NORTH SHORE LEAGUE MEN'S TEAM RULES
Last Revised August 2008

I. ORGANIZATION

A. The league consists of 4 divisions, A, A1, B and B1, each team consisting of 5 doubles teams.
B. All matches will be played on Saturdays between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 2 p.m. If two teams start their match late as a result of an earlier match that runs late, the two teams shall play only to the scheduled time allotment and not over. clarified 8/07
C. North Shore Women's League Rules serve as "blanket rules" which will cover any situations that are not covered in the Men's rules. clarified 8/07
D. Teams must be aligned according to strength. clarified 8/07

return to top

II. ELIGIBILITY

A. Women are not eligible to play in the men's league.

B. Players must be 19 years of age or graduated from high school and members or contract players of the club they represent. A junior 16-18 years old who wishes to play in the Men's A division may submit a letter of request to the North Shore League. Any junior that plays in the Men's A League will not be allowed to play in the Junior League. revised 5/14/03
Once deemed eligible by the league, the Men's Chairperson will contact the junior. No juniors are allowed in the Men's A1, B or B1 leagues.

C. Players may play team tennis for just one club the during league season. Once a player has played once for a club, he is a permanent player at that club. However, for example, a player may participate in the Men's A division at one club and Mixed Doubles at another club during the same league season.

D. Any player that has played for a team 4 times is considered a permanent member of that team and is not permitted to sub in a lower division or a division of the same level. revised 6/24/04

E. Substitutes are to be drawn from a sub list and not from a team of greater strength or from the same level.

F. Providing all are current club members, and are aligned according to strength, teaching pros and college students may play in the Men's North Shore League. added 8/07

G. Written request must precede a switch form one club to another. Only one switch per year will be allowed. The League Chairperson will consult with both clubs involved in the move and then render a decision. Players must wait for the decision from the League Chairperson before playing for the new club. clarified 6/24/04
H. 1 If a player is banned from playing in the NSL for any reason, then it is the responsibility of that player's club to enforce the banned status. new rule 11/04/05
2 Penalities for a banned player prticiapting in a a North Shore league match while still under suspension are as follows: new rule 3/10/06
a. All match postitions shall be defaulted. new rule 3/10/06
b. Ban shall be extended by 1 full year. new rule 3/10/06
c. $500 fine assessed to the club allowing banned player to represent them. new rule 3/10/06

return to top

III. MATCH DAYS AND TIMES

A. Matches will be played on Saturdays.

III. B. Men's matches will begin no earlier than 9:30 a.m. and conclude no later than 2:00 p.m. Clubs are responsible for making their exceptions known to the League Chairperson to allow the scheduling to be done accurately.

If two teams start their match late as a result of an earlier match that runs late, the two teams shall play only to the scheduled time allotment and not over.
C. The one and one-half hour time limit must be enforced. In a regular match, play will be continuous, until time expires.

C. EXCEPTION: Act of God Clause, if for instance the lighting fails during the match, that match will not be counted unless one set has been completed. There will be a make-up in any cases where less than one set has been completed.

D. A game in progress when time expires must be completed.

E. There will be no changing of sides by either team during a set while playing indoors with a time limit. Under extreme circumstances, such as wet courts, the third set, if needed, will be played with teams changing sides on odd games.

F. Extra time will not be allowed for a match with a late start when an earlier match runs over due to a tie-breaker. All teams should proceed with their warm-up on time despite the fact that an earlier match might still be involved in a tie-breaker.

G. A new game begins when the ball is contacted by the server's racquet on the first serve. clarified 3/11/99

return to top

IV. MATCH FORMAT AND SCORING

A. Prior to starting a match, the players should determine how it is to be made known that their time has expired. Players will go by the buzzer. If no buzzer exists, then the players will go by the nearest clock that is within sight.

B. Initial warm-up, including serves, is not to exceed ten minutes. Start of match begins at warm-up. There is no movement of positions after the start of the match. Serves are always to be practiced prior to the start of the match, this is not optional. clarified 8/07

C. The matches will consist of 2 out of 3 sets, no-ad, with a 9-point tie-breaker at 6-6.

D. Regarding individual matches, at the expiration of time, if match is incomplete, total games will determine the winner. All non-completed two-set matches should be determined by total games won. If total games are tied, a 9-point tie-breaker will be played, but that game will not be used to complete a set, but will be considered a game for all other purposes. Score example: 7-6, 5-6, 1-0(5-1) revised 5/20/99

E. During a tie-breaker, players do not change sides and the serving rotation will remain the same as it was throughout the match. clarified 6/22/2K
F. NA
G. Each match earns a single point for that team with a total of 5 points awarded, plus a point for a team win. Example: In Division B, team X wins 3 matches, team Y wins 2 matches. The final score will be recorded as 4-2, an extra point being awarded to the X for the most match wins.

H. Linespersons will not be provided for any North Shore League tennis match. added 6/5/96
IV. I. All team line-ups must be turned in simultaneously, prior to the start of the match. added 6/5/96

return to top

V. SCORE SHEETS


A. Score sheets are to have both first and last names of players, no initials.

B. A copy of the score sheet will be given to the visiting team captain, a copy is sent to the Men's League Scorekeeper and a copy is kept at the home team club. It is the responsibility of the home club to see that score sheets are postmarked within 7 days of the match or a $25.00 fine will be levied. revised 6/98

VI. DEFAULTS


A. Any teams more than 15 minutes late, but less than 30 minutes late for a league match will get a five-minute warm-up but will default the first four games of the set. The team that is on time will have their choice whether to serve or receive. If more than 30 minutes late, the team will lose the entire match by default and pay the entire court cost. If defaulted match is played, the court fee is waived.

B. If a team defaults prior to the start of a match, all teams move up one position.

C. If the default occurs during the warm-up, there will be no movement of positions. clarified 11/9/01

D. If play stops for more than 5 minutes due to an injury during either match play or warm-up, the team with the injury must default.

E. Teams must be aligned according to strength. All teams below a determined illegal team in the line-up will lose by default.

F. Default slips must be completed and postmarked within 7 days of the default. added 6/98

G. If a default occurs during a match, the completed game and set scores stand. When the default occurs the set in progress will be awarded to the non-defaulting team. If sets are split, the third set will be awarded to the non-defaulting team. Example: If team X wins the first set 6-4 and has to default in the second set at 2-2, team Y wins the match 4-6, 6-2, 6-0. A default in which no play occurs will be scored 6-0, 6-0. In a case where both teams default, no score will be recorded. If, as a result, the matches are tied, the tie will be broked by counting sets and the total games. If games are equal, the point will be split.

return to top

VII. PROTESTS


A. Any team protesting a match must:

1 Notify the captain of the opposing team within 72 hours of the match.
2 Submit a letter of protest, postmarked within 72 hours of the match, to the Men's League Chairperson.
3 Protests must be signed by author AND a manager, coach or tennis director of club in order for protest to be considered. added 5/14/03

VII. B. The opposing club has 72 hours to respond to the protest in writing to the Men's League Chairperson.

C. A decision regarding the protest will be made within two weeks.
D. A protest may be considered by the League Chairperson if new information has arisen after the expiration of the 72 hour time period. If the League Chairperson's club is involved in the protest, the Executive Committee may consider the protest.
E. Any team protesting a match must still complete the match.


VIII. SNOW DAYS


A. If either club does not want to play the match due to inclement weather, the match will be postponed and made up.

B. In all cases, the club that is cancelling must notify the other club immediately.

return to top

IX. MAKE-UP MATCHES


A. Make-up matches will be scheduled with individual arrangements on the designated day or another day agreed upon by both teams. If there is no other alternative, make-up matches must be scheduled using the first available vacation week from the date of the postponed match, including Christmas, February and April school vacation weeks.
B. Make-up matches for the first half of the season must be played prior to the start of the second half.

return to top

X. PLAY OFFS

A. League rules will apply to all play-off matches.

B. The top 4 teams in each Division qualify for the play-offs.

C. Players must play in a minimum of 6 matches during the season for one team to qualify for the play-offs for the team.

D. Playoff matches are at their regularly scheduled times with a two hour allowance for matches to be played. If a conflict at the home club exists because of more than one team at the home club being in the playoffs, the home club must notify the visiting club of the time change at least 5 days in advance of the match. The time change must be within league time parameters, which are a starting time no earlier than 9:30 a.m. and an ending no later than 3:30 p.m. Any situation which cannot be addressed by these provisions may be played outside the 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. parameters only with the League Chairperson's approval. revised 8/98

E. Schedule of Play:

1 1st place team plays 4th place team; 2nd place team plays 3rd place team.
2 Home team in all play-off matches will be the team that placed highest during regular season play.

3 At the end of the regular season, if teams are tied, play-off positions 1 through 4 will be determined by the following:

X. E. 3 a. When total points of individual matches are tied, the total of team match wins will be the next criteria. Example: If team X has won 25 matches and lost 1, them X wins over team Y who won 24 matches and lost 2 in the 26 week season.
b. When "a" above fails to separate the teams, a head-to-head comparison will be made of the regular season matches between team X and team Y. The team who won more matches, sets or games will be the winner.
c. In the case of teams being in 4th and 5th positions and still tied for a play-off position, there would be a play-off match for 4th position.
d. If a team defaults from a play-off position (1, 2, 3, or 4), them the 5th place team will be allowed to come in and play the 4th position.
e. Free practice time prior to match play is not permitted.

F. Play-off Match Format

1 Matches will consist of 2 out of 3 sets, no-ad scoring.
2 All matches are to be completed. There is no time limit during play-offs.
3 Each club having a play-off match should reserve two hours for these matches to be played.

4 Play-off matches will be played on the date pre-determined and not played on a make-up date.


G. Play-off Roster and Line-up Requirements

1 ROSTER: A list of all eligible players and subs for playoffs and the dates of at least 6 matches they played during the regular season. definition added 5/10/01

a Names must be typed or printed clearly and spelled correctly.
b Rosters are due to the league Scorekeeper and Chairperson, 10 days prior to the playoff match. revised 6/24/04

2 A fine of $50.00 will be levied against any club which does not adhere to items a and b above. The fine will be issued and applied through the Treasurer/Escrow Account. fine amt increased 5/10/01

3 LINE-UP: The list of eligible players, listed by position for the playoff match, starting with the first position. definition added 5/10/01

a Names must be typed or printed clearly and spelled correctly.
b Line-ups are due to the league Scorekeeper and Chairperson, 5 days prior to the semi-final match and again 5 days prior to the final match. revised 5/10/01
c Any last minute line-up changes must be phoned or faxed to the league chairperson or a defaulted match may result. added 5/10/01

X. G. 4 A fine of $50.00 will be levied against any club which does not adhere to items a, b, and c above. The fine will be issued and applied through the Treasurer/Escrow Account. fine amt increased 5/10/01
5 The line-up from the first play-off match to the second may change as long as all players are still aligned in order of strength, and all are eligible for play-off competition.

6 Each play-off team will receive a copy (or a call) of the line-up prior to the scheduled match.

Awards
1 The winning club is responsible for arranging for their own plaque. revised 6/24/2004

return to top

XI MISCELLANEOUS

A USTA Code of Conduct will be applied to any situation not covered in the North Shore League rules.

B. Any complaints will be made to respective team captains, who in turn will discuss them with the respective divisional coordinator.

C. Any physical contact between players involved in a North Shore League match, including racquet throwing, will result in the player or players involved being immediately suspended from all North Shore League play for an indefinite period of time.

D. The North Shore League is a NON-COACHING league. This means no hand signals or conversation with coaches or other players during match play. Any violation could result in a default.

E. Use of mobile phones during match play is prohibited. added 6/7/02
b Phones that go off once match has started, which is considered the start of warm-ups, will be a first offense and a loss of point for that team. added 5/14/03
c Second offense will result in a default for that doubles team and be scored as 6-0, 6-0. added 5/14/03
XII. CLUB ASSIGNMENTS FOR MEN'S TEAMS

Men's League Chairperson: Claudine Watson, Manchester
Men's League Scorekeeper: Dave Palumbo, Northeast
return to top