Revision: 6th October 2024

 

1. Constitution

  1. The name of the league shall be the Yeovil & District Pool League, hereafter called the League.
  2. The league is formed for the purpose of promoting the game of pool amongst all pool-playing members within the Yeovil & District area, and to organise individual, doubles, team knockouts and league competitions.
  3. The committee reserves the right to refuse membership to any team or individual if for any reason they consider that the granting of membership shall be detrimental to the league.
  4. The members of the league will nominate representatives at the A.G.M for officer positions to form the committee to manage all matters appertaining to the league.
  5. The committee shall consist of Chairman, Vice-Chairman, League Secretary, Cup & Knockouts Secretary, Treasurer and six committee members. Vice positions are optional.

2. General Rules

  1. The Annual General Meeting of the league will take place prior to the start of the new season.
  2. Any alterations to the constitution and general rules can only be authorised at an AGM of this league, and/or EGM after giving the relevant details of intended changes to the secretary for general distribution, 14 days prior to the date set for the AGM. Upon receipt of all proposals, the secretary will distribute details to the league, with the proposed agenda, 7 days prior to the AGM.
  3. Any late proposals/amendments maybe acceptable for discussion and consideration at the discretion of the Chairman.
  4. The 4 officers, Chairman, League Secretary, Cup & Knockouts Secretary and Treasurer (at the discretion of the committee), can hold office for 4 years with one of the posts becoming vacant at each AGM. All retiring members will be eligible to stand for re-election and any additional/new candidates should be notified in writing a minimum of 14 days prior to the set date for an AGM. All other posts to stand for re-election annually.
  5. Extraordinary General Meetings can be called by the committee or any team captain provided 14 days prior notice is given in writing, with detailed reasons for calling, and the signed backing of 1 other committee member and or team captain.
  6. Voting. Limited to two votes per team. Plus 1 vote per committee member, to a maximum of 3 votes per team, with the chairman holding the casting vote if required.
  7. The Treasurer will provide a properly audited balance sheet at the AGM. Any overdue/outstanding monies will be clearly shown. Also provide a budget for the following year in order for the meeting to assess whether fees should be altered.
  8. All fees shall be agreed at the AGM each year.                            
  9. The Chairman or League Secretary and the Treasurer will be entered on the bank mandate, Treasurer plus either Chairman or League Secretary must sign all cheques.

3. Team Responsibilities.

Fees.

  1. The fees will be due at captain’s meetings held each quarter (every 3 months); fees owed will need to be settled in full at these meetings, any teams with outstanding fees following any of these meetings will be suspended form participation in the league until all overdue monies have been paid, if there are any matches outstanding due to a suspension then the rules reference cancelled matches will apply.
    • Fees from Season 2023:
      • League Fees = £5 per match
      • League Cups Entry = £10 per team
      • Consolation Cups Entry = £5 per team (if required)
      • Singles Knockouts = £2 per player
      • Singles Plate knockouts = £2 per player
      • Doubles Knockout = £2 per player
      • 3 Man Knockout = £2 per player
      • Captains & Vice Captains cup Entry = £2 per player
  2. Should a team have monies overdue, then the whole team will be held responsible, those players may be at risk of being excluded from playing in the league until the debt is paid in full.
  3. Only fully paid up teams will be entitled to enter competitions/knockouts organised by the League.
  4. Each team will be expected to send a representative to the quarterly meetings and 2 representatives to vote at the AGM. All teams to supply a list of players for the current season, to the secretary.
  5. There will be no age restrictions for players imposed by the league, age restrictions will be down to individual venues and landlords, however should you have young players playing within your team you will be expected to supervise these players at all times.
  6. Yeovil Singles Money League fees apply to the above, should a player have outstanding fees the player will be suspended from ALL Yeovil Pool League activities until full payment has been paid.

Committee. 

  1. The committee shall have full authority to make any decision that, in their opinion is deemed necessary or beneficial to its members.
  2. The committee shall consist of 10 members, usually Chairman, League Secretary, Cup & Knockouts Secretary, Treasurer and 6 committee members, who will deal with the day to day running of the league with meetings of the full membership being called only when necessary.
  3. The committee will produce a newsletter outlining changes from committee meetings, which will be sent out to captains who subscribe via email. Also published on the league website.
  4. The committee will be able to appoint any member to fill any position that may occur during the year but that person will only be seconded into the position until the next AGM.
  5. The committee reserves the right to suspend, fine or expel any member or team for breach of these rules, or any rules that the committee makes at any future time, or for any act deemed by the committee to have brought the league into disrepute.
  6. Any team or individual accused of any offence against the league will be invited to attend a hearing where 3 selected panellists will hear their explanation of their conduct either in writing or in person, if they are unhappy with the verdict or the punishment, they may appeal within 14 days where a second panel of 3 will hear their case again.
  7. When any player is banned/suspended by the league, the Somerset County Pool Association will be informed so that they can update their records accordingly.
  8. When a player is banned/suspended by the league, then upon informing the Somerset County Pool Association, said player will be suspended from representing the league at any level.
  9. Any player/team expelled from the league will forfeit the whole or any fees paid for the current year, and any right or entitlement formerly accorded to them as members of the league.
  10. Separate and detailed Rules and Conditions should be available for each of the various competitions. Individual, Doubles, 3 Man and Team competitions/knockouts will receive trophies along with Divisional winners on presentation night.
  11. Any officers of the committee to have reasonable expenses given and paid at the treasurer’s discretion but subject to formal approval at the next committee meeting.
  12. All monies paid out, trophies awarded and entertainment supplied at presentation night will be at the committee’s discretion.

Captains Meetings and Attendance.

  1. Meetings are held on a Monday night every quater (3 months), this will be at the begining of a month except where that would fall on a bank holiday. Meetings will start at 19:45 and may continue until 20:15, meeting dates will be advertised on the fixtures.
  2. If a captain or representative fails to attend or contact a committee member before the meeting, 5 points will be deducted.
  3. Only fully paid up teams with no outstanding score cards will be eligible to miss captains meetings with no penalty, however should the committee require/advertise that all captains need to attend any meeting the above ruling may apply.

Match Results.

  1. These are to be enetered on RackEmApp by both teams, should this be not achievable due to Wi-Fi or technical issues then a paper score card can be submitted to the league secretary immediately following the match by the home team but must be signed by both captains.
  2. If a score card is used this must be returned to the League Secretary immediately following the match by the home team, failure will result in 1 penalty point per day to a maximum of 5 points, this can be done via email or a pictire text message.
  3. Late results will result in a point deduction for each day they are late, to a maximum of five points.
  4. If RackEmApp is unavailable score cards will be accepted by the league secretary, these can be downloaded form the "downloads" section of our main website.
  5. The committee reserve the right to award penalty points in response to extraordinary circumstances.

Cancellation Of League Matches.

  1. The first match of the season can not be cancelled by any team, matches after the final "Spare Week" can not be cancelled, teams are expected to attend these matches with any amount of players available.
  2. If a team gives at least 24 hour’s notice to both the opposing captain and the league in order to postpone a league match the match is considered ’postponed’.
    • The match will be played on an alternative day, if the cancelled match is in the first half of the season the match must be played on or before the mid-season "Spare Week", if the match is in the second half of the season the match must be played on or before the end of season "Spare Week".
    • If the above is not achieved then the committee will propose 2 dates for the match to be played, if a team is unwilling or unable to play with any amount of players available then a 15-0 win will be awarded to the team available to play.
  3. If a team gives less than 24 hour’s notice to the opposing captain, the opposing captain has the option to:
    • Agree to the postponement. The match is considered ‘postponed’, if the cancelled match is in the first half of the season the match must be played on or before the mid-season "Spare Week", if the match is in the second half of the season the match must be played on or before the end of season "Spare Week".
    • If the above is not achieved then the committee will propose 2 dates for the match to be played, if a team is unwilling or unable to play with any amount of players available then a 15-0 win will be awarded to the team available to play
    • This will result in the ‘postponing captain’ being penalized with a 10-point league deduction and the match must be re arranged as per rules 36 a. & 36 b.
    •  All matches must be completed on or before the final fixtured league match of the season (1 spare week will be added at the end of the first half of the season and at the end of the season which will be classed as fixtured weeks). If a team has matches outstanding beyond this point, the committee will look at the reasons matches have been cancelled and will decide the outcome (this could be match scores of between 0-0 & 15-0).
  4. In circumstances deemed ‘extreme’ (examples to include but not limited to the team car/minibus crashing on the way to the venue, the venue closing etc. etc.) the penalty for postponing may be waive by the committee.

Failing to Attend Cup/Knockout Matches.

  1. Penalty points may be awarded to a team if players/teams fail to attend their respective matches without informing the Cup & Knockout Secretary with at least 24 hour’s notice.
  2. Any player/players/teams that fail to attend (with or without notice) any competition from quarter-final stage onwards will be suspended from entering that competition for a period of 2 full seasons.
  3. Only players entered with their team captain and the leagues consent are eligible to enter and play in any league-affiliated competition.
  4. As from the 2016 season, Cup/Knockout matches cannot be re-arranged.
  5. Exceptional circumstances may apply which will be heard by the committee.

Signing On New Players.

  1. 3 new players can be signed on at league matches only.
  2. No new players can be signed on for cup matches, a result card must be produced for cup matches and forwarded to the Cup & Knockouts Secretary.

Transfers.

  1. A player may transfer to a different team as long as the following criteria has been met:-
  2. The League Secretary and the Treasurer must be informed 24 hours prior to the next fixtured match.
  3. A £1 transfer fee must be paid at the next captains meeting.
  4. Both captains MUST be informed by way of completion of the Player Transfer Form.
  5. The player may only transfer once per season.
  6. The transfer must be completed before the Sunday following the last match of the first half of the season.
  7. Player transfer forms will be required even in between seasons.
  8. Once the transfer is complete, the said player in question will only be allowed to participate in any cup/knockout matches as long as the player has not competed in an earlier round for the previous team. 

4. League Rules

  1. Entry will be open to all teams within a 10-mile radius of the centre of Yeovil.
  2. Each team may enter as many players as wanted, individual players may only represent 1 team at a time. Teams must include a team name and will be approved at the discretion of the committee. All captains must provide a venue, contact number, email address and venue contact number on the registration form.
    1. In addition, full players names (first and surname) to be submitted to the secretary either at first registration or on the new players first match played.
    2. This is to avoid the confusion if there are 2 players with the same initial and surname which has happened previously.
  3. Each team will only be allowed to register a maximum of 2 County A Team Players, tour or professional players, should a player become one of the above after registering for a team that player/team will not be penalised and the player may stay within that team.
    • Definitions of above players are as follows:
      • County A Player – A player who has been retained as an A team player within a county pool team during that season (not including Youth & Ladies).
      • Tour Player – A player who has played on a recognised tour either run or endorsed by the EPA, IPA or other recognised governing body and ranked in the top 100 players.
      • Professional – A player who has had an official professional ranking within the last 2 years.
      • The above categories will be at the committee’s discretion.
  4. New teams will be required to pay an entry fee of £10 for their first season, and there after league fees and any cup/knockout fees as the season progresses.
  5. Matches to be scheduled on Wednesday evenings. Some later rounds of cup matches may require players to play on another night to be arranged by the players.
  6. Matches start at 20:00 (except League rules which will start at 19:30, captains to be flexible with score card if players are unable to attend the earlier start time). Failure to attend on time will result in an automatic loss of the first frame. Following an automatic loss of the first frame, the second frame must start at 20:15. Following the second automatic loss of frame the third frame must start at 20:30. Following the third automatic loss of frame should the team fail to attend by 20:45 then all frames will be automatically claimed.
  7. All matches to be played strictly in accordance with the below rules. All division IR matches will be played strictly in accordance with the International Rules.
  8. Should 2 teams end the season in either a winning/runners up position or a relegation position and be on the same total points then the 2 teams will play a playoff. The play off will be played on a spare night decided by the committee and be to full league match rules for that particular division.
  9. Teams must attend matches with a minimum of 60% of a team required for a match.
  10. Shot clock rule removed wth effect from the 2024 season onwards.
  11. All divisions will see the Home team supply a referee for all frames within a match.
  12. Should a team be unable or unwilling to fulfil its obligation to complete the fixtures set for them by the league then the team in question will be removed from the league and any competions the team or players are entered, exceptional circumstances may apply to be ratified by the committee.
  13. The committee will include 2 "Spare Weeks" within the seasons fixtures, the first spare week will be at the mid season interval, the second "Spare Week" will be 1 or 2 matches before the end of the season, please refer to the Cancellation of League Matches with reference to the inclusion of the spare weeks.

4. Competition Rules

  1. All competitions (except the Internationa Rules Singles) will be played to the below League Playing Rules.
  2. All League singles and doubles competitions will only be played to a maximum of 3 frames.
  3. Should any World Rules teams/players be drawn against a League rules team, they MUST play League rules and League rules format.
  4. Entry to any of the competitions run by the league will only be accepted using the official forms provided and must be submitted by the league team captain or vice-captain by text, email or a printed version only.
  5. A selection committee may be used to select venues for all cup matches. If a venue / table is deemed not acceptable then it will be removed from all cup matches.
    • Cat 1 Singles Knockout
      • All byes to be in the first round only irrespective of number of entries, frame count to increase to 7+ frames through to the final starting from the 2022 season.
    • Cat 2 Singles Knockout
      • All byes to be in the first round only irrespective of number of entries, frame count to increase to 5+ frames through to the final starting from the 2022 season.
    • Doubles knockout
      • From the 2024-25 season, this will now be Scotch Doubles.
      • All byes to be in the first round only irrespective of number of entries
    • 3 Man Knockout
      • All byes to be in the first round only irrespective of number of entries
    • Over 50's Singles Knockout
      • New for the 2024-25 Season, to be played on an alternate night.
  6. Entry into the Singles, Doubles & 3 Man competitions will be made via the captains RackEmApp dashboard, it is the captains responsibility to ensure this process is completed correctly (i.e. entered & confirmed), once the draw has been completed no further entries will be accepted.

5. Banned Players

  1. Please note, any team found playing any of the below players will be subject to disciplinary action from the committee.
    • Kai Kirk
      • Lifetime Ban
    • Vince Cornish
      • Lifetime Ban
    • Bobby Fowler
      • 4 Match Ban – Beginning of 2014 Season
    • Bobby Fowler
      • 1 Year Ban – 2014 Season
    • Bobby Fowler
      • 24 Month Suspended Sentence 2016-17 & Banned form 2016 Presentation Night
    • Chris Samuel
      • 12 Month Suspended Sentence 2016 & Banned form 2016 Presentation Night
    • Steve Poole
      • 12 Month Suspended Sentence 2016 & Banned form 2016 Presentation Night
    • Bobby Fowler
      • 2 Year Ban from captaining a team
    • Connor Dockerty
      • 2017-18 Non-payment of money league fees until paid in full
    • Louis Welsh
      • 2017-18 Non-payment of money league fees until paid in full
    • Mi Team
      • 2017-2018 Team banned for non-payment of fees until paid in full
    • 5 Men & a Jamie Bane
      • 2017-2018 Team banned for non-payment of fees until paid in full
        • Luke Cousins
        • Mark Weymouth
        • Jay Bain
        • Josh Edmounds
        • Billy Brine
        • Chris Townsend
    • Mark Lock
      • 2021-22 Non-payment of money league fees until paid in full
    • Dan Vine
      • 2022 Non-payment of money league fees until paid in full

6. Presentation Night

  1. The venue for presentation night will be decided at the Annual General Meeting on a yearly basis.