Tournament Rules

General

  1. The 2012 Corinthian Cup will be hosted by Cambridge University Real Tennis Club, Hatfield House Tennis Club and Newmarket Real Tennis Club and organised by the Corinthian Cup Co-ordination Group (CCCG)
    • chaired by George Pearson (Cambridge) and
      with club representatives:
      • John Burnett (Newmarket),
      • John Hedges (Hatfield) and
      • Julian Stafford (Cambridge).
    John Burnett, as Tennis Director, is responsible to the CCCG for all playing arrangements during the Tournament. The Head Professionals of each club:
    • John Dawes (Hatfield),
    • Andrew Knibbs (Newmarket) and
    • Kees Ludekens (Cambridge)
    will be responsible to the Tennis Director for the presentation of the courts and balls and for the marking at their respective clubs. Together, the CCCG and Head Professionals make up the Tennis Committee. For each day of the Tournament, the Tennis Committee will appoint a referee at each club. In the absence of another appointment, the Tennis Director will be the Tournament Referee.
  2. The Corinthian Cup Tournament is for Amateur players. It comprises two main events: a team doubles competition played for the Corinthian Cup and a handicap doubles competition.
  3. The T&RA Tennis Tournament Rules and Procedures (effective 15 November 2009) will apply to the Tournament. Players should ascertain the differences between these Rules and their home country's Rules.
  4. All play will be subject to the Laws of Tennis, the local rules prevailing at each club and the following Tournament Rules:
    • All players will be allocated a handicap by the Tournament Committee, based on the (lower of their) RTO handicap(s), and other relevant information. The maximum handicap is 60, players with handicaps greater than 60 will play off 60.

    • All matches will be played off handicap, using the T&RA Odds calculator
    • It is the absolute responsibility of the player(s) to be satisfied with the published handicap difference before proceeding onto court. Matches played off handicap differences subsequently found to be incorrect will stand unadjusted.
    • There will not be play-offs for third and fourth placing.
    • The timetable allows 45 minutes for each first-to-eight-game set. Matches will not start before the scheduled time unless all players are present and agree. Once a Corinthian Cup match has commenced, the sets are played in strict order, with successive sets starting immediately the preceding set is completed. The timetable allows four minutes only for warm-up. Late arrival on court by any one side will incur game penalties - one game at the end of the four minutes warm-up period and a further game every three minutes, with complete forfeit after 28 minutes. A timer will be used to ascertain times and will be started immediately the last point of the preceding set is completed. The Markers have no discretion to vary these conditions. It is recommended that pairs spin for choice of ends prior to arrival on court.
    • Play, especially including change of ends, is to be 'brisk'. If, in the opinion of the marker, any player causes delay, whether deliberate or inadvertent, in serving, being ready to receive or in changing ends, that player will be given a warning. The warning will apply to all players on the court. Any further 'delays' will result in loss of point, then game(s).
    • Play in the competitions will generally start at 9.00 am and may finish at 6.00pm. Players should allow plenty of time to arrive in time for matches, especially when travelling to a 'distant' club. Traffic conditions will not be accepted as an excuse for lateness.
    • Strict adherence to the above conditions is necessary to ensure the smooth running of the Tournament. It is designed to ensure each day's play finishes on schedule, and so allow for the formal and informal social programme to be enjoyed to the full.
    • The withdrawal from the competition by a team in the Corinthian Cup or by a pair in the Handicap Doubles before the completion of that team's or pair's pool rounds will result in all matches played by that team or pair being disregarded when determining the finishing positions of the other teams in the pool.
    • The Tennis Committee may, at its absolute discretion, vary any of the conditions of play. All decisions will be made in equity.

Corinthian Cup - Team Handicap Doubles

  1. The Corinthian Cup will be played round-robin in pools of six teams. Each team will play five pool matches.
  2. Each team must have at least five and no more than eight players.
  3. All matches, including finals, will comprise four separate rubbers.
  4. All rubbers, including finals, will consist of a single first-to-eight game set played off handicap. In any set each pair may once only, at the start of a game, if it is three or more games behind and is at the receiving end, change receivers.
  5. A team does not have to use all its players, but must use at least four players for any one match – the choice of which players to be decided by the team captain. No player may play more than two rubbers and no pair can play more than one rubber in any one match.
  6. The four rubbers will be played in strict pairs handicap ranked order with the lowest handicapped pair played first followed by pair four, two and finally three. The order of play may not be varied, mutual agreement or not.
  7. In the event of an injury to or incapacitation of a player during a rubber which results in an incomplete rubber, the opposing team will be awarded the remaining games to give them a total of eight games, i.e. there is no substitution allowed during a rubber.
  8. If the injured or incapacitated player is scheduled to play a second rubber in the match and is injured or otherwise incapacitated to an extent that the Referee is satisfied that the player cannot play in the second rubber, approval may be given for a substitute player from the team, provided only that the rules (5 and 6) above are not contravened. If these conditions cannot be met, a substitution cannot be made and so the opposing team will be awarded an eight-nil win for that rubber.
  9. Each team captain must nominate by use of the Tournament web-site (Team Nomination link), no later than 5pm the day before each match (or such other time as may be directed by the Tournament Committee), which player pairs comprise the team for that match. This lead time is necessary to enable handicap odds to be calculated and other administrative matters to be addressed. The Tournament Committee will endeavour to keep team selections confidential until the match schedule is published on the Tournament web-site, usually before 9.00pm. In the event that the web-site is not operational the team captain may use the Team Nomination page www.booknowplus.com/ccteam.aspx (preferred), email (corinthiancup@gmail.com) or an SMS text message (07713 271040) to communicate team details to the Tennis Director.
  10. Where a team includes two or more pairs with identical handicaps (calculated to the nearest 0.1 of a handicap point), the ranking order of those pairs will be taken as the order in which the captain submits the team, i.e. the first named is the better pair.
  11. Substitutions to the nominated players in any team after the Tournament has commenced will only be permitted in exceptional circumstances and at the discretion of the Tournament Committee. If a substitution is allowed, the substituted player will not be permitted to play again in the Tournament.
  12. All Corinthian Cup matches will be decided firstly on rubbers won. If rubbers won are equal it will be decided on total games won over the four rubbers. In the pool rounds, if both rubbers won and games won are equal, each team will receive half a point. Two halves equal one win. In the knock-out stage, up to and including the quarter-finals, the fourth rubber pairs will return to court and immediately play a new first-to-three game sudden death handicap set. In the semi-finals and the final, each team may choose any combination to play a sudden death first-to-five game set.
  13. Position in the pool stage will be decided by matches won. If matches won are equal, by total rubbers won, then total games won divided by total games lost, then head to head, then by lot.
  14. The winning team from each pool will automatically enter the knock-out Round of 8. The remaining Round of 8 places will be determined by selecting the most successful losing teams, irrespective of pool. Success will be decided by matches won. If matches won are equal, by total rubbers won, then total games won divided by total games lost, then head to head, then by lot.

Handicap Doubles

  1. The Handicap Doubles will be played round-robin in pools of four or six pairs in each of two divisions. Each team will play three matches in their pool, i.e. there is not complete rotation in the six-pair pools.
  2. There can be no substitutions to a pair after the start of the pair’s first match.
  3. All Handicap Doubles matches, including finals, will comprise one set of first-to-eight games. In any set each pair may once only, at the start of a game, if it is three or more games behind and is at the receiving end, change receivers.
  4. Position in the pool stage will be decided by matches won. If matches won are equal, by total games won divided by total games lost, then head to head.
  5. The winning team in each pool will automatically enter the knock-out Round of 8 for the appropriate division. The remaining Round of 8 places will be determined by selecting the next most successful teams, irrespective of pool. Success will be decided by matches won. If matches won are equal, then by total games won divided by total games lost, then head to head, then by lot.

 

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