Farnham & District Billiards & Snooker League

Rules and Regulations

1.    Name and Objects

1.1  The name of the Farnham and District Billiards and Snooker League (hereinafter called “The League”).

1.2  The objective of the League shall be the promotion of the interests of the game of billiards and snooker by the
       organisation of league and knockout competitions.

1.3  For the purposes of determining eligibility for membership, the Farnham District shall be defined as comprising the
       area within approximately 12 miles of Farnham town centre, at the discretion of the Management Committee.
 

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2.    Membership of League

2.1  Application for membership of the League and participation in the competitions shall be considered from any club in
       the Farnham District possessing the necessary facilities for match play, subject if required, to a satisfactory report
       by an inspection sub-committee appointed by the Management Committee.

2.2  Admission to membership shall be by majority vote at the Annual General Meeting (hereinafter called “The AGM”).

2.3  Clubs may enter more than 1 team in either the Billiards and/or the Snooker League.

2.4  A fee shall be payable to the League, to be paid at the AGM, in respect of each separate billiards and snooker
       team, the amount of such fee to be determined at the preceding AGM. This fee will include the team and the
       players.

2.5  Team entries must be received by the League Secretary not later than 15 days before the date of the AGM.
 

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3.    Constitution of League and Divisions

3.1  The constitution of the League and the various Divisions shall be determined by the Management Committee.

3.2  Team promotion and relegation in League Divisions - Winners and runners up are promoted - bottom two teams
       are relegated. In the event at the end of the season that two or more teams have the same number of wins the
       number of drawn and lost frames will be taken into account – if these are all equal a play off will be arranged by the
       committee (this applies to promotion and relegation)
       Unless otherwise decided at the AGM, promotion between the divisions shall be on the basis of two teams going up
       and two teams going down.

3.3  Any new teams elected to the League will commence in the lowest division.

3.4  No division in the Snooker League shall consist of more than fourteen teams; in the Billiards League up to sixteen
       teams may be permitted at the discretion of the Management Committee.
 

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4.    Registration of Players

4.1  Names of all players taking part in League and other competitions shall be registered with the Results Secretary
       not later than two weeks of the start of the season, any team that fails to provide a list of registered players will only
       be allowed the players that are on the first two result cards. Subject to the provision of Rule 8.5, new players may
       be registered at any time during the season, such registration to be notified in writing to the Results Secretary
       accompanied by the appropriate fee, not less than seven days prior to their participation in any League
       competitions. Registered players must be bona-fide members of the club for whom they are registered and be
       certified by the Club Secretary or other authorised official.

4.2  A player may register to play billiards for one club and snooker for another club in that League for which he is
       specifically registered. The appropriate fee must be paid by both clubs.

4.3  For playing an unregistered player, the Management Committee may, at their discretion impose the following
       penalties.

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5.    Management of the League

5.1  The conduct of the League shall be the responsibility of a Management Committee, elected at the AGM, consisting
       of Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer (the Officers), together with up to seven other members.

5.2  The Management Committee shall meet as often as required during the year.

5.3  Four members having the power to vote shall constitute a quorum, providing that at least one of these shall be an
       officer.

5.4  In the event of a casual vacancy arising on the committee, the remaining members may co-opt a replacement for
       the remainder of the season.

5.5  Decisions of the Committee shall be by majority vote. All members of the Committee, with the exception of the
       Secretary, shall have the power to vote. In the event of a tie in any vote, the Chairman shall have a second and
       casting vote.

5.6  The Management Committee may nominate any one or more of their number to perform such specified duties or
       functions as they may determine from time to time, or set up a sub-Committee to consider and report on specific
       questions.

5.7  The Management Committee shall be responsible for:

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6.    League Finances

6.1  The Treasurer shall be responsible for the receipt and payment of all monies, subject to the approval of the
       Management Committee, the recording of same in books of account, and the preparation of the annual accounts.

6.2  The Annual Accounts shall be examined by an Honorary Auditor, elected at the AGM, and who shall not be an
       Officer of the League, or a member of the Management Committee.

6.3  The Committee may, if they think fit, raise monies by draws and raffles in order to supplement League Funds.

6.4  The Leagues bankers shall be the National Westminster Bank, The Borough. Farnham.

6.5  All cheques shall bear the signatures of two officers of the League, one of whom shall be the Treasurer.

6.6  The Committee shall be responsible for the placing of funds to the best advantage of the League.
 

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7.    Annual General Meeting

7.1  The Annual General Meeting shall be held on the Monday before the Presentation Night.

7.2  Each Club may appoint one delegate per registered team to represent them at the AGM, who will have the authority
       to express the views of their clubs and vote on any motion submitted in writing to the meeting. Names of delegates
       shall be notified to the Secretary, in writing, prior to the meeting.

7.3  Notice of the date and venue of the Meeting shall be circulated to member clubs not less than four weeks before
       the date. Clubs wishing to submit items or motions for inclusion in the Agenda must do so, in writing, not less than
       two weeks before the Meeting.

7.4  The Agenda for the AGM shall be circulated to member clubs not less than seven days before the Meeting.

7.5  Proposals to amend these rules must be made in accordance with Rule 7.3, and shall be included in the Agenda.
       Only in exceptional circumstances will proposals, not previously submitted, be accepted by the Chairman.
 

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8.    Transfer of Players

8.1  A player may be transferred to another team in a higher division for two weeks only within the same club. After two
       weeks, he will be deemed to be attached to the higher side; no player may move from a higher side to a lower
       division without a two match break.

8.2  A player may be transferred to another team in the same division from within the same club, but he may not return
       to the original without a two week break.

8.3  No player may transfer to another team within the last four weeks of the League season.

8.4  No player may play for more than one team within one week.

8.5  A player wishing to transfer from one club to another must be registered by his new club not less than fourteen
       days before it is intended to play him, during which time he may not play for either club.

8.6  At the discretion of the Management Committee, an entire team from one member club to another without loss of
       position.

8.7  No professional players are permitted to play league matches in the game for which they are a registered as a
       professional.
 

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9.    Discipline and Complaints

9.1  Complaints concerning the conduct of any club, team or registered player, or the failure to comply with any rules
       shall be made in writing, within seven days to the Secretary, who shall make arrangements for the complaint to be
       considered in accordance with Rule 5.7(3).

9.2  The Committee may, after consideration of any complaint, impose any one or more of the following penalties as
       they think appropriate.

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10.    General Match Regulations

10.1  Play should commence as near possible 7.45 pm. but no later than 8.15 pm. At the conclusion of each, the next
         pair must be available to play. If no player from one team has arrived by 8.15 pm. that team shall forfeit the first
         game, and thereafter, one subsequent game until such time as a player or players do arrive. If no players from
         one team have arrived by 9.00 pm., all four points shall be awarded to the opposing team.

10.2  Opposing pairs shall be decided by drawing lots.

10.3  Order of play shall be decided by the visiting team.

10.4  Members of the home team shall act as referees, and members of the visiting team shall act as markers.

10.5  All games shall be played in accordance with the rules as laid down, and amended from time to time, by the
         WPB & SA.

10.6  Scoring in League Matches shall be on the basis of one point for each winner.

10.7  In the Billiards League, the team will consist of three players with the winner of each game being the first player to
         reach or pass 150 points, one point awarded for each 50 points scored. In the Snooker League, each pair shall
         play one frame. All matches must be played to the finish.

10.8  The result of the match may be reported by Email or web page www.fdbsl.co.uk – or by post.
         Results cards must be returned to the Results Secretary by no later than seven days after the date of the match.
         In the event of no card being received by the end of this period, the result shall be entered as a 2 - 2 draw in the
         Snooker League and 7 - 7 in the Billiards League, and this result shall stand, unless evidence of extenuating
         circumstances giving rise to the failure is produced to the satisfaction of the Management Committee.

10.9  The captain of the winning team will be responsible to report the result – if a draw the home team captain is
         responsible.
         The captain of the winning team in a match, or, in the event of a draw, the captain of the home team, is
         responsible for ensuring that the card is submitted in accordance with Rule 10.8. This responsibility cannot be
         delegated to another person. Cards must be submitted for all matches. The Committee may impose penalties
         on teams persistently failing to observe this rule.

10.10 Both captains will be issued with a results card that will be signed by both captains – both captains will keep the
          card for reference until the end of the season.
          Any team unable to fulfil a League fixture must give notice of postponement to the nominated delegate or
          correspondent of the opposing club by no later than 10.00 pm. of the evening prior to the scheduled date. Failure
          to give the required notice will result in forfeiture of maximum points to the opposing team. Matches postponed in
          accordance with this rule must be rearranged  to be played within four weeks of their original fixture date;
          matches remaining unplayed within four weeks of their fixture date shall be entered at the end of the season as
          0 - 0 draws. The Management Committee, at their discretion, extend the time limit for the re-arrangement of such
          matches.

10.11 DO NOT POST THE CARDS The result cards WILL NOT HAVE STAMPS PROVIDED – If E-Mail or WEB is not
          used, the Captain MUST ensure the correct postage stamp is applied to the card or letter – Cards WILL NOT be
          collected from the post office if unstamped, and will be recorded as No Card Received - NCR Match Draw.
          Notification of postponement of a fixture must be submitted in writing to the Results Secretary by both teams
          concerned, within the time scale laid down in Rule 10.8, failure which, action as specified in that rule will be
          instituted. Dates of rearranged matches must be notified in writing to the Results Secretary not less than
          24 hours before they are due to be played.

10.12 Where a team includes players who may be prohibited from playing in an opposing club, by virtue of provisions in
          that club’s rules (e.g. female or junior players), mutual agreement must be reached between the two teams
          concerned for the fulfilment of any fixture where such rules may adversely affect a visiting team. Such agreement
          must be reached not less than seven days before the date of the fixture, and the match must be played by no
          later than seven days after that date. Details of any change to the date and/or venue must be notified in writing to
          the Results Secretary at least three days before the due date. It will be the responsibility of teams who may be
          affected by such local rules to identify, in advance, those clubs where problems may arise. Provided that the
          provisions of this rule are complied with, no home team may claim advantage by virtue of in-house rules.

 

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11.    Competition Regulations

11.1  The Management Committee shall set up a Competitions sub-Committee to organise and run the annual Billiards
         and Snooker Championships and when possible the Presidents Trophy, the Youth Tournament and such other
         events as they may decide from time to time.

11.2  The basis on which such competitions are run shall be determined by the Management Committee.

11.3  All competitions are free for any Billiard or Snooker team player who is registered in the League.

11.4  No professional player may take part in any competitions.

11.5  All competition details will be sent to the relevant team captains who will then inform those players wishing to take
         part.

11.6  The draw for each round of all championship competitions shall be made and issued by the Competitions
         sub-Committee, and a completion date shall be specified for each round.

11.7  The player or pair drawn at home shall be responsible for contacting the away player(s) to arrange the date and
         time for the match to be played. Should the home player(s) have made no attempt to arrange the match by date
         two weeks before the closing date of the round, home advantage will then pass to the away player(s). Any
         difficulty in contacting opponents must be reported to the Competitions Secretary before the closing date of that
         round.

11.8  Matches must be played by the specified closing date, and the result card received by the Competitions Secretary
         within 48 hours of that date, failing which both players or pairs may be eliminated from the competition.

11.9  It shall be the responsibility of the winner of each match to notify the Competitions Secretary of the result on the
         card supplied.

11.10 Semi-final and Final matches will be played on neutral tables on dates to be determined by the Competitions
          sub-Committee.

11.11 Each match must be controlled by a referee acceptable to both players. For semi-final and final matches, referees
          will be appointed by the Competitions sub-Committee.

11.12 In the event of any dispute arising, the facts shall be considered by the Competitions sub-Committee, and their
          decision shall be final.

11.13 Any queries must be directed to the Competitions Secretary.
 

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12.    Individual Competitions

     1) Billiards
         All matches up to and including the quarter finals shall be 150 up, the semi-final 200 up and the final 250 up.

     2) Individual Snooker Championships
         All matches up to and including the semi finals shall be the best of 3 frames. The final shall be the best of 5
         frames.

     3) Snooker Pairs Championships
         All matches shall be the best of 3 frames.
 

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13.    Team Handicap Regulations

13.1  All teams playing in the Billiards and Snooker League shall be entered automatically in the appropriate
         competition.

13.2  Team Handicaps and the draw for each round shall be determined by the Competitions sub-Committee.

13.3  Matches must be played by the stated date each week, and the results telephoned by the following evening to the
         Competitions Secretary (or nominated person), confirmed by submission of the results cards within 3 days.

13.4  Semi-final and final matches will be played at neutral venues to be arranged by the Competitions sub-Committee.

13.5  Matches shall be refereed and marked on the same basis as for league matches, except that the semi-final and
         final, officials will be appointed by the Competition Secretary.
 

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14.    Team Snooker Handicaps

14.1  Team handicaps shall be marked on the score board at the start of each frame.

14.2  Each frame must be played until the black ball is potted; in the event of a tie in any frame, the black shall be
         re-spotted in accordance with rule 4(a-c) of section 3 of the Rules of Snooker.

14.3  Each match shall be decided on the number of frames won, but, in the event of a 2-2 draw, the winners shall be
         the team scoring the higher aggregate of points, including handicaps. Should a match end in a 2-2 draw and a tie
         on aggregate points, the last pair to play shall replay the black ball, which shall be re-spotted in accordance with
         rule 4(a-c) of section 3 of the Rules of Snooker.
 

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15.    Team Billiards Handicaps

15.1  “Receive” handicaps shall be marked on the scoreboard at the start of each game. “Owe” handicaps must be
         played off first; the scoreboard returned to zero before the player starts to score the 150 points.

15.2  In the event of a draw, the winners shall be the team scoring the higher aggregate of points. For the purpose of
         determining aggregate points, “owe” handicaps shall be ignored. Should a match end in a draw and a tie on
         aggregate points, the last pair shall play a further 50 points; the handicaps to be halved with fractions rounded up
         to next whole number.
 

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16.    Trophies

16.1  Trophies shall be awarded as determined from time to time by the Management Committee.

16.2  Team trophies and the individual challenge cups shall remain the property of the league and may not be won
         outright.

16.3  It shall be the responsibility of clubs or individuals holding trophies belonging to the League to return them to the
         Secretary not less than four weeks prior to the date of the Annual Presentation Night.
 

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