News
Competition

Tournaments No.1 - Handicap Men's Doubles

Wed, 11 May 2022 00:00

PLTC 2022 Handicap Tournament

Rules & Guidelines

 

Welcome to the PLTC 2022 Handicap Tournaments. The draw for the first handicap tournament (Men’s Doubles) is complete and the fixtures and contact list are now up on the notice board in the Clubhouse. The first round of matches can now begin, so please start contacting your opponents to make arrangements, and the very best of luck to everyone.

 

We have put together some helpful information regarding the format of the tournament, including the Rules and Guidelines, which you should take time to read and digest (and may we suggest keeping a copy with you should you need to refer to the rules during your fixtures). Most of the rules are fairly straightforward, but as this is the first time some of you may be playing in our Handicap Tournaments, some may find the Handicaps themselves the most confusing part…. but please don’t panic, just take your time and don’t be afraid to speak up and ask for help/clarification with them.

 

As soon as you have completed your fixture, the results should be added to the draw sheets on the noticeboard if possible by the winning player(s) and can you also email the results to prentonlawntennisclub@gmail.com so we can keep up to date with everyone’s progress.

 

Match format

All matches are the best of 3 sets, i.e., first to win 2 sets.

A set is won by the first player/pair to win 6 games, so if the score is 5-5 whoever wins the next game wins the set. There are no tie-breaks.

We encourage you to keep shouting the scores out as you play each game, as this way it’s easier to keep track of them!

 

Arranging matches

Traditionally, the person/pairing at the top of each match is responsible for contacting their opponents to arrange the match, and in the modern world of WhatsApp and social media this should be fairly straightforward to do.

 

Balls

Players should provide their own balls for all rounds except for the final where balls will be provided by the Club.

Rain/Bad Weather

In the event of a partially completely match being called off due to rain or bad weather, the rearranged game will begin with the score of completed games and sets, partially completed games will not count.

 

Court Availability

Please continue to use the Club Spark booking system to book your courts.

 

 

 

Handicaps Explained

  • Each player/pair has been assigned a specific handicap which they will retain and use throughout the Tournament, which will look something like this; -30, or +15 or -15 ½ or +15 ½ etc.
  • Handicaps of -15, -30, -40 etc mean that you have to work back through to love and then continue the game as normal. So, -80, -70, -60, -50, -40, -30, -15, Love, 15, 30, 40, Game.
  • Handicaps of +1/2 mean the player/pair begins their ODD games on Love and their EVEN games on +15
  • Handicaps of +15 1/2 mean the player/pair begin their ODD games on +15 and their EVEN games on +30
  • Handicaps of -1/2 mean the player/pair begin their EVEN games on Love and their ODD games on -15
  • Handicaps of -15 1/2 means the player/pair begin their EVEN games on -15 and their ODD games on -30
  • You are also able to cancel some of your handicap out depending on your opponent’s handicap. So, for example, if one player is on -15 and the other player is on -30, then to reduce the length of the games, the first player can play from Love and the second player from -15.
  • You should be conscious of what side you start serving from. For example, if you are playing from -15 then you should start serving from the left-hand side, rather than the Deuce side, so when you get back to 0 you are on the correct side.
  • Finally, the first game of the match is always ODD (i.e., Game 1)… and from then on you keep counting. So, if you were to win the first set 6-4, the first game of the second set would also be odd (i.e., game 11), but if you were to win the first set 6-5, then the first game of the second set would be even (i.e., game 12).

 

Do not worry if you get things muddled… it WILL happen! Remember, someone is likely to be around to offer you some guidance, but as long as the matches are played in the best spirit and with best endeavours then the tournament will be a great success.

 

Tournament Schedule

Handicap Men’s Doubles Finals Day is Saturday 18th June, which gives everybody just over 4 weeks to complete their fixtures.

To ensure the tournament runs smoothly, you must follow the deadline detailed below and on the draw sheets displayed on the noticeboard. This will ensure there is no backlog of matches and avoid any holdups. In the unfortunate event of un-played matches holding up the tournament, then regrettably these will be scratched.

 

  • First round to be completed by                      Thursday 26th May
  • Quarter Finals to be completed by                 Saturday 5th June
  • Semi Finals to be completed by                      Wednesday 15th June
  • Finals Day                                                        Saturday 18th June

 

Thank you all for entering and good luck!

 

Regards

 

PLTC Committee