Rules and Constitution
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  1. Constitution

    1. The League shall be governed by an Executive Committee consisting of the Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Tournament Secretary and three other members.

    2. The Officers and Committee shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting which shall be held before the end of April.

      Two representatives of each club shall be entitled to vote, but this does not prevent the attendance of more representatives of a club.

    3. The Executive Committee shall have power to co-opt other members for the purposes of arranging the Tournament Finals if necessary. A quorum shall consist of not less then four.

  2. Affiliation

    1. Membership of the League is open to any club whose courts are situated within a twenty-mile radius of Colchester Town Hall.

    2. The Affiliation Fee shall be £3.00 which includes entry into one team competition. Entry into additional team competitions is £3.00 per team.

    Any alteration in the fees or events shall be determined by the Annual General Meeting.

  3. Team Competitions

    1. Provided sufficient entries are received, the following Team Competitions will be arranged:

      1. Mixed Doubles
      2. Ladies' Doubles
      3. Men's Doubles

    2. All matches to be played under Lawn Tennis Association Rules.

    3. Each Team normally to consist of 3 pairs and each couple of one team must play the three opposing couples for 11 games. The Team gaining the greatest number of games shall be the winners and be awarded two points. Exceptionally, if agreed at the AGM, clubs may opt to send only 4 persons per team. In these cases, each team member shall play with each of their fellow team members, each set to be played against the exact opposite pairing. The match will therefore involve 66 games, 34 games or more gaining 2 points and 33 games resulting in a draw and earning 1 point each.

    4. Any couple not ready to play by half-an-hour after the due start time shall forfeit the first round, ie 11 games. Should any club have less than a full team, the unplayed games shall be conceded.

    5. Should any team member suffer an injury during a match, all unplayed games shall be conceded.

    6. If play is stopped by bad light or weather before one team has won at least 50 games if 3 pairs, or 34 games if 4-person teams, then the match shall be re-arranged.

    7. If one match cannot be played for reasons other than weather, and cannot be re-arranged, the non-offending side wins the game and is awarded 2 points. However, if two or more matches are missed, the offending club shall leave the League and their previous matches will be made void.

    8. Balls acceptable to both Captains shall be supplied by the Home team.

    9. All matches must be played between 1st May and 31st August on a date mutually agreed by both clubs.

    10. No member of any team can play for more than one club team in any one league within the Friendly League during the season.

    11. The Captain of the home team shall be responsible for completing the result card in detail, which should be countersigned by the visiting Captain and forwarded to the League Secretary within 3 days of the match being played.

    12. Clubs shall be placed in order of points awarded and, in the event of a tie on points, the position in the league shall be determined according to the club winning the highest percentage of games actually played.

  4. Individual Competitions

    1. Individual Events shall be arranged as follows:

      1. Men's Singles
      2. Ladies' Singles
      3. Mixed Doubles
      4. Men's Doubles
      5. Ladies' Doubles

      Junior Events (under 16)       Veteran Events (over 50)
      1. Girls' Singles
      2. Boys' Singles
      1. Men's Doubles
      2. Ladies' Doubles
      3. Mixed Doubles

    2. Entry Fees shall be £2.00 per person per event for the Senior Events, and £1.00 per person per event in the Junior Events.

    3. In any Individual Event, if there are only 3 entries, there will be a `round robin' with each individual or couple playing the other two. If there are only 2 entries, there will be no competition.

    4. In the Individual Events, the best of three sets shall be played.

    5. Competitors unable to play on the date of the Finals shall retire from the competition immediately this fact becomes known.

    6. The Home or first named player shall be responsible for arranging matches and providing the balls.

    7. The Winner of a match must advise the result to the Tournament Secretary as soon as possible.

  5. Trophies

    6. Where Trophies are given in either the Team or Individual Events, these shall be held by the Winners for one year only and remain the property of the League. They must be returned to the League Secretary when requested.

  6. Playing Standards

    7. The Friendly League exists to give players of a moderate standard a chance of competitive play and players who regularly play in the Premier Division or the First Division of the Colchester and District League are not eligible for either the Team or Individual Events.

  7. Alterations to Rules

    8. No alteration shall be made to the Rules except at the Annual General Meeting, or a Meeting especially convened for that purpose. Notice in writing of any resolution of any proposed alteration to these Rules must be forwarded to the League Secretary 14 clear days before such a meeting and he/she shall given notice of such resolutions in the same manner as the notice of the meeting.

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