Administration

Rule 1

League competitions shall be administered by the League Management Committee (LMC) in accordance with the rules of tennis of the International Tennis Federation as the same may be modified by these Rules from time to time.

Rule 2

(A)   The LMC, which is appointed annually by the Council of the Hong Kong Tennis Association (HKTA), shall comprise a Chairman, a League Secretary, and not less than 8 additional members from among the Tennis Convenors or members of the Member Clubs.

(B)   The LMC shall be responsible for the:-

(i) registration of players and teams,

(ii) grading of individual players,

(iii) division of teams,

(iv) establishment of League schedules of play, and

(v) publishing of a League Handbook or its equivalent on the Internet, the results of play and the interpretation of Rules

(C)   The LMC shall also be responsible for the arbitration of disputes between players/teams/Clubs on League matters and on conduct.  The LMC may either upon receipt of a complaint or at its own instigation convene a meeting of the LMC (which shall regulate its own proceedings and at which a quorum shall be four) to deal with any of the above matters and any other matters relating to the League and shall have power to:-

(i) suspend players/teams/clubs from the League,

(ii) expel players/Clubs from the League and / or

(iii) refuse entry of a Club or player to a future League and/or

(iv) take any other action as the Committee thinks fit.

(D)   All communications relating to in Rules 2(B) and 2(C) must be directed by Member Clubs to the LMC through their Tennis Convenors. The LMC will communicate with the Member Clubs by sending their correspondence to the Tennis Convenors and one other person nominated by each Member Club from time to time.

Entries

Rule 3

(A)   The League shall be divided into the following two Sections:

– Ladies’ Doubles

(divided into Divisions A+, A, B and C)

– Men’s Doubles

(divided into Divisions A+, A, B, C, D and E)

(B)   Any Division may be sub-divided into Groups as may be warranted by the number of entries. Any Division not sub-divided shall be considered to have one Group.

(C)   Clubs entering the League for the first time should normally enter the new teams in the lowest Division.  The LMC may, however, permit or require a new team to enter a higher Division.

Allocation of days for matches:

– MONDAYS:
Men’s Doubles A
Ladies’ Doubles A+
Ladies’ Doubles A

– TUESDAYS:
Men’s Doubles B
Ladies’ Doubles B

– WEDNESDAYS:
Men’s Doubles C
Ladies’ Doubles C

– THURSDAYS:
Men’s Doubles A+
Men’s Doubles D

– FRIDAYS:
Men’s Doubles E
Postponed matches

Eligibility of Clubs

Rule 4

The competitions shall be open to all HKTA Member Clubs, all Corporate Patrons and other registered sports clubs, associations/organizations with adequate tennis playing facilities and adequate insurance against claims for personal injuries suffered by players playing on their courts.  The LMC shall have the discretion to refuse any entry, subject to final appeal to the HKTA Council by the aggrieved party.  No entry shall be eligible to participate in the Competitions until, among other fees, the HKTA Annual Subscription stipulated under ARTICLE of ASSOCIATION of The Hong Kong Tennis Association – Membership, Article 12(b) of the HKTA or the League Participation Fee set out by the LMC, as the case may be, has been paid.

Eligibility of Players

Rule 5

Each player in the League must at the time of his/her registration by his/her club as a member of a team be 14 years of age (by the end of the current calendar year) or over, be a subscribing member of the HKTA whose membership fee is not in arrears and in addition must:-

a) hold a valid Hong Kong Identity Card 

Eligibility of Teams

Rule 6

No team shall be eligible to play for a Club in the League unless registered with the LMC prior to the entry closing date stipulated by the LMC and no registration shall be accepted unless accompanied by such sum as shall from time to time be stipulated by the LMC as the League Entry Fee.

Registration of Teams

Rule 7

(A)   Each eligible Club entering a team shall forward an entry form nominating at least eight players to be registered for that season; the team must have a minimum of SIX players whose respective grading is equivalent to the division in which the team is entered (exclusive of provisionally graded player) Provided that this requirement shall not be applicable to Men’s E and Ladies C team.  Tennis Convenors must submit the full names of the players in English and Chinese (if applicable) along with their Hong Kong Identity Card Nos., their grading and their HKTA Membership Nos. with expiry dates, if known.  Tennis Convenors are responsible for ascertaining the eligibility of their players.

All players in any team must hold a valid HKTA membership at the commencement of the League. If there is any player in the team who is not a member at the time of his/her team’s first match or whose membership fees is not paid or is in arrears, he/she will be removed from the playing list and will not be eligible to play at any time during the season.

(B)   Each Club shall appoint a Captain for each team entered in the League, and shall insert on the League Entry Form the name, telephone number and email address (where applicable) of each Captain.  Tennis Convenors must report any changes of captaincy during the period of the League, (whether temporary or permanent) to the LMC. A person should not be appointed as a Captain for more than one team unless the teams are not in the same division or unless the teams do not play on the same day of the week.

(C)   If a Club enters more than one team in the same Division, the players in each individual team must be clearly specified.  No change of players in the teams of the same Division will be allowed once the draw and fixtures have been made.

(D)   The number of teams that each Club may enter shall depend on the available playing facilities of the Club.  (For example, if a Club has 3 courts available for League competition, the LMC shall accept not more than 2 teams scheduled to play on the same day of week.)

Replacement Players

Rule 8

During the League season should a player who already has played at least two matches in a team become unavailable to continue to play due to:-

a) injury or sickness, or

b) prolonged absence from Hong Kong,

the club may submit an application for a replacement player on the following conditions –

(i) the replacement player has an eligible LMC grading to play for the team, and

(ii) such application is made in writing by the Tennis Convenor of the Club and counter-signed by the outgoing and replacement players for whom the application is made, and

(iii) such application is substantiated by documentary proof acceptable to the LMC.

Unless a replacement player has played at least two previous matches for his/her team, he/she shall not be permitted to compete in a Playoff Match in a multi-group Division or any of the final two fixture matches in a single-group Division.

An administration fee, to be determined by the LMC from time to time, will be charged for the processing of each replacement player.

(Note: This rule does not apply to default due to injury or sickness sustained by a player during a fixture match for which no replacement is allowed for that match.)

Additional Players

Rule 9

The LMC will only entertain applications for additional players within 14 days after commencement of the League season of the relevant division.  Clubs must follow the procedures stipulated on the League Entry Form when applying for additional players.

Any application received after the League Handbook has been uploaded may be charged with an administration fee of HK$150 for the processing of each additional player, or such other sum as may be determined by the LMC from time to time.

Rule 10

(A)   A player may not play for different Clubs in the League during the same season.

(B)   A player can only be registered for one team in one season.  A player may not withdraw his/her registration with one team and apply to be registered with another team after commencement of the League season of the relevant division.

(C)   A player may not play for different teams in the same Division during the same season.

(D)   A player may play for teams in different Divisions for the same Club, provided that the Divisions are higher than the Division for which he/she is registered, and subject always to Rule 12(C). If such player plays more than two matches and won more than 1/3 of the sets, the LMC will review his/her performance and may, if considered appropriate, regrade him/her to a higher Division at the end of the season.

Rule 11

No individual may represent a Club in any Playoff Match unless he/she has played for the team on at least two occasions and has not played in any higher Division for more than two matches in the same season.  Being named as a team member in a walkover match shall not be counted as an occasion for eligibility to represent a club in a Play-off Match.

Grading of Players

Rule 12

(A)   Grading of players as submitted by Clubs will be reviewed by the LMC whose decision is final.

(B)   Players registered with one team may not play for another team in the same or lower Division.  No player shall be permitted to play in a lower Division than his/her grading indicates.

(C)   A Club may on behalf of a player apply to LMC for re-grading. The application shall be accompanied by the player’s written consent and must be      substantiated by valid reasons. An administration fee at such amount as the LMC may determine from time to time shall be charged for application of each player.

(D)   For demoted teams, the grading of players who have played in 2 or more matches in that team will be that of the Division to which their team is demoted, e.g. all players who have played in 2 or more matches in a team demoted from A Division to B Division will be designated as B players whatever their current grading may be.  For promoted teams, the grading on players who have played in 2 or more matches in that team will be that of the Division to which their team is promoted.

The grading of A+ players may also be based on criteria other than their performance in League matches. A player will be graded A+ if any of the following conditions applies:

a) He is ranked in the top 20 in the Hong Kong National Men’s Singles rankings, or

     She is ranked in the top 15 in the Hong Kong National Ladies’ Singles rankings.

b) He is ranked in the top 20 in the Hong Kong Junior Boys’ Singles Rankings, or

     She is ranked in the top 15 in the Hong Kong Junior Girls’ Singles Rankings.

c) The player, in the opinion of the LMC, is at the A+ standard.

Similarly, players already graded A+ may, at the discretion of the LMC, be re-graded as A if none of the above conditions are met.

The grading of A players may also be based on criteria other than their performance in League matches. A player will be graded A if any of the following conditions applies:

a) He is ranked between 21 – 50 in the Hong Kong Junior Boys’ Singles Rankings, or

               She is ranked between 16 – 35 in the Hong Kong Junior Girls’ Singles Rankings.

The grading of B players may also be based on criteria other than their performance in League matches. A player will be graded B if any of the following conditions applies:

a) He is ranked between 51 – 80 in the Hong Kong Junior Boys’ Singles Rankings, or

               She is ranked between 36 – 60 in the Hong Kong Junior Girls’ Singles Rankings.

(E)   Any player who has no current grading will be given a provisional grading.  Any provisional grading is identified by an asterisk in the League Handbook. A provisional grading shall remain provisional until a player has played two or more matches in any one season.

(F)   A provisionally graded player who has not played in any league matches in the season in which he/she has been given a provisional grading may apply to the LMC for provisional re-grading in a lower division, subject to fulfilling sub-clause (C) above.

(G)   Provisionally graded players are subject to review and re-grading by the LMC at any time.  Such re-grading decisions may immediately render provisionally graded players ineligible to continue to     play in their current teams.

(H)   For any player who holds or previously held a tennis world ranking(including ranking in any age group) or plays or had played or has been named as a playing member in any NCAA, Davis Cup or  Fed Cup match, the Tennis Convenor must declare this when submitting the application for  registration of team. The player’s grading will be determined by the LMC. Any such player who has not been so declared shall be treated as an ineligible player referred to in Rule 17(C).

(I)   Any Tennis Convenor may request a re-grading of any player from another club based on evidence of level of play.

Fixture List

Rule 13

(A)   The date and location of every League match to be played shall be fixed by the LMC.  The Fixture List shall be drawn up with details of participating Clubs and the names and telephone numbers of each Team Captain. These particulars shall be made available to each participating Club.

(B)   Should any Club find it impossible to entertain two or more visiting teams simultaneously on the same day, the home team shall be responsible for providing an alternative venue.

Tennis Balls

Rule 14

The Home Team shall provide new balls for every scheduled fixture.  Such balls may be of any standard make complying with the regulations of the International Tennis Federation.

Rules of Play

Rule 15

(A)   For all League fixtures, the Home Team shall make the match courts available for warm-up not later than 7:00 p.m. and the first game of the match on each court shall commence at the official starting time of 7:15 p.m.  If any pair of players are not ready on court to commence the first round of play within 15 minutes of the official starting time they shall forfeit the first set to the opposing team, and if the same pair are not ready to play within 45 minutes of the official starting time (i.e. by 8:00 p.m.) they shall forfeit the remaining sets to the opposing team.

(B)   Any player arriving after the official starting time of 7:15 p.m. shall be entitled to only 5 minutes warm up on court.

(C)   The Home Team shall ensure that all League competition courts must be adequately fitted with floodlights.  These lights should be turned on before 7:00 p.m. and remain properly lit for the entire duration of the match.

(D)   The match should be played on the same surface as declared in the league book throughout the league season. If a change of surface is necessary during the course of the match prior consent of the opposing team Captain must be obtained.

(E)   The Home Team shall provide courts as stated under the list of registered Clubs in the League Handbook. Home Clubs shall ensure that the courts are fit and safe for play.  In the event that one or all of such courts are unavailable the home team may either arrange to play at another venue, or apply to the LMC to play on fewer courts, subject to the following:-

(i) The Home Team must inform the Away Team and the LMC of any proposed changes (with adequate reason) in writing at least one week in advance.

(ii) The LMC will decide whether to accept or reject the request and will notify the two teams of its decision in writing at least four days prior to the fixture date.

(iii) In the event that the Away Team disagrees with a proposed change or the LMC does not approve of the change of courts, then the scheduled match shall be forfeited by the Home Team unless the original courts are made available for play as scheduled.

(F)   A Club may apply to the LMC for permission to conduct matches on 2 courts under circumstances beyond its control.  The Club has to submit its application at least one week in advance of the scheduled match and the LMC has full discretion to decide whether or not to grant the permission.

(G) In addition to the requirements under Rule 16(B), in all HKTA officiated matches the Team Captains are required to submit to the HKTA official the names of their players 10 minutes before the official starting time.

(H)   Teams are obliged to play all scheduled matches and all nine sets in each match must be completed.

Format of Play

Rule 16

(A)   Each team shall field three pairs for each fixture. For the Men’s A+ Division, each team should field at least 3 A+ players (provisional A+ players are not deemed to be A+ players for the purpose of this rules). Each pair shall play one tie-break set against each and every pair of the opposing team. If any team should be in breach of this rule in 30% of the scheduled matches, the team will not be accepted for entry to the Men’s A+ Division in the next season.

(B)   Prior to commencement of a fixture, each Captain shall insert the players’ name in the online system before the match starts.  For the first round, pair A of the Home Team will play against pair A of the Away Team, pair B of the Home Team will play against pair B of the Away Team and pair C of the Home Team will play against pair C of the Away Team.  From the second round onwards, the Home Team Captain shall decide the order of match rotation.

(C)   Player substitutions after declaration may be made, subject to agreement by the opposing Team Captain and on the understanding that any sets played by a substituted player shall be deemed forfeited.  Particulars of all substituted players must be clearly indicated on the League score sheet.

(D)   Declared players in all League fixtures are required to produce photo-bearing identity documents for verification by the Captain (or his/her delegate) of the opposing team and/or a LMC official.  Failure to produce such photo-bearing document(s) when requested shall render the player(s) ineligible for the tie and result in disqualification.

Scoring

Rule 17

(A)   Advantage games will be played in each set, and a 7 point tie-break will be played at 6 games all.

(B)   The team winning at least 5 sets in a match shall win the match and be awarded one League point. In the event that :-

(a) each team is only able to win 4 sets in the match, each of the 2 teams shall nominate 2 of the players registered for the match to play a final set scored on the basis of a Match Tie Breaker (10 Points) in accordance with the ITF Rules except that the order of service for this set shall be determined by a toss;

(b) neither team is able to win 5 sets in a match, neither team will be awarded any League point.

(C)   Any ineligible or unregistered players fielded must be declared on the League score sheet and agreed to by the opposing Team Captain, failing which the whole fixture match shall be forfeited 0-9 to the opposition, and the offending Captain and/or player may render himself/herself liable to suspension by the LMC.  Any set played by a declared but ineligible or unregistered player shall be deemed forfeited.  The score of the match will be counted in the determination of a team’s position in a Group or Division pursuant of Rule No 24(D) to (G).

(D)   Any undeclared replacement of player(s) shown in the score sheet to be fielded in a fixture match shall result in the forfeiture of that match 0-9 to the opposition. The offending player(s), team and club may render themselves liable to be suspended or disciplined in other manners by the LMC.

Score-sheet

Rule 18

(A)   The Captain of the winning team shall submit a completed League score sheet signed by both Captains to the LMC within 3 days of each match won by his/her team.

(B)   Unreported or late submission of scores may not be entered in the results register and may result in forfeiture of matches won.

Continuity of Play

Rule 19

(A)   Play shall be continuous from the first point of each set until the set is concluded.  Play shall never be suspended, delayed, or interfered with for the purpose of enabling a player to recover his/her strength or his/her wind. When changing sides, a maximum of one and half minutes shall elapse from the cessation of the previous game to the beginning of the next game, the exception being that there will be no break at the end of the first game of each set.  After the first game of each set, the players will change ends but will not rest, which is similar to the change of ends in a Tie-break.  No coaching of any player by any person is allowed when a match is in progress, but discussion among fielded players of the same team is permitted during game breaks and set breaks.

(B)   Play may be suspended once in every set due to injury.  A one-time three (3) minutes injury time shall be allowed for that occasion.  Inability to resume play after 3 minutes shall result in forfeiture of the set.

(C)   All players must complete all sets in a league match.  A player who, without reasonable excuse, fails to observe this rule shall be liable to disciplinary action by the LMC and all his/her played and un-played sets in the league match may be forfeited.

(D)   Subject to Rule 15(F), the Home Team shall be responsible for providing three courts with floodlights in accordance with the provisions of Rule 15(A) and to enable uninterrupted match play until the fixture is completed.  If any courts and/or floodlights shall become unavailable for match play after commencement of a fixture, the unfinished set and all subsequent sets to be played on those courts shall be forfeited to the Away Team.  This rule shall apply unless the Home Team subsequently submits to the LMC through the Tennis Convenor that the cause of unavailability is due to unexpected circumstances beyond the control of the Home Team and such submission is accepted by the LMC.

Inclement Weather

Rule 20

(A)   In the case of inclement weather before a match starts: –

(i) For un-officiated matches, when no agreement has been reached between the Captains of both teams to postpone the match, all scheduled players from both teams will have to attend the venue and wait to see if the match can be held. When both teams are at the ground, a match can commence if the Captains of both teams agree to do so. If there is no agreement between the Captains but a majority of all player participating in the match are of the opinion that the match should commence or be postponed as the case may be then the match shall so commence or be postponed. If there is a tie, and the match cannot commence within 30 minutes of the starting time, the match shall be postponed.

(ii) For playoff matches, the LMC or the on-court official appointed by the LMC shall decide whether the match shall be played or not.

(B)   The following shall apply to any match (excluding playoff matches) in which play has commenced but is subsequently suspended because of inclement weather making the courts unfit for play:

(i) No match shall be suspended, or recommence after suspension unless agreed by the Captains of both teams provided that if there is no agreement between the Captains but a majority of all player participating in the match are of the opinion that the match should be suspended, or recommence as the case may be then the match shall be so suspended, or recommenced. If the match cannot recommence within 30 minutes from the time of suspension, the match shall subject to sub-clause B(ii)(a) be postponed.

(ii)  If a match is so postponed, the following rules shall apply:

(a) At the time of stoppage of play the team winning at least 5 sets shall be declared the winner and one League points shall be awarded to the winning team. The final result of the respective sets won by the teams shall be counted in the calculation for a playoff or position in any Division (Refer to Rule 23 and 24)

(b) If neither team has won 5 sets when play is suspended, the match shall be completely replayed, subject to the right of either Captain to agree to forfeit any of the remainder of the unfinished and un-played sets at the time of discontinuance to the opposing team.

(iii) Except as provided in Rule 20 any team unilaterally failing to continue a match will forfeit the entire match and one League point shall be awarded to the opposing team.

(C)   The following shall apply to playoff matches, in which play has commenced but is subsequently suspended because of inclement weather making the courts unfit for play:

(i) The on-court official appointed by the LMC shall decide whether the match shall be suspended, or shall recommence or shall be postponed

(ii) If a match is so postponed, the postponed date and venue will be decided by the LMC (Refer to Rule 25).

Postponements

Rule 21

(A)   Participating teams should try their best to complete their League matches on scheduled dates in accordance with the fixture dates stipulated in the League Handbook. However, if it is not possible for one or both teams to play a match (excluding playoff matches) on the scheduled date, a postponement may be arranged by the two teams if both Team Captains agree to the postponement.

However the Home teams must, within 48 hours, offer at least 2 possible dates when home courts are available while the Away teams must also, within 48 hours, respond to and confirm the Home Teams’ offer(s). Any postponed playoff match shall be played at a venue and on a date to be decided by the LMC.

(B)   When the courts on which the match is to be played are, in the opinion of the Home Team Captain unfit for play, the Home Team Captain should immediately notify in writing the Away Team Captain and the LMC of such unavailability.  However if the Away Team Captain contests this decision, a written complaint can be lodged with the LMC who shall then conduct an inquiry.  After the inquiry, if the LMC is of the opinion that the Home Team has misrepresented the reason(s) for postponement, the Home Team will then be deemed to be in breach of this postponement rule and a Walkover Match shall be awarded to the Away Team.

(C)   The Captains of both teams shall inform the LMC within 48 hours if a match has been postponed or cannot take place for whatever reason, as well as when a new match date has been mutually agreed by both Captains.

(D)   The Captains should arrange to play all postponed matches within 2 weeks from the original fixture dates, but in any case not later than one week after the last fixture match of their Group or Division of the League. All matches played after the deadline will be disregarded for the purposes of counting League points and sets won as mentioned in Rules 23 and 24.

(E)   The Home Team Captain should notify the LMC immediately if he/she fails to agree to reschedule a postponed match with the Away Team Captain within the LMC stipulated postponement period.  The LMC shall then fix a date for this rescheduled match by giving to both Teams not less than one week’s prior written notice (One week notice will not be applied for the last week of fixture match), whereupon the Home Team Club shall host this match on the rescheduled date.  Failure of either team to compete on the rescheduled date will result in forfeiture of the fixture match to the other team.  If both teams fail to compete on the rescheduled date, no League point shall be awarded to either team.

(F)   In the event that a fixture match is not played within 2 weeks from its original fixture date, or that the match is not played within one week after the last fixture match of the League season, or that both Team Captains have failed to inform the LMC within 48 hours of the original fixture date of the match’s postponement status, then the LMC shall regard both teams to have forfeited the match and no League point shall be awarded to either team.

Walkover Matches & Walkover Sets

Rule 22

(A)   The LMC discourages walkovers.  Teams entered for the League season are expected to play each and every match in accordance with the schedule stipulated in the League Handbook.  Captains must ensure that all team members are informed of this commitment. The LMC also discourages a team from conceding the remaining unplayed sets after it has won or lost 5 sets in a match.

(B)   A Walkover Match may be claimed by a team when:-

(i) a team is informed in writing by the opposing team that it will not be playing the match and/or will concede a Walkover Match, or

(ii) after a team has refused to agree to a request for postponement by the opposing team and the opposing team fails to turn up for the match, or

(iii) the full team of a team is present on court at the scheduled Official Starting Time and less than 2 players from the opposing team are on court and ready to commence the match within 45 minutes after the scheduled Official Starting Time (i.e. by 8:00 p.m.) (Refer to Rule 15(A)), or

(iv) the opposing team has failed to provide proof of identity of all its declared players (Refer to Rule 16(D)).

(C)   Subject to Rule 15(A), a Walkover Set may be claimed by a team when any opponent in the set has failed to produce his/her identity proof, or is a declared ineligible player (Refer to Rule 16(B), 16(C) and 16(D))

(D)   A team wishing to claim any Walkover Sets or a Walkover Match must lodge a written claim to the LMC and the opposing Team Captain within 48 hours from the scheduled Official Starting Time of the Walkover Match, citing reasons for the claim.  In the case of only one team being present on court after 45 minutes of the scheduled Official Starting Time (Refer to Rule 15 (A)), a written claim by the claiming team must cite reasons for the claim and put the full names of the players along with their signatures and Hong Kong Identity Card Nos/TA Membership Nos onto a blank League score sheet.  To contest this claim, the Captain of the opposing team must inform the LMC in writing within 7 days of the Walkover Match stating full reasons for not conceding the Walkover.

(E)   All Walkover claims must be approved by the LMC.  The LMC shall consider each claim and make appropriate rulings to award entire matches or sets thereof on a case by case basis.

(F)   Once a Walkover Match is awarded by the LMC, a League point will be awarded to the claiming team, but the score of the Walkover Match will not be counted in the determination of team’s position in a Group or Division pursuant to Rule No 24(D) to (G).

(G)   Once a Walkover Set is awarded by the LMC, the claiming team will be deemed to have won that set against its opponents.

(H)   Any team conceding more than one Walkover Match with no valid reasons during the League season will be liable to disciplinary action by the LMC.  This action may include suspension of every registered member of that team from HKTA League competitions for one full season within a 12-month period following the end of the current League season.

Champions

Rule 23

The Divisional Champions shall be decided as follows:-

(A)   The winner of a Group, (or the Champion of a Division if there is only one Group) shall be the team which occupies the top position in that Group.

(B)   If there are two Groups, there will be a cross playoff.  The team in top position of Group 1 will play the team in 2^nd position of Group 2 and vice-versa. The teams in top position of each Group will be the Home Team hosting the semi-final matches. The winners of these semi-final playoff matches will then play in the final to determine the Divisional Champion. The venue of the final match will be at the home court of one of the 2 winners of the semi-final playoff matches to be determined by a blind draw conducted by the LMC. There will be no playoff for third and fourth places.

(C)   If there are three Groups, the teams in the top position of each Group and runner-up team awarded the top position according to the provisions of Rule 24(D) to (H) (“the best runner-up”) will advance to the playoff.

A draw will be conducted by the LMC before the semi-finals to determine the teams’ positions in the line-up and the venue of the matches subject to the proviso that the winner and the best Runner-up who are from the same group will always be placed in different semi-finals groupings.  The venue for the match between a group winner and the best runner-up will be the home court of the group winner. The winners of these semi-final playoff matches will then play in the final to determine the Divisional Champion. The venue of the final match will be at the home court of one of the 2 winners of the semi-final playoff matches to be determined by a blind draw conducted by the LMC. There will be no playoff for third and fourth places.

(D)   If there are four Groups, the teams occupying the top position in each group will advance to the playoff.  The playoff will adopt a knock-out format and the two semi-finals will be held on the same day.
A draw will be conducted by the LMC before the semi-finals to determine the teams’ positions in the line-up and the venue for each match.  The winners of these semi-final playoff matches will then play in the final to determine the Divisional Champion. The venue of the final match will be at the home court of one of the 2 winners of the semi-final playoff matches to be determined by a blind draw conducted by the LMC. There will be no playoff for third and fourth places.

(E)   If there are more than four Groups in a Division, the LMC will decide on the playoff format and notify all contesting teams of its decision within 3 weeks after the commencement of the League season.

Position Determination System

Rule 24

(A)   The positions of teams in a Division or Group shall in the first instance be determined according to their League points – the more league points, the higher the position.

(B)    Should there be a tie in League points between two teams, the winner of the League match between those two teams shall be ranked in the higher position. In cases where two rounds of round-robin matches have been played and there is a tie in League points won by two teams and each team had won once in their two head to head League matches, their position shall be determined by the number of total sets won in their two head to head League matches – the more sets won, the higher the position.  If there is still a tie in the number of total sets won, their position shall be determined by the number of total games won in their two head to head League matches – the more games won, the higher the position. If there is still a tie in the number of total games won, their position shall be determined by the Position Determination Rules from Rule 24(F) to (H) ( with suitable amendments).

(C)    Should there be a tie in League points by more than two teams, the team which has won all the matches against the other teams shall occupy the highest position.  The position of the other teams shall be determined by the Position Determination Rules from Rule 24(D) to (H).

(D)   Should there still be a tie after calculation of the League points and the position has not been determined by the head to head outcome, the position of a team shall be determined by the number of net won sets percentage (“Net Won Sets” means the number of sets won less the number of sets lost) of matches played by that team among the tied teams, which is defined as follows :-

* Walkover matches are excluded

(E) Should there still be a tie after calculation of Net Won Sets percentage under Rule 24(D), the position of a team shall be determined by the net won games percentage (“Net Won Games” means the number of games won less the number of games lost) of matches played among the tied teams by that team, which is defined as follows :-

* Walkover matches are excluded

(F) Should there still be a tie after calculation of Net Won Games percentage under Rule 24(E), then the position of a team shall be determined by the Net Won Set percentage of matches played among all teams in that group by that team during the League, which is defined as follows :

* Walkover matches are excluded

(G) Should there still be a tie after calculation of Net Won Set percentage under Rule 24(F), then the position of a team shall be determined by the Net Won Games percentage of matches played among all teams in that group by that team during the League, which is defined as follows: –

* Walkover matches are excluded

(H) Should there still be a tie after calculation of the number of Net Won Games percentage under Rule 24(G), the positions of the tied teams shall be determined by a blind draw conducted by the LMC.

Rule 25

All playoff matches shall be played at a venue and on a date to be decided by the LMC. If for whatever reason a playoff match cannot be completed within the designated period of a League season, e.g. due to repeated delays because of inclement weather or unavailability of venue, the LMC reserves the right to declare all the teams remaining in the playoff as joint-winners.

Rule 26

If the venue of any playoff match is provided by either one of the playoff teams, the Home Team will switch courts in the following manner:-

If the venue of any playoff match is held at a neutral venue where there is no Home Team or Away Team, both teams (Team 1 & 2 below) will switch courts in the following manner:

Rule 27

Tennis Convenors and Team Captains of Clubs should familiarize themselves with the eligibility rules for players, the completion requirements of the League score sheets, the report of match results and arrangement of postponed matches.  The LMC may invoke Rules 5, 17(C), 18(B), (C), 21(E) and (F) at any time without giving prior warning.

Rule 28

The LMC reserves the right to amend the above Rules at any time without giving prior notice.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

SCORE SHEET

The Captain of the winning team must upload the score in online system after the match and also submit the completed score sheet to the LMC within 3 days of each match.

League Management Committee

Hong Kong Tennis Association

Room 1021, Olympic House,

1 Stadium Path, So Kon Po,

Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

Tel.: 2504 8593

Fax: 2894 8704

League Results will be posted at:

www.tennishk.org

Club rules concerning mobile phones

Mobile phones may not, under any circumstances, be used by visiting players or spectators when playing at a club which forbids their use.

According to the rules of some clubs any person, whether a member or non-member, may be immediately asked to leave the premises. If, during a match, therefore, a visiting player infringes a club’s rules regarding mobile phones and is asked to leave the premises, this player is deemed to have forfeited any remaining games in a set and all other unplayed sets.

The LMC expects all players to observe the rules of host clubs. Convenors and Captains should ensure that their players are fully aware of the points made above.

Guidelines for end of season promotion/ demotion of teams

1) League Tennis is Team Tennis. Promotion and demotion of teams will take into account the performances of teams rather than individual players. The moving of teams is a mechanism intended to maintain a consistent standard within each division. This will result in better and more competitive play for everyone.

2) The Winner and Runner-up of the division will be promoted in next season.

3) The lowest position in each group of the division will be demoted in next season, if there is a tie, please refer to Rule 24.