General

1.These By-laws are subject to alteration at any meeting of delegates. Any such alteration(s) shall not take effect in any current season and all clubs shall be notified of any such alteration(s) before the commencement of the next season.

2. Any question arising as to the interpretation or meaning of these By-laws shall be decided by the Match Committee and any situation, circumstance or dispute requiring a ruling other than those provided for by the By-laws shall be considered at a special or other meeting of the Match Committee and any such ruling shall be given to the party or parties at the earliest opportunity.

Entries

3. Teams shall be entered on the official entry form accompanied by the appropriate entry fee and shall contain a nominated list of players together with details of their previous competition experience as required by the entry form.

Grading of Teams

4. Teams will be graded according to the nominated list of regular players and the playing of emergencies, whether nominated on the official entry form, or later in the season, shall be subject to By-law 19.

Times for Matches

5. The time of starting of all matches shall be 7.00 p.m. unless otherwise stated on the fixture.

6. The time of finishing of all matches shall not be later than 11.30 p.m. unless both captains agree to a later time.

7(a) Play shall commence within five minutes of the starting time fixed by the Match Committee failing which the team in default shall forfeit to love the first set which was to be played.

(b) If a match is not commenced within twenty minutes of the starting time fixed by the Match Committee the team in default shall forfeit to love the first and second sets which were to have been played and a match not commenced within thirty five minutes of the starting time shall be forfeited by the team in default.

(c) A set not commenced within ten minutes of the completion of the previous set shall be forfeited to love by the team in default.

8. A team playing home at a Club with a curfew shall inform the Captain of the opposing team of the time of the curfew and the match shall be decided on the games won prior to the curfew time. To win the match a team must lead by a margin the trailing team could not have matched had there been no curfew.

Interrupted or Abandoned Matches

9. If, for any reason, a match is interrupted and completion of the match is required by the Match Committee, play shall be resumed from the point score reached prior to cessation of play.

10(a) A match may not be abandoned due to weather or other adverse conditions until forty-five minutes after the starting time set by the Match Committee unless both Captains agree to an earlier time.

(b) In the event of light failure the match shall be abandoned.

(c) A match shall be abandoned when the official Weather Bureau temperature is in excess of 35C unless both Captains agree to play.

Rules for Play

11. The rules of Lawn Tennis as adopted by Tennis Australia shall apply to all matches conducted by the North-Eastern Night Tennis Group.

12. Captains shall exchange lists of players and positions prior to the commencement of play.

13. Matches shall be played between teams of four players, together playing six sets of doubles in the following order: first and second players, third and fourth players, first and third players, second and fourth players, first and fourth players, second and third players. This order may be varied by mutual agreement between captains.

14. All sets shall be six games straight. Matches shall be won by the team winning the most games, but, if games be equal, the teams winning the greater number of sets shall win the match.

Team Points

15(a) Four points shall be scored by the winning team in each match, including matches won by default. Each team will also receive two points for each set won. Teams playing in a drawn match and teams playing an unfinished match (if neither team is in default) shall receive two points each, two points for each set won and one point for each unfinished set.

(b) Where two or more teams are equal on points their positions in the final four shall be decided by percentages. Such percentages shall be calculated from all games won and lost (including washouts) during the season except any games won by default.

Eligibility of Players

16(a) In any one season, except with the prior permission of the Match Committee (or in the event of a transfer, see By-law (b)) a person after having played three matches with a team shall not play with any other team in the same section, and, having played four matches in higher section, shall not play in a lower section.

(b) Having played for one club (or private team) during a season, a player must apply in writing to the match committee for a transfer in order to play for another club (or private team) during the same season. In the event that an application for transfer by a player during a season be approved no further application for transfer by the same player will be approved for the remainder of that season.

(c) Any application received by the match committee for transfer of a player during a season shall be referred to the transferor club (or private team) before such transfer is considered for approval.

17. In order to play in a preliminary final or final match with a team, a player must have played in at least five matches during the season with that team or any lower section team unless otherwise deemed by the Match Committee. In the event of a player not having played five matches during the season, prior approval must be obtained from the Match Committee before that player may play in any preliminary final or final match. For sections with less than eight teams the Match Committee may, at its discretion, reduce the number of matches played to qualify for finals.

18. A team shall forfeit to love all sets in which it was represented by a player not eligible to play therein.

Substitutes and Emergencies

19. Where persons other than those nominated as regular players with original team entries are used as substitutes and are deemed by the Match Committee to have strengthened the team then such players shall be deemed ineligible and that team shall forfeit all sets in which it was represented by such substitute(s).

20(a) Substitute players shall be indicated by the letter "E" beside their names on the scorecard and the opposing team shall be informed accordingly prior to play until such time as that substitute player has played three matches with that team.

(b) The competition record of any substitute player shall be listed on the scorecard for that player's first three matches for the season. Failure to do so will incur a penalty decided by the Match Committee.

21. A substitute player may, if eligible (see By-law 19), take the place of any player unable, because of illness or other emergency, to take part or continue any match. Should no substitute be ready to play when required, the games and sets not played shall be forfeited to love.

Balls

22. The home team shall provide at least four new balls per match.

23. Each competing team in a final or preliminary final match shall have available four new balls of approved make. If all balls are of the same make each team will supply two balls, if not, the make of balls used shall be decided by the toss of a coin unless some other agreement is reached by opposing Captains.

Protests

24. Protests must be lodged within 48 hours of the completion of the relevant match and the protesting captain shall sign the scorecard endorsed "UNDER PROTEST" and shall inform the opposing captain of the reason for the protest.

Results of Matches

25. Results for all home and away matches, including washouts, shall be submitted on the official NENTG scorecard. An incomplete or incorrectly filled in scorecard shall incur a minimum fine of $5 and each additional error or omission will incur a fine of $2, such fines(s) to be payable within thirty days of the date of its imposition.

26. Scorecards shall be posted by the winning team, or, in the event of a draw, by the home team, either of which will incur a penalty of six points if the scorecard is not received by Sunday midnight following the match (Friday midnight for last round matches) for the men's and women's competitions or Monday midnight following the match in the case of the mixed competition. In the event of a washout a signed list of players must still be provided by both teams and the home team shall post the scorecard.

27. For the men's and women's competitions the results of each last round home and away match and each preliminary final match shall be notified to the NENTG by the winning team, or, in the event of a draw, by the home team, by midnight on Thursday following the match. Points for the winning team (or in the case of a draw, the home team) of any last round home and away match, the result of which is not notified by Friday midnight, shall not be awarded in deciding the final four on the ladder.

Walk-Overs

28. Where a team gives a walk-over the opposing team shall be awarded the points for the match and the team in default shall incur a fine of $20, such fine to be payable within thirty days of its date of imposition.

Finals Matches

29(a) The order of play of preliminary finals matches shall be: first team vs. fourth team, second team vs. third team. The two winning teams shall contest the final match.

(b) The times and courts for the finals matches shall be determined by the Match Committee.

30. If, after completion of six sets in a preliminary final or final match, the games and sets won by each team be equal, then the match shall be decided by Nos. 2 and 3 players of one team playing Nos. 2 and 3 players of the opposing team in a 12-point tie-break game.

Dress

31. Proper tennis attire (tennis shirt, shorts or skirt and approved footwear) must be worn during play. Jeans and ripple soled footwear are not permitted.

Non-Payment of Fees

32. Any club or team failing to pay a fine by the prescribed time shall be liable to a further fine or such other penalty as determined by the Match Committee.