Snooker Rules

Administrator - Felix Borg | tenallmakes@hotmail.com |

League

Cups

Wirral Amateur Billiards & Snooker League

Official Rules (Updated July 22)

1 TITLE

The official name of the League shall be the “Wirral Amateur Billiards & Snooker League” Only Bone-Fide Clubs & their members shall be eligible to play.

2 HEADQUARTERS

The Headquarters of the League is determined to be

Roundel Social Club (RAFA) Alton Rd Oxton Birkenhead

3 OFFICERS

The Officers of the League shall be:

The President. Chairman: Vice Chairman: Hon Secretary: Hon Treasurer:

League Match Secretary: Billiards Secretary: Competition Secretary & such Officers should be Elected Annually at the League Annual General Meeting.

4 MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

The Management Committee (Henceforth referred to as the Committee) shall consist of the Officers of the League together with one member of each of the member clubs. The representative must be registered with the League. The Committee will always govern the League in accordance with the League Rules. Five members including the Officers shall form a quorum eligible to conduct business.

Honorariums will be paid to the following Committee members:

Hon Secretary: Hon Treasurer: League Match Secretary: Billiards Secretary: Competition Secretary.

The amount to be decided by the Committee at the AGM. Any other League official may make reasonable expense claims when incurring costs relating to and authorised by the Committee. Any payment made should be accompanied by a letter detailing the costs incurred by officers.

5 DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS

HON. SECRETARY shall be responsible for the keeping of the minutes ,dealing with all correspondence and shall record all business transacted by the League.

He shall convene all meetings as required by the Committee.

HON. MATCH SECRETARY shall be responsible for maintaining all records in connection with League players and matches played inc Snooker Team competitions. They shall be responsible for preparing fixtures and press liaison.

HON. COMPETITION SECRETARY shall be responsible for all Individual Snooker Competitions and ensuring Draws are made open & independently.

HON. TREASURER shall be responsible for the receipt of all monies and shall keep a record of all financial transactions. At each Committee meeting he should present an account showing the current financial position of the League. He shall also be responsible for the presentation at the AGM of an audited statement of accounts for the proceeding financial year.

HON. BILLIARDS SECRETARY shall be responsible for maintaining all records in connection with League players and matches played along with all relevant Cup Competitions. They shall be responsible for all fixtures and press liaison.

6 TRUSTEES

The Trustees of the League shall consist of The Chairman: The Secretary &

The Treasurer. They shall be responsible for all monies and property belonging

to the League. Any two trustees shall sign all cheques.

7 BANKERS

The Bankers of the League shall be HSBC

8 AUDITORS

Two auditors shall be appointed annually at the AGM and they shall audit the Accounts of the League ready for the AGM.

9 FINANCIAL YEAR

The financial year of the League shall close on 31st May each year.

10 MEETINGS

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

This shall be held as soon as possible after after the end of the financial year and in any case not later than 21st June. The Secretary shall give at least 14 days notice of the holding of the AGM to all officers and each Club Representative and also shall provide a written agenda of the proposed business of the said meeting.

Notice of Motions for inclusion in the agenda for the AGM must be submitted in writing duly proposed & seconded by member clubs., to the Hon Secretary at least 21 days before the AGM.

A quorum for the AGM shall be 9 members including 4 Officers.

Voting at the AGM shall be confined to all officers and elected representatives of each club, each having 1 vote.

A simple majority shall decide all issues. In the event of equality in the vote, the Vote will be Null & Void.

MONTHLY MEETINGS

Meetings will be held on the 3rd Friday of every month at the RAFA Club (Exc July) and should start at 7.30pm. The June meeting will proceed the AGM.

Every Club must be represented at all meetings by any registered player of that particular club. Should a club fail to send a representative to a meeting then 1pt will be deducted from each of the Club teams, as a penalty for Non-Attendance.

There will be NO appeals against these Pts deductions as each team has at least 6 eligible representatives.

EXTRA-ORDINARY GENERAL MEETINGS

An EGM of the League shall be called at the request of 3 Officers or at least 5 Member Clubs. Such requests shall be in writing to the Hon. Secretary

11 HANDICAPPING (Snooker & Billiards)

the Handicaps should be between:

Snooker +36 to -60

Billiards Unlimited Maximum or Minimum

In exceptional circumstances, the Handicaps may be increased for better players

11a SNOOKER

All New players will be assessed monthly for the first year.

Handicapping will occur 4 times per season, at times convenient to the dates of the monthly meetings. The Handicap changes will be based on the difference between games Won & Lost, retaining the 3 point increments.

Any person found to be abusing the handicapping system will be dealt with under Rule 13. Established players will retain their Handicaps when their team is promoted but will continue to be assessed during that season. Those players starred will still be subject to the 3 Year assessment period.

11b BILLIARDS

Handicaps will be assessed at Weeks 6 & 12 and conducted by the Billiards Sec.

12 CASUAL VACANCIES

The Committee, at their discretion may fill all casual vacancies occurring amongst the Officers or Representatives of the Committee.

13 EXPULSION OF MEMBERS

A Member Club or Individual Member of the League who, in the opinion of the Committee, violates the Rules of the League or is guilty of conduct prejudicial to the interests of the good conduct of the League, may be expelled from the League by the Committee. Before any decision is taken under the rule, the offending member or registered Club representative shall be given the opportunity to appear before the officers of the League to state their case where showing good cause why such an expulsion should not take place.

14 INTERPRETATION of the RULES

In all cases of dispute as to the interpretation of the rules, the decision of the Committee is final.

15 SUBSCRIPTION FEES

The League will Levy the following fees

Club Affiliation to the League £ 15.00

Snooker Fee / Per Team £ 14.00

Billiards Fee / Per Team £ 14.00

Each Team Cup Competition £ 8.00 Snooker & Billiards

Each Ind Player Registration £ 3.00 Snooker & Billiards

Each Ind Competition Entry £ 3.00 Snooker & Billiards

Each Pairs Competition Entry £ 4.00

League Handbooks (Per Regs) £ 1.50

All Clubs will be invoiced for their Subscription Fees by the Hon. Treasurer

at the November meeting and are payable by the January meetings.

Subscriptions not paid by the January meeting will be liable to a fine

of £5 for late payment

16 REGISTRATION of PLAYERS

The Clubs shall register all players on the official League entry forms provided and must be by the approved Closing date. Where a Club is registering a New Player the representative must provide a brief history of the player including previous league experience and any existing handicap applied by another league.

The representative should also indicate a handicap that honestly reflects the players ability. The maximum handicap for any New player will not exceed +24.

The Committee will take into account the handicaps provided by another League when deciding any New players starting handicaps.

Should it be obvious to the Committee that any player has been wrongly handicapped and that their abilities exceed those originally indicated, then penalties will be applied as follows:

A ALL points gained by that player in League games will be reversed & awarded to the opposing team.

B If the player influenced a Cup result then the result will be reversed

C The Committee may also deduct upto 6 additional points from the team in question

Such Players will then have results & handicaps monitored over the next 3 years and adjusted accordingly, where necessary upto 4 times a season. Dates of such

re-handicapping will be shown within the League handbook and may change from season to season. No registration of New Players will be allowed after the 31st October within any season. However, in exceptional circumstances and only by Committee approval, additional registrations may be allowed. Applications must be in writing to the Hon Secretary stating the circumstances.

17 UNREGISTERED PLAYERS & INCORRECT HANDICAPS

Any player not being registered with the League shall be deemed to be ineligible to play for any member club. Any team playing such an unregistered player or playing a player off an incorrect handicap higher than registered will be penalised.

SNOOKER

In Leagues matches the Frame point will be awarded to the opposition for each such unregistered player where the player Won the frame and in addition a 3pt penalty will also be deducted from the teams record for each unregistered player.

In the event of Cup Matches the same rule will apply but where the result is determined by aggregate scores the opposition will be awarded 147 pts for each offence. Further action and penalties may be imposed by the Committee against the offending team.

BILLIARDS

150 pts will be deducted from the offending team plus 1 team point for each offence

18 POSTPONEMENT of MATCHES

An application for the postponement of a scheduled match must be made to the

Hon Secretary no less than 7 days before the date of the match (except in exceptional circumstances) and followed up in writing at the next monthly meeting. The Game itself must be played by mutual agreement between the two Captains within 21 days of the original date but no later than the end of the regular snooker season.

No re-arrangement will be sanctioned due to other Leagues fixtures or competitions.

As far as the League is concerned our fixtures and competitions take priority over the other Leagues fixtures and competitions. In the case of a dispute both Captains will be expected to attend the monthly meeting and the Committee will have the final decision.

19 NON-ATTENDANCE

Any team failing to attend a League match for any reason and without rearranging under Rule 18, will have 6 points deducted. The attending team will be allocated a Win equivalent to the highest win in their Division for that particular week.

20 TEAM VACANCIES

In the event of any team failing to fulfil its fixtures and providing no team of equal merit can be substituted, all of their matches played shall be declared Null & Void.

21 REFEREES and MARKERS

League matches should always be refereed by the Home team however in Cup Games this should alternate between Home & Away Teams. Once appointed the Referee will have complete charge of the game and shall award all fouls.

22 LEAGUE POSITIONS TIED

In the event of Two or more Teams being tied in any League Division having the same number of points at the completion of all league fixtures, their relative position will be determined by Most Wins during the season, if still tied then Most Draws during the season and in the event of the situation still being tied then a Play Off between the Two teams will be arranged at a Neutral venue as the Committee deem appropriate.

23 MATCH NIGHTS

Match Nights are to be as follows:

Billiards Monday

Snooker Wednesday or Monday when Two teams are at Home

but Not if there is Billiards.

When 2 or more tables are in play they should remain so for at least 4 Frames and Team Capts must take advantage of this situation.

24 MATCH PROCEDURES

Matches played on Two tables should commence at 7.30pm with Late start penalties commencing at 7.30pm & 7.45pm and apply to each table.

Matches played on One table should commence at 7.15pm with Late start penalties commencing at 7.15pm & at 15 min intervals thereafter.

No match should commence after 8.00pm.

24a SNOOKER:

A Match consists of 6 Frames with one point per frame won

When a Team has a Bye week they will be awarded 3 points

All matches will be played on the basis of each players Individual Handicap.

The Away Team Captain to nominate first and on each occasion and the Away player having the option to Break.

Penalty for late start results in 1 Frame & 147 match points where the aggregate score is a factor and the same every 15 mins thereafter.

24b BILLIARDS

A Match consists of 4 Frames with 1 Point per Frame and 1 for the Total Aggregate

String for break in each game with the Winner having choice of break. The player breaking must use either Yellow or Spot White

Penalty for late start results in 1 Frame & 150 match points and the same every

15 mins thereafter.

25 MATCH CARDS

The Home Team Capt or Deputy shall be responsible for the completion of the Match Card provided by the League which needs to be signed by both Home & Away Capts or Deputies. These signatories are responsible to ensure the correct results are written down in each case and that the players played of the correct handicaps, according to the League Handbook. Where an incorrect card is submitted both teams are liable to have 3 points deducted from their League results. In the case of a Cup Match then both Teams are liable to be disqualified from that competition. The Committee will have the final decision in imposing any such penalties.

Result Cards or Electronic facsimile must be received by the Results Secretary within 5 days of the match date. They may be hand delivered (No later than 10pm). It is the responsibility of the Home Team Capt or Deputy to ensure safe delivery of the aforementioned Match Card. A 3pt Penalty will be applied in relation to all late cards unless proved that the Card was indeed posted within 2 days of the Match date by 1st Class Post using the post mark as proof.

In short – Snooker Cards by Monday & Billiards by Saturday.

26 STARRED PLAYERS

Where any member club enters more than 1 team into the League, the Club should star* a certain number of players as follows: Snooker 6 Players & Billiards 4 Players

These Players will be ineligible to play for any other team during the season, unless de-starred or transferred under Rule 28. Unstarred players may play for any team from their Club until such time as they have played 5 games for a specific team in which case they will become an additional starred player for that particular team.

27 TRANSFERS

Any player wishing to transfer teams during the season must put their request in writing using the approved form provided by the Hon Secretary or Match Secretary and the matter will then be discussed at the next ordinary monthly meeting. This form must be signed by both Team Capts involved in the Transfer and the player themselves should attend the meeting to justify their request.

No Transfer is Valid until approved by the Committee at the meeting.

28 PROMOTION & RELEGATION

Promotion and Relegation from the Divisions will be on the basis of 2 up & 2 Down.

The Committee however will have the authority to suspend or increase promotion and relegation to maintain equality between the respective divisions.

29 MATCH RULES

All games shall be played under the Rules laid down by WPBSA with the notable exception of the MISS rule . The Capts of each team shall be responsible for the conduct and behaviour of their team members, reserves and visitors if applicable. Any team not complying with the rules will be liable to disciplinary action that the Committee deem appropriate.

As a footnote to all the above Rules and Regulations it is requested that ALL mobile phones should be on silent mode whilst matches are in progress. It is accepted that on some occasions players need their phones for emergencies contingencies but as a sign of respect to all players you are asked conduct personal business away from the snooker table and out of earshot of other players. Team Captains are always responsible for their teams behaviour so it is requested that they adhere to this request.

30 COMPETITIONS

All Team Competitions will be scheduled for either Monday or Wednesday nights within the fixture calendar, excluding Semi Finals & Finals. In Team games Rule 25 procedures will be followed. No players may play for more than one team in any one team competition within the same season.

A fresh Draw will be made for each round of all competitions up until the Semi Finals, the first player drawn will be the Home Team or Player. In the case of Team events nominations will be determined by the toss of a coin and thereafter nominations will alternate as will the option to break following an initial toss of a coin on the first table. In the case of 5 & 7 @ Side competitions there will be no additional coin tosses.

31 RESULTS

The Capt of the Winning Team or Winning Player will be responsible for informing the Competition Sec of the result of the Matches. In the event of No Result or claim reaching the Competition Sec within 24 hours of the Scratch Nightthen both Teams or Players will be eliminated from the Competition. In the event of debate both Capts or Players are entitled to be present at the appropriate Committee meeting and the decision of that meeting will be based on evidence provided and will be final.

32 FINAL VENUES

The previous seasons Winners of all Competitions will then host the Finals in the following season unless they successfully reach successive finals in which case the Runners Up from the previous season will be hosts thereafter to a neutral venue as determined by the Committee.

1 Table Member Clubs will not be allowed to host finals or Semi Finals of Individual Competitions.

32a FINALS DATES

SNOOKER COMPETITIONS

33 AMY KELLY MEMORIAL CUP (2nd Division K/O)

All Division teams are automatically entered for this and it’s played over 5 Frames with each player off their individual handicap with the first team to Win 3 Frames being the Winner.

34 RAY BOWSKILL MEMORIAL BOWL

Nine players shall be registered for each team entered and a Team Handicap will be fixed by the Match Secretary and allocated when all entries have been submitted. Ignoring the highest & lowest handicapped players registered and then totalling the remaining players will determine the Team Handicap. The Match will be played over 6 Frames off Scratch & played through to the Black in each frame. The result of the match will be only determined by the Total aggregate score.

In the event of a tied game an additional Frame will be played between the two teams drawn from their remaining registered players.

35 JOHN PRINCE (1st Division K/O)

All Division teams are automatically entered for this and it’s played over 6 Frames with each player off their individual handicap. Each game must be played through to the Black Ball. One point per frame and One point for the overall aggregate score if required in the event of a Tied match.

36 CHARITY SHIELD (5 @ Side)

All teams are automatically entered for this and it’s played over 5 Frames with each player off their individual handicap with the first team to Win 3 Frames being the Winner.

As this is a Charity competition, it is expected that a collection is taken from all players present on the night of the match. Proceedings will be given to the Hon Treasurer at the next available meeting and at the end of the season these funds will be donated to a Charity nominated by the Committee.

37 GENERAL RULES for INDIVIDUAL COMPETITIONS

Every entry must be accompanied by either a Mob or Home telephone Number.

Club number is NOT acceptable. This will be retained by the Competition Secretary and provided to an opponent upon request.

All Merits, Individual, Pairs and Capts & Secs should be played on the specified scratch nights. Competition draws will be distributed well beforehand.

Any players that can’t attend on the specified night must contact their opponent personally within 7 days of the draw and make an arrangement to play the game before the Closing night. Scratching time for all the above is 8pm. It is the sole responsibility of the Winner to inform the Competition Sec. Any game not played or when the result is not received within 24 hours of the closing night will result in both players being scratched. The best method for results is by text or email as these can then be verified in the event of a dispute.

PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT ANY COMMITTEE MEMBERS AFTER 10pm.

38 JACK CHALLONER INDIVIDUAL HANDICAP

Players are to DOUBLE the difference between their respective Handicaps and play over 2 Frames with the cumulative score deciding the results. The player potting the Black at the end of the first frame is to break in the second frame. In the event of a tie at the end of the second frame then the black is to be re-spotted and the toss of a coin will determine which player has the option.

39 DANNY CAVANAGH MERITS CHAMPIONSHIP

All rounds are to be played over the Best of Three Frames up until the Semi Finals which will be over 5 Frames and the Final itself will be over 7 Frames. All players will play off Scratch. Both players should be at the venue by 7.30 pm on the arranged night. Only a player present before this time may go through to the next round.

No player can play in this Competition unless they have played 5 League fixtures before the end of the Competition.

Because of the disruption caused to Club Members by the Players playing three continuous frames, matches must be arranged between the two players for any venue or time at least 48 hours before the match takes place. It is for the Home player to contact the Away player and failure to do so renders the Home player liable to disqualification.

40 HILBRE CUP PAIRS

Any member club may enter any number of Pairs.

The difference between their respective Handicaps of each Pair combined is taken and the match is played over 2 Frames with the cumulative score deciding the results. Once the match has started the order must remain the same throughout both frames. The player potting the Black at the end of the first frame is to break in the second frame. In the event of a tie at the end of the second frame then the black is to be re-spotted and the toss of a coin will determine which player has the option.

41 MAL THOMPSON CAPTAINS & SECRETARIES

The Competition is open to ALL Team Captains & Club Secretaries and current Committee Members.

Players are to DOUBLE the difference between their respective Handicaps and play over 2 Frames with the cumulative score deciding the results. The player potting the Black at the end of the first frame is to break in the second frame. In the event of a tie at the end of the second frame then the black is to be re-spotted and the toss of a coin will determine which player has the option.

42 BEST PERFORMANCE

This will be awarded on a Divisional basis to the Player winning the most games during the League season. In the event of a tie for the number of games won then there will be a count back and the player losing the least number of games will be declared the Winner.

43 HIGH BREAK

BILLIARD COMPETITIONS

44 RAY BOWSKILL MEMORIAL

This Competition consists of Five players ALL playing of Scratch for a duration

of 45 Mins. The order to play will be by Blind nominations. The Winner to be determined by the overall aggregate score and in the event of a Tie, the match will

be awarded to the team who won most games.

45 ERIC MILL CUP

6 Players are to be registered for each team with 4 players taking part in the match.

A Team Handicap will be calculated by the Billiards Sec by adding the 6 players Handicaps & then dividing by 6 and multiplying by 4 to achieve Team Handicap.

The order of play will be by Blind nominations. Each player playing upto 150 pts

off Scratch. The total aggregate score will determine the result of the match.

In the event of a Tie each original pairing will string to determine the result and if needed a fifth string will take place between nominated players as a Tie breaker.

As this is a Charity competition, it is expected that a collection is taken from all players present on the night of the match. Proceedings will be given to the Hon Treasurer at the next available meeting and at the end of the season these funds will be donated to a Charity nominated by the Committee.

46 NORMAN GOODALL CUP

Each Member Club can enter as many teams as they wish.

This Competition consists of Four Team members playing off their individual Handicaps and is played under the same as League rules with Five points being available. The order to play will be by Blind nominations. Teams will be split into Two divisions which each team playing each other Home and Away. The top Two teams to progress to the Semi Finals with First playing Second from each Division.

In the event of a Tie the overall points difference will be used as the decider.

47 ARTHUR PLUNKETT CUP

This Competition consists of Five players in Three Singles & 1 Doubles for a duration 60 Mins. Each game to be played off league handicaps. In relation to the Doubles, Handicaps are halved and added together. The order to play will be decided by initial toss of a coin and alternate thereafter. The nominee can choose when to play the Doubles match. Any player playing out of turn will be deemed to have committed a foul and 2 points will be awarded. The match will be determined by the overall aggregate score from the Four frames. In the event of a Tie each original pairing will string to determine the result.

As this is a Charity competition, it is expected that a collection is taken from all players present on the night of the match. Proceedings will be given to the

Hon Treasurer at the next available meeting and at the end of the season these funds will be donated to a Charity nominated by the Committee.

48 ERIC HODGES INDIVIDUAL HANDICAP

Any registered player may enter and the competition is played as a knockout with each game being played off Handicap upto 150 points as with normal league games.

49 ALBERT DARLINGTON BEST PERFORMANCE

Players must have played in at least half of the league games during the season to be eligible. The best performance will be decided by Most Wins and if tied then by percentage of Wins and thereafter by aggregate points scored.

50 JACK CHALLONER HIGH BREAK

All players are eligible