Rules

Teams

1.      At the Annual General Meeting each year, teams will present a written and signed application for Team membership of the league. Unless automatic renewal has been refused as a disciplinary measure, teams who held membership during the previous season will gain renewal automatically. New teams will be admitted to Team Membership of the league by a majority vote.

2.     Each team will appoint a captain who will recruit sufficient Individual Members to fulfill the teams fixture commitments. The team captain will collect the prescribed Individual Membership fee from each of their members and will hand that over to the League Treasurer either no later than the April meeting of the League or, if the member has been signed latter than the April meeting, then at the next meeting of the league. All Individual Members must sign the team sheet which is held by the team captain.

3.     Individual Members may transfer between teams during a season only with the consent of the League Management Committee.

4.     Life members of the League must sign for the team that they wish to play for but are not required to pay the Individual Membership fee.

5.     Each team will appoint a delegate to act as their spokesperson, and to vote on their behalf, at meetings of the league. The League Constitution requires that all teams are represented at League Meetings.

Competitions

6.     In each season the League will arrange a League and various knockout competitions as determined by the General Meetings. The Fixture Secretary will prepare a schedule of matches for each competition. The schedule will be submitted for approval to the League Management Committee following which a copy will be distributed to each member team.

7.     Each league match score will be the total of games won by each side. Two points towards the league will be awarded to the team that wins the match, with one point being awarded to each team if the final score is level. A separate competition will take place within each match involving table one. 

8.     At the end of the season the team which has accrued the most points in the league will be declared the league winner. In event of a tie then the winner will be determined by the number of games won. A runner-up will be determined on the same basis. Knockout competitions will be won by the entrant which remains undefeated.

9.     At the end of the season trophies will be presented to winners and runners-up as determined by the league management committee. The Open Pairs knockout competition will carry a cash prize based on the pool of money paid by the entrants.

Fixtures

10.     Only members who have paid their Individual Membership fee and have signed the team registration sheet are entitled to play in League and Knockout matches. The only exception is the Open Pairs Knockout competition where the players must have paid the entrance fee.

11.     All fixtures will be played in accordance with the fixture list issued by the League prior to the start of each season. Where a team is unable to fulfil a fixture on the scheduled date then it may be re-arranged with the mutual consent of both team captains. Any team wishing to re-arrange a fixture must seek consent a minimum of 48 hours prior to the scheduled match date.

12.     Rearranged matches will be reviewed at each league meeting. Where there is no progress towards playing the match the League Meeting will nominate a binding date.

13.     Any fixtures which are not completed seven days after the date of the last match week in that season will be forfeited.

14.     League matches will be contested by teams of eight players, playing as four pairs, with pairs being drawn for. Other team knockouts will be contested by teams of six players, playing as pairs, with the pairs being drawn for. The league pairs knockout will be contested by one pair from each team, the pair being nominated by the team captain. The Open Pairs knockout will be contested by pairs of players whom have chosen their own partner. The captains knockout will be contested by the team captains.

15.     When a team plays with less than the required number of players then any tables not played will be forfeited with a table score of 3-0.

16.     When a player in a pairs or captains match is unable to fulfill a fixture then a substitute will be allowed in any round of the competition. The substitute must not have played in the same competition in that season. In subsequent rounds of the competition either the original player or the substitute may play.

17.     The match night draw will take place at 8:30pm prompt with play commencing by 8:45pm. This may be varied by mutual consent of the team captains should unusual circumstances exist

18.     The team captains will be jointly responsible for ensuring that the match is played in accordance with league rules. Disputes will be resolved by the League Management Committee, and must be notified to the League Secretary in writing within seven days of the dispute taking place.

19.     The home team will provide sufficient sets of dominoes and pegboards for the number of tables being played. If any irregularities are discovered with the dominoes during play then all games played with the affected dominoes will be void and play must be restarted with a replacement set of dominoes.

20.     Unless the rules for a particular competition state otherwise, all tables will play the best of three games.

21.     The home team captain is responsible for notifying the League Fixture Secretary of the result of league matches by the Wednesday of the week following the match. For knockout matches the responsibility rests with the captain of the winning team or pair to submit the result card by the published closing date.

22.     The draw for all rounds of knockout matches will take place either at League Meetings or in the case of some knockout matches, in the room prior to the match.

23.     It is expected that comfort breaks will be taken between games so as not to disrupt the flow.

Conduct of games

24.     A game of dominoes will consist of one or more hands. All games will be scored on a 61 hole peg-board with each game going once round the board and finishing in the 61^st hole with an exact number of points. The team which reaches the 61^st hole first wins that game. Each pair will nominate one of its players to keep the score. Each pair will use two pegs. The front peg will show the teams current score. When adding points the rear-most peg will be moved past the front peg by the same number of holes that points have been scored. This peg will now become the front peg.

25.     At the start of each game the 28 dominoes are placed face down and are shuffled. A single domino draw is used to determine which player has the first drop.

26.     The dominoes are again shuffled face down by the player to the right of the player who has won the drop. The player who has won the drop draws their dominoes first, followed by the other players in turn going clockwise around the table. In team and pairs matches each player draws six dominoes whilst in a singles match each player draws nine. The remaining dominoes remain face down and are placed to one side. For subsequent hands the drop moves to the next player clockwise around the table.

27.     Whilst chatter is permitted, once the dominoes have been drawn, until that hand is completed, no conversation or action must take place, including talking in code, which can be construed as signalling to a partner the contents of a hand or which domino could be played.

28.     It is the responsibility of players to place or hold their dominoes in such a manner that they cannot be seen by the other players.

29.     The player whose drop it is places a domino of their choice face up on the table. Doubles (dominoes with the same number of spots on both ends) are placed at 90 degrees to the remainder of the run and the spots on both ends of the double domino count towards the score.

30.     If the total number of spots on the open ends of the run of dominoes is directly divisible by 3 or 5 then that player scores points equal to the divisor. If the total is directly divisible by both 3 and by 5 the player score points equal to the sum of the two divisors. A game cannot however be won directly on the drop.

31.     Provided the number of points scored do not take the front peg past the 61^st hole then the points scored are added to the peg-board otherwise they are discarded. Points scored must be added to the peg-board before the next player makes their play.

32.     Play passes to the next player clockwise round the table who plays a domino of their choice onto either of the open ends of the run of dominoes. The touching ends of adjacent dominoes must have the same number of spots. If they do not have a domino with the same number of spots to either open end then they must “knock” and play passes to the next player clockwise without score.

33.     Play continues in this manner until either one pair of players have reached the 61^st hole or have played all of their dominoes, or until none of the players round the table are able to go, at which point the hand is complete.

34.     At the conclusion of each hand all players must turn any remaining dominoes and all discarded dominoes face up so that all players are able to see those remaining.

35.     If a player plays a domino that does not match then that domino is removed from the row, is added to the discarded dominoes and that player scores minus eight points. Play then passes to the next player. Incorrect dominoes must be challenged before the next player has played otherwise the hand continues.

36.     If any player packs their dominoes part way through a hand they will be deemed to have forfeited their goes in that hand. If the pegs are pulled before any game is completed then the team pulling the pegs is deemed to have conceded that game and it is won by the opposing players.

Misconduct

37.     The following will be deemed to be misconduct:

(a)     A team failing to pay league fees in full by the April league meeting.

(b)     A team Captain failing to collect and pay to the Treasurer the Individual Member Fees of their players as detailed in Rule 2.

(c)     Failure of a team delegate to attend a league meeting without tendering apologies in advance.

(d)     Failure of a team to complete its scheduled fixtures in any season.

(e)     Failure of a team to turn up on a scheduled match night unless postponement of the fixture has been agreed with the opposing team captain.

(f)     Failure to submit a match result card by the closing date.

(g)    Signing or playing an Individual Member who has already played for another team during the current season without the consent of the League Management Committee.

(h)    Signing or playing an Individual Member who is the subject of a ban imposed by the League Management Committee.

(i)     Failure to pay a fine which has been imposed by the League Management Committee by the meeting following the imposition of the fine.

(j)     During play, deliberately knocking when able to play in order to create or deny a scoring opportunity.

(k)     Deliberately playing an incorrect domino in order to create or deny a scoring opportunity.

(l)      Whilst scoring, deliberately moving the pegs in the peg-board an incorrect number of holes.

(m)     Any deliberate attempt to see an opponents’ un-played dominoes.

(n)     Holding any conversation or performing any action which is intended to signal the presence or absence of particular dominoes, or which is intended to guide a partner to play a particular domino.

(o)     Interference from any third party, particularly if it reveals the contents of a hand or otherwise affects play.

(p)     Seeking to gain an unfair advantage over another team or players by any other means.

38.     Allegations of misconduct must be made to the League Secretary in writing within seven days of the alleged offence. All cases of misconduct will be dealt with by the League Management Committee whose decision will be final. When alleging misconduct members should bear in mind that the misconduct must be deliberate, and that as human beings we are all prone to genuine mistakes. 

Julie Shepherd

(Secretary).

Includes all amendments passed up to, and including, the 2008 E.G.M.