Reading Royals Darts League

Updated Rules 2017

INDEX

The League

Equipment

The Teams

Format of Play

Playing the Game

Scoring

Competitions

Presentation Night

The Committee

Amended Rules are highlighted in Red.

1. THE LEAGUE

The League is open to all houses within a 7-mile radius of Reading accepting the rules and decisions made by the Committee.
The Committee’s decision is final in ALL matters.
All new teams will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis. Once a predetermined number of divisions have been filled, all subsequent entries will be put on a waiting list until another FULL division can be made.
One fee is payable per team and £1 per player. A new team to the League will be given a 50% discount on their first season’s fees. All team fees MUST to be paid at the time of registration or the team entry may be withdrawn.
Entry forms MUST be FULLY COMPLETED with ALL requested details supplied – including Captain’s and Secretary’s name and contact number together with winning options. ALL team players must sign the Entry Form themselves.
If a team withdraws before the season has started all fees will be retained by the league.
All fees MUST accompany the completed entry form and paid either by cash or with a cheque made payable to "The Reading Royals Dart League”. All entries must be posted or hand delivered to Results Secretary. Alternatively e-mail the entry forms to League Secretary and pay the fees by automated bank transfer (Sort Code: 60-17-21; Account Number: 76835758) but ensure you put the full team name inc “A” or “B” in the reference.
If a cheque is not honoured, the signatory will be responsible for immediate payment in cash.
Presentation Nights will be held at the end of each Season (March & October). (see Rule 8.1)
Each team should send one representative to the AGM held during the Summer Season. It is the player’s forum and an opportunity to voice opinions on the running of the League and EACH TEAM should be represented by at least one member of the team. Each team may cast one vote per issue.
The minimum age for dart players is 14 (Note Rule 3.7). No persons under 14 are permitted at Competitions or on Presentation Nights.

2. EQUIPMENT

All boards to be standard BDO type. The board is to hang 5’6” to 5’8” from the floor to the centre of the bull. The throw to be 7’9¾” in plumb line across the face of the board and measuring along the floor and not from the bull to the back of the oche line.
The oche should measure 2’ wide, clearly marked and preferably not raised. If there is a raised oche bar, any resulting litigation following a fall of a player over a raised oche bar will be entirely the responsibility of the licensee.
Dartboards must be in good condition.
The lighting on the dartboards must be bright enough to see the board clearly.
Electronic scoreboards (which should show at least the last score) may be used if BOTH captains agree at the beginning of the evening. However, chalkboards MUST be available should the Visiting Captain is not agreeable to using the scoring machine. Chalkboards must be in good condition and legible.

3. TEAMS

Each team to consist of a minimum of 6 players. Only ladies may play on Thursdays in the Ladies League; however, ladies may be signed on for the Men’s League on Tuesdays. A Men’s team may sign on as many ladies as they wish BUT no more than two ladies may play on any one night. Each team may sign on as many players as they wish and Captains may use different players in the singles and doubles (and trebles for the ladies) as long as they are signed on.
No player may play for more than one ladies team or one men’s team in this League. Ladies may play for a men’s team and a lady’s team. The only exception is the Licensee (Note Rule 3.5)
Late sign-ons may be accepted at the Committee’s discretion after the season has started. Signing on extra player(s) on a match night to avoid having to cancel the game is permitted as long as they are NOT County or Superleague players. All requests (both men & ladies) must go to a Committee Member (up to 8pm on the match night) who will then confirm the details with the Results Secretary the following day. The new player should sign and print their names on the back of the result card, the initials of the Committee Member they spoke to and £2 per player MUST accompany the request.
All transfer applications must be made in writing and signed by the prospective player and forwarded to the Results Secretary with a fee of £2.
Licensees must be signed on for one team in their house if they wish to play. If there is more than one team, the licensee may play for the other teams if they are short. If the licensee signs on for another house, they may only play for that team.
Only two super-league or two county players or one of each may sign on in any Ladies team. The Men’s Team may only sign on two county payers but there is no restriction on how many Superleague players may sign on and play. Players should not have played super-league or county for at least 3 seasons. Any team found to be breaching this rule would immediately be disqualified. [CLARRIFICATION NOTE: County Payers refer to Senior County Players not County Youth]
The minimum age for players is 14. However, team captains are to be responsible for young players and must notify the away licensee to ask their permission for a 14-18 year old player to enter their public house.
In the event of protest, a letter must be written to the League Committee within 3 days of the offence and sent to the Results Secretary.
Excessive use of mobiles is not permitted. During a game, Players should not use mobile phones unless it is an emergency.

4. FORMAT OF PLAY

The Men’s matches are to be played on Tuesdays and the Ladies on Thursdays.
Each team to play on a home and away basis.
Only where exceptional circumstances arise can a match be altered. Exceptional circumstances do not include matches with other Leagues.
If a match has to be postponed the Results Secretary and the pub/captain must be informed before 2pm on the day of the match. This ensures the Results Secretary (who should have all captain’s and secretary’s phone numbers on the team entry forms) is fully aware of the situation and able to give out the relevant numbers if necessary. This is also confirmation of what has happened, should any dispute arise. If it is after 2pm the other team will be able to claim the points unless they are prepared to rearrange the match. The other team should then offer 3 dates and they MUST inform the Results Secretary IMMEDIATELY as well.
The Committee will record all cancellations and postponements. They intend to regulate the team’s performance and after two consecutive cancellations, the team will automatically loose the points on the third or any subsequent cancellations.
The rearranged match should be played within 28 days on a mutual date. There are catch-up weeks/turnaround weeks built into the programme to help with this. All matches MUST be played before the last match of the season or the points will be claimed by the other team.
The minimum number of players required for a match is 4. If a team is short of players, see Rules 6.12, 6.13 and 6.14.
The draw should be done at 8.30pm for the match to start as soon as possible after that.
If a team is going to be late, they MUST keep their opponents informed of any delay and their efforts to rectify the situation. For each unexplained 15 minutes after 8.30pm, the waiting team will get a game point.
Format of play: LADIES: 6 singles (one game of 501 up), 3 doubles (one game of 601 up) and 2 trebles (one game of 801 up). MEN: 6 singles games - best of three (501 up) and 3 doubles - best of three (601 up).
Best of order is required at all times during the games. No prompting or barracking is allowed.
Dogs must be kept away from the oche and not interfere with the match.

5. PLAYING THE GAME

All games to start straight in and finish on a double. The bull counts as double 25.
The players must toe the 7’9 ¾” oche and not go over.
The Ladies singles games should start with the away player for the first game, the second singles game will start with the home player, and the third game will start with the away player and so on.
The Men’s singles games should start with the away player, home player, and toss for the third game (should it go to three games). The second singles game will start with the home player, and the third game will start with the away player and so on as in a normal match. If one player wins the first and second game, it is not necessary to play the third game.
A competent chalker to be provided by the home team and a competent caller from the visiting team.
The bust rule applies.
The score is judged to be the point of entry of the dart and not the tip of the dart.
Any dart, which, in the opinion of the chalker, is thrown illegally, will be considered a foul and any score it makes will be forfeit.
No darts are to be removed from the board until the score has been agreed and recorded.
An incorrect score cannot be changed once the same player/team has thrown their next 3 darts.
NO BARAKING IS ALLOWED.
The chalker may inform players of the number required to finish the game if asked. If the chalker gives the wrong number to finish and the player gets the wrong double; the game is deemed to have been won.
If a player hits the correct double with their first dart, any subsequent darts are null and void.

6. SCORING

The HOME team captain is responsible for supplying and completing the result card properly. Please PRINT the player’s initial and surname clearly. BOTH captains are to sign the card at the end of the match.
The HOME team is responsible for posting the result card that should arrive by 2nd post Friday for the men, and 2nd post Monday for the ladies.
Franking is NOT proof of posting.
BOTH HOME AND AWAY teams MUST phone their results through to the Results Secretary the following day. Men phone on Wednesdays and ladies phone on Fridays between 9am and 8pm.
Ladies Match points are awarded by 1 point per game won for each game in the singles, doubles and trebles games. 2 extra points are awarded for a win provided the match has been played.
Men’s Match points are awarded by1 point for each leg won in the singles and 1 point for each leg won in the doubles games.
If the Committee have to award points for an un-played match, the offended ladies team will be awarded a total of 8 points for the singles, doubles and triples. The 2 win points will NOT be awarded. The offended men’s team will be awarded a total of 13 points for the singles and doubles.
If a team joins after the start of the season, they should try and make up any missed games. If they are unable to do so, their opponents will be awarded the points for each game not played.
If a team withdraws in the first half of the season, all points already won will be lost. If a team withdraws in the second half of the season, all points won in the first half will be kept but any points won in the second half will be lost.
Any team playing an ineligible player or players will forfeit all points gained by said players.
The draw for the singles must be made at 8.30pm and the draw (NOT PAIRED) for the doubles either at the same time or after the single. The draw for the triples may be DRAWN either at the same time as the doubles or after the doubles.
If one team is short of a player or players (see rule 4.7) the captains will do the draw as normal for the players present and then the team that is complete will randomly re-draw for the one or two players missing meaning some players will be playing twice in the singles. For the doubles draw randomly for the other players who have only payed once.
If a Ladies Team is short of players the other team will receive 1 point from the Trebles game not played.
Although only 4 players are actually needed to play a match (see Rule 4.7) The Results Secretary will monitor the result cards to ensure teams are not just putting out their best four players.

7. COMPETITIONS

Players must be active members of a team to qualify for any of the competitions and have played in over half the league matches during the season. Active Committee Members are eligible to play.
Each competition will be held at one venue and will be organised by members of the League Committee.
The Ladies Competitions will consist of singles, doubles and trebles Competitions. The Men’s League will only play Singles and Doubles Competitions.
A Blind Open Mixed Doubles competition will be held on the March Presentation (at the end of the Winter Season) allowing anyone at the event to enter whether they are signed on players or not. It will be a random draw and played to conclusion on the night.
Registration for competitions is from 8.00pm and the draw will be made at 8.30pm SHARP. No latecomers will be allowed to play.
All competitions are played with a draw in the first round (created electronically) and then a knockout format.
Superleague and/or county players may NOT play together in the ladies doubles or trebles competitions. There are no restrictions in the men’s doubles competition.
Competition entry fees are: Singles £3.00 per individual, doubles and mixed doubles are £4.00 per pair and £6.00 per treble team and all fees are payable with entries. (Note Rules 7.1 and 7.7)
Captain’s and Secretary’s competitions are included in the team entry fee.
The Captains and Secretaries of each team (for the men and the ladies) will both play 1 game of 501 up during the evening. It can be played at the beginning, during food or at the end of the match. The result of both games should be put on the result card.
Only the Captain and Secretary named on the registration form may play these games.
Should a Captain or Secretary be absent on the match night, the Captain or Secretary present will be awarded the point which should be put on the result card.
If a team pulls out, the captain and the secretary will not be allowed to play in the captains and secretaries competition.
Both Men’s and Ladies competitions will be played best of three legs of 501 in the singles and best of three legs of 601 in the doubles and mixed doubles. The ladies trebles will be the best of three legs of 801. Straight in and finish on a double. Toss a coin – winner to start first and third games, loser to throw first in the second game.
The format for the mixed doubles will be names into a hat - one for ladies and one for men. A pair will be drawn randomly. Any surplus men or ladies will not be able to play. The competition with then take a knockout format. It will be played best of three legs of 601, toss a coin – winner to start first and third games, loser to throw first in the second game.
The Doubles competitions are played all in. Players in the doubles competition must be from the same house, but not necessarily from the same team i.e. A and B team players may play together. (Note Rule 7.1 and 7.7) The Mixed Doubles is an open competition.
The loser to chalk the following match. If a player feels they are unable to chalk the game confidently, THEY must nominate a replacement or bring with them a competent chalker. From the semi-finals onwards, volunteer independent and confident chalkers will be used.
A score may not be altered after a player has thrown their next three darts. If a scorer gives the wrong double for the finish, and the player gets that double, the game is won.
A player’s darts must not be removed from the board until the chalker has seen and confirmed the score.
Best of order is required at all times during the games. No barracking is allowed.

8. PRESENTATION NIGHTS

Presentation Nights will be held at the end of each Season (March & October). The March night will include the Open Mixed Doubles Competition and the October night will be a party night with Disco etc.
Notices of the date and venue will be circulated via Poster (which should be displayed in the houses), banner displayed on the website and frequent reminders on Facebook.
There is no entry fee for the events but a bus-stop or raffle will be held.
No persons under 14 are permitted at Finals Night.
If players are not present on Presentation Night to receive individual/team trophies or donation cheques, nor have they designated someone to collect them, the prizes will NOT be awarded.
Prizes will be awarded to Divisional Winners and Runners Up for both Seasons. Divisional Winners will receive a perpetual shield which they must return at the beginning of the next relevant season e.g. winners of a Winter Season must return their shield at the beginning of the following Winter Season, likewise winners of a Summer Season must return their shield at the beginning of the following Summer Season. If the team fails to return the shield they will be required to pay a £80 fine for a replacement.
Prizes for Singles, Doubles, Trebles and Mixed Doubles will be awarded to the Winners, Runners Up.
The Divisional Team Winners can choose to accept trophies, to donate the value of all trophies to a charity, or they can choose to have a plaque or finally they may want the cash value. Teams MUST complete the relevant section on the team registration form. This must be done for EACH season.
Individual winners (including doubles and trebles) can also choose to accept the trophies, to donate the value of the trophies to a charity, or they can choose to have a plaque or finally they may want the cash value. The individual(s) MUST inform the League or Result Secretary at the time of winning.
Winners trophies (and runner up if applicable) will be awarded to both men and ladies who score the most 180s during a season and everyone else to scores 180 will receive a certificate for their achievement.
Winners and runner up trophies will be awarded to both men and ladies who score the highest finish during a season.
Winners and runner up trophies will be awarded to both men and ladies in the Captain’s and Secretary’s Cups.

9. THE COMMITTEE

The Chairman

Richard Taylor – Prince of Wales (Caversham)

Mobile: 07427 596640

taylorrichard74@gmail.com

League Secretary & Treasurer

Mrs Susan Dewé – Bell & Bottle (Shinfield)

Mobile: 07799 605345

sue.dewe@berkshire.co.uk

Results/Competition Secretary

(Phone Results/Result Cards/Team & Competition Entries)

Mrs Pauline Wilkins – Bell & Bottle (Shinfield)

22 Mereoak Park, Three Mile Cross, Reading RG7 1NR

Telephone: 0118 988 2870

Mobile: 07500 489610

Pauline@mswilkins.plus.net

Ordinary Members

Ali Ratcliffe – Bell & Bottle (Shinfield)

Honorary Members

Andrea Collins

Mick Killick

Julie Sedgwick

Martin Dee