Normal Situation and Scoring

The simple situation is where we have five people in each league each month, everyone writes their scores legibly on the league sheets and plays all of their games.

Matches are played on a best of five basis but occasionally it is not possible to complete the match. Scoring for all circumstances is displayed on the notice board but as a reminder, here are the possibilities:

A walkover can be claimed if 3 different (reasonable) dates are offered but your opponent is not able to accept any of them.

So, all that happens when the league period ends is that the scores are added up, the players in the top two places are promoted to the next league up and the bottom two are relegated.

Numbers in Each League

On occasions in the past it has not been possible to maintain 5 people in each league. This can happen when new players join and the leagues already have 5 people in each, or people drop out.  Of course, when the number of people in each league increases or decreases this can also have an impact on promotion or relegation. 

Deciding Promotion or Relegation

It sometimes happens that two players end the league with the same number of points. In this situation, promotion or relegation will be decided on the result when they played each other. If that doesn’t resolve the question, their respective results against the leading player will be compared, or the next player until a decision can be reached. If they still cannot be separated I will toss a coin.

New Players and Players Dropping Out

Life becomes more difficult when new players join the leagues or return after a break for injury or other reasons. I will try to place him or her in the league immediately below their normal level. If it is possible I will also try to maintain 5 players in each league. Obviously this can mean that that the second placed player in the leagues below may not get the promotion that they thought that they had earned. If a player drops out of a league, it will usually mean that only one person gets relegated from that league – and this effect will continue for all of the leagues below. Of course, in real life we often get new players joining and others dropping out so the outcome can be quite complicated. 

If You Can’t Play Your Games

Life also becomes complicated if people do not play their games. It seems strange that members sometimes put their name on the sheet posted on the notice board to join the leagues and then do not get around to playing any games. If, for any reason, you are not able to play games you should simply cross through your name and mark it with “PINT” (put in next time). Otherwise, any player who does not play a game for two league cycles will be withdrawn. 

If You Want to Join the Leagues

A sheet is posted on the Club notice board every month. All you need to do is enter the details requested. Alternatively email me on dave.hall@chantrysquashclub.com and let me know whether you want to enter the squash leagues, which league reflects your standard of play and confirm your contact telephone numbers.