1. Administration. Interpretation and application of these rules is at the discretion of the Summer League Secretary (SLS) (currently Neil Marshman), as directed by the Wilts Squash Committee. He may also be assisted in any decision-making by a Deputy Summer League Secretary (DSLS) (currently Derek Bray). Any appeals against any decisions made must be submitted within 72 hours of the result being published on the Wilts Squash website to the SLS or SDLS. Any such appeal will then be considered independently by a rules sub-committee (comprising three members of the Wilts Squash Committee, as selected by the SLS). A Club may apply for dispensation from any of the following rules in advance to the SLS, though these will only be granted in exceptional circumstances after consultation with the DLS and rules sub-committee if necessary.
2. League Composition. Any Squash Club or Facility, within or bordering Wiltshire and affiliated to England Squash (ES), may apply to join the Wilts SRA Summer League with one or more teams. Note: The stipulation of ES membership may be relaxed for teams entering the League for the first time. The make up of the league will be at the discretion of the league secretary but will ideally ensure teams play each other at least once. Where there is a larger entry than makes this practicable, the league may either be split into two divisions or one division may be formed but teams may not meet all other teams. In such circumstances an average points allocation per match score (not allowing for incomplete fixtures) will decide final league positions.
The breakdown of teams at the start of the overall season will be made by the League Secretary once the final list of entrants is known. In general teams will be of mixed ability. Where it is apparent that it may be of benefit to rank teams by ability, this will be at the discretion of the league secretary, having regard to the teams’ previous Winter League standing.
3. Team and Individual Subscriptions. There will be no team subscription payable. However, entry will be based on each club having entered a team for the previous winter. New clubs may have this fee waived for the first season.
4. Team Composition (Legality of Players). Male and female players (of any age) are eligible to compete. No player may represent more than one team per season. A team may not introduce any new players for the play-off matches (except as detailed below). A player must be registered with the WSRA (for the previous winter or current summer season – ie there is no need to reregister if that player is registered for the winter) if he is to play twice or more for a Club in a complete winter and summer season (the registration form plus payment may be sent in at (or close to) the same time as the match result. Any points gained by an illegal player (as defined by any of the above rules) will be forfeited to the opposition as a 3-0 win. This will also be applied to all those matches below the offending player in the team order.
5. Team Order of Merit. A team must play in an order appropriate to the perceived playing abilities of its players (the most recent County rankings scheme may be used for these purposes). New players must be inserted in a position appropriate to their playing standard. If a player plays out of order, in the opinion of the SLS, a 3-0 win will be awarded to the opposition and similarly to all others affected in the lower playing order (a slight order switch is permissible beforehand for the sake of playing convenience).
6. Matches. A match will consist of four singles ties and one doubles tie, each being the best of five games in accordance with the standard rules of squash. If court time runs out before completion of a match then the remaining games and part-games will be awarded to the away team, unless the away team has turned up late (by more than 15 minutes) in which case the unfinished scores will count. Scoring will be hand-in, hand out except for the doubles which will be PAR scoring to 11 (2 clear points at 10 all). Team captains can, however, agree to reduce doubles matches to best of three where all players have already played a match and all players agree. Match scores should be recorded for the doubles as a three set match and one additional point added to each side’s score.
7. Marking/Refereeing. The home team shall normally be responsible for all marking and refereeing duties although where players who may be new to league squash are playing, these duties may be taken by away players at the discretion of both captains. Where a neutral County Grade (or higher) referee is present, they may be asked to officiate any tie by either team captain. This must be agreed by the referee before the warm up to the tie has commenced.
8. Rearrangements. A match should be played in the week and on normally the exact date stipulated in the fixture list. There should be no rearranged fixture except for when inclement weather makes travel unreasonable or when courts are unavailable. Where courts are unavailable, the SLS should be notified in advance of the match date and time and may, either switch home advantage or arrange an alternative venue. If the home team cannot fulfil the fixture given, they will then forfeit the match.
9. Completion of Matches. All matches must be played when scheduled unless agreed by the SLS by email beforehand with an agreed alternative date set at the time. If a match is not played on the due date, then a walkover shall be awarded against the offending team; if both teams are deemed to be at fault then points will be awarded to neither team.
10. Walkovers. A team may apply to the League Secretary for a walkover should the opposition fail to turn up on the scheduled match night. Teams successfully claiming a walkover will normally be awarded 19 points while the team conceding the walkover will be penalised by 10 points. Exceptionally, 16 points may be awarded to the team claiming the walkover if, in the Summer League Secretary's judgement, they would normally not have won should the match have taken place under normal circumstances. Any team having two walkovers awarded against it will be withdrawn from the League and all of its previous matches will be declared null and void.
11. Start Times. Start times will be published by the League Secretary in the fixture lists at the start of the season and may be changed only by the mutual consent of the team captains. At the appointed start time each team should strive to have at least three players present and the remaining players must arrive within one hour of commencement, unless previously agreed otherwise. If a player is unavailable to play on a free court in reasonable time then the opponent is entitled to claim the tie 3-0.
12. Non-Attendance of Players. If a team fails to turn up with a minimum of four players, the team will be deemed to have lost the 4th string match. If a player expected to turn up fails to do so a walkover will be applied to that player and all players who played below him. If, however, it becomes apparent that a team will be short on the night, (for example a player sends a message to say he has broken down), the team captains may opt to stop a match in progress to correct the order as long as this is agreed by both team captains and sufficient court time remains.
13. Scoring. Each game won in a tie is worth one point; four bonus points will be awarded to the team winning the most ties.
14. Result Cards. The home captain is responsible for the completion and electronic submission of the result to the SLS using the online system. It is anticipated league results and positions will be updated automatically so email results are no longer acceptable. Failure to do so within three days of the match will result in one penalty point being awarded against the home team with an additional two penalties being applied if submission is a week late.
15. Entertainment. After the match the home team is expected to provide, suitable meals plus drinks (typically two) for each of their opponents. The costs of such entertainment is to be split equally between each team with individual teams then sorting out payment between themselves. This is to be the case even where one team has four players and one six as well – eg. the total cost is £60. This is split at £30 per team.
16. League Results. These will be decided by the total points scored. In the case of a tie, then the games difference (for and against) will be used. At the end of the regular matches, play-offs will decide the league winners. These will be scheduled by the SLS beforehand and finals will ideally be played at a neutral venue. No player may play in the play offs unless they have played in a minimum of two summer league matches beforehand unless agreed beforehand by the SLS who will consult with the opposing captain before reaching a decision. (As we are in the holiday season, this rule does need to be applied reasonably leniently, however, the replacement of a player by someone of considerable increased strength will not be permitted.
17. Behaviour on and off court. All players are reminded that we play squash for fun and as a rule in the vast majority of cases, this is followed. As a county, we are looking to develop junior squash and a code of conduct for players has therefore been agreed and posted on the website. All players are expected to abide by this code and incidences where the code is not followed will be dealt with expediently by the rules sub committee. Captains are reminded that they have a duty to prevent such breaches of this code. Occasionally, members of the rules sub committee may opt to attend and observe team matches. The intention is that they will observe matches but not participate in making decisions. If deemed necessary, a report will then be made to the SLS and rules sub committee before any action (if any) is taken. Captains are asked to record any instances where conduct procedure is followed in the comments section on the match scorecard.
Revised April 2013
Neil Marshman