STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: to expose Boys and Girls to the many values of this great lifetime sport through good training and friendly competition.
THE NEW GUIDELINES FOR USTA PLAYERS PARTICIPATION IN THIS LEAGUE IS AS FOLLLOWS:
Players ranked no better than 10 in the 10 and under division may participate.
Players ranked no better than 30 in the 12 and under division may participate.
Players ranked no better than 50 in the 14 and under division may participate.
Players ranked no better than 60 in the 16 and under division may participate.
1) Membership- only boys and girls who are registered members of the clubs in the Sudbury Valley League are eligible for the league.
AGE LIMITATIONS: Participants must be 16 years of age or younger. Players cannot be included who will reach their seventeenth birthday before October 1 of the current year. Each boys and girls team can field a maximum of two sixteen year olds in each match. The sixteen year olds may play any position except second doubles.
2) A team must have at least three courts regularly available for its team matches in order to compete in the league, unless special conditions warrant a relaxation of this rule by the Director.
3) Matches must be played as scheduled, unless a change in date is approved by both clubs involved. Weather not permitting play, the home team Pro will contact the visiting team Pro to reschedule the match at the earliest mutually agreeable date, but in all cases within a week of the original date. MATCHES START AT 1:30 P.M. UNLESS BOTH CLUBS AGREE TO AN ALTERNATE TIME. THIS TIME MUST BE SET AT LEAST 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE.
4) The HOME TEAM Pro SHALL CONTACT the VISTORS at least TWO DAYS BEFORE the MATCH is scheduled TO CONFIRM arrangements.
5) Home teams must supply five cans of new U.S.T.A. approved balls.
6) Boys and girls team matches shall consist of three singles and two doubles matches. No player shall play in more than one match. Seven different players should be available. Three singles must be played in the order of their ability. The first and second singles will be the best two players on the team, the third singles players will be played in order of their ability. It is not necessary that the first double team be made up of the forth and fifth best players on the ladder and the second doubles team be made up of the sixth and seventh best players. (The third singles position gives the coach some leeway to experiment with doubles combinations.)
7) Coaching will be permitted only if there is a coach present from both teams. Use the USTA rules as guidelines for coaching.
8) A maximum of ten minutes will be allowed for physical injuries incurred during a match. If at that time a player is unable to continue, that match will be forfeited in the team score. A match is to have considered started with the first serve.
9) Preceding a match, the visiting team shall have the option of a ten minute warm-up time with the courts at their disposal followed by a five minute warm-up with their respective opponents or take the entire fifteen minutes with the actual opponent. All practice serves shall be taken by all players during the warm-up period.
10) SCORING: Singles matches shall consist of 10 game PRO SETS. The first to reach ten will be declared the winner; however, the player must win by two games. Doubles matches will be the first to win 12 games but must win by a two game margin. In case of a 10 all tie in singles: or a 12 all tie in doubles, a 12 point tie breaker shall decide the set.
Any club not being able to field an entire team will default a point for each match not played. Any great difficulties in fielding a team should be reported to your opponent in advance of the day of the match so that people involved can make other plans.
Singles and Doubles line-ups shall be exchanged at the start of the match, naming only players who are on hand and available for play. If defaults are necessary because a player(s) are unavailable for play, such defaults should start at the third singles position. If two players are missing, then the three singles matches and the first doubles should be played but the second doubles should be defaulted. If three players are missing, default the third singles and second doubles. If four players are missing, default the two doubles. The idea is to use the greatest number of participants possible and have the least number of points defaulted.
In a team match, each one of the five matches will count as one point. A team winning three or more points wins the match. A 3-2 victory will have the same value as a 5-0 victory. The club with the highest number of team victories at the end of the season will be declared the winner of the division by the league scorer. Boys and girls teams are scored separately. In case of a tie, the club that won the league match between the teams concerned will be the champion. If the teams play against each other two times, and one team wins 3-2 on the first match and on the second match lose 2-3 then the total number of matches won for the season will decide who is the winner.
REPORTING RESULTS – A REPRESENTATIVE OF EVERY TEAM (WIN OR LOSE) SHOULD EMAIL THE SCORES TO THE LEAGUE DIRECTOR IMMEDIATELY FOLOWING THE MATCH. PLEASE FOLLOW THE “PROCEEDURE FOR RECORDING MATCH SCORES”. The DIRECTOR will notify the boys and girls division champions as soon as possible and they will meet for the LEAGUE CHAMPIONSIP MATCH.
