Shires League – Guidelines 2007-2008

 

1.              Participating Counties may enter teams in any of the age groups at U13, U15, U17, on payment of an annual fee. All member counties must also be affiliated to the Badminton England

 

Membership fees 2007-2008

For one age group £37, for two age groups £54, for three age groups £70, plus an extra £20 for every additional “second” team entered.

 

There is an initial “one off” charge of £30 payable from all new county members. This should be forwarded with the official letter of application to join the Shires League. It will be returned should your application be unsuccessful.

 

Age Group Regulations

Players eligible to play in Shires League Under 13 Match must have been born in 1995 or later.

Players eligible to play in Shires League Under 15 Match must have been born in 1993 or later.

Players eligible to play in Shires League Under 17 Match must have been born in 1991 or later.

 

2.            Participating Counties remain members of the Shires League until such a time that they wish to leave, fail to pay the annual fee by the date set or ejected from the league by the majority of members following a proposal and vote at the AGM.

 

3.            Junior County Associations not already members who wish to take part, should apply in writing (before 30th April) in the first instance to the League Secretary, who will then contact participating counties for due consideration.

 

4.            Play shall be to Badminton England rules.

 

5.            Children shall be eligible to play for a team if they are under the stipulated age before the 1st January of the current season.

 

6.            Fixtures will be arranged by telephone or at an annual meeting and may be played on Saturdays or Sundays or at the discretion of the counties concerned.

 

7.            There must be a responsible adult in charge of each team – called the “Team Manager”. The Team Manager may nominate up to two persons to give advice to his/her team during the game intervals (himself and another person or up to two other persons may be nominated). The nominations must be made at the start of the match between the counties. The team manager is responsible for deciding which advisor gives advice to each member of his/her team. It is recommended that any advice given takes place on court; ie players are not removed from the playing area.

 

8.            The contest between two counties shall be called `the Match'. A complete match shall consist of 20 rubbers (4 Mixed rubbers, 4 Boys' Singles rubbers, 4 Girls' Singles rubbers, 4 Boys' Doubles rubbers and 4 Girls' Doubles rubbers), each of which shall be played to the best of three games.

 

9.            All games shall be played using Rally Points to 21. At 20 all, the side which gains a 2 point lead first, wins that game. At 29 all, the side scoring the 30th point, wins that game. The side winning a game serves first in the next game.

 

10.        You will need at least 4 boys and 4 girls to play a complete match. However, larger teams may be played by arrangement, adding extra rubbers where desired. In this case only the top 4 rubbers in each event will count towards the league results.

 

11.         The 4 singles players do not necessarily have to play the doubles. A fifth player (or indeed any number) may be introduced with due regard to rule thirteen.

 

12.        Each team should be seeded on singles ability and should play their singles matches according to this seeding.

 

13.        The arrangement of the doubles partnerships need have no bearing on singles ability but any doubles pair selected must play both rubbers. It is not allowed that A & B play one rubber while A & C play the other.

 

14.        Singles players and mixed pairs shall play one rubber against their opposite number. Level doubles pairs shall play one rubber against their opposite number and then a cross over.

 

15.        In the case of the cross over doubles it may be necessary for one pair to play two consecutive rubbers. In the interest of fairness it is suggested that the home team sends one pair back on while the visitors send the other sex back on. In such cases due consideration must be given to the players and the severity of the preceding match. If necessary, players may claim a rest time of ten minutes before playing the cross over.

 

16.        Play shall be continuous during the games of a match. However, between the 1st and 2nd games and 2nd and 3rd games a break of up to 120 seconds is allowed.

 

During the break, advice by one of the nominated persons is permitted (see rule 7)

 

Players must not receive advice during the game from the back of court or elsewhere.

 

17.        Due to illness or injury a substitute may be introduced at any time before the start of a rubber provided that the opposing team manager is informed immediately, that rule thirteen is not contravened and that such substitute is a player not already in the team.

 

18.        Normally the match will start with the Mixed, followed by the Singles and finish with the Level Doubles.

 

19.        A match will be decided on the count of rubbers won. The winners shall score 2 points towards their league placing. In the event of a tie the teams shall score one point each.

 

20.      The League winners of each group shall be the team that score the highest number of points as described in rule nineteen. In the event of a tie the following procedure will be carried out to determine the winner.

  • The team that won the most rubbers – in each match a team can win up to 20 rubbers.
  • The team that won the most matches. You could have a team that won 3 matches, lost 1 match and drew 1 match equal with a team that won 2 matches and drew 3 matches, both with 7 points and both with equal rubbers.
  • The team with the highest games difference - in each match you could win or lose up to 40 games. You calculate the total games won and subtract the total games lost. Winning a game in two sets would therefore be deemed better than winning in three sets.
  • The team with the highest number of games won.
  • The winner of the match between the two teams (when the tie is between 2 teams only)
  • The team with the highest points difference. You calculate the total points for and subtract the total points against.

 

21.        Scores should be entered on a Shires League score sheet via computer or by hand. Both Team Managers should send a copy of the score sheet to the League Secretary soon after the match. This may be done by post or e-mail. Please state clearly who has sent the result. Both team managers should sign each others form at the end of the match to confirm they agree with the result.

 

22.      The home team is responsible for the booking of a suitable venue to hold the match. Where possible, 10 court hours should be booked for each 4x4 Shires League match. If 2 courts are booked, ideally 5 hours per court. If 3 courts are used, minimum 4 hours per court. If 4 courts are used, ideally book 4 courts for 2 hours followed by 2 courts for 2 hours; minimum 4 courts for 3 hours. If two SL matches take place at the same venue on the same day then 4 courts for 5 hours would be satisfactory. Where possible, counties should also make provisions in the event that a match does go on longer.

 

23.      If a match can’t be completed due to a lack of time and it is not possible to extend the booking, the team managers should agree to play the remaining matches one game to 21 points.

 

24.      If the late arrival of players is holding up the start of a match then the Team Managers should begin the match as normal with the players that are there, even if it means that some events are played out of order. It is advisable that the Team Managers record the times that the late players arrive and the reasons for their late arrival.

 

25.      If the match is not completed then a report may be sent to the League Secretary, who will in turn, discuss the issue with the Management Committee and make a judgement. The judgement will be based on the court time booked, the prompt arrival of players, organisational procedures in running the match, unforeseen circumstances etcetera.

The judgement of the League Secretary (in conjunction with the Committee) will be final.

 

26.      The home team should provide some simple refreshments for the visiting team and their supporters. This would normally include hot and cold drinks, sandwiches and cakes. However, if the rules of the centre ban the consumption of drink / food not purchased at the venue, then the visiting team manager will be informed at least 2 weeks prior to the match. This will give time for the visitors to make their own arrangements for refreshments.

 

27.      Matches already arranged should not be postponed or re-arranged, UNLESS all avenues have been explored AND both Team Managers are fully in agreement that a postponement or cancellation is the only option. Please read the Match Cancellation Procedure to view all other options that should be tried BEFORE postponement or cancellation.

 

Should a team default on three fixtures, at any one age-group, in a season, all their games for that age-group for that season shall be awarded 20-0. Their remaining fixtures are cancelled. Alternatively, the league secretary might remove all their results from the league tables.

 

Furthermore, a county that defaults on three fixtures shall be required to submit, to the Shires League Secretary, a written explanation of the circumstances of each default. That County, after due consideration, by the Shires League Management Committee, of their submission, might be required to re-apply for inclusion in the Shires League, for the following season. The latter to be voted upon at the Shires League AGM, following a brief recommendation on behalf of the Management Committee.

 

28.      When a county is unhappy about the late cancellation of a match, the lack of turnout of players or the failure of the home team to provide adequate playing facilities etc, then the League Secretary should be informed in writing.

 

In the event that justified complaints are made about the same county, the League Secretary will contact the Management Committee proposing a course of action. Although the decision of the management committee will be final, this action will NOT result in the expulsion of the county unless the vote is put to all members.

 

In coming to a decision, the Management Committee will consider the ICC cancellation rules.

 

When a match is cancelled, a telephone call must be made to confirm the cancellation, followed by letter, post or e-mail to confirm the discussion. A copy of the letter should also be sent to the League Secretary.

 

Counties should make right any financial losses resulting in the late cancellation of matches etc by mutual agreement if possible.

 

29.      In the event of a cancellation where the League Secretary in conjunction with the Committee believes that neither side were to blame for the cancellation of the match, the mean average number of rubbers attained by each team will be calculated when all possible fixtures are completed. The team with the highest mean average will be the winner. The difference between the rubbers awarded will be equal to the difference in the mean averages.

 

30.      Trophies shall be awarded as soon after the final placings have been worked out as is practicable and will usually consist of individual trophies for winners and runners up at each age group. Up to ten of these may be provided but counties wishing for more may purchase them from the League Secretary.

 

31.        The two Team Managers are responsible for any disputes and all queries must go through them. Any dispute that cannot be solved on the day or any complaint should be forwarded to the League Secretary in writing not later than one week following the event. The decision of the League Secretary in conjunction with the committee shall be final.

 

32.      The home county is responsible for contacting the visiting county to confirm the match, the venue, the time, the format and the necessity of sending maps at least two weeks in advance. Maps can be forwarded to the League Secretary who will place them on the website.

 

33.      Each County Association is responsible for making sure that their players and supporters follow the rules of the League and any local rules that may be in force, in particular those relating to the wearing of outdoor shoes and the consumption of food and drink in the sports hall.

 

34.      The top two teams from each of the 4 league groups; A, B, C and D will be invited to play in the Shires League Finals. The cost of the finals will be shared out between the participating teams. Costs will include shuttles, trophies and hire of hall etc. Please also see “Rules for Finals” and “Finals Organisation”

 

35.      A Management Committee consisting of 4 members shall be established at the AGM at the start of a new season. The purpose of the committee will be to make judgements on the interpretation of any of the Shires League rules in the event of a dispute. Any member of the committee who is directly involved with a dispute would be excluded from the discussions. Committee members would not be from the same county. The League Secretary would have the casting vote.

 

All counties, in rotation, put forward a person from their county for the management committee, for the term of office of only one year. One county from each of the groups A, B, C and D would be proposed and the following year a different county from the groups would be chosen, until all counties had been represented and then the cycle would begin again.

 

36.      The maximum number of county teams permitted to take part in the Shires League be limited to 32 for each age group, with a maximum of 8 teams in any one group.

 

37.      Counties should be permitted to enter more than one team in the league.

Rules for “second” teams

·              Counties entering a second team must nominate at least four boys and four girls who are solely first team players (in that age group). This means that they are NOT allowed under any circumstances to play in the second team for that age group for that season.

·              Should it be necessary, second team players are allowed to play one or two matches for the first team. If they play a third time for the first team, from then on they become solely a first team player (in that age group.)

·              The website is used to give a list of players who are solely used for the first team.

·              If counties enter a second team in a league (and are placed in the same group) they must play one another for the first match of the season.

 

38.      Participating Counties must agree to further an atmosphere of good sportsmanship. Team Managers are responsible for ensuring this among their players and must not allow excited supporters to influence players on court.