BMTA Challenge Ladder Rules

The BMTA Challenge Ladder software computes player rankings after each match based on the following:

   

1. Whether you win or lose

2. Your match performance (based on number of games won)

3. The strength of your opponent 

       

Bonus points are awarded for winning matches against players ranked higher than you. 

       

          

          

      

* Players must make every effort to make and accept challenges. If a challenge cannot be agreed upon with a particular player, try someone else. Players that repeatedly refuse to accept challenges will automatically fall to the bottom of the ladder due to inactivity.

      

* Players may be contacted by email or phone. The latest members list is available from the homepage of this website.

              

* Players that have not played matches for over two months risk losing their membership.

       

* Players cannot make more than one challenge per week or take on more than one challenge per week. Therefore, a player cannot play more than two ladder matches per week. (For the purposes of the ladder, a week commences on Monday morning). The more you play (within the limit), the more points you can gain -  even if you lose.

     

* Players must wait at least one month from their last match with a player before they can play that player again (tournament matches are not counted in this).

                 

* The challenger must contact the player he/she is challenging and agree on time and place (see Where to Play) to play the match. A match should be ideally completed within one week of the challenge.

     

* The challenger is responsible for booking the tennis court (if booking is required) and bringing a minimum of four good quality (ideally new) tennis balls to the match. The cost of the court is to be shared between both players.

       

* If a player is more than 15 minutes late for a match, their opponent can (if they wish) declare victory and win the match 6-0, 6-0.

         

* If a match is interrupted for any reason (eg, bad weather), it may be continued to completion at another time from the point at which it was suspended. Players should complete suspended matches before they arrange any new matches. However, players are encouraged to complete the match there and then in any way that can be agreed upon.

                  

* The winner of the match is responsible for reporting the results within 24 hours, by using the online form or by texting the BMTA Hotline (open 24hrs) on:

           

       0 7 9 7 6   4 1 8 6 9 0

        

The text must include the following:

 

- Date of the match

- Winner's name

- Loser's name

- The score

          

* The current ladder rankings will be regularly updated on this website.

                

* If you are unable to play for more than a month due to illness or being away, please let me know and I will place you on the 'temporarily inactive' list. Other players should not challenge inactive players. Inactive players should let me know when they are ready to play again.

         

* Although it is hard to enforce, players are encouraged not to play the same people over and over again as it does not encourage a healthy ladder. It is recommended that you play new members as much as possible - you are more likely to find a good match this way.

                 

* If a player is ill before a match and gives notice to the other player, it may be rescheduled within a week. If the match does not take place in this time, the match is void. If, however, a player becomes ill or injured during a match, the injured player must either play on or concede.

           

                   

          

* Before a match begins, players should toss a coin (or spin a racket) to determine who serves first and on what side. The winner of the toss will have the choice of either serving first or deciding the side of the court to start on. (eg, If the winner of the toss chooses to serve, the other player chooses the side he or she wants to start on).

       

* Scoring should be conventional: the first to win 2 out of 3 sets. Where a set reaches 6 games all, a 12 point tie break should be played (first to 7 points by a two point margin). 

       

* If the above scoring method is not possible (eg, running out of time), one set may be played instead. Similarly, a tie break could be played instead of a third set (however, this tie break score needs to be converted into a typical set score, agreeable to both players, for the tennis ladder software to accept it).

    

* All practice serves must be taken during warm-up.

       

* If time is an issue, another way to play a quicker game is not to play advantage on any game.

         

* All matches must end in a win (rather than a draw).

         

* If you have any doubts as to whether a ball is out or good, you must give your opponent the benefit of the doubt and play the ball as good. You should not play a let.

         

* If you call a ball out and then realise it was good, you should correct your call (and consider a trip to specsavers).

           

* The server should say the score after every point.

      

* Players should change sides after every odd game (NB, 'odd' does not mean unusual in this instance).

          

* To avoid controversy over the score, the server should announce the set score (eg, 5-4) before starting a game - and the game score (eg, thirty-forty) prior to serving each point.

          

* If players cannot agree on the score, they may go back to the last score on which there was agreement and resume play from that point - or they may spin a racket.

       

* All matches should comply with the ITF Rules Of Tennis

         

* When a match is won as a result of one player conceding, the score shall be reported as it stands at the time of retirement. However, sufficient games should be added to the set score of the winner to complete the match.

           

            

Players are urged to amicably settle disputes between themselves. In the unlikely event that this proves impossible, the dispute will be settled at the sole discretion of the ladder co-ordinator and failing that, at the sole discretion of the BMTA committee (minus any committee members that are involved in the dispute).

                          

                         

www.bmta.info