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1. NAME
The League shall be called the Junior North East Cheshire Lawn Tennis League.
2. OBJECTS
The object of the League shall be to promote and organise matches between junior teams representing Clubs affiliated to the Cheshire or Lancashire LTA which are situated within an eight mile radius of Bramhall Railway Station.
3. CONSTITUTION
The League shall be managed by an Executive Committee consisting of President, Vice-President, Chairman, Hon Treasurer, Hon.Secretary and Hon. Match Secretary as ex-officio members and four other members all of whom shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting.
4. GENERAL CONSTITUTION
The Executive Committee shall have the powers to:
a. Conduct the business of the League
b. Deal with an offending club or clubs, player or players
c. Sanction or refuse applications for membership
d. Determine the constitution of the Divisions
e. Make decisions with regard to all abandoned matches
f. Give a ruling on all disputes or appeals on any matter connected with the League
g. Use the League funds as they think advisable
h. The Executive Committee have power to co-opt not more than two persons at any time.
i. The Chairman of the Executive Committee may exercise a casting vote at any meeting where there is equality of voting.
5. RETIREMENT
All Officers and Committee shall retire at each Annual General Meeting but shall be eligible for re-election.
6. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGS
The Annual General Meeting shall be held during the month of October, and the Fixture Meeting in the following February, of each year.
Trophies will be presented to all divisional winners at the Annual General Meeting.
Each Club may send more than one representative to the AGM but is entitled to only one vote.
Representation at each meeting is mandatory for all member clubs.
The Hon.Secretary shall give fourteen days notice of each meeting to all Clubs.
7. EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETINGS
The Hon. Secretary shall be empowered to summon an Extraordinary Meeting upon the request of seven or more Clubs, or if so instructed by the Executive Committee.
8. ACCOUNTS
The Hon.Treasurer shall submit to the Annual General Meeting for approval the Accounts of the League duly audited by some person who is not a member of the Executive Committee.
9. SUBSCRIPTIONS
Each Club shall pay an annual subscription to be fixed at the Annual General meeting of that year, payable on or before the 1st April of that year. Clubs whose subscriptions have not been paid by this date will be required to seek re-election to the League for the following season.
10. RULE CHANGES
No alteration or addition to these rules shall be made except at the Annual General Meeting and only if supported by a two-thirds majority of members present. Any proposed change in rules must have been brought to the notice of the Hon.Secretary by the 31st December so that there is time for all Clubs to be notified of the proposed change prior to the League AGM.
11. RESIGNATIONS
Clubs intending to resign membership must notify the League Secretary to that effect on or before December 31st.
12. BONA-FIDE MEMBERSHIP
All players must be bona-fide club members and no league team player shall be allowed to play for more than one Club connected with this League during the current season.
13. MEMBER POACHING
Any Club guilty of inducing or attempting to induce a bona-fide member of another League Club to leave that Club of which he or she is a member shall be liable to a fine or expulsion from the League.
14. TEAMS
Teams shall play in three sections, Under-18, Under-15 and Under-13 sections all to be under the ages of 18, 15 or 13 accordingly on the 1st January of the current year. There may be mixed, boys and/or girls leagues; mixed teams of two boys and two girls, boys’ teams consisting of four boys and girls’ teams consisting of four girls. A Club may only enter a team in a boys’/girls’ league providing it has also entered a mixed team in at least one of the mixed leagues. The Home club is responsible for providing a match official to supervise the entire match.
15. MORE THAN ONE TEAM IN THE SAME DIVISION
More than one team from the same Club shall be allowed to play in the same Division provided that these teams shall play each other before competing against other Clubs in the division.
16. TEAM SELECTION
A player shall be deemed to be a designated member of a team once (s)he has played more than TWO matches for that team in any season. In addition to matches for the designated team, a MAXIMUM of TWO other matches may be played. These TWO matches can be played in any other division(s) of the League, subject to age / gender qualification.
17. SCORING PROCEDURES
Two points shall be given for each match won and one point for a draw, matches to be decided on sets. In the event of two or more Clubs finishing the season with equal points, then the positions to be decided by dividing the number of sets won by the number of sets lost to produce an ‘average’ figure. Should these prove equal the decision shall be made using games to produce the ‘average’.
18. END OF SEASON
Matches shall be arranged to be played before 14th August – an additional fourteen days will be allowed for matches postponed or having to be rearranged.
19. PRIZES
The Champions of each Division shall be awarded a Plaque which will become the property of the Club.
20. TENNIS BALLS
A minimum of three good second-hand balls per court shall be provided by the home team.
21. POSTPONED MATCHES
Matches shall be played on the prearranged date and may be postponed because of unfit playing conditions due to bad weather, OR with the agreement of BOTH teams, subject to compliance with Rule 26.
22. POSTPONED MATCH PROCEDURE
In the event of a match being postponed or abandoned the HOME Captain is responsible for posting the match card indicating the reason.
23. NO PLAY POSSIBLE
In the event of no play being possible the Match Secretaries concerned may communicate with each other on the day of the match and mutually agree that play is impossible and the match be postponed, but if the Secretaries are unable to communicate both teams shall present themselves on the ground at the time the match should be played.
24. CAPTAIN’S DECISION
Players must await the Captain’s decision regarding the possibility of playing the match before leaving the venue.
25. FAILING TO ATTEND
If the Secretaries are unable to communicate and a team fails to present in one hour after the agreed time, the match shall be awarded to the team present and the score shall read: 2 points for the win, 8 sets to nil, and 48 games to nil. If a team fails to fulfil a fixture up to 2 points may be deducted, AND/OR be subject to a fine, at the discretion of the Executive Committee.
26. REARRANGING MATCHES
In the event of a rearranged match BOTH Match Secretaries must notify the League Match Secretary of the agreed rearranged date within seven days.
27. MATCHES
Matches shall consist of four events each comprising two short sets. Should the score reach 5-5 it will be decided by a final tie-breaker game conducted in accordance with LTA rules, the winner being the first to reach seven points and to be leading by two clear points. In the mixed leagues the first two events will be two mixed doubles between the respective first couples and the respective second couples, followed by the girls and boys doubles. In the boys’/ girls leagues the first two events shall be between the respective first couples and second couples, followed by 1st v 2nd and 2nd v 1st. All matches are to be played on hard courts but may be played on grass if both captains agree. Match courts must be provided with centre tapes on the net.
28. LATE ARRIVAL
All matches shall commence at the specified time and if a pair is not ready to play 15 minutes after this time then the event shall be forfeited to their opponents.
29. ORDER OF PLAY & RECORDING OF RESULT
On arrival at the Club the respective captains shall exchange the names of the players in order on their teams, and the pairings and ranking order. The results of all league matches signed by both captains shall be sent by the HOME Captain to the Hon. League Match Secretary immediately after the match.
30. MATCH CARDS
If a match card is not received by the League Match Secretary within two weeks of the date of the match the home team will be liable to have up to two points deducted, AND/OR be subject to a fine, at the discretion of the Executive Committee
31. UNFINISHED MATCHES
If two events have been completed but the match is unfinished due to the weather conditions the result of the first two events shall decide the result of the match.
32. INJURIES
In the event of a player receiving an injury and necessarily withdrawing from playing, the opponents shall be awarded the necessary number of games to complete the set. Any sets already completed will stand and the remaining sets awarded to the opponents by six games to love.
33. DISPUTE PROCEDURES
All cases of dispute must be brought before the Executive Committee and if a member of the Executive Committee is connected with one of the Clubs in dispute then the member concerned must automatically withdraw from the Committee Meeting on that occasion.
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