Regular Play
In tournaments, a match will usually consist of the best 2 out of 3 games to 11. A game is finished when one player or team reaches 11 points and is leading by at least two points. If the score is tied at 10-10, then the game continues until one player or team wins by two points. Players switch sides after the first game. If a third game is needed, the players will switch sides after the first player or team gets to 6 points, and the game will then continue to its conclusion.
For consolation events, or when time is short, matches often consist of just one game to 15 points. The winner in this format must also be ahead by two points. In a 15 point game, players should switch sides after one team gets to 8 points, and the game will then continue to its conclusion
Challenge Court Play
Challenge Court Play is conducted on a first come – first served basis on any court not being utilized for Round-Robin play or training. A “challenge” means that a pair of players gives verbal notice to a group of four currently playing individuals that the new pair wishes to play the winners of the current game. Once the challenge has been given and accepted, no other pair may challenge into the same court.
Once the current game has ended, there are two options:
1. If the challenging pair wishes to stay together as a team, they will play against the team that won the previous game.
2. Alternatively, the winning team will split, one to each end of the court, and the challengers will split to match up with the original players.
Players getting together on the court should agree as to which option they prefer.
With either option, if there are no other courts available and people are waiting to play, winners must vacate the court after they have completed two games. This arrangement will prevent one team from continuously occupying limited facilities.
Ladder Play
The format of play is designed so that players play mostly with others of similar skill levels. Your ranking on a ladder is based upon your winning percentage (the ratio of points won to total points possible). Players will move up or down the ladder based upon their winning percentage. The results of the six most recent weeks of play will be used for this calculation.
Each week, players will be placed in groups of 4 in the order of their ranking on the ladder for match play. You are expected to play every week unless you inform the Captain that you will be absent. All players will play three doubles games in a round robin fashion with the other three players of the foursome. At the start of the game, players will decide who starts serving first and choice of side. It is recommended that the players change ends of the court when one side has at least half the number of points in the game to minimize the effects of the sun and wind or other factors that may affect indoor play. Missed matches are not made up.
The percentages are based only on the matches that are actually played. The ladder is designed to be a perpetual ladder with no particular start or end date. Players can enter or leave the ladder at any time. Optionally, the ladder manager may choose to run the ladder for a specified number of weeks so that there are clear winners at the end. After your games have been played, players record their scores on the score sheet that is available. Post the individual scores and the total for all three games. There is a maximum of 45 points (for 15-point games, or 3 times the selected number of points per game) because you do not have to win by 2 points. Optionally, the ladder manager may choose to have the games be won by 2 points. In that case, the scores would still be recorded as the number of points per game with a winning margin of one.
Normally, the ladder divisions are gender neutral and based upon overall skill level. Depending upon the number of players in the area, the ladder manager may choose to have everyone in a single ladder or to have a men’s ladder and women’s ladder. If the ladder divisions are based on skill level, the ladder manager should have some rules about moving players up to the next skill division or down a division based on ladder standing. For example, if a player is at the top 1 or 2 positions for a given number of weeks, the ladder manager may choose to move a player to the bottom of the next higher skill division. Alternatively, the ladder manager could base the decision on a winning percentage of a certain threshold over a given period of time. There would be a similar process for moving down to a lower skill level division.
Only players on the ACTIVE list will be published on the Ladder page of the website under “Standings”. Ladder Captains may place any player who cannot play for more than two weeks on an INACTIVE list which is seen only by the Captain. A player on INACTIVE status will remain there until their Ladder Captain receives notice from the player to return to active status. The schedule is displayed each week showing only those players who are available to play that week or are assigned a bye/sub.
If a player is unable to play on the specified day, the player should notify the Ladder Captain no later than the day before the schedule is published. The groupings will then be made without that player. The player’s most recent score will stand until the player resumes play. There is no penalty for being absent as long as the player has notified the Captain before the stated deadline.
If a player is unable to play After the schedule is published and prior to the actual match:
1. Call a Sub from the published Schedule.
2. Call the other 3 players in your foursome to reschedule your ladder match at a more convenient time, but BEFORE the Schedule for the following week is published. Report the scores to the Captain before the next week’s Schedule is published.
3. Call the other 3 players in your foursome to have them agree to take an absence for that week.
If there is a player missing at match time, and the other players have not been notified, then those players that are late (anytime after the published starting time) will be subject to the No Show rule (see No Show section). The other players will not receive a score for that match unless a Sub is available. Since the standings are based on a point percentage for the games actually played, it is not a penalty to not have a score recorded. The No Show rule should apply to Bye/Subs also.
The ladder may be configured for any number of points per game. The following example assumes the default of 15 points. Playing percentage is based on the the number of points scored divided by the number of points possible (45 for a 3-game match of 15 points per game). The Ladder program tracks players’ rankings to eliminate major “bouncing” up and down the ladder. For instance, if you are a new player starting at the bottom of the ladder and your first score is 45, your percentage would be 100. Logically, your next match would be against the top players, which may not be in everyone’s best interest. So the program has a built-in ONE-FOURTH rule which RESTRICTS a player’s movement to no more than one-fourth of the ladder regardless of their percentage. Hence, one week you could have 85% and be ranked below a player who has 75% because you moved up only 1/4 of the ladder positions from where you were. The reverse holds true going down the ladder should you have a very bad day. The ONE-FOURTH rule overrides your percentage. Hence, you could have 75% and still be ranked higher than someone with 80% because you moved down only 1/4 of the ladder positions from where you were. An “R” for “Restricted Position” appears next to the percentage on the Standings page.
Players may enter or leave a ladder at any time or miss a week or more because of their personal schedules. The ONLY requirement is to notify their Ladder Captain BEFORE the match schedule is made out for the upcoming week. If a player cannot play for a period of more than 2 weeks the Captain may place you in an Inactive status until you notify the Ladder Captain that you can play again. The player’s percentage stays the same while on the Inactive List. Note: Players who have been on the Inactive List will re-enter the ladder at the ranking at which they left the ladder.
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Byes are assigned if the Ladder Captain is unable to fill out a foursome. Byes are normally assigned from the bottom of the ladder ranking up, skipping any player who has already had a Bye. Assignment of Byes is at the discretion of the Captain. In later weeks when everyone has had a Bye, the ladder captain may choose to start over again. Byes are carried with any movement between ladders. Bye players should be available as a Sub in case a scheduled player can’t play.
Sub scores count if the Sub is one of the players listed on the schedule as a Bye/Sub – and the sub played all 3 games. A Sub’s score would not count if the Sub played a partial match (i.e. fills in for an injured player). A Sub’s score would not count when the Sub player played an assigned match PLUS agreed to Sub in another match.
Scoring for interrupted matches due to weather or injury should be handled as follows:
1. If the match is terminated before the start of the third game, scores should not be recorded.
2. If the match is terminated sometime during the third game, points for the third game will be assumed to be in the same ratio of the score up to that point. For example, if the score was 9 to 7 at termination, the winning team would get 15 and the losing team would get 7/9 of 15 =12 (rounded to the nearest point).
Round Robin Play
A “Round Robin” is structured form of play organized by skill level. It is designed so that all players are playing against people of roughly equal ability, which makes play the most fun and reasonably competitive for the majority of folks. Round Robins are played over a two-hour time span. In the two hours allocated to each Round Robin you will play six games, each with a different partner and against a different pair of opponents. When you arrive you will be assigned a number. Your number remains yours throughout the session and dictates which court you play on, with whom you are playing as a partner, and against which opponents. Your Round Robin Captain will help you get started with this. A Round Robin Captain is present at every Round Robin. Please arrive no later than fifteen minutes before the Round Robin is scheduled to start. After each game, you will record your score (write it in the space provided), then simply check the schedule and move to the next court where you will play with a new partner and against new opponents. By the end of six games you will have played with six different partners and against 12 different opponents!
You may have a “bye” (where you sit out for one game) if there is an uneven number of players signed up. If you have a “bye” there will be a seventh game played consisting of the “bye” players so that everybody gets to play six games. Scores are being recorded and are used from time-to-time to make determinations about the composition of the Round Robins and to assist with re-ratings where desired. Click here for Round Robin Format.