RULES OF PLAY:

1. Contrary to U.S.T.A. rules, players may play for only one club, at one level per season. Failure to follow this rule will result in a default, taking away the points earned from that position and awarding those points to the opposing club. We encourage you to play to strength. If your #1 and #2 players are rarely winning, and #3, #4, and #5 players are consistently winning, then those players in #3, #4 and #5 must compete at the higher end of the roster. The Board has, and will, impose penalties to these teams who ignore this policy.

2. U.S.T.A. Rules will be strictly enforced, except where noted. Service warm-up will be included as part of the pre-match warm-up. A player shall not practice return of serves on her opponent’s warm-up serves. If a player has completed her warm up serves she shall return her opponent’s warm-up serves directly to her opponent. After the first game of each set and during a tiebreak, play shall be continuous and the players shall change ends without a rest period. See Rule 29 in 2006 Handbook. Coaching is allowed between the second and third sets. This is done with players and coaches off the court.

3. First round matches, traditionally # 1, #2, and #3, should begin warm-up by 9:00 AM with play commencing no later that 9:15, serves included. Play begins at 9:15 without further warm up or a default will be called if one or more players are missing.
   
   Second round players must arrive no later than 10:30. Second round matches, subject to court availability, should begin at 10:30. Warm up ends and play begins 15 minutes after a court is available. A default is called if one or more players are missing at the end of those 15 minutes. A default cannot be taken if a court is not available.
   
   Use your own judgment. Circumstances occasionally warrant flexibility of these rules. We are here to have fun and to play tennis!

4. Spin for side, service, to receive or defer.

5. Matches are not to be canceled before 7:30 AM the day of the match. (Do not cancel the day or night before a match.) Rainouts should be rescheduled and played within five (5) weeks of rainout. i.e., rained out Oct. 1st - to be played by Nov 6th. Unless mutually agreed upon by both captains, rainout make-up dates should not be offered during Thanksgiving week, the two-week December School holiday, School Ski week, and School Spring Break weeks. It is important that someone checks the courts and doesn’t let the team appear and find them sopping. If you are dealing with an uncooperative captain please call a board member for her assistance.

6. The hosting captain must email, or call and speak to the guest captain 5-7 days before the event to confirm times, place and date. When using email, the visiting captain must respond via email (or phone) to assure contact. If the guest captain does not hear from the hostessing captain, via phone or email, it is more than appropriate for you to call or email the hostess. It is critical that you make person-to-person contact.

7. Once a date has been scheduled for the season, THERE MAY BE NO CHANGES IN THE DATE EXCEPT FOR A RAINOUT. No other reason will be accepted.

8. The visiting captain, or appointed player, shall arrive at the match with a written line up. No substitution may be made in an individual match after the lineup has been presented, except for injury to, illness of, disqualification of, or failure to appear on time by a player, prior to the start of such match. In that event, the substitute shall play in the position that is open due to the injury, illness, disqualification or failure to appear on time. No substitute may be taken from the original lineup after the lineup has been presented, except that if a player’s partner does not show up due to injury, illness, disqualification, or otherwise fails to appear on time, the player may be treated as a substitute. The hostessing captain will also have her line up written out, using the two sheets she provides for the match.

9. In case of rain, the hostessing captain will be responsible for contacting the guest captain to cancel and reschedule. As in Rule #6, both captains MUST make two-way personal contact with one another, via phone or email. By 6:00 PM on the day following the cancellation of the match (weekends excluded), the hosting captain must provide the visiting captain with at least 2 dates to choose from within 5 five weeks, as outlined in Rule #5. The offered dates must not be on days that the team has a scheduled or re-scheduled Marin League match, or during Thanksgiving week, the two-week December School holidays, School Ski week, and School Spring Break weeks.
   
   The visiting captain has 24 hours (weekends excluded) to select one of the dates and notify the hostessing captain of the date. If the visiting captain does not respond within 24 hours or cannot play on any of the two dates given, a team default could be called at the discretion of the Board. The hostessing Capt. must also comply with her duties, as stated in Rule 9, or her team may be subject to the same penalty.
   
   If the match has begun and it starts to rain, the same lineup for positions begun must be used and play will continue at the point it was suspended. If play has not begun (a point has not been played) and rain begins, the lineup for those unplayed positions can be changed.

10. If a default has been given or taken, and the match was rained out (that is, never started) then that default is voided and should be played.

11. Any change of location or time must be mutually agreed upon by both captains.
    
    PLEASE DON’T INVOLVE THE MARIN TENNIS LEAGUE WITH YOUR CLUB’S POLITICS.

12. Ranked players must play at the A-1 level or at the discretion of the Board. No teaching pros may play in the league, unless approved by the Board.

13. The team with the highest number of points at the end of the season will win the perpetual trophy and must move up to the next division. If a team scores 65% or more, and doesn’t win the division, they may move up if they choose.

14. If a team scores 35% or less they must move down a division. We do not round up to save you from demotion!

15. New teams entering the league may request their division but the Board will make final decision on division placement.

16. Other existing teams may not move up or down without consent of the Board. To change divisions, submit a written request, with reasons and proposed rosters, to the Board by June 15.

17. The ‘75-65’ Recommendation: If there is a question when a team fails to qualify for promotion to the next higher division, and an INDIVIDUAL player elects to move up to the next higher division (provided space is available for her on that higher team), the player should have played a minimum of 75% of the scheduled matches. Of that 75%, the individual player should have won at least 65% of their matches. The league DOES NOT endorse the decimation of teams, to support the promotion of an individual player(s).

Scoring:

1. Contrary to U.S.T.A. rules, play will be best of 3 sets. At 6 games all, a 12-point tiebreaker will be played.

2. One point will be awarded to the winner of each set. If a team splits sets and in the third set one team has to default, a point will be awarded to each team and the third point will be given to the team winning the default. A team winning in 2 sets will be awarded 3 points.

3. If a team defaults the entire event, (5 matches), that teams’ scores for the entire season will be negated and they will be dropped from any more play for the season.

4. TWO score sheets will be provided by the host captain. Each captain will keep one copy for her records. In case of dispute the original score sheet must be sent to Thora Blaine by fax at 883-4978. Captains are required to enter results on our web site: (www.marinleague.com.). The guest captain must also verify scores.

5. Three points will be deducted from the home team if the score sheets are posted on the web site more than 3 days after the match is completed.

6. In the event of a default, one of the following scenarios apply, as warranted:

   • If the default occurs the day preceding the scheduled match, the team to be defaulted will be the # 5 team.

   • If the default occurs at the courts, the morning of the match, as #1, #2, and #3 positions take the court for the first round, prior to team #4 and #5’s 10:30 arrival time, the default will be the #3 team.

   • If the default occurs the morning of the match, as #4 and #5 positions take the court, the default will be the #5 team.

Grievances:

1. The board reserves the right to take punitive action in the case of poor sportsmanship.

2. Any grievance you choose to put in writing to the Board must be copied and sent to the captain of the opposing team.

Substitution Rule:

When it comes time for your match, if your team is lacking one or more players, you may draw from any division below you, in your club, if your club has entered more than one division in the league. However, under no circumstances are you allowed to draw from a division above your team or at your same team level. i.e. A-2 Red cannot play for A-2 Blue. When you use a substitute from below, you may do so only once and that individual may not be used again as a substitute for the remainder of the season. A team using the same substitute, more than once, will have six (6) points deducted. Substitutes can play no higher than #3 position.

Tiebreaker Rules:

At 6 games all, a 12-point tiebreaker will be played. The first team to win 7 points with a 2-point margin will be the winner of that set.

The person who is next in rotation to serve will begin the tiebreak game with ONE service from the deuce court (right side). The next person in rotation will serve 2 points starting in the ad court (left side). The third person will do likewise. The fourth person will serve one point from the ad court at which time 6 points will have been played. At that time, the players will switch court ends and the fourth server will continue in the manner until a winner is declared. Players change ends every 6 points and at the conclusion of the tiebreak game. The team that had the first service of the tiebreak game will receive service in the first game of the next set.

***SAVE THE DATES 2008-2009***

September 1, 2008: All Captains must submit a list of at least 15 players on line @ www.marinleague.com in the Captains Corner. Failure to do so will result in the team being dropped from the league schedule for the season. Season begins in September.

January 1, 2009: One half of the season’s matches must be completed by this date.

May 1, 2009: Season Ends

June 4, 2009: Marin League Awards Luncheon

June 15, 2009: Team Registration and fees MUST be submitted, with no exceptions. Teams failing to list a Captain and Co-Captain by June 15th will be dropped from the league, and registration fees will be returned.

Rules Committee