In Standings - If at the end of the regular season there is a tie in winning percentage of sets, the winner is the team with the highest winning percentage of games. If a tie still exists, the head to head system is used.
CHALLENGE MATCHES (continued) Date Played and Start Times - Challenge matches are played on the scheduled challenge date of the higher division team. All challenge matches begin at 9:30 am unless there are two challenge matches scheduled at the same location. In that event, the home team Captains must decide which team plays at 9:30 am and which team plays at 12:00 pm. Host Team - The team to be challenged is the host team on their courts. The challenging team supplies the balls. Line-ups - Team Captains must submit their challenge match line-ups to the Division Representative and the Scorekeeper by the Friday prior to the scheduled challenge match (check the website for the exact day). List alternate players or they cannot play. The Board must approve all lineups, including last minute substitutions. Eligible Players - Rostered players participating in a challenge must have played at least four regular season matches for the team they represent in the challenge. A substituted player from a lower division team may play in the challenge only if the rostered players on that team are unavailable and ONLY IF the substituted player has played in one regular season match for the higher division and FOUR regular season matches for their own division. Thus, a lower division player may play in a challenge match for a higher division team and still play in her own challenge match (if necessary), even though the challenge match may be the fourth match played for a higher division team. Challenge Match Ties - In the event a challenge match results in a tie in sets, the higher division team is declared the winner. Cancellation - Cancelled challenge matches must be played within the following week on a mutually agreeable date. TOURNAMENTS The Women s Inter-Club Day League Board oversees the running of five tournaments throughout the season; the Fall Fantastic (Divisions 5-8), the West Penn Open (an APTA Tournament), the Three Rivers Challenge (Divisions 2-8), the Woman s Senior-Over 55 s (all Divisions), and the Spring Fling (Divisions 4-8). The Fall Fantastic, the Three Rivers Challenge, and the Spring Fling are open to players rostered on Inter-Club Day League teams only. Players who are in a tournamentappropriate division, but have won matches in divisions higher than those allowed by tournament rules, must also be active participants within their division. The Board reserves the right to approve or disapprove players based upon player stats and must approve all exceptions to said rules. Evening League players may be allowed with Board approval. The over 55 s Tournament is open to players rostered on Inter-Club Day and Evening League teams. The APTA sanctioned West Penn Open is open to all players (even those not rostered in the Women s WPPTA League.)