Bylaws
19/02/2011
101. (GMC) By-Laws prefixed GMC (General Meeting Clause) shall only be waived, amended or deleted by a Special General Meeting (refer Constitution Clause 12), however, Council may -
a) Amend or delete non GMC By-Laws Provided at least five (5) postal working days written notice of the intent is given to the Executive and Member Clubs.
b) Under extenuating circumstances temporarily waive any non GMC By-Law
c) Subject to By-Law 107(b) appoint another IDSRA Executive to act for any unavailable Executive.
102. (GMC) Excepting the Appeals Committee, decisions etc. of all officials and committee are subject to approval by council. The Appeals Committee will report to Council but any further arbitration will require a Constitutional Special General Meeting except if Council agrees that the Appeals Committee has transgressed a By-Law then Council may decide the appeal. Refer BL 112
103. (GMC) Members Clubs having three (3) or more teams and not represented by at least one(1) IDSRA Executive or one(1) Delegate at any Council Meeting or at any Special Council Meeting shall incur the loss to two (2) competition points per team in the current or next competition for each non-representation.
104. (GMC) Teams in the competition shall provide a court for their home matches and for any semi-final, final or grand-final or other match as decided by the Association. Such court(s) shall be free of any charges to the visiting teams. Refer Constitution Clause 4H
105. (GMC) If a visiting team has a junior prevented by law from access to the court then the visiting team shall inform the home team captain at least seven (7) days prior to the match. The home team shall arrange an alternate venue for the effected rubber(s) which should be played within seven (7) days of the programmed date. Any court fees for such rubber(s) shall be paid by the visiting Member Club who must also notify the arrangements to the Competition Committee before the original programmed match time. Refer BL 204,712. Refer Constitution Clause 4H.
106. (GMC) When playing as Visitors teams are required to complete with the rules and regulations of the 'home teams' premises regarding dress and conduct.
107. (GMC)
a) Member Clubs should elect and nominate from their club players, one woman and one man for the Competition Committee and another player for the Appeals Committee. If a committee member is, or becomes unavailable then another of the clubs players may be substituted subject to item (b).
b) No Appeals Committee member including the Vice-President may be a member of the Competition Committee or vice-versa.
c) Registrars as needed, may be nominated and elected as in the Constitution Clause 13 and are part of the Competition Committee. Refer to BL 201, 202, 301, 302.
108. (GMC) Decisions, etc. of the Competition and Appeals Committee will be notified as becoming effective at a specific time and date and should, if necessary, allow recipients time to organise or notify members, etc. Refer BL 109.
109. (GMC) Subject to any other clause requirements, the notification of decisions, meeting times, etc, of committees, etc are considered as official when:-
a) a Club's individual member (delegate) or the person concerned is in attendance at an official meeting when the decision and timing and etc, is resolved, or is given a written notice; or
b) an IDSRA Executive or Registrar notifies the information personally, or by telephone or telephone message to an Officer of the club or person concerned; or
c) a written notice is delivered or posted to the last notified address of the club or the person concerned.
d) The accidental omission or non-receipt of notification or non-attendance of clubs or persons shall not invalidate any proceedings or resolutions at any meetings.
e) Except as allowed in By-Laws, or as approved by Council, all correspondence should be addressed to the Association Secretary. Refer Constitution Clause 9, BL 108, 204, 405, 518, 519, 520, 609.
110. (GMC) The Competition and Appeals Committee shall not alter or waive any By-Laws except where stated as allowed within the pertinent By-Law. Refer BL 101, 102.
111. (GMC)
a) At Competition and Appeals Committee meetings the appropriate Vice President or subject to By-Law 107
(b) other Executive will be the Chairperson otherwise the meeting may elect one.
b) At least forty per cent (40%) of the elected persons who are entitled to vote at the meeting must be present to constitute a quorum.
112. The Competition and Appeals Committee will report to each scheduled Council meeting. Reports are to include details of meetings and decisions, etc, and the names and clubs of attendees and non-attendees.
113. (GMC) Players will be de-registered and 75% of the fee credited to the Club provided a written application in received by the IDSRA Treasurer before the Saturday of Round Seven (7) and the player has not participated in any of the seven (7) rounds or is not a late registration or the player's team is not withdrawn. The Treasurer will notify the Registrar of any de-registrations. Refer BL 503, 513, 514, 515, 609.
THE COMPETITION COMMITTEE
Refer By-Laws 101, 102, 105, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112 and 400 Series
201. Shall be elected and comprise a Vice-President, Registrars and members as allowed elsewhere.
202. Excepting the Vice-President and Registrars, only one woman and one man member may be from the same Member Club.
203. The Vice-President and Registrars may decide and act to organise the committee and execute its decisions, etc, any may decide and act without referring to the committee provided such decisions, etc are:
a) in agreement with the By-Laws and considered the most likely decision of the committee, and
b) agreed to by both the Vice-President and the Registrar, or, one of the aforementioned and another IDSRA Executive but not the Appeals Committee Vice-President; and
c) reported at the next Competition and Council meetings.
204. Communications to the committee may be made direct to the Vice-President, the appropriate Registrar or via a IDSRA Executive.
205. May organise, run and control all competitions and matches and deal with disputes, protests and other relative matters.
206. May decide the grades and number of teams from any club.
207. May decide the number and composition of divisions and where byes occur.
N.B.: By-Laws 205 to 249 are reserved for future use referring to the Competition Committee only. By-Laws 250 to 299 are common to both the Competition and Appeals Committee. 250. May determine the interpretation and application of By-Laws.
251. No protests or appeals are permitted after the pre-competition grading meeting decisions are made. Refer BL 609 (c) i).
252. Deleted.
253. May decide a player's division and position or reject their nomination.
254. May bar a player from playing in specific nominated matches and/or may restrict a player from playing except under specific nominated conditions.
255. May order any match to be replayed in part or whole and may alter the time and venue for any match.
256. May impose such penalty(ies), including disqualification as deemed fit for any breaches of the By-Laws, misconduct or failure to be fully represented at matches, etc, however, if a specific penalty is stated elsewhere then such penalty shall apply, but this will not preclude additional penalty(ies).
257. May demand for any club or person, information regarding any match, misconduct or other matter. Failure to comply may result in the defaulter(s) being penalised as the Committee deems fit.
THE APPEALS COMMITTEE
Refer By-Laws 101, 102, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112 and 400 Series
301. Shall be elected and comprise a Vice-President and members as allowed elsewhere.
302. Except for the Vice-President, no two of the remaining members may be from the same Member Club.
303. Has the powers as allowed in By-Laws 250 to 299.
304. The Vice-President may act as necessary to organise the committee and execute its decisions.
PROTESTS AND APPEALS
Refer By-Laws 200 and 300 Series
401. A protest is a request to the Competition Committee to:- a) investigate any alleged breach of the By-Laws or the conduct of any teams or players or any other matter pertaining to a competition or championship, etc.; b) reconsider any decisions, etc, made by any IDSRA Official(s) including those made under By-Law 203 without referring to the Competition Committee.
402. An appeal is a request to the Appeals Committee to review any decision(s) etc, of the Competition Committee.
403. Shall be in writing and may be submitted by any club or person even if they are not involved in the subject matter.
404. Protests must be either mailed and thus postmarked, or lodged with the Competition Committee Vice-President or via an IDSRA Executive within seven (7) postal working days of the day on which the event occurred or first reasonably become apparent.
405. Appeals must be either mailed and thus postmarked or lodged with the Appeals Committee Vice-President or via an IDSRA Executive within seven (7) postal working days of the day on which the event occurred or first reasonably become apparent. The appeal must be accompanied by a fee of $20.00 which will be refunded if the Competition Committee's decision is altered in any way.
406. Should an appeal be duly lodged, then a club, team or player shall not be barred from taking part in matches until the outcome of the appeal is notified. Should the appeal be denied then the Competition Committee's decision shall apply as from the time of its decisions notification. Refer BL 108, 109.
407. Protests and Appeals will be dealt with as soon as is practical after receipt.
408. Meetings to hear protests and appeals will be notified as in By-Law 109 and the plaintiff club's representative, the plaintiff person and any other involved party should be invited to attend. The Competition Committee Vice-President and appropriate Registrar should be invited to Appeals Committee meetings. PENNANT COMPETITION BY-LAWS FEES, ENTRIES, REGISTRATION, ETC.
501. Fees, charges, fines and penalties, etc. shall be as decided by Council. Refer Constitution Clause 7 & 8 and BL 256.
502. No club, team or person will be accepted for any competition unless any outstanding charges or fines, etc, have been paid.
503. Applications for entries, registrations, de-registrations and regrades shall not be accepted unless signed by an executive of the club concerned. 504. Competition applications and entry forms showing the required information will be accepted by the Competition Committee up to a stated deadline. No further nominations will be accepted unless approved by the Competition Committee. Refer BL 204.
505. Except late entries, club's teams subscriptions not fully paid before the Saturday of Round Seven (7), will incur a fine of Five Dollars ($5) per team in the club, if no paid before the Saturday of Round Ten (10), a further fine of Five Dollars ($5) per team will apply. Subscriptions, including late entry subscriptions any any subscription fines not fully paid before the Saturday of Round Twelve (12), will incur immediate and automatic suspension of the organisation, club or person. Council may reinstate membership upon payment of these monies owed. Refer Constitution Clause 7.
506. Any fees or fines unpaid at the completion of the competition's last round may result in the club concerned being declared ineligible for any semi-final, final or grand final and non-acceptance to the next competition.
507. Matches shall be played Monday to Friday with commencement time not prior to 6.00 pm nor later than 8.30 pm. Play may start at 5.30 pm but no forfeits shall be taken until 6.10 pm.
508. No player shall be nominated unless a financial clearance has been obtained from any previous club. Players unfinancial with the Association or any club will not be accepted.
509. No club shall have any claim upon the services of any player unless the player has indicated such in writing.
510. Each nominated player must be, or have applied to be a bonafide member of the nominating club.
511. After nomination, a player may transfer to another club only if:-
a) the player's nomination is rejected under other By-Laws;
b) early nominations were called for in the higher divisions and the player's team was not accepted in its nominated division; and
c) with the approval of the Competition Committee.
512. A penalty may be imposed on any player nominating or registering with more than one club for the same competition or failing to become a bonafide club member.
513. Except as allowed in BL 605, no player shall be eligible to play before their registration has been notified as having been approved. A player's name in the current competition book signifies acceptance of registration and playing position. Refer BL 108, 109, 113, 514, 515 & 516.
514. Except as allowed in BL 605 no unregistered player shall play in any match and should a team play an unregistered player then it shall forfeit the whole match (ie, the four rubbers, 12 games, 108 points) to the opposing team but no fine will apply. Refer BL 513.
515. A player who has been de-registered shall not be re-registered for the remainder of the Competition. Refer BL 108, 109, 113, 513 & 514.
516. Clubs shall make every effort to grade teams and players in the correct order of playing merit, however, the correct position and grade of any player shall be as was last notified by the IDSRA had having been approved. Refer 108, 109 & 513.
517. (GMC) The sixteen (16) highest graded lady players as shown by the previous ladies competition computer results and who played at least seven (7) matches in that competition's rounds, will be eligible to play in the Men's Competition provided they continue playing in the Ladies Pennant Competition and are approved by the Competition Committee. Irrespective of other By-Laws, an approved lady may play with any club's mens team but only one lady per mens team. Ladies and mens competition fees must be paid.
518. Subject to other By-Laws, but not after the Friday of Round Ten (10), written applications to register extra players (late registrations) may be lodged with the Competition Committee any must show details of past performance or competition and indicate the correct order of merit position in the team. The registration Fee must be paid either before the Saturday of Round Seven (7) or before the Saturday of the next competition round. Fees not paid within the required time will incur a fine of Five Dollars ($5). Fees and fines not paid before the Saturday of Round Twelve (12) will incur immediate and automatic suspension of the player. Refer Constitution Clause 7, BL's 108, 109, 113, 204, 503, 508, 514, 515, 516 & 804.
519. a) Two (2) regrade applications to alter the graded order of any team will be accepted between 6.00 pm on the Monday of Round One (1) and 6.00 pm on the Monday of Round Twelve (12).
b) Regrades as initiated by the Competition Committee and 'late registration' that may alter the graded order are not classified as 'regrade applications'.
c) Regrade applications shall be in writing to the Competition Committee. Refer BL 108, 109, 204, 503 & 519. 520. If a team captain withdraws then a substitute captain's name and telephone number(s) must be notified to the Registrar. The substitute captain should notify all the other team captains in the same division.
PLAYER POSITIONS, SUBSTITUTES AND FORFEITS
601. Should any dispute or matter occur pertaining to a match or competition, then the match shall be played under protest and a formal protest made as allowed. Refer BL 400 series.
602. If any team members are unable to play in any match then 'substitutes from lower divisions or as allowed by other By-Laws may play in the team. A player shall play in only one rubber per match. NB: There are special rules for eligibility to play in semi-finals, etc. Refer BL 804.
603. Except as allowed in By Law 605, a player shall not play in another club's team, nor in any other team in the same division, nor in any lower position, nor in a lower division without prior approval of the Competition Committee.
604. When a club has two or more teams in the same division, than a player in a given position in the lower numbered team is deemed to be a higher graded player than the other team's same position player, eg, if Teams 4 & 5 are in the same division then Team 4 No. 3 player is higher graded than Team 5 No. 3 player.
605. a) A club's lowest division team (s) may play the position 4 or lower player(s) as a substitute in any of the club's teams. BL 605 (b) will not apply but others will including BL 516, 602, 603, 604, 606, etc.
b) Any team may avoid a forfeit and fine by providing other substitute player(s) such as those from higher teams, from other clubs or unregistered players, etc. The team's players must move up and the substitute(s) play in the lowest positions, but BL 602 still applies. Irrespective of the actual court scores, such substitute is to be shown on the result card as scoring zero (0) rubbers, games and points, ie, 0:0:0, whilst a legitimate opponent is to be awarded the rubber, games and points, ie, 1:3:27. Refer BL 513, 514, 516, 602, 606, 608, 609 & 712.
606. Except as allowed in BL 605 (b), in any team no lower graded player shall play in a higher position than a higher graded player. Refer BL 516.
607. When players are bracketed together in the same position then the higher graded player will be called A and the other player B.
608. Forfeits if made shall be at the lowest positions possible, eg, if the position one (1) player is unavailable then the players must move up and play positions, 1, 2, 3 and the forfeit made at position four (4), etc.
609.
(a) Except as allowed in By-Law 710 and in accordance with The Rules of Squash Rule 16 and G2, G15, if play has commenced and a player cannot continue then the players will retain any games and points scored, no fine shall apply and the opponent is to be awarded the uncompleted rubber, games and points. If a player vomits on or fouls the court such that play cannot continue on the court, the referee should award the match to the opponent even if the sick player is able to resume play The referee's decision on court conditions is final. Refer BL 710.
b) A team will score no points and be fined five dollars ($5) for each rubber it forfeits (ie, provides no player) and a team not defaulting will be awarded the rubber, games and points. Refer BL 605(b).
c) A team is deemed to be withdrawn from the competition -
(i) when a team decides not to play after the completion of any Competition Committee pre-competition meeting when that team's grading is decided. No protests or appeals are permitted after the pre-competition grading meeting decisions are made. Refer BL 251.
(ii) After eight (8) rubbers are forfeited, except non-withdrawal and continued participation may be approved with the agreement of both the Competition Committee and the teams club. BL 609 (b) will still apply in either case.
(d) A withdrawn team must still pay the team's registration fees plus a fine equivalent to the teams registration fee.
(e) The Registrar will cancel all matches and competition points for and against a withdrawn team and notify the divisions team captains, an Official of the Club and the IDSRA Treasurer.
(f) A withdrawn teams players may still play in other teams but only as allowed in other By-Laws. Refer BL 113, 513, 514, 515, 602, 603, 605, 710 & 712. 602. If any team members are unable to play in any match then 'substitutes from lower divisions or as allowed by other By-Laws may play in the team. A player may play in only one rubber per match. NB: There are special rules for eligibility to play in semi-finals, etc. Refer BL 804.
610. If a team fails to play in the correct approved graded order then it shall concede to the opposing team all rubbers, games and points that are played out of order. NO fine shall apply. Refer BL 516.
611. If due to unavoidable circumstances, eg, no lights, wet courts, etc. (but not due to late or unavailable players, etc.) a match or rubber(s) is/are postponed, then the home team must, within forty-eight (48) hours notify the circumstances and arrangements to complete the match to the Competition Committee. The players of either team must not be altered except with the approval of the opposing team or the Competition Committee. Refer BL 204, 609, 710 & 712.
612. Deleted
613. Players must wear footwear that does not mark the court.
SCORING, REFEREEING, RESULT CARDS, ETC.
701. All matches shall be played under the laws of the game as adopted by the Squash Rackets Association of NSW the interpretation of which shall devolve upon the Committees.
702. (a) Four players from each team shall compete and each player shall play a rubber against one of the opposing team and each rubber shall be the best of five games. In each match the Number One (1) players from each team will play each other, the Number Two (2) players will play each other and so on.
b) At the beginning of each match, each team captain shall list the players who are to play in each team on the score sheet. No alterations to the list of players shall be made after the commencement of the match except with the opposing captains approval.
703. At the start of each match, the home team shall provide one new squash ball as specified by Council. Players may choose any other ball and an unsatisfactory ball may be replaced, however, should there be any disagreement then the specified ball shall be used. Specified balls are:- Mens Divisions 1 & 2 - Double Yellow Dot Ball All other Divisions - Single Yellow Dot Ball (Previously specified balls can be used until supplies run out.) The ball or its package must state Approved by Squash Australia.
704. Except as required in By-Law 806, the teams shall toss and the team winning the toss has the right to decide which players shall play the first rubber and which players shall play the third rubber, and the team losing the toss shall decide which players shall play the second rubber.
705. Matches must be refereed strictly under the rules of the game and each team will supply either a marker or referee for each rubber alternately, eg, if one team marks the first rubber then that team must referee the next rubber, etc.
706. When a referee takes disciplinary action by awarding a game or rubber or by ordering a player to leave the court, then written reports by the referee and both team captains explaining the incident must be mailed to and thus postmarked or lodged with the Competition Committee within seven (7) postal working days of the incident. Refer BL 204.
707. Matches set down for play on Public Holidays can be deferred by mutual agreement and must be played within fourteen (14) days of the date on which the match was originally to be played. Arrangements for deferred matches must be made at least two (2) days prior to that on which it is to be played. Refer By-Law 712.
708. Except as allowed in other By-Laws or with the previous consent of the Competition Committee matches must be played at the place and date as set down, otherwise those concerned may be penalised. Refer BL 105, 611, 707 & 710.
709. If play has not commenced within ten (10) minutes of the specified commencing time, the team at default shall lose the rubber. A further ten (10) minutes grace shall be allowed after each rubber for the succeeding rubber to start. If play does not commence at the expiration of such time the defaulting team shall lose that rubber also. If both teams default in entirety, the match shall be cancelled.
710. Injuries on court procedures is detailed in The Rules of Squash Rule 16 and G15, the following is a brief summary.
1. Play must not continue if a wound is bleeding or uncovered.
2. The referee must decide if the injury is genuine and if the injury category is either (a) or (b) or (c) - (a) Self-inflicted, ie, not contributed to by the opponent. Note - this category includes the situation where the injury was a result of the injured player occupying an unnecessarily close position to the opponent. See Item 3.
(b) Contributed, ie, accidentally contributed to or accidentally caused by the opponent. See Item 4.
(c) Opponent-inflicted, ie, caused by the opponent's dangerous play or deliberate dangerous action. Note - this includes racket leaving opponent's hand and striking player. See Item 5. 3.
3. If self-inflicted, the referee shall allow five minutes to recover or if blood is visible, a total to ten minutes. If player cannot resume after the required time the referee shall award the match to the opponent
4. If contributed, the referee shall allow time to recover, eg, other rubbers may go on. If the player cannot resume before the end of court time, the referee shall, as soon as practical, notify the Competition Committee to decide if the rubber will continue and under what conditions. Refer BL 204, 609, 611 & 712.
5. If opponent-inflicted, the referee shall apply an appropriate Rule 17 penalty (ie, conduct warning to opponent or stroke or game or match to injured player) except if the injured player required time to recover the referee shall award the match to the injured player. Refer BL 204, 609 & 712. 711. For all matches played during the competition, points shall be awarded to the participating teams as follows:- One (1) point for each game won. One (1) extra point for each rubber won. Four (4) extra points for the winning team. To decide the winner of any match, rubbers shall first be counted, then games and finally points. In the event of a draw the four extra for the winning team will be evenly shared. No points are awarded by a bye in the Draw.
712.
(a) The home team shall post the result card in a designated box at the match venue on the programmed night of the match unless other arrangements are approved by the Competition Committee. The home club will mail all the result cards from the box before the start of the next competition round. If rubbers or matches are not played on the programmed night a allowed in By-Laws 105, 611, 707 & 710, then the result card shall be forwarded to the Competition Committee as soon as possible. Refer BL 805.
b) Any forfeits must be shown on the result card as such and the card signed by each team's captain or nominee to certify as correct. Any form of falsification of the match results will occur a penalty as decided by the Competition Committee.
c) A substitute player's registered division must be recorded on the result card. Failure to do so shall incur the loss of one (1) competition point by the substitute player's team.
d) Except for sub-clauses (b) and (c) all other errors or omissions on the result card shall incur the loss by each team of one (1) competition point for each error or omission. SEMI-FINALS, FINALS AND GRAND FINALS
801. For eight team divisions:- a) The four teams in each division with the greatest number of premiership points at the end of the home and away matches shall play Semi-Final matches, the team in the first position, ie, the Minor Premiers, playing the team in the second position, with winner going into the Grand Final, the defeated team going into the Final The second Semi-Final shall be between the teams in third and fourth positions, the winner going into the Final. The winner of the Final will proceed to the Grand Final. The winner of the Grand Final shall be the winner of the Premiership.
b) Teams finishing last and second last in the Competition are required to referee Semi-Finals. The losing team of the minor Semi-Final is required to referee the Final. The losing team of the Final is required to referee the Grand Final. Failure to provided at least two (2) players from the team required to referee (or substitute referees from the same club) will incur a $10.00 fine to each player who defaulted from the team required to referee. Refer BL 803 (c) & 805. 802. For six team divisions:-
a) The second and third teams at the end of the home and away matches shall play in the Final. The winner shall play the first team, ie, the Minor Premiers, in the Grand Final.
b) The team finishing last in the Competition is required to referee the Final. The losing team of the Final if to referee the Grand Final. Failure to provide at least two (2) players from theteam required to referee (or substitute referees from same club) will incur a $10.00 fine to each player who defaulted from the team required to referee. Refer BL 803 (c) & 805.
803. (a) In the event of two or more teams being equal on premiership points at the conclusion of the home and away matches, and it being necessary to decide which of them shall play in any Semi-Final match, such decision shall be arrived at by the ratio of number of matches won over the number of matches lost.
b) If this be equal, the position shall be arrived at by the ratio of rubbers won over rubbers lost, and if this be equal, by the ration of games won over games lost.
c) If necessary the method in (a) and (b) will be used to determine the lower teams for refereeing. Refer BL 801 & 802. d) in the event of a draw in any Semi-Final, Final or Grand-Final, the team higher on the premiership table will be declared the winner.
804. In addition to other By-Laws and to be eligible to play in any Semi-final, Final or Grand Final, the player must also satisfy either sub-clause (a) or (b):-
a) The player must be one of the players in the finalist team when it was approved before Round One started and must have played in the IDSRA Pennant Competition immediately preceding Round One.
b) An application to play any other player must be made to the Competition Committee no less then twenty-four hours before the scheduled match time. The Competition Committee may approve or deny eligibility to play and no appeal is permitted regarding the decision. Refer BL 108, 109, 204 & 254.
805. The ball, score sheet and result card are to be provided by the team finishing higher on the final points table. The result card should be signed by the referees are provided in BL's 801 or 802 and 'posted' as per BL 712. Non attendance of referees as required in BL 801 (b) or BL 802 (b) is to be stated on the card.
806. Grand Finals for Ladies and Mens Division One (1) teams only, must play the No. 1 position
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a) Amend or delete non GMC By-Laws Provided at least five (5) postal working days written notice of the intent is given to the Executive and Member Clubs.
b) Under extenuating circumstances temporarily waive any non GMC By-Law
c) Subject to By-Law 107(b) appoint another IDSRA Executive to act for any unavailable Executive.
102. (GMC) Excepting the Appeals Committee, decisions etc. of all officials and committee are subject to approval by council. The Appeals Committee will report to Council but any further arbitration will require a Constitutional Special General Meeting except if Council agrees that the Appeals Committee has transgressed a By-Law then Council may decide the appeal. Refer BL 112
103. (GMC) Members Clubs having three (3) or more teams and not represented by at least one(1) IDSRA Executive or one(1) Delegate at any Council Meeting or at any Special Council Meeting shall incur the loss to two (2) competition points per team in the current or next competition for each non-representation.
104. (GMC) Teams in the competition shall provide a court for their home matches and for any semi-final, final or grand-final or other match as decided by the Association. Such court(s) shall be free of any charges to the visiting teams. Refer Constitution Clause 4H
105. (GMC) If a visiting team has a junior prevented by law from access to the court then the visiting team shall inform the home team captain at least seven (7) days prior to the match. The home team shall arrange an alternate venue for the effected rubber(s) which should be played within seven (7) days of the programmed date. Any court fees for such rubber(s) shall be paid by the visiting Member Club who must also notify the arrangements to the Competition Committee before the original programmed match time. Refer BL 204,712. Refer Constitution Clause 4H.
106. (GMC) When playing as Visitors teams are required to complete with the rules and regulations of the 'home teams' premises regarding dress and conduct.
107. (GMC)
a) Member Clubs should elect and nominate from their club players, one woman and one man for the Competition Committee and another player for the Appeals Committee. If a committee member is, or becomes unavailable then another of the clubs players may be substituted subject to item (b).
b) No Appeals Committee member including the Vice-President may be a member of the Competition Committee or vice-versa.
c) Registrars as needed, may be nominated and elected as in the Constitution Clause 13 and are part of the Competition Committee. Refer to BL 201, 202, 301, 302.
108. (GMC) Decisions, etc. of the Competition and Appeals Committee will be notified as becoming effective at a specific time and date and should, if necessary, allow recipients time to organise or notify members, etc. Refer BL 109.
109. (GMC) Subject to any other clause requirements, the notification of decisions, meeting times, etc, of committees, etc are considered as official when:-
a) a Club's individual member (delegate) or the person concerned is in attendance at an official meeting when the decision and timing and etc, is resolved, or is given a written notice; or
b) an IDSRA Executive or Registrar notifies the information personally, or by telephone or telephone message to an Officer of the club or person concerned; or
c) a written notice is delivered or posted to the last notified address of the club or the person concerned.
d) The accidental omission or non-receipt of notification or non-attendance of clubs or persons shall not invalidate any proceedings or resolutions at any meetings.
e) Except as allowed in By-Laws, or as approved by Council, all correspondence should be addressed to the Association Secretary. Refer Constitution Clause 9, BL 108, 204, 405, 518, 519, 520, 609.
110. (GMC) The Competition and Appeals Committee shall not alter or waive any By-Laws except where stated as allowed within the pertinent By-Law. Refer BL 101, 102.
111. (GMC)
a) At Competition and Appeals Committee meetings the appropriate Vice President or subject to By-Law 107
(b) other Executive will be the Chairperson otherwise the meeting may elect one.
b) At least forty per cent (40%) of the elected persons who are entitled to vote at the meeting must be present to constitute a quorum.
112. The Competition and Appeals Committee will report to each scheduled Council meeting. Reports are to include details of meetings and decisions, etc, and the names and clubs of attendees and non-attendees.
113. (GMC) Players will be de-registered and 75% of the fee credited to the Club provided a written application in received by the IDSRA Treasurer before the Saturday of Round Seven (7) and the player has not participated in any of the seven (7) rounds or is not a late registration or the player's team is not withdrawn. The Treasurer will notify the Registrar of any de-registrations. Refer BL 503, 513, 514, 515, 609.
THE COMPETITION COMMITTEE
Refer By-Laws 101, 102, 105, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112 and 400 Series
201. Shall be elected and comprise a Vice-President, Registrars and members as allowed elsewhere.
202. Excepting the Vice-President and Registrars, only one woman and one man member may be from the same Member Club.
203. The Vice-President and Registrars may decide and act to organise the committee and execute its decisions, etc, any may decide and act without referring to the committee provided such decisions, etc are:
a) in agreement with the By-Laws and considered the most likely decision of the committee, and
b) agreed to by both the Vice-President and the Registrar, or, one of the aforementioned and another IDSRA Executive but not the Appeals Committee Vice-President; and
c) reported at the next Competition and Council meetings.
204. Communications to the committee may be made direct to the Vice-President, the appropriate Registrar or via a IDSRA Executive.
205. May organise, run and control all competitions and matches and deal with disputes, protests and other relative matters.
206. May decide the grades and number of teams from any club.
207. May decide the number and composition of divisions and where byes occur.
N.B.: By-Laws 205 to 249 are reserved for future use referring to the Competition Committee only. By-Laws 250 to 299 are common to both the Competition and Appeals Committee. 250. May determine the interpretation and application of By-Laws.
251. No protests or appeals are permitted after the pre-competition grading meeting decisions are made. Refer BL 609 (c) i).
252. Deleted.
253. May decide a player's division and position or reject their nomination.
254. May bar a player from playing in specific nominated matches and/or may restrict a player from playing except under specific nominated conditions.
255. May order any match to be replayed in part or whole and may alter the time and venue for any match.
256. May impose such penalty(ies), including disqualification as deemed fit for any breaches of the By-Laws, misconduct or failure to be fully represented at matches, etc, however, if a specific penalty is stated elsewhere then such penalty shall apply, but this will not preclude additional penalty(ies).
257. May demand for any club or person, information regarding any match, misconduct or other matter. Failure to comply may result in the defaulter(s) being penalised as the Committee deems fit.
THE APPEALS COMMITTEE
Refer By-Laws 101, 102, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112 and 400 Series
301. Shall be elected and comprise a Vice-President and members as allowed elsewhere.
302. Except for the Vice-President, no two of the remaining members may be from the same Member Club.
303. Has the powers as allowed in By-Laws 250 to 299.
304. The Vice-President may act as necessary to organise the committee and execute its decisions.
PROTESTS AND APPEALS
Refer By-Laws 200 and 300 Series
401. A protest is a request to the Competition Committee to:- a) investigate any alleged breach of the By-Laws or the conduct of any teams or players or any other matter pertaining to a competition or championship, etc.; b) reconsider any decisions, etc, made by any IDSRA Official(s) including those made under By-Law 203 without referring to the Competition Committee.
402. An appeal is a request to the Appeals Committee to review any decision(s) etc, of the Competition Committee.
403. Shall be in writing and may be submitted by any club or person even if they are not involved in the subject matter.
404. Protests must be either mailed and thus postmarked, or lodged with the Competition Committee Vice-President or via an IDSRA Executive within seven (7) postal working days of the day on which the event occurred or first reasonably become apparent.
405. Appeals must be either mailed and thus postmarked or lodged with the Appeals Committee Vice-President or via an IDSRA Executive within seven (7) postal working days of the day on which the event occurred or first reasonably become apparent. The appeal must be accompanied by a fee of $20.00 which will be refunded if the Competition Committee's decision is altered in any way.
406. Should an appeal be duly lodged, then a club, team or player shall not be barred from taking part in matches until the outcome of the appeal is notified. Should the appeal be denied then the Competition Committee's decision shall apply as from the time of its decisions notification. Refer BL 108, 109.
407. Protests and Appeals will be dealt with as soon as is practical after receipt.
408. Meetings to hear protests and appeals will be notified as in By-Law 109 and the plaintiff club's representative, the plaintiff person and any other involved party should be invited to attend. The Competition Committee Vice-President and appropriate Registrar should be invited to Appeals Committee meetings. PENNANT COMPETITION BY-LAWS FEES, ENTRIES, REGISTRATION, ETC.
501. Fees, charges, fines and penalties, etc. shall be as decided by Council. Refer Constitution Clause 7 & 8 and BL 256.
502. No club, team or person will be accepted for any competition unless any outstanding charges or fines, etc, have been paid.
503. Applications for entries, registrations, de-registrations and regrades shall not be accepted unless signed by an executive of the club concerned. 504. Competition applications and entry forms showing the required information will be accepted by the Competition Committee up to a stated deadline. No further nominations will be accepted unless approved by the Competition Committee. Refer BL 204.
505. Except late entries, club's teams subscriptions not fully paid before the Saturday of Round Seven (7), will incur a fine of Five Dollars ($5) per team in the club, if no paid before the Saturday of Round Ten (10), a further fine of Five Dollars ($5) per team will apply. Subscriptions, including late entry subscriptions any any subscription fines not fully paid before the Saturday of Round Twelve (12), will incur immediate and automatic suspension of the organisation, club or person. Council may reinstate membership upon payment of these monies owed. Refer Constitution Clause 7.
506. Any fees or fines unpaid at the completion of the competition's last round may result in the club concerned being declared ineligible for any semi-final, final or grand final and non-acceptance to the next competition.
507. Matches shall be played Monday to Friday with commencement time not prior to 6.00 pm nor later than 8.30 pm. Play may start at 5.30 pm but no forfeits shall be taken until 6.10 pm.
508. No player shall be nominated unless a financial clearance has been obtained from any previous club. Players unfinancial with the Association or any club will not be accepted.
509. No club shall have any claim upon the services of any player unless the player has indicated such in writing.
510. Each nominated player must be, or have applied to be a bonafide member of the nominating club.
511. After nomination, a player may transfer to another club only if:-
a) the player's nomination is rejected under other By-Laws;
b) early nominations were called for in the higher divisions and the player's team was not accepted in its nominated division; and
c) with the approval of the Competition Committee.
512. A penalty may be imposed on any player nominating or registering with more than one club for the same competition or failing to become a bonafide club member.
513. Except as allowed in BL 605, no player shall be eligible to play before their registration has been notified as having been approved. A player's name in the current competition book signifies acceptance of registration and playing position. Refer BL 108, 109, 113, 514, 515 & 516.
514. Except as allowed in BL 605 no unregistered player shall play in any match and should a team play an unregistered player then it shall forfeit the whole match (ie, the four rubbers, 12 games, 108 points) to the opposing team but no fine will apply. Refer BL 513.
515. A player who has been de-registered shall not be re-registered for the remainder of the Competition. Refer BL 108, 109, 113, 513 & 514.
516. Clubs shall make every effort to grade teams and players in the correct order of playing merit, however, the correct position and grade of any player shall be as was last notified by the IDSRA had having been approved. Refer 108, 109 & 513.
517. (GMC) The sixteen (16) highest graded lady players as shown by the previous ladies competition computer results and who played at least seven (7) matches in that competition's rounds, will be eligible to play in the Men's Competition provided they continue playing in the Ladies Pennant Competition and are approved by the Competition Committee. Irrespective of other By-Laws, an approved lady may play with any club's mens team but only one lady per mens team. Ladies and mens competition fees must be paid.
518. Subject to other By-Laws, but not after the Friday of Round Ten (10), written applications to register extra players (late registrations) may be lodged with the Competition Committee any must show details of past performance or competition and indicate the correct order of merit position in the team. The registration Fee must be paid either before the Saturday of Round Seven (7) or before the Saturday of the next competition round. Fees not paid within the required time will incur a fine of Five Dollars ($5). Fees and fines not paid before the Saturday of Round Twelve (12) will incur immediate and automatic suspension of the player. Refer Constitution Clause 7, BL's 108, 109, 113, 204, 503, 508, 514, 515, 516 & 804.
519. a) Two (2) regrade applications to alter the graded order of any team will be accepted between 6.00 pm on the Monday of Round One (1) and 6.00 pm on the Monday of Round Twelve (12).
b) Regrades as initiated by the Competition Committee and 'late registration' that may alter the graded order are not classified as 'regrade applications'.
c) Regrade applications shall be in writing to the Competition Committee. Refer BL 108, 109, 204, 503 & 519. 520. If a team captain withdraws then a substitute captain's name and telephone number(s) must be notified to the Registrar. The substitute captain should notify all the other team captains in the same division.
PLAYER POSITIONS, SUBSTITUTES AND FORFEITS
601. Should any dispute or matter occur pertaining to a match or competition, then the match shall be played under protest and a formal protest made as allowed. Refer BL 400 series.
602. If any team members are unable to play in any match then 'substitutes from lower divisions or as allowed by other By-Laws may play in the team. A player shall play in only one rubber per match. NB: There are special rules for eligibility to play in semi-finals, etc. Refer BL 804.
603. Except as allowed in By Law 605, a player shall not play in another club's team, nor in any other team in the same division, nor in any lower position, nor in a lower division without prior approval of the Competition Committee.
604. When a club has two or more teams in the same division, than a player in a given position in the lower numbered team is deemed to be a higher graded player than the other team's same position player, eg, if Teams 4 & 5 are in the same division then Team 4 No. 3 player is higher graded than Team 5 No. 3 player.
605. a) A club's lowest division team (s) may play the position 4 or lower player(s) as a substitute in any of the club's teams. BL 605 (b) will not apply but others will including BL 516, 602, 603, 604, 606, etc.
b) Any team may avoid a forfeit and fine by providing other substitute player(s) such as those from higher teams, from other clubs or unregistered players, etc. The team's players must move up and the substitute(s) play in the lowest positions, but BL 602 still applies. Irrespective of the actual court scores, such substitute is to be shown on the result card as scoring zero (0) rubbers, games and points, ie, 0:0:0, whilst a legitimate opponent is to be awarded the rubber, games and points, ie, 1:3:27. Refer BL 513, 514, 516, 602, 606, 608, 609 & 712.
606. Except as allowed in BL 605 (b), in any team no lower graded player shall play in a higher position than a higher graded player. Refer BL 516.
607. When players are bracketed together in the same position then the higher graded player will be called A and the other player B.
608. Forfeits if made shall be at the lowest positions possible, eg, if the position one (1) player is unavailable then the players must move up and play positions, 1, 2, 3 and the forfeit made at position four (4), etc.
609.
(a) Except as allowed in By-Law 710 and in accordance with The Rules of Squash Rule 16 and G2, G15, if play has commenced and a player cannot continue then the players will retain any games and points scored, no fine shall apply and the opponent is to be awarded the uncompleted rubber, games and points. If a player vomits on or fouls the court such that play cannot continue on the court, the referee should award the match to the opponent even if the sick player is able to resume play The referee's decision on court conditions is final. Refer BL 710.
b) A team will score no points and be fined five dollars ($5) for each rubber it forfeits (ie, provides no player) and a team not defaulting will be awarded the rubber, games and points. Refer BL 605(b).
c) A team is deemed to be withdrawn from the competition -
(i) when a team decides not to play after the completion of any Competition Committee pre-competition meeting when that team's grading is decided. No protests or appeals are permitted after the pre-competition grading meeting decisions are made. Refer BL 251.
(ii) After eight (8) rubbers are forfeited, except non-withdrawal and continued participation may be approved with the agreement of both the Competition Committee and the teams club. BL 609 (b) will still apply in either case.
(d) A withdrawn team must still pay the team's registration fees plus a fine equivalent to the teams registration fee.
(e) The Registrar will cancel all matches and competition points for and against a withdrawn team and notify the divisions team captains, an Official of the Club and the IDSRA Treasurer.
(f) A withdrawn teams players may still play in other teams but only as allowed in other By-Laws. Refer BL 113, 513, 514, 515, 602, 603, 605, 710 & 712. 602. If any team members are unable to play in any match then 'substitutes from lower divisions or as allowed by other By-Laws may play in the team. A player may play in only one rubber per match. NB: There are special rules for eligibility to play in semi-finals, etc. Refer BL 804.
610. If a team fails to play in the correct approved graded order then it shall concede to the opposing team all rubbers, games and points that are played out of order. NO fine shall apply. Refer BL 516.
611. If due to unavoidable circumstances, eg, no lights, wet courts, etc. (but not due to late or unavailable players, etc.) a match or rubber(s) is/are postponed, then the home team must, within forty-eight (48) hours notify the circumstances and arrangements to complete the match to the Competition Committee. The players of either team must not be altered except with the approval of the opposing team or the Competition Committee. Refer BL 204, 609, 710 & 712.
612. Deleted
613. Players must wear footwear that does not mark the court.
SCORING, REFEREEING, RESULT CARDS, ETC.
701. All matches shall be played under the laws of the game as adopted by the Squash Rackets Association of NSW the interpretation of which shall devolve upon the Committees.
702. (a) Four players from each team shall compete and each player shall play a rubber against one of the opposing team and each rubber shall be the best of five games. In each match the Number One (1) players from each team will play each other, the Number Two (2) players will play each other and so on.
b) At the beginning of each match, each team captain shall list the players who are to play in each team on the score sheet. No alterations to the list of players shall be made after the commencement of the match except with the opposing captains approval.
703. At the start of each match, the home team shall provide one new squash ball as specified by Council. Players may choose any other ball and an unsatisfactory ball may be replaced, however, should there be any disagreement then the specified ball shall be used. Specified balls are:- Mens Divisions 1 & 2 - Double Yellow Dot Ball All other Divisions - Single Yellow Dot Ball (Previously specified balls can be used until supplies run out.) The ball or its package must state Approved by Squash Australia.
704. Except as required in By-Law 806, the teams shall toss and the team winning the toss has the right to decide which players shall play the first rubber and which players shall play the third rubber, and the team losing the toss shall decide which players shall play the second rubber.
705. Matches must be refereed strictly under the rules of the game and each team will supply either a marker or referee for each rubber alternately, eg, if one team marks the first rubber then that team must referee the next rubber, etc.
706. When a referee takes disciplinary action by awarding a game or rubber or by ordering a player to leave the court, then written reports by the referee and both team captains explaining the incident must be mailed to and thus postmarked or lodged with the Competition Committee within seven (7) postal working days of the incident. Refer BL 204.
707. Matches set down for play on Public Holidays can be deferred by mutual agreement and must be played within fourteen (14) days of the date on which the match was originally to be played. Arrangements for deferred matches must be made at least two (2) days prior to that on which it is to be played. Refer By-Law 712.
708. Except as allowed in other By-Laws or with the previous consent of the Competition Committee matches must be played at the place and date as set down, otherwise those concerned may be penalised. Refer BL 105, 611, 707 & 710.
709. If play has not commenced within ten (10) minutes of the specified commencing time, the team at default shall lose the rubber. A further ten (10) minutes grace shall be allowed after each rubber for the succeeding rubber to start. If play does not commence at the expiration of such time the defaulting team shall lose that rubber also. If both teams default in entirety, the match shall be cancelled.
710. Injuries on court procedures is detailed in The Rules of Squash Rule 16 and G15, the following is a brief summary.
1. Play must not continue if a wound is bleeding or uncovered.
2. The referee must decide if the injury is genuine and if the injury category is either (a) or (b) or (c) - (a) Self-inflicted, ie, not contributed to by the opponent. Note - this category includes the situation where the injury was a result of the injured player occupying an unnecessarily close position to the opponent. See Item 3.
(b) Contributed, ie, accidentally contributed to or accidentally caused by the opponent. See Item 4.
(c) Opponent-inflicted, ie, caused by the opponent's dangerous play or deliberate dangerous action. Note - this includes racket leaving opponent's hand and striking player. See Item 5. 3.
3. If self-inflicted, the referee shall allow five minutes to recover or if blood is visible, a total to ten minutes. If player cannot resume after the required time the referee shall award the match to the opponent
4. If contributed, the referee shall allow time to recover, eg, other rubbers may go on. If the player cannot resume before the end of court time, the referee shall, as soon as practical, notify the Competition Committee to decide if the rubber will continue and under what conditions. Refer BL 204, 609, 611 & 712.
5. If opponent-inflicted, the referee shall apply an appropriate Rule 17 penalty (ie, conduct warning to opponent or stroke or game or match to injured player) except if the injured player required time to recover the referee shall award the match to the injured player. Refer BL 204, 609 & 712. 711. For all matches played during the competition, points shall be awarded to the participating teams as follows:- One (1) point for each game won. One (1) extra point for each rubber won. Four (4) extra points for the winning team. To decide the winner of any match, rubbers shall first be counted, then games and finally points. In the event of a draw the four extra for the winning team will be evenly shared. No points are awarded by a bye in the Draw.
712.
(a) The home team shall post the result card in a designated box at the match venue on the programmed night of the match unless other arrangements are approved by the Competition Committee. The home club will mail all the result cards from the box before the start of the next competition round. If rubbers or matches are not played on the programmed night a allowed in By-Laws 105, 611, 707 & 710, then the result card shall be forwarded to the Competition Committee as soon as possible. Refer BL 805.
b) Any forfeits must be shown on the result card as such and the card signed by each team's captain or nominee to certify as correct. Any form of falsification of the match results will occur a penalty as decided by the Competition Committee.
c) A substitute player's registered division must be recorded on the result card. Failure to do so shall incur the loss of one (1) competition point by the substitute player's team.
d) Except for sub-clauses (b) and (c) all other errors or omissions on the result card shall incur the loss by each team of one (1) competition point for each error or omission. SEMI-FINALS, FINALS AND GRAND FINALS
801. For eight team divisions:- a) The four teams in each division with the greatest number of premiership points at the end of the home and away matches shall play Semi-Final matches, the team in the first position, ie, the Minor Premiers, playing the team in the second position, with winner going into the Grand Final, the defeated team going into the Final The second Semi-Final shall be between the teams in third and fourth positions, the winner going into the Final. The winner of the Final will proceed to the Grand Final. The winner of the Grand Final shall be the winner of the Premiership.
b) Teams finishing last and second last in the Competition are required to referee Semi-Finals. The losing team of the minor Semi-Final is required to referee the Final. The losing team of the Final is required to referee the Grand Final. Failure to provided at least two (2) players from the team required to referee (or substitute referees from the same club) will incur a $10.00 fine to each player who defaulted from the team required to referee. Refer BL 803 (c) & 805. 802. For six team divisions:-
a) The second and third teams at the end of the home and away matches shall play in the Final. The winner shall play the first team, ie, the Minor Premiers, in the Grand Final.
b) The team finishing last in the Competition is required to referee the Final. The losing team of the Final if to referee the Grand Final. Failure to provide at least two (2) players from theteam required to referee (or substitute referees from same club) will incur a $10.00 fine to each player who defaulted from the team required to referee. Refer BL 803 (c) & 805.
803. (a) In the event of two or more teams being equal on premiership points at the conclusion of the home and away matches, and it being necessary to decide which of them shall play in any Semi-Final match, such decision shall be arrived at by the ratio of number of matches won over the number of matches lost.
b) If this be equal, the position shall be arrived at by the ratio of rubbers won over rubbers lost, and if this be equal, by the ration of games won over games lost.
c) If necessary the method in (a) and (b) will be used to determine the lower teams for refereeing. Refer BL 801 & 802. d) in the event of a draw in any Semi-Final, Final or Grand-Final, the team higher on the premiership table will be declared the winner.
804. In addition to other By-Laws and to be eligible to play in any Semi-final, Final or Grand Final, the player must also satisfy either sub-clause (a) or (b):-
a) The player must be one of the players in the finalist team when it was approved before Round One started and must have played in the IDSRA Pennant Competition immediately preceding Round One.
b) An application to play any other player must be made to the Competition Committee no less then twenty-four hours before the scheduled match time. The Competition Committee may approve or deny eligibility to play and no appeal is permitted regarding the decision. Refer BL 108, 109, 204 & 254.
805. The ball, score sheet and result card are to be provided by the team finishing higher on the final points table. The result card should be signed by the referees are provided in BL's 801 or 802 and 'posted' as per BL 712. Non attendance of referees as required in BL 801 (b) or BL 802 (b) is to be stated on the card.
806. Grand Finals for Ladies and Mens Division One (1) teams only, must play the No. 1 position
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