Rules

League rules

House rules

  1. The following house rules will be in effect:
    1. If both players fail to notice a ball in the tray after the bar goes down, the ball will be void as soon as the first ball is passed back.
    2. If the striking player takes back the nearest ball, and a ball is still in the tray, it is a foul.
    3. If the non-striking player commits a deliberately unsporting foul, they will lose their entire score.
    4. Deliberately avoiding potting the last ball will not be a loss of entire score foul, as this is not deemed to be unsporting enough to fall under AEBBA rule 91c.

Structure

  1. The league consists of two divisions, Division One and Division Two. Division One will contain no less than six players and no more than ten players.
  2. Promotion and relegation will be applied with the last-placed player in Division One being replaced by the first-placed player in Division Two. Depending on player numbers, this can increase to a maximum of two players being promoted and two being relegated.
  3. Any player in Division Two must not have any unplayed or unclaimed fixtures to be considered for promotion.
  4. In the event that Division Two is not played, relegation will not apply.
  5. A player may opt to take a one season holiday from the league, and remain in the same division when they return to the league. A player that takes a holiday of more than one season will join the lowest division upon returning.
  6. Division One matches will be played as a first to three frames.
  7. The home player will break in frames 1 and 3, the away player will break in frames 2 and 4. If a fifth frame decider is required, the “equal breaks” rule will be used.
  8. Any frames after frame 5 will use the equal breaks rule.
  9. All matches will be played under AEBBA rules, except where a specific house rule exists.
  10. Players are expected to self-referee games, and as such, are responsible for knowing the rules. The Committee will, however, issue communications reminding players of critical rules from time to time, and as it sees fit.
  11. The points system for Division One will be:
    1. Two points for a win
    2. One point per frame won
    3. A bonus point for playing within the scheduled two-week window
  12. Tie-breaking rules for Division 1
    1. Total matches won
    2. Total frames won
    3. Frames won in head to head match(es)
    4. Total score in head to head match(es)
    5. Higher average frame score (rounded up to next multiple of 10)
  13. Division Two matches will be played over two frames.
  14. The away player will break in frame 1, the home player will break in frame 2.
  15. The points system for Division Two will be:
    1. Three points awarded to the player with the highest aggregate total. In the event of a tie, both players receive 1 point each, with a bonus point to the player with the highest single leg score.
    2. Two bonus points are awarded per leg won (maximum of 4pts).
    3. A bonus point is awarded for playing within the scheduled two-week window.
  16. Tie-breaking rules for Division Two
    1. Most matches won
    2. Most frames won
    3. Frames won in head to head match(es)
    4. Total score in head to head match(es)
    5. Fewest late games
    6. Higher average frame score (rounded up to next multiple of 10)
  17. The top four players in Division One will qualify for the play-offs, which will consist of two semi-finals and a final. The format for play-off matches will still be a race to 3 frames.

Organising matches

  1. Each round of fixtures will last for two weeks. Prior to the start of the season, there will be a two week contact period, to allow players to begin to organise their first match.
  2. The home player will be responsible for organising the game. If no attempt is made to arrange, the away player must inform the league by the Wednesday after the end of the game week to avoid the late penalty.
  3. If the home player attempts to arrange the game, and the away player doesn’t reply, the home player must inform the league by the Wednesday after the end of the game week to avoid the late penalty.
  4. If either player replies to say that they will be unavailable, the game must be rearranged for no later than two weeks after the end of that round to avoid the late penalty.
  5. If a player does not turn up within 30 minutes of the agreed start time without notifying the opponent, the opponent is entitled to claim the match. The non-showing player will receive no points for the match.

Entry Fees

  1. The entry fee for the league will be set at £5. This will be used for Nottinghamshire’s AEBBA affiliation, trophies and prizes.
  2. Any players resigning will only receive a refund of their entry fee if they resign before the end of the fourth game week. Players that fail to play three games in a row will be removed with no refund of the entry fee.
  3. Where players resign or are removed from the league, their results will be nullified and removed from the league table.

Trophies

  1. The winners of Division 1, Division 2 and the County Cup will have their names engraved on the champions plaque.
  2. A player that wins Division 1, the play-offs and the County Cup all in the same season will receive a “triple crown” trophy to keep.

Frame interruptions

  1. In the event of a minor interruption to a frame, where there has been a small impact on the game situation but no or minimal playing time is lost, if required, the striking player may opt to reset the balls to the position they were in prior to the last shot or accidental shot. No loss of break or score penalty will be incurred, and the player’s turn will continue from where they were prior to that shot.
    1. This includes cases such as a player being nudged or jolted during a shot
    2. The table or balls on the table being moved by an outside influence
    3. A player having to ask somebody to move out of the way
  2. In the event of a major interruption, where there is a significant impact to the amount of playing time available, if the amount of time lost can be measured, this should be added back on after the bar drops, with a new coin being used to reset the timer. The last shot before the interruption will be void and balls will be replaced in their original positions before play continues. If the time lost can not be measured, then the frame will restart regardless of the current game situation.
    1. This includes cases such as a drink being spilled on the table by a non-participant
    2. Brief power cut or failure
    3. Non-participants becoming involved in an altercation or causing another distraction (e.g. birthday cake being brought out, food plates being dropped on the floor near the table)
    4. Multiple minor interruptions in the same frame (e.g. a player being nudged on four or five separate occasions)
  3. In the event of a severe disruption, where the impact is so drastic that a frame cannot be completed, then the frame will restart regardless of the current game situation.
    1. This includes cases such as serious medical necessity (participant or not)
    2. Extended power cut or failure
    3. Fire alarm or other situation requiring evacuation for an extended period of time (longer than the duration of a frame)
    4. Instruction from premises staff or other non-participating official (tournament referee, committee member, police etc.)
  4. Examples listed are non-exhaustive and interruptions not listed will be assessed based on their material impact on the frame being played. In the event of any dispute, players may refer to any committee member not involved with that frame whose decision will be final.

Players’ conduct

  1. Players should try to remain professional at all times, although it is appreciated that some situations may cause an emotional response (swearing after a bad shot, banging the cue on the floor etc.) These rules do not seek to penalise a player in those circumstances, but are intended for situations where more serious misconduct has occurred.
  2. The following examples would result in a warning from the referee (if applicable) that any further misconduct will result in a more severe penalty
    1. Banging a ball on the slate of the table (whether in frustration or not)
    2. Playing a deliberate foul shot
    3. Taunting an opponent
  3. The following examples would result in the loss of a player’s entire score for the frame being played
    1. Continuing to bang a ball on the table following a warning
    2. Playing a second deliberate foul shot in the same match (not frame)
    3. Use of disrespectful language directed at the opponent or non-playing official
    4. Interfering with play other than through a normal legal or foul shot
  4. The following examples would result in immediate loss of frame and, if necessary, further disciplinary action from the committee
    1. Placing a drink anywhere on or over the table
    2. Provocation or excessive taunting of an opponent, whether a warning has been given or not
    3. Aggressive or offensive language or gestures towards any person (squaring up to somebody, threatening motions with the cue, middle finger etc.)
  5. The following examples would result in immediate loss of match and further disciplinary action from the committee
    1. Spilling a drink on the table
    2. Instigation or escalation of an altercation with any person
    3. Discriminatory or abusive language or gestures towards any person (use of racist, homophobic, sexist etc. slurs, for example)
    4. Any attempt to cheat (e.g. concealing a ball, inserting a new coin while a frame is in progress to obscure the time remaining or use extra balls, adding or removing points from the scoreboard)
  6. The following examples could result in further disciplinary action from the committee, without impacting the match in progress directly
    1. Participation in an altercation instigated by somebody else
    2. Refusal to follow reasonable instructions from officials (e.g. stand back from the table during the opponent’s shot, keep your drink away from the table, don’t eat food and touch the table without washing hands)
    3. Persistent interruption of the game (e.g. spurious foul claims, distracting the opponent, unnecessarily adjusting skittles, balls etc.)

League Dates

 

Committee

Secretary: Jamie Parker
Treasurer: David Armstrong
County Captain: Joe Foxon
Deputy County Captain: Morgan Buda