Match Play Masters Bowling League A sanctioned I.G.B.O. Melody Lanes Sunset Park, Brooklyn league at 1. All rules not covered here will default to rules specified in the USBC rule book. 2. Sanctioning. Match Play Masters (MPM) is sanctioned as a mixed league by USBC. All bowlers are required to be sanctioned by USBC and must complete USBC membership cards and pay applicable fees. Bowlers who are sanctioned outside of the local bowling jurisdictions must pay an Associate Member fee. 3. Entering Average. Each bowler will use a valid average (based on 21 games or more) from a USBC league, in order of preference, from the previous winter season, the winter season of two years ago, the previous summer season, or the summer season from two summers ago. If there is more than one valid average from the preferred time period, the highest average shall be used. If the bowler bowled in MPM in any of the eligible seasons, his or her final average of the most recent season will be the entering average, if it is based on 21 or more games. If the bowler bowled in another Melody Lanes USBCsanctioned league in any of the eligible seasons, his or her final average of the most recent season will be the entering average, if it is based on 21 or more games. Handicap will be based upon the entering average until after the series in which the bowler bowls his or her ninth game. After that point, the bowler's average will be recalculated after every series bowled. A full-time bowler may be admitted to the league without an average at the beginning of a bowling season, at the discretion of the league officers, provided that the bowler has bowled at least six games witnessed by league-authorized observers within two months of Page 1 of 5
Match Play Masters 2014-2015 the first night of season so that an average can be assigned to the bowler for purposes of the draft. Any such bowler shall establish an average the first night of bowling, which shall be applied retroactively to that night's bowling. From that point on, the average shall be recalculated after each subsequent night of bowling. New bowlers with established averages may enter as a team if the team average is within the boundaries of the lowest and highest team averages of the previous MPM season. Former MPM bowlers who did not bowl in the previous MPM winter season can be considered new bowlers. 4. Teams. On the first night of bowling, the bowlers in the highest third of incoming averages will be team captains. For example, if there are 45 bowlers, the top 15 bowlers by average will be captains. There will then be a draft, in which the top bowlers will choose their team members in two rounds. The lowest average of the top third will choose first, the second lowest will choose second, and so on until each captain has chosen one bowler. The tentative team totals will then be calculated, and then the second round of the draft will proceed, with the lowest combined team total choosing first, second lowest choosing second, and so on. If there is a tie, the winner of a coin flip will choose first. 5. Handicap. MPM is a handicap league; the individual handicap shall be 80% of the difference between an individual's average and 220 (all fractions dropped). Negative handicaps shall be used when a bowler's average exceeds 220; negative handicaps will be rounded down to the next lowest integer. 6. Duration and Schedule. MPM will bowl on Thursday nights at Melody Lanes, with practice commencing at 8:00 PM. The season will consists of 30 weeks. Up to two nights may be added to the end of the season to make up for any cancelled nights due to extraordinary weather or other extreme, unforeseen conditions. 7. Dues. The weekly dues are $32 per bowler. A bowler more than two weeks in arrears is subject to suspension or expulsion. USBC (sanction) dues must be paid by the fourth week of bowling; checks may be made out to "New York City USBC" or "NYCUSBC". The final two weeks of bowling must be paid by the tenth week of bowling. Checks for weekly dues will be permitted, made payable to "Melody Lanes." If a check is returned, the bowler is responsible for the amount of the check and all bank charges; that individual's check writing privileges shall subsequently be revoked. Melody Lanes will act as the league's bank unless other arrangements are made. All team envelopes should be delivered by the team captain or a designee to the league treasurer by the end of the first game. 8. Board of Directors. The league officers and all team captains comprise the league's Board of Directors. Any league rule may be decided by majority vote of the Board of Directors before the bowling season begins, unless the vote is conducted before the entire league; in this case a quorum of 50% is required and 1 vote in excess of 50% of those present is Page 2 of 5
required for a decision on an issue. Changes to existing league rules during the season can be made only with unanimous consent of the Board of Directors. A quorum of half of the Board of Directors is required for all votes. New rules not covered by any existing rules may be approved by a quorum of half of the Board of Directors during the season. 9. Legal Lineup. Each team will consist of three bowlers. One bowler from the lineup is required for a legal lineup. The number of substitutes on a team cannot exceed the number of team members bowling. 10. Points. Each night a team will bowl three games against the opposing team. Three points will be awarded for each team handicap game won, one point for each high team handicap series, and one point for high team handicap game of the evening. Each bowler will bowl against the bowler on the opposing team in the same slot of the lineup (i.e., first in lineup against first, second against second, etc.). A bowler will get one point for each handicap game won, one point for high handicap game of the night, and one point for high handicap series, for a possible total of 5 points per bowler. Thus, the total points a team can win on a single night is 26. 11. Substitutes. MPM allows substitute bowlers. Substitute bowlers are non-roster bowlers and are not eligible for any prize fund or individual awards. Substitutes are not responsible for bowling dues. The bowler who is not present is responsible for making up dues the first week he or she returns, unless the team elects to make up the funds in some other way. Any substitute must have an established average no greater than 20 pins higher than that of the absent bowler. All substitutes must be USBC sanctioned and have an established USBC average. No substitutes shall bowl during the last two weeks of the season. In the third- and fourth-to-last weeks, substitutes must have bowled 12 games within the league during the current season. 12. Postponements. Postponements are strongly discouraged. Requests will be referred to the postponement committee, which will consist of three league members appointed by the board of directors. 13. Forfeits. When bowling against a forfeit, a team must bowl no fewer than 30 pins below the team average to win the team game. Ties count as a win (i.e., bowling exactly 30 pins under team average). To win points for team series, a team must bowl no fewer than 90 pins under the team series average. To win high team game, a team must win at least one game. To win points for a match play game, a bowler must bowl no fewer than 10 pins under his or her average. To win high series, a bowler must bowl no fewer than 30 pins under his series average; to win high game, a bowler must win at least one game. All ties count as wins. 14. Absentee (Blind) Bowlers. Absentee bowlers receive their average less ten pins and their full handicap for each game bowled as a blind. However, if it is the first night of bowling and the absentee bowler is a returning league member, their full average is used. If a new bowler is absent the first night of bowling, a vacancy score of 140 with a handicap of 64 Page 3 of 5
will be used. The opposing bowler must beat this score to earn the game match point; if he or she fails to do so, the team with the blind gets credited with that match point, but the absent bowler does not get credited with the point. High match game and series are decided similarly. Points for ties are split between the teams. If both teams have an absentee bowler, the two blinds must be placed opposite each other in the lineup. The team that wins a game shall win the absentee bowler's match point for that game. The team that wins the high game point will win the absentee bowler's high game match point, and similarly for the high series point. These match points will not be credited to the absentee bowler when calculating points won for award purposes. If two teams, each with an absentee bowler, fail to place the absentee bowlers opposite each other, the lineups shall be rearranged so that the absentee bowlers are opposite each other, and the lowest-average bowlers and the highest-average bowlers are opposite each other before the scores are computed. Also see the rule below on tardy bowlers. Absentee scores must be clearly indicated on the triplicate/recap sheet with a capital B for each blind score used. These scores do not count towards a bowler's average. 15. Vacancy Score. The vacancy score for a team that lacks a team member will be 140 with handicap based on 140 (i.e., 64). 16. Tardy Bowlers. Tardy bowlers may join a match and bowl if they arrive before the fourth frame has begun; otherwise, they will begin at the start of the next game. Tardy bowlers are not permitted to practice if they start bowling during a game in progress. However, a bowler who arrives in time to start the following game may bowl one ball on each lane prior to the start of that game. For each game that a tardy bowler misses, the points will be awarded as for an absentee bowler. The tardy bowler will be eligible to win the high game match point with games actually bowled but not the high series match point. The opposing bowler wins the high game match point if his or her highest game with handicap is greater than any of the tardy bowler's blind or actual scores. If the highest game bowled is the tardy bowler's blind score, his or her team is credited with the point, but the tardy bowler is not credited with that point. If the opposing bowler's handicap series is greater than the tardy bowler's series, including the blind game(s), he or she wins the series point; otherwise it is credited to the tardy bowler's team but not the tardy bowler. 17. Eligibility for Individual Awards. Team members must bowl 2/3 of all league games to be eligible for individual awards. Substitutes shall not be eligible for individual award cash prizes 18. Position Nights. On any scheduled position night, positions are established by (in the following order): percentage points won and total handicap pin fall. The final night of the Page 4 of 5
season shall be a position night. On a position night, the first-place team will bowl against the second-place team; the third-place team against the fourth-place team; and so on. Exception: If a team clinches first place before the last week of the season, the first-place team will bowl the last-place team on all subsequent position nights. In those instances, the second-place team will bowl against the third-place team; the fourth-place team will bowl against the fifth-place team; and so on. 19. Verification of Recap Sheets. Recap sheets must be signed by the team captain (or representative if the captain is not present), and the top two copies given to the league secretary upon completion of the match. Please verify all scores. If there is a discrepancy between the scores downloaded by the computer and the scores on the triplicate sheet, the scores on the triplicate sheet will be used unless a mathematical error is evident. 20. Drop Outs. Bowlers who cannot complete the season must notify their team captain of the situation as soon as possible; they are responsible for dues for two weeks after their last night of bowling. In turn, the team captain should notify league officers in a timely manner. Bowlers who leave the league for good reason and in good standing (e.g., injury, health issues,financial hardship,, or moving) shall get prize money at the end of the season prorated for the weeks bowled; bowlers not in good standing will forfeit their contributions toward the league prize fund and be barred from the leaguebe barred from the league during the current or future seasons. Full-time bowlers who replace dropouts shall be eligible for a prorated portion of the team's prize fund at the end of the season. Page 5 of 5