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Constitution
The Barnstaple & District Pool League is affiliated to the E.P.A (Via D.P.A Membership) and play according to Blackball rules. Copies of the official Blackball rules are available from the committee on request at £2.00 per copy.
Each division will be run on a championship basis. All league matches must be played, league points will be awarded for every pairing played. Registration fees are non refundable except at the committee’s discretion.
League and team competitions must start at 7.00pm prompt on the day and date stated. Any team not at the venue to start a game at 7.00pm have 15 minutes to start it or lose the game, and lose a game every 15 minutes thereafter. If a team fails to turn up to the stated venue by 8:00pm, a walkover may be claimed in non-league matches. In league matches, the committee should be informed of a no-show and the game will be rearranged to be played. The team in question risk losing their bond should such a circumstance arise.
Before the match commences, a Lag will take place between the first pairing, or other chosen players. This will decide which player breaks first and thereafter the break will alternate between all players for the rest of the match.
All teams must register a minimum of 5 players and a maximum of 10 (plus one concessionary Landlord signing).
All teams are all required to put forward at least 1 voluntary referee for finals day.
In the event that a new player is signed on exceeding this number, another player must be signed off. Landlord signing may only be made for ONE team.
Although there are no official rules for how close venues should be to Barnstaple, any team registering to play from a venue which is further than 5 miles “as the crow flies” from the Clock Tower in Barnstaple may be requested by the committee to find a closer alternative venue. Braunton is included within the leagues area (new rule from 2018-19 season).
A.G.M and Team Meetings.
(1) The A.G.M shall be held as soon as possible after the end of the season - The date of which should be set-out at the time that the league dates fixtures are released.
(2) Any scheduled Team Meetings will start on a Wednesday at 7:30pm prompt at the venue stated by the committee. Although the committee will endeavour to keep proceedings brief wherever possible, members are required to remain until the Chairman closes the meeting.
(3) At prescribed team meetings, each team MUST be represented by at least one registered player and all outstanding match fees and fines must be paid before the close of the meeting. Should any of the above requirements not be complied with the team in question will be fined £10 for non attendance of the meeting and any outstanding fines and player transfers, will still be owed.
(4) The committee shall be elected at the AGM and deal with all matters arising during the playing season. Their decision is final.
(5) The committee from the season ended will be returned on block at the AGM unless a committee member declares their intention to stand down or a person wishes to stand for a committee post.
(6) The committee members shall be reimbursed with all costs incurred during the season.
Captain’s Duties
(1) It is the duty of the captain to ensure that all fines and fees are paid to the committee at the NEXT appropriate team meeting. This being the case - any outstanding monies owed to the league at the end of the season are the responsibility of the Captain and/or Vice Captain.
(2) Captains must inform their team and Landlords of all league matters and home fixtures and are required to inform the committee of any changes such as addresses and phone numbers of Captains, Vice captains and/ or players.
(3) Teams, players and/or referees who do not fulfil their league duties may be requested to attend a hearing by the committee.
Recording Scores.
From the 2022 season it has been agreed to use the RackEmApp website to allow online scoring for all league, cup and competition matches. The league website can be found at www.rackemap.com/leagues/Barnstaple. All captains are responsible for ensuring the frame results are updated online after every frame including break dishes and reverse dishes for all team cup or league fixtures. For individual competitions it is the players playing responsibility to update their scores. Live scoring from all cup, league and competition matches is available on the website.
All Captains must ensure that all players used are registered on the RackEmApp system. Upto 5 new players can be added on a matchday (Subject to maximum of 10 per team not being exceeded.) The away team captain is to select his or hers players first and then the home team captain will choose their opponents.
Re-arranged League Matches.
(1) Teams may rearrange a league match only at the committee’s discretion. If possible a minimum of 24 hours notice must be given to the Fixtures Secretary prior to the stated date of play for a re-arranged game.
(2) Teams playing a re-arranged match without notification to the fixtures secretary may be deducted 2 league points, and the match may have to be replayed as instructed by the committee.
(3) If at the end of the season there is a tie for the league championship or promotion/relegation positions, in any division, Points scored then frame difference after this if tied, then there will be a play-off at a time, date and venue to be decided by the committee.
(4) If a team withdraws or is expelled from the league, the team name and all points won and lost will be deleted from the league table and all remaining matches cancelled. Also, all league and competition fees will be forfeit and all players will be withdrawn from competitions entered.
(5) If a team turns up with at least 4 players to play a match, then the opposing team can make a decision on which player they wish to play 5th and thus have a walkover 1 point win with a 3-0 default frame score and the remaining 4 players will play the match as normal. If a team repeatedly fails to turn up to matches with the required number of players, then they may face exclusion from the league, this will be at the committees’ discretion.Competitions
(1) Matches must be played at the venue stated, unless both teams/players by mutual consent, agree an alternative. Any changes to venues must be agreed by either the Chairman and/or the Fixtures secretary prior to the commencement of the match.
(2) All players/Teams entering any competitions such as the singles, singles plate, doubles or triples will pay a fixed entry fee. In the Doubles & Triples only the players named on the registration form for that competition will be allowed to play.
(3) All players playing in team or individual competitions must be registered to a league team and must play in at least one league game prior to playing in any team cup or other competition, except for the ladies singles (open for 2023/24 season) and the mixed doubles (one player per team must be registered to a league team). The only exception to this is any preliminary rounds of a competition, where players may not yet have had a chance to play in the league. In this instance the player must then play in a league game prior to the first round proper of the competition, if a non eligible player plays in an individual or team competition without having played a league game by the required time then their team will be eliminated from the competition and the team/player that they beat in the preliminary round will automatically take their place in the first round.
(4) The first team/player/pairing drawn will play on their home table (where possible) and they must contact their opponents to agree a suitable date to play the match. Failure to contact the opponents may result in disqualification for the offenders. Semi-finals will be at neutral venues decided by the committee, and the committee will endeavour to provide a neutral referee for these fixtures. All semi final team matches will also be played to a 60 second shot clock where possible.
League no-shows
Walkovers are never awarded for league games and all league games MUST be played. If a team fails to turn up to a pre-arranged game without making any contact with their opponents and the committee, or turn up with fewer than 4 players, then this is considered a “no-show”. The team responsible will lose 2 league points and the game will be rearranged. Two no-shows in any one season will constitute automatic disqualification from the league with all points gained and lost by the team in question being deleted, except in exceptional circumstances and at the discretion of the committee. Any no-shows should be communicated to the committee immediately and the while still at the venue.
A “no-show” is a serious and rare incident and therefore can only be claimed if an opponent fails to make any contact prior to the game and/or does not attend the venue at the time and date stated.
8 Ball Clearances
8 Ball awards will be given to players making legal 8 ball clearances (break dish or reverese dish) in any League match. The player with the most League 8 Ball clearances wins the 8 Ball trophy (if tied there will be a best of 5 frame play off to determine the winner).
NB: Premier Division, an 8 Baller clearance can only be claimed if a player makes the clearance from the break (Break Dish), or from their first visit after a dry break (Reverse Dish).
Other divisions, an 8 Baller can be claimed when a player has potted all 8 balls consecutively at any point during the frame. These should be recorded on the online scoring system as a reverse dish.
Complaints and Appeals.
All complaints and appeals must be made on the appropriate B&DPL form and handed to a committee member (forms are available from a committee member on request). Disputes can be actioned when confirm match results but serious complaints must always have a form completed.
New Players
1) New players can now sign on and play on the same night throughout the season, as long as the new player/s does not exceed the maximum of 10 players per team. It is the team captain’s responsibility to ensure that the team does not have more than the allowed number of players. Please note, players can also be signed “off” from a team to maintain the correct number of players.
(2) To register a player the captain is responsible for ensuring they are registered on the RackemApp site prior to playing their frames. The fees must be paid in full at the first team meeting following their signing. The fee to register a player is £3.
(3) Transfers are allowed at any time incurring a fee for re-registration and Administration costs. The fee for a transfer of a player is £5.
(4) Non payment of fees at the next team meeting will result in the player/s being classed as unregistered to the league, and all wins recorded in the league or competition by the new player/s prior to payment will be void. This could potentially lead to a winning competition team being disqualified.
(5) Players from disbanded teams may sign for another league side, but a further registration fee must be paid.
(6) Teams may not sign on or transfer players during the last 4 league games of the season. However in exceptional circumstances this rule may be overridden at the committees discretion.
Tables
(1) The committee will endeavour to inspect tables prior to the season. Landlords and Captains will be informed of any changes or repairs required.
(2) All league tables must be kept to a high standard, the home team captain will be responsible for their levelling and brushing prior to games. If a written complaint is received the table will be checked by the committee and if found to be unacceptable may be excluded.
Trophies
(1) Winners of perpetual trophies are responsible for their upkeep. Any restoration costs incurred will be charged for. If a team fails to return a trophy by the specified date, they will lose their bond and will have to re-register. Only players that have played during the season in either league or competition matches will be eligible for a trophy.
(2) Perpetual trophies will be held by players / teams for one season and are to be handed in to the committee on an arranged date. If not received by the stated time a £5.00 collection charge will be made to the appropriate players / teams.
(3) Any player that has been involved in a winning team competition (League or Cup) must of played at least 25% of league games to be eligible for a trophy at the end of the season.
Any team and/or player bringing the league into disrepute maybe expelled from the league without redress and the bond and all fees will be forfeit.
Interleague/County/Regional Teams/Blackball Teams
All Interleague matters are to be kept independent of the League wherever possible and should be financially self supporting through either sponsorship or players fees where appropriate. The League may help pay fees for Interleague sides if the committee agrees. The only official committee interaction with the Interleague shall be with the captains or their representative vice captains although match reports are encouraged by the committee following each match. Any playing member of the league may apply to join the Interleague setup but it is the responsibility of and at the discretion of the appointed Captains and Vice captains to organise the matches, to select the teams and collect all appropriate fees.
IMPORTANT
Although the committee are required to conform in full to this constitution, they reserve the right to use their discretion in unusual or unforeseen circumstances. In particular, the committee reserves the right to ban players and/or teams immediately if they witness threatening or aggressive behaviour to themselves or other members of the league.
Disclaimer
The Barnstaple & District Pool League Committee are in no way responsible for the conduct of players and/or Teams
during the course of the season. The pertinent Landlords and Captains are required to maintain order and are to
undertake measures to make sure the league games are played in a safe and orderly manner.