SBU North District

Teams Of Eight Leagues - Rules

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Last Updated on Saturday, 22 October 2011 15:41

Divisions

No division within the league shall contain more than 8 teams. No division will contain more teams than the division above. There can never be a difference of more than one team between the divisions. At the end of each season the bottom two teams shall be relegated from any division containing 7 or 8 teams and the top 2 teams promoted from the division below regardless of how many teams it contains. In divisions with 6 or fewer teams only the bottom team will be relegated and the top team promoted from the division beneath. (Promotion does not apply to the Champions of Division 1, nor does relegation apply in the bottom Division) If, however, the League needs to be re-structured prior to the start of a season due to teams entering or withdrawing, it may not be possible to apply the above rules. In that case the District Council will decide the composition of each division by following the above rules as closely as possible.

Teams

All teams must be from clubs who are members of the Scottish Bridge Union.

It is generally assumed that a team that played in the leagues the previous season wishes to do so again unless they inform the Convener otherwise. Such teams will have the necessary information and documents sent to the Captain in August. It is desirable that teams that do not wish to continue inform the Convener before this time.

Any SBU affiliated club may enter a new team simply by informing the Convener. The Convener will need to know the Captain’s contact details for administrative purposes.

All teams must have a pool of at least ten players from the club membership. The membership of this pool should be given to the Convener at the Team Captain’s meeting. The Convener may, by discretion, allow a team with a pool of 8 or 9 players to enter, provided that the team in question can satisfactorily convince the Convener that they shall be able to fulfil their fixtures. If a club finds that they have more than 23 players available for one team, they should consider entering more than one team. A player may only be a member of one team pool.

For eligibility to use a player from out-with the team pool for any given match, see Substitutions. 

Substitutions

If a Captain is unable to field 8 players from the team pool for any given match, it is permissible to find a substitute in order to fulfil the fixture. This is subject to the following criteria:

1.       The player is a member of the club whose team they are substituting for.

2.       The player has not played, and will not play, for any team in the same division.

Further Conditions apply as follows:

-          A player may substitute for a team in a HIGHER division than their own team; on condition they do not substitute for the same team more than twice during the season.

-          If the player is not a member of any team pool, they must be added to the pool of the team they are playing for.

-          If the substitute player is playing in a LOWER division than the one in which their own team plays, they may not play for the team they are substituting for again that season, and nor may any player from the pool of the substitute player’s own team.

** Terminology: A player’s own team is the team whose pool that player is in.

Fixtures

Team Captains or their representatives will meet on the last Friday in August each year to arrange matches. (7pm at Aberdeen Bridge Club) If a Captain feels that their team have certain requirements, for example, preference to play Home matches nearer the start of the season, or to avoid long journeys if possible, the Captain should fully notify the Convener at least 2 weeks prior to the meeting. At the Captain’s meeting, the Captain will assign a month in which each match is to be played. Team Captains will then have until 30th September to agree the actual dates on which matches will be played and notify the convener, in writing. The entry of £10 is also due at this time.

Team Captains may move a match from its assigned month to a vacant month. Notification of a match played in September must be made to the Convener, in writing, at least one week prior to the match.

Note: Matches between teams from the same club are generally scheduled as early as possible. Such matches should only ever be moved to a later date than the assigned month if there is no alternative.

After 30th September, team Captains may agree to re-schedule a match provided it is played within the assigned month and the convener is notified in writing at least 14 days in advance. If a team, however, requests a postponement within 14 days of the declared date then that team will incur a two point penalty. Similarly, re-scheduling of a match within one week of the declared date will incur a five point penalty. These penalties will be automatic but an appeal may be made to the Convener if a team feels that extenuating circumstances apply e.g. severe weather conditions. (An appeal against the Convener’s ruling may be made to the Appeals Committee). All attempts should be made to find an alternative date to replay a cancelled match (it may require playing a match in a different and/or non-vacant month; this is permissible). In the event that this proves to be impossible, it will be treated as an abandoned match (see Matches below). In the event of a team being financially disadvantaged by the late cancellation of a match by its opponents then that team may be entitled to compensation from its opponents.

All matches must be completed by the end of April. If a team has failed to fulfil at least half its fixtures, that team’s results are expunged and their score for the season is 0. In the event that more than one team fails to fulfil at least half their respective matches, the above applies, with the proviso that the result of any match between those teams shall stand.

Home Captain’s Responsibilities

Home Captains must confirm matches and catering arrangements with the appropriate Steward or third party. Where a room is shared, matches must start at the same time. Failing agreement, these matches will start at 7pm. The Home Captain must ensure the Away team is fully aware of the venue and if necessary how to get there. Failure of this responsibility may negate any claim that the Away team arrive late. Fully informing the Away Captain is usually deemed sufficient. It is the Home Captain’s job to ensure all equipment (bidding boxes, boards, cover cards etc) is provided.

Home Captains are responsible for returning the completed and signed Match Result Sheet and for providing a copy of the current laws of duplicate bridge and the SBU rule book for competitions. It is desirable that every player should carry a completed convention card. Players who do not do so may find dubious points about their system go against them.

The completed and signed Match Result Sheet must be sent to the convener, no later than one week after the match date. Late submittal of match results will incur a one point penalty per week, or part thereof. Date of postmark is accepted as date of submittal.

Matches

Matches are played in 4 rounds of 6 boards; 24 boards in total.

The Home team have a North-South pair at Tables 2 and 4 in each round. The Away players play each round at the same table; the Home players move after each round in rotation. Therefore, a pair shall play one round against each of the opposing four pairs throughout the course of the match. Each of the four tables play the same six boards per round.

 At the end of the round, pairs should agree the aggregate result for the table, before giving their score (plus x, minus x, or zero) to their team’s scorekeeper. (The Captain is usually the scorekeeper but this is not necessary). The Captains/ scorekeepers will calculate the total aggregate score (the sum of their team’s four aggregate scores) for the round. The running aggregate total shall be kept throughout the match. At the end of the match, the difference in aggregate is converted to a VP score using the scale provided on the Match Result Sheet.

Abandonment of a match:

If a team fails to produce the full complement of players and the match is subsequently abandoned, the non-offending team will be awarded a score of 12 VPs, or their average in the other matches, or the converse score of the offending team (whichever is higher). The offending team will be awarded a maximum of 8 VPs, or their average in other matches, or the converse of the non-offending team (whichever is lower).

Late Arrival

If only one table is affected, the non-offending team will decide which of their pairs will sit at the incomplete table. After 7 minutes, Board 1 will not be played at that table; the score awarded to the non-offending side will be the average from the other 3 tables +120 points. After 14 minutes Board 2 will not be played and after 21 minutes Board 3 will not be played, similar scores being awarded in each case. After 28 minutes the match will be abandoned. Note it is permissible for the teams to agree that the start time is shifted backwards to cater for unforeseen delays (for example, unexpected heavy traffic). If a whole team is at the venue but not seated, they are not considered to be late unless they do not take to their seats when requested after the start time.

If two tables are affected the match will start as a Team of Four, the non-offending team having seating rights. The non-offending team will be awarded 240 points (above the board average) for each 7 minute delay, appropriate boards being withdrawn from play. After 28 minutes the match will be abandoned.

Rulings

In the event that an issue arises which requires a Director’s ruling, it is preferable to find an appropriate Director that is not playing in, and impartial to, the match. (For example, someone from another match or competition in the same building) The appropriate Director shall be able to refer to the Laws of Duplicate Bridge/SBU rulebook.  If it is not possible, the Captains should agree on the ruling to be given in accordance with the Laws. In the event that the Captains cannot agree, they should either phone a qualified Director (such as the Convener), or agree a result in the immediate term (the average of the other 3 tables if this proves difficult) and send full details of the issue to the Convener. (In all cases of a Director ruling there is the right to an Appeals Committee).

The Convener has the right and responsibility to make any decision in accordance with and over-riding these rules in order to ensure the smooth running of the Teams of 8 Leagues. The Convener is the point of contact for any queries regarding the Teams of 8. The current Convener is Alisdair McLeod, who can be contacted on 01224 703230 or by email: alisdair.mcleod(at)btinternet.com

A run through of the changes...

There are now 3 pages (two sheets), which means the rules are less condensed; more room for clarification

Divisions – no changes of note. 

Teams – New section on teams’ desire to enter.

  • New rule on the minimum numbers in team pools to try and ensure teams fulfil their fixtures but also to encourage as many teams as we should have.
  • A note referring to Substitutions

New Substitutions Section

  • Keeping two of the old rules, but re-wording the “same division” rule to close a loophole (technically, under the current rules, a player might sub for a team in their own division if they haven’t played a match for their own team yet)
  • Dividing to further conditions for extra clarity
  • New rules are liberal on players playing in a higher division than their own team, but restrictive on playing down (banning it completely would be an unfair disadvantage to teams in the bottom division)
  • What matters in eligibility on a player from a higher league is whether the team needing the substitute has called in a sub from a higher division before, not how many games for a completely different team that player has played

New Fixtures Section

  • Part of the old “matches” section is in here as it seems to be about fixtures
  • Time and Venue of the Captain’s meeting included in brackets
  • Proviso for special requirements
  • A note on the desire to have club “derbies” played as early as possible
  • Inclusion of the rule on a team not fulfilling its fixtures

Home Captain’s Responsibilities

  • For avoidance of doubt; the inclusion of responsibilities to the away team and equipment etc; a note on the Convention Card

Matches

  • New section explaining the format of matches (especially helpful for new teams)
  • Rulings on Lateness/ Abandonment in this section and slightly reworded

Rulings

  • A new section; explaining (in accordance with SBU guidelines) the procedure for Director rulings.
  • A paragraph on the role of the Convener and contact details