Constitution & Rules

BDPL Summer League Rules (Amended 21 May 2025)

Committee

1. Committee

· Chair/Treasurer - Phil Woolford

· Secretary - Phil Holmes

· Committee Member - Ben Minshull

· Committee Member - John Harding

League

2. Registration and player moves:

· Team registration is £90.

o Team registrations to be transferred directly to the nominated bank account within 1 week of league start.

o League points are awarded after the team registration payment is made.

· Players may move teams once per season provided;

o the transfer is on or before the half-way stage of the season and the captains of both teams agree, or

o the player played for a team that withdrew from the league.

3. Payment Information

· Contact: Mr P Woolford for account details.

4. League format:

· The league will comprise one division.

· Each team will play each other twice, home and away.

· League standings are ordered by most points then most frame wins. Where teams are tied at the end of the season, their frames head-to-head record is used to determine order.

5. Match format:

· Matches are 12 singles frames.

· International 8 Ball Pool rules apply (available at the top of this page) except –

o The 45-second shot clock is mandatory, unless both captains agree at the start of the match that they won’t use the shot clock for the whole of the match.

· Where a team wins the most frames in the match, they are awarded 2 league points.

· Where teams win an equal number of frames in the match, both teams are awarded 1 league point.

6. Number of players:

· Teams must have a minimum of 6 registered players. In matches where 6 or more players are available to the team, no player can play more than 2 singles frames. Using more than 6 players, with some players playing 1 singles frame is allowed.

· Where teams have fewer than 6 players available, players are nominated by the opposing Team Captain to occupy empty slots (rule 8). We will monitor use of this concession and intervene if teams try to use it unfairly.

7. Order of play and notifying scores:

· Scores are entered using the RackEmApp which determines the order of play

8. Nominations:

· Nominations are used to allow matches to be completed when a team has fewer than 6 players available.

· The opposing team captain nominates players from the available group to fill empty slots on the score sheet.

· Where there is more than one empty slot, nominations must be distributed as evenly as possible across the available group of players. For example, the opposing captain cannot nominate the same player to play 4 additional times.

· Nominations do not have to be made before play commences.

· Wins for the nominated player in nominated frames do not count toward most wins.

9. Substitutions:

· Substitutions are allowed.

· Substitutions are different from nominations (Rule 8).

· Substitutes can be drawn from players not already listed to play in 2 frames or when a player unexpectedly becomes available, even if they are not registered.

· Substitutions are used to fill empty slots that would otherwise be filled through nominations, even if the nomination has been made and listed on the sheet.

· Substitutions may also be used to fill the slots of players who do not turn up or who reasonably withdraw.

· Substitutions cannot be used by the home captain to give a player more than 2 frames per match.

· If a substitute becomes available after all frames have been played in one half, they may only be used as a substitute in 1 frame in the half where frames are outstanding.

· The opposing team captain has no input to the use of substitutions, except where a substitute replaces a player already nominated to fill an empty slot. In this case, the opposing team captain may review and change their nominations in any other empty slots in frames left to play.

10. Break:

· The break alternates as shown on the RackEmApp scorecard.

11. Refereeing & Timekeeping:

· The breaking team and non-breaking team each appoints a player to be referee and timekeeper for the frame as shown on the match score sheet.

o We recommend the timekeeper uses the EPA shot timer resource on the EPA website. If they use their own timer, they should call “5 seconds” and “time” as the timer reaches the 40 second and 45 second marks.

· World 8 Ball Pool calling procedures are used. These are available on the EPA website.

12. Start time and food:

· The first frame of each match must be started by 8:00pm.

· Providing food around the halfway point of each match in the Winter League is optional. It is the Captain’s responsibility to arrange food. They should not automatically assume the licensee will do it.

13. Notifying match results:

· Results are entered through the RackEmApp app.

14. Withdrawal from league:

· If a team withdraws from the league before completion before the 1^st half of the league’s fixtures have been completed, their completed matches will be voided.

· If a team withdraws after the 1^st half of the league’s fixtures have been completed, only the matches completed in the 2^nd half of the league will be voided.

15. Match postponement and completing fixtures:

· 24 hours’ notice must be given to the opposing Team Captain and the Secretary to postpone a match to allow for food arrangements etc. to be cancelled.

· Postponed matches must be rearranged. We will schedule a free week at the end of the season for this.

· Teams not fulfilling their fixtures may become ineligible for future leagues.

16. Pub bans:

· Players scheduled to play at venues they are barred from must contact the pub/bar to ensure it is OK for them to play before turning up.

· We anticipate licensees will allow reasonable access so frames can be played but we remind all players and teams that licensees are entitled to refuse entry or service.

Singles Knockout

17. Entry:

· Knockout entry is by registration with a £5 fee per player (£10 per doubles pair).

· Tuesday evenings will be set aside to allow the fixtures to be played on one night. The finals will be played on Presentation Night.

18. Playing arrangements:

· A coin toss or lag decides who breaks the first frame and the break alternates thereafter.

· Ties in rounds up to and including the semi‐finals are best of 3 frames.

· The final will be best of 5 frames.

· Doubles are Scotch doubles.

19. Notifying results:

· Results are notified using the RackEmApp app.

Most Wins Knockout

20. Entry:

· We will invite the top 16 singles players to a knockout competition at the end of the season.

· All wins are used to calculate most wins, except for wins by in frames where the player is nominated to play due to a shortage of players (Rule 8).

· The knockout draw will be seeded.

Captain's Responsibilities

24. The Team Captain is responsible for:

· Attending the AGM (or sending a representative) to enter their team and participate in any discussion on the league format.

· Encouraging their team to behave respectfully toward all involved in playing, hosting and running the league.

· Submitting their team registration payment. The convention is for licensees to fund the payment but it isn’t mandatory. Responsibility for collecting and making the payment lies with the team and its Captain (Rule 2).

· Collecting and submitting their team’s entries and subscriptions for the Singles knockout (Rule 17).

· Ensuring they are someone else in the team have access to the RackEmApp app and enter their team’s results.

· Postponing in a timely fashion (Rule 15).

· Ensuring their team fulfils its fixtures (Rule 15).

· Providing food at each match, usually through an arrangement with the licensee (Rule 12).