The Points System

It is not essential for any BMTA member to read the following information - it has been included here for the die-hard BMTA geeks (you know who you are... yes, ok - that does include me). However, it is recommended that all members read the BMTA Ladder Rules.

The points system used is common to many of the tennis clubs in the world that run tennis ladders.

Tennis ladders have the added advantage of encouraging match play and rewarding those who play often. In a BMTA ladder match, both the winner and loser can earn points. Contestants are ranked based on the total number of points accumulated up to a given date.

Please note: You can only challenge players that are in your division

The points awarded to players are as follows:

Points awarded to winner if opponent is lower-ranked : 10
Points awarded to winner if opponent is higher-ranked : 15
Points awarded to winner if opponent has same rank : 12
Maximum number of points awarded to loser : 10

Points awarded to winner if opponent is lower-ranked:
In addition, the winner gets the difference in games won in each set he or she won. The loser gets the sum of games he or she won in all sets. In these cases, 1 game=1 point.

Points awarded to winner if opponent is higher-ranked:
In addition, the winner will get the points based on the following calculation:

The result of the above calculation is then rounded up to the next whole number. The loser only gets the sum of games won in all sets.

Points awarded to winner if opponent has same rank:
In addition, the winner gets the difference in games in each set he or she won. The loser only gets the sum of games won in all sets.

Maximum number of points awarded to loser:
The maximum number of points a loser can be awarded is 10. This prevents a loser from getting more points than the winner in certain scenarios. For example, if player A beats player B 7-6, 6-7, 7-6, player B will not get 19 points (the sum of all games won). B will only get 10 points, as this is the maximum allowed.

Points compression
On the first day of every other month (i.e., Jan 1st, Mar 1st, May 1st etc), the BMTA Challenge Ladder points will be compressed. This is to prevent the higher ranking members from 'running away with it' when they accumulate a huge amount of points (as this prevents the lower ranking players ever having the chance to catch them up). This system also makes it fairer for those members that are unable to play very regularly.

The compression works by having the lowest ranking player on zero points and by having gaps between member's points no greater than 10. After the compression has taken place, the gaps between points can increase - but only until the start of the next tournament as this is when the next compression will be implemented. All members then have a fair crack at the whip to climb their way to the top spot.

Tournament Points
Points are also awarded for tournament matches in exactly the same way (apart from to the winner of a tournament who may get more points - see Tournament Rules). If a match is not played in time and the winner is decided by a coin toss, neither player will receive any points.