PROPOSAL FOR CHANGE TO ADTL SCORING

Background

We have been speaking to other league admins around the country and have been amazed to see the variety of different scoring algorithms in use; practically every league is different. We would like to propose that the ADL change the way we allocate points to matches.

The current winner-takes-all system is very discouraging to teams that are in the lower part of a division. They can turn out, battle away, come within a whisker of winning and then get no points.

Proposal

We suggest a scheme whereby, for the Summer 2026 league:

• Each team gets one point for each set won.
• The winning team gets two bonus points for winning – or one bonus point each for drawing.

The benefits of this approach are:

• Both teams will get some points and even the losers will think that it has been worth turning out. Even if a team only fields one pair they still can come away with up to 5 points.
• Consistency is rewarded, winning a few sets each match can surpass teams who have a couple of wins but frequent losses (see the example at the bottom of the page).

We will maintain our existing rules on unfinished sets. Walkovers will be scored as 6 points to zero.

The proposal will be discussed at the AGM at Aylesbury club on Monday Nov 17 and minor amendments can be made.

Voting

The Fixtures Secretary of each club will be given one vote and should consult with their captains how this should be cast. The votes should be cast by sending an email to adtldivisionalsec@gmail.com Voting will close on Dec 31 and the voting will be published on the ADTL website.

Example

The change in scoring will usually not affect the standings table; but the real life example below from last year shows how it can change. The first table shows the result using the current method. The lower table shows the result of applying the new algorithm. Prestwood would be promoted instead of Aylesbury, and Risborough would be relegated instead of Tring