Leek Pool League Rules

1. Entrance Fee £45 per team Winter League, £40 per team Summer League.

2. All matches to be played on the published date unless BOTH teams agree to play the match BEFORE that date – Exceptions will be made at the discretion of the committee.

3. Matches start at 8:15pm – Late teams will forfeit 1 frame at 8:20pm & a further 1 frame every 15 minutes after 8:20pm.

4. Minimum 4 players to be present before match can commence.

5. Winter matches consist of 2 x 6 singles, Summer matches consist of (1 doubles game followed by 5 singles) x 2

6. Teams can sign as many players as they wish – Winter signing deadline is 31^st December – Exceptions at the discretion of the committee

7. AGM date will be published accordingly and will also include forthcoming Winter registration season

8. Order of play is as per results sheet

9. Once a player has played one frame, they are prohibited from transferring to another team in the current season

10. All matches to be played to WORLD 8 BALL RULES

11. Away team will break & referee first frame with the home team timekeeping – Timekeeping is mandatory in all frames

12. No coaching is allowed in any frame

13. Summer league title is decided by KO format (1/4 , Semi & Final)

14. Summer plate competition will run alongside the KO competition for those teams not qualifying for league title

15. Double merits competition – Team mates may confer before addressing the table and after the visit has ended

16. All merits & memorial matches must be timed as per World rules

17. Breaking in merits & memorial matches is decided by the toss of a coin at the start of the match, breaks thereafter are alternated – There is no stipulation on which partner breaks in doubles merits

18. The referees decision is final

19. If there is any dispute in a single frame, the rest of the match must be completed – Captains must ensure they are both aware of any disputed frame and both captains should report this to the Committee within 4 days of the match otherwise disputes will not be recognised

20. Captains must sign the results sheet at the end of the match – In the event of a dispute, see Rule 19

21. Cup matches – in the result of a draw, captains will nominate one player from each side to play a tie break frame – Break will be decided by the toss of a coin

22. Winning team to send league result to the secretary within 24 hours of the match ideally via email, text, WhatsApp or Messenger – A hard copy of the result sheet must be sent to Benks Pub within 3 days – failure will result in a £10 fine

23. All teams must be represented at league meetings, failure to attend will result in a £5 fine – Team who consistently fail to attend will continue to be fined and may face further action at the discretion of the Committee

24. Team venues are to be within a 10 mile radius of Leek – Exceptions will be at the discretion of the Committee

25. Failure to fulfil a fixture will result in a fine of £20 – In the case of the fixture being cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice and / or food was prepared by the home venue, those monies will be paid to the venue – Repeatedly offending teams will be asked to attend a Committee meeting where disciplinary action will be decided at the discretion of the Committee which may lead to expulsion from the league (see Rule 39)

26. The position of teams finishing level on points at the end of the Winter season will be decided by the results of those teams firstly on points, if they are still level, then frames, if still level, by overall frame difference

27. All merits & memorial matches must be played on or BEFORE the published date – Singles, Doubles & Memorial matches are Best of 5, Semi-Final Best of 7 and Final Best of 9 – Semi Finals & Finals will be played on neutral tables unless agreed between players – The Committee will have the final decision if required

28. Meetings are held as per published calendar – 8pm start at The Prince of Wales

29. Annual Trophies – Teams & Individuals are responsible for the up keep of any Annual League trophies they are presented with – any loss or damage to a League trophy must be paid for by the team or individual responsible

30. Any player reaching the Semi Final of Singles, Doubles or Memorial competitions must have played 50% of all available league matches – Failure will result in the losing quarter finalist being reinstated into the competition – Exceptions at the discretion of the Committee.

31. Divisional Cup – This competition runs through the Winter season (Subject to calendar dates being available) – Format is straight KO - Venue determined by first team drawn out – In the event of a draw, each captain will nominate a player to play in a tie-breaker. The break will be decided by the toss of a coin

32. If a team’s table / lighting / condition of pool balls is considered so poor, this should be raised at the next available league meeting where corrective action may be discussed – Captains are permitted to brush / level the table if they feel capable of doing so and with the strict permission of the venue

33. In KO / Sub cup competitions, players need to have played 50% of league fixtures to play. This will be subject to the scrutiny of the Committee

34. Any team winning trophies during the season must attend the annual presentation to collect – failure to do so will result in trophies being recycled

35. Any player or team reported to the league and subsequently found to be in breach of what is ‘good & acceptable behaviour’ will be dealt with by the Committee. Any player or team found guilty of what is considered to be ‘Violent Conduct’ will be suspended from the league indefinitely. Leek Pool League is affiliated to the Staffordshire County Pool Association who withholds the right to ban those players from other affiliated competitions & leagues.

36. Any outstanding monies payable to the league at the end of a season must be paid in full before registration to the forthcoming league can be completed.

37. Any player who postpones a merits or memorial match on a Thursday night must arrange to play the match before the next Sunday night. Failure to do so will result in the original player who postponed the match being excluded from the competition. If a player knows they are unable to play on the scheduled Thursday night, they may arrange to play before the published calendar date providing the opponent agrees.

38. All players reaching the Semi Finals or Finals of the Merits & Memorial competitions will need to be prepared to play on a night suggested by the Committee at a venue to be confirmed. Dates will be published in good time to allow players to make arrangements.

39. Summer League doubles matches take the format of ‘Scotch Doubles’. Players are not allowed to confer during a visit. They may confer before, or between a visits providing they have not addressed the table.

40. Any postponed league of cup fixture must be played within 2 weeks of the original fixture date. Failure to do so will result in the team who originally postponed the fixture being excluded from the competition

41. Attendance at the league AGM is mandatory. This will be a combined AGM & Winter League registration meeting. Proposals for the AGM are to be submitted in writing 2 weeks before the published AGM date for consideration by the Committee. Proposals to be discussed at the AGM will be posted onto the Leek Pool League website 7 days before the AGM

42. Each division has an 8 Ball Clearance Competition throughout the Winter season. The player in each division completing the most 8 ball clearances (Only team league & cup matches) will be awarded a trophy at the end of the season. An 8 ball clearance is deemed to be legal when a player A) Breaks & clears the table legally on the first visit or B) A player makes a ‘fair’ & dry break and the incoming player clears the table legally on the first visit