SNMWTL REGULATIONS AND RULES
(Rev. 08/08)

Regulations
 

1. ELIGIBLE CLUBS: Any organized tennis club within Sonoma, Napa, or Marin counties is eligible to participate, provided at least four tennis courts are available for continuous play (public or private). Courts must be in one location, not individual, private home courts. Any exceptions must meet with Board approval.
2. DIVISIONS: The league will be open to all divisions, provided there are at least six teams per division, except for an entry level team or lowest division. (The entry level division has no minimum requirements.) The divisions are A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B3, and C1. The Board limits the size of each division to a maximum of 12 teams, but tries to maintain 10 teams per division for scheduling purposes. The Executive Board reserves the right to reclassify any team or player.
3. TEAMS:
   1. A team consists of two singles positions and five doubles positions. A team roster must include at least 15 members, but not more than 25 members. However, the lowest level team at a club is allowed an expanded roster of 30 members.
   2. Clubs in a particular division may field a team consisting of members of two clubs ONLY; this is a combo team.
      1. Each club in the combo team must host home matches for one half. (The home team designations are to be submitted with the roster application.)
      2. Substitutes may be pulled from lower teams at the club at which the combo team home matches are played. The combo team may be used as subs for higher teams at the home club.
   3. A team must have one captain and one co-captain, with email addresses, who serve as contacts for the team.
   4. A team will not be allowed to have rotating captains.
   5. A captain and/or co-captain(s) must serve for at least one half of the League year. It is strongly recommended that the same captain serve for the entire year.
4. PLAYERS:
   1. No player may compete for more than one club.
   2. Players must be members of the club they represent and must be 18 years or older. [It is up to the individual club to determine who is considered a member, or who is permitted to play for that club.
   3. The Board must be notified of any ranked player and her specific ranking.
   4. A ranked player must play in the highest division of her club; if other than A1 division, she will be limited to one position per match. (A ranked player includes any ranking recognized by the USTA or its affiliates, including state and NCTA.)
   5. The Board reserves the right to move a player to another division within her club because of her USTA rating. (If a player has a USTA rating of 5.5 or above, she will be limited to one #1 position per match.)
   6. The Board reserves the right to reclassify any player.
5. TEAM ROSTER: A list of participating teams and team rosters will be given to the team captains prior to the start of the first half.
   1. After the end of the first half, changes in the rosters may be made and must be sent to the Chairperson by the designated date [See SNMWTL Master Calendar.
   2. After notification by Chairperson that roster changes have been completed, captains must go to the website to view and print rosters for their division prior to the start of the second half.
   3. Captains should then again print the captain/co-captain list from the website, as names or contact information may have changed.
6. ENTRY FEES:
   1. The League charges an entry fee of $150.00 per team. [This fee helps pay for printing, materials, web site expenses, awards, and luncheon raffle prizes.
   2. The entry fee must accompany the roster and must be received by the July deadline of each year (See SNMWTL Master Calendar).
7. PLAYING SEASON: The playing season begins in September and ends in May. At the end of the season there will be an awards luncheon. Awards will be given for 1st and 2nd place in each division. Date and time of this luncheon will be announced later in the season and posted on the website. Captains will be responsible for making reservations for their teams.
8. RULES AND CODE BOOK/COACHING/JUDGES: The Host Team must provide a copy of "The Code" and USTA rules. Rules regarding play, scoring and court officials shall be strictly enforced. Our SNMWTL Rules will supersede the USTA rules regarding coaching. (Coaching is defined as any advice and/or instruction.) There will be NO on court coaching at any time; coaching is permitted only between the second and third sets.
9. LINE JUDGES: When line judges are requested during a match, two people may be called to officiate. The line judges stand at the net and verify the line call ONLY in response to a player request. In the case of foot faults, the line judges stand at the baseline in question.
10. PROTESTS:
    1. When filing a grievance (protest) letter with the Board, the letter must be signed by the Club Rep and a copy of the letter sent to the captain of the opposing team within one week of the incident.
    2. All protests MUST be in writing and sent to the Chairperson and Rules person.
    3. The Board Chair will inform the concerned parties of the Board decision within one week of having received the written grievance.

RULES OF PLAY
(Rev. 08/08)

1. TIME OF PLAY: The match begins at 9 AM when the lineups are exchanged. (If the weather and/or court conditions are questionable, captains should not exchange line-ups until they both agree to start the match.) Two singles matches and two doubles matches must begin at 9 AM. A default will be called at 9:15 AM. There is no warm-up after 9:15 AM, unless otherwise agreed upon by both parties. All players for the remaining matches must arrive by 10:15 AM. Default is 10:30 AM, whether or not a court is available. If a court is available by 10:15 AM, players who arrive at 10:30 will have no warm-up.
2. REFRESHMENTS/BALLS: The hosting team will provide refreshments following the "Food and Beverage Recommendations" in the Captain�s Binder. They will also provide three NEW, optic yellow, USTA approved balls per individual match.
3. LINEUPS:
   1. The lineup will be 1st and 2nd singles and 4th and 5th doubles at 9 AM, unless the hosting captain calls at least 7 days prior to the match to exercise her prerogative to change the starting times of DOUBLES matches.
   2. Lineups must be written on the League Score Sheets PRIOR to arrival for the match. Should a captain fail to comply with this rule, two points will be deducted from her team's total score for the match.
   3. After lineups have been exchanged, no changes can be made (except for a captain not informing the opposing captain of a player who is doubling up (See Rule 6B).
   4. Captains are responsible for checking the lineup of the opposing team.
   5. Once a match has started and it is discovered that a player is in the wrong position, that player must CONTINUE PLAY in that position.
   6. A player may not play more than one singles and one doubles position per match.
4. DEFINITION OF MATCH:
   1. All matches will be the best of three sets and the 12 point tie-breaker (first to 7 by 2) OR the Coman Tie Break can be used at 6- all sets. (See USTA 12 point tie-breaker sheet provided.)   The Coman Tie Break is optional for league play.  Because it has advantages for all players on the court, and because it will be used by all teams in District, Section and National Championships, captains are encouraged to use it during league season.  If teams cannot agree on using the Coman tiebreak, the home team makes the decision.  The decision should be made, on each court, prior to the start of the match.  If the players forget to make this decision prior to the start of the match, it should be made as soon as this oversight is discovered.  The decision, once made, can be changed only by unanimous agreement by all players on the court.
   2. The decision to play either a full third set or a match Super Tie Break is made by the home team on each court.  The decision should be made, on each court, prior to the start of the match.  If the players forget to make this decision prior to the start of the match, it should be made as soon as this oversight is discovered.  The decision, once made, can be changed only by the unanimous agreement by all players on the court.
5. SUBSTITUTES:
   1. If a team is lacking one or more players for any match, the captain may use a substitute player from a division below instead of defaulting. However, under no circumstances is a player allowed to play down a division. In other words, a B3 player may not substitute on a C1 team, but a C1 player may substitute on a B3 or higher team. A captain using a player from a lower division must mark on the score sheet next to the player's name what division the player is from.
   2. A captain using a player from a lower division must present a copy of that player's team roster to the other captain to verify the substitute�s eligibility.
   3. A substitute may play in any singles or doubles position and may double up.
   4. A player may substitute twice on any or all higher teams at her club. The limit is twice per team, per half. Definition of twice per half: two separate days. (A substitute may play a singles match and then a doubles match the same day; this counts as only one substitution of the two allowed.)
6. DOUBLING UP:
   1. Only singles players may double up. When doubling up, a singles player may play only in the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd doubles positions.
   2. The Captain MUST inform the opposing Captain if a singles player is doubling up and into which doubles position. This information must be disclosed PRIOR to the exchange of lineups, earlier if possible. If a Captain discloses this information only upon the exchange of line-ups, the opposing Captain has the option of changing her line-up accordingly.
   3. If EITHER player in a singles match is doubling up, and play goes to a third set, a third set 10 point Super Tie-Breaker MUST be played. [A Super Tie-Breaker is played like a regular tie-breaker, except that the winner is the first to get to get to 10 points, winning by 2.
   4. If a player is doubling up, she cannot retire from a singles match and then play a doubles match on the same day.
   5. If a singles player is doubling up and a court is immediately available upon completion of her singles match, she has the option of using the 15 minute warm-up time either to "re-group" or to warm-up with her partner and opponents. Whichever option she chooses, she is strongly encouraged to participate in the warm-up of serves. However, fifteen minutes is the limit of her "break".
7. POSITION DEFAULT:
   1. The captain who is defaulting must inform the opposing team of the particular default position, prior to the match if possible.
   2. A default must be in the lowest position, i.e., 2nd singles or 5th doubles.
   3. Once line-ups have been exchanged and a player does not show up for the match, the position with the missing player is defaulted.
8. TEAM DEFAULT: If a team defaults an entire match, that team is suspended from the League for the rest of the playing season. The suspended team's scores will be deleted from all prior matches.
9. CHILDREN, PETS and CELL PHONES: Neither children nor pets are permitted at matches.  Cell phones are to be turned off during matches.  (Refer to USTA Rules of  Tennis, USTA Comment 26.3)  First cell phone call institutes a let for the opponent.  One point per subsequent call will be instituted to the opponent.
10. SCORING/SCORE SHEETS:
    1. A point will be given for each set won. The winner is the team with the most sets won.
    2. Each captain will provide a score sheet with her line-up, completed prior to arrival.
    3. Both captains will complete their score sheets by filling in the names of the opposing team�s players and positions.
    4. Both captains must sign the hosting team�s copy of the score sheet upon match completion.
    5. Both captains retain a copy of the score sheet. Both captains share responsibility to post match results on the league web site within 72 hours of completion of the match (weekends included). The first captain will post the names and scores; the second captain will confirm or dispute the names and scores. (See SNMWTL WEB SITE INFORMATION & INSTRUCTIONS in binder for information on how to report match results.)
       
       NOTE: The Executive Board will impose a one point penalty for scores not reported within 72 hours.
11. RAIN OUTS:
    1. In case of rain, the hosting captain will
       1. contact the visiting captain to cancel no earlier than 6:30 AM on the morning of the match and no later than 7:00 AM. If the hosting captain does not notify the opponents during this time frame, the visiting team has the option to become the host team.
       2. reschedule, if necessary, at the soonest possible date within a one-month period from the original date of the match and prior to two weeks before the close of that half.
    2. By 6:00 PM the day following cancellation of the match (weekends excluded), the hosting captain must provide the visiting captain with two possible dates to choose from within the period outlined in Rule 11A (2), or a team default will be called against the host team.
       
       [NOTE: When offering two possible make-up dates to the opposing captain, check the SNMWTL Master Calendar first. The dates offered cannot be dates that the opposing team has a scheduled or rescheduled SNMWTL match.
    3. The visiting captain has 24 hours (weekends excluded) to select one of the dates and notify the hosting captain of the date. If the visiting captain does not respond within 24 hours or cannot play on any of the two dates given, a team default will be called against the visiting team. (See Rule 8.)
    4. The hosting captain must notify the League Chairperson and post the rescheduled match date on the web site as soon as she and the opposing captain agree upon the date.
    5. The Chairperson is to be notified immediately if there is a problem rescheduling the match.
    6. If the visiting team arrives and the courts are unplayable, the match may be rescheduled on the visiting team's courts if they so choose. If they choose this option, they then assume the host's role and responsibilities.
       
       Note: If a visiting team considers one court unplayable due to dampness behind the baseline, that individual match may be rescheduled. That match will be rescheduled at the original hosting team's courts and with 2 dates provided to the visitor for the reschedule.
    7. The match has begun when the line-ups have been exchanged and the individual matches have begun. If it begins to rain, and the match must be rescheduled, only the line-ups for those individual matches that have begun play must be used. Any individual matches not begun may be rescheduled with a different line-up. Play will continue from the point it was suspended. The host Captain will offer two dates to the visiting Captain before 6pm of the day following the rainout for all rescheduled matches. Once a reschedule date has bee selected by the Captains, players are free to reschedule their individual matches prior to that date if they can. Otherwise the matches must be played on the dates determined by the team captains.
       
       Note: Captains are responsible for providing contact information to their players so that individual matches will be rescheduled as soon as possible.
    8. On days when the courts are not dry in time for the 9:00AM matches, but the sun is out, and the weather is warm enough that the courts will be playable for the 10:15 AM  matches, the home team captains will:
       1. Play 10:15 AM matches (1, 2, and 3 Doubles) as scheduled (sooner if possible).
       2. Play any additional matches that the host club can accommodate, i.e., 1 and 2 singles or 4th and 5th doubles.
       3. Offer two dates to the visiting Captain to reschedule any unplayed matches. The visiting Captain accepts 1 of the 2 proposed dates. Individual players can reschedule their own matches anytime prior to the date chosen by the Captains, but the match must be completed by that date. Any matches not completed will be recorded as a retire by the visiting team.
       4. Abide by the line-ups exchanged on the original day of the match, provided Captains have exchanged line-ups, of only those individual matches that had actually started play.
       5. Enter the scores of the completed match (either captain may do this) on the website; the opposing team must confirm (or correct) the scores within 72 hours. Otherwise, after 72 hours unconfirmed scores will stand as entered.
          
          Here are a couple of scenarios in which this new rule would apply:
          
          1. Team A arrives to the Team B courts. Courts are damp, but both Captains agree that the courts will be dry in time to play the late position matches and to reschedule the early positions. Both Captains may cross out the names of their players in the early positions and exchange a new line-up for only those positions when the rescheduled matches are played. The line-ups are then exchanged for the late positions being played.
          
          2. Team A arrives to the Team B courts. Line-ups are exchanged and the early matches begin. It begins to rain 30 minutes into the early matches and play must be stopped. The Team B Captain offers two dates to the Team A Captain and one is chosen. All rescheduled matches must be played by that date, and only the line-ups of the individual matches that had begun playing must stand. Captains may choose a different line-up for those matches that were never started.
12. FINAL MATCH DATES:
    1. The final dates for 1st half and 2nd half matches will be set prior to the start of the season, announced at the annual captain�s meeting in August, and posted on the league website.
    2. If a match is not completed by the final date, NO SCORE will be given for the unplayed matches. Any portion of a match that has been completed will be scored in the usual way. (See RULE 10A).
13. PLAY-OFFS AND PLAY-OFF SCORING:
    1. The playing season consists of two halves, allowing teams to play each other twice. The year-end play-off is the championship match between the winners of the 1st half and the winners of the 2nd half, and it determines who finishes 1st and 2nd in the division. If the same team wins each half, then 2nd place will be determined by total accumulative points. If a tie occurs for 2nd place in accumulative points, then there will be a playoff for 2nd place.
    2. If the winners of the first and second half are different, the host team will be the team with the higher accumulative points.
       1. If the accumulative points are equal, then the winner of the previously played match between the two tied teams gets home court.
       2. If that match was a tie, the Chairperson will flip a coin to determine the home team. [These same rules apply in determining a winner for the first half, if there is a tie for 1st place.
    3. The Chairperson will notify the teams involved in the play-off after all critical division matches have been played and within 48 hours of the website posting of those results.
       1. The play-off will be scheduled within the week following the final League match date for play.Check SNMWTL Master Calendar on website.
       2. By 6 p.m. the day following notification by the Chairperson of the need for a play-off, the host captain will present the visiting captain with two dates from which to choose. (Note: Should the host captain fail to supply the dates by the deadline, the visiting team may choose to host the play-off match and if they do so, must supply two dates by 6 p.m. the day following the original host team.s missed deadline.) When the host captain has provided the dates within the deadline, the visiting captain has 24 hours (weekends excluded) to select one of the dates and notify the hosting captain of the chosen date. If the visiting captain does not respond within the 24 hour period, or cannot play on either of the given dates, the visitors default the match.
14. Scoring for the play-offs is different from regular season scoring: In the Play-Offs a team receives one point per match won - not per set. This avoids ties in a play-off.

PLAYER ELIGIBILITY FOR PLAYOFFS:

1. To be eligible for any playoff, a player must have played a minimum of two matches for that team, and be a current member of that team. (Playing singles and doubles in one match is counted as playing only once.)
2. Substitutes are not allowed to play in year-end play-offs.

TEAM MOVEMENT:

1. The Board reserves the right to reclassify any team.
2. The Board may move a team due to the number of team applications per division.
3. The Board limits the size of each division to a maximum of 12 teams, but tries to maintain 10 teams per division for scheduling purposes.
4. The Board will take cumulative points under consideration for team placement. The Board may move a team down that averages fewer than 5 points per match for the year.
5. A team that wins a division may move to the next higher division, or it may apply to remain in the same division for the following year.
6. If a team wins the same division two years in succession, it must move to the next highest division.

EXCEPTIONS FOR LOWEST DIVISIONS:

In order to encourage entry-level players, the Board reserves the right to make any exceptions to the rules for the lowest division in the League. These exceptions will be made known to and will apply to all teams in that division.

SPECIAL AGREEMENTS BY CAPTAINS:

1. SNMWTL encourages captains to be accommodating whenever possible. However, if captains make agreements that are contrary to League Rules, those agreements will supercede the League Rule in question (except for final match and play-off dates).
2. Agreements made between captains should be documented in writing (email), confirming the agreement. Both captains should keep copies for reference, should a dispute arise.
3. Captains cannot agree to enter false scores. To do so will result in both captains being suspended from league play for one year.