Section One: General Rules
The league will usually commence early September and run through to the middle of May.
The AGM will be held on a seperate evening (captains only) each season around April/May.
The Presentation will be held on a Saturday evening (everyone welcome) each season May/June.
There will usually be a two week break over Christmas, and Bank Holiday Mondays will be fixture free.
The league will wherever possible be made up of two divisions, league profiles will be decided at the AGM.
Usually, there will be two teams promoted from Division Two and two teams relegated from Division One each year.
Teams consist of a minimum 8 registered players, matches commence at 20:00 Mondays whereby 6 players play two frames against a player from the opposing team, match ups are drawn randomly although the home team Captain has the prerogative as to the order of play and the choice of club tables used.
The draw card by both captains is to be carried out latest 19:50 ready for a sharp start time 20:00 for matches.
If teams finish the season level on points, positions will be determined firstly on number of matches won, then number of matches lost, matches head-head, and finally a play off at a neutral venue, best of 5, one frame each.
A team must be represented by a minimum of 4 players, if a team is short of players, the other team can field its strongest players.
A minimum of four players must be present and ready to play by 20:00, the latest arrival time for any player is 22:00, at no point can the player/score card be changed in any circumstance. If they fail to arrive by this time a walkover is given to the opposing team.
All league matches must be played on a minimum of two tables.
All frames must be refereed by a home team player, using the WPBSA rules Click Here.
Fees
Team registration fee is £30 per season, payable at the AGM.
6-man team registration fee is £10 per season, payable at the AGM.
Team annual subscription fee is £140, payable to the Treasurer no later than 31st December.
Failure to pay subs on time will result in a 2-point deduction per week until subs are paid.
Match results, match scores, and breaks must be entered by the home team Captain to the Website Via Captains New Log in by midday on the Tuesday after a match.
Dress code for all VHSL matches (including KO Cup/Plate) is VHSL shirt, trousers, shoes. Singles & Doubles to be agreed by both players. It is the team Captain's responsibility to ensure that all players are correctly dressed (no jeans/chinos or jeans that look like trousers). Players incorrectly dressed will be allowed participation as normal & the game will go ahead, any stats will also be recorded however come the end of the night the offending team with a dress code violation will be deducted 2 points from the total season frames, i.e the result will stand for example 7-5 & nothing will amend that score line but the 2 penalty points will come off their total season points.
A buffet is usually supplied by the home team, and we thank our member clubs for this service, this is not however compulsory.
Table charges are the responsibility of the home team.
Additional registration of players is available without charge prior to December 31st, after which there will be a £10 charge; all additional registrations must be confirmed to your relevant divison secretary no later than Friday 16:30 of the previous week. If you contact the relevant secretary after that time your new player will not be eligible to play on Monday.
Any player wishing to transfer between teams once a season has begun must clear this with their Division Secretary.
Any Q School/Tour players currently/previously will automatically give 21 start in Div 1, if playing in Div 2 they will give 35 start. This also includes any previous main professional tours from the past, no matter how long ago. The committee will decide however halfway through the season on any -21 player & consider if this should be removed for the following season. Please note - any player previously playing on the main tour that continues to play in the league once fallen off the main tour will continue to be -49 for 2 year (season) as although this person has fallen off the tour within a few months there is no change in his/her ability & will be assessed come the end of the season by the committee if any changes are necesssary.
Any current main tour player automatically gives -49 start & will continue to do so 2 year after if off the main tour.
Section Two: Registration and Entry
All teams wishing to join the league must attend the AGM pre-season to register their team and pay their registration fees; new team’s registrations will be voted on at the AGM.
After the AGM, fixtures will be produced and published by fixtures Secretary, Chris Thatcher.
Section Three: Singles and Doubles Competitions
There will be a divisional singles and doubles competition each season, organised by the Competitions Secretary James Baylis.
Entry forms will be available at the AGM prior to the start of the season.
Entry fees are currently £5 for the singles and £10 per pair for the doubles.
Entry forms and fees must be returned to the Competition Secretary by the advertised date.
All draws will be completed by the Competitions Secretary and one other committee member.
Both players are responsible for organising the match but should be fair and reasonable in trying to agree a date and time for matches to be played, table charges should be agreed prior to the match. However, the league recommends that table charges are shared for these matches.
Any requests for changes to the singles / double’s competitions after the AGM and/or draw has been made will require to go via the Competition Secretary.
Any Divison 2 Doubles Team Playing Division 1 Doubles will Receive +14 Start
Section Four: 6-man team Knockout Cup
This cross-division knockout cup competition will run throughout the season, organised by James Baylis.
Breaks made in this competition do not count towards the highest and most breaks awards but can still be posted on the web site.
If a team can only field 5 players on the night (from this point referred to as the shorthanded team), all 12 frames are required to be played; therefore, one player from the shorthanded team will need to play twice; this player will be chosen by the opposition team.
If a team can only field 4 players or fewer on the night, that team will be scratched from the competition. Should this happen in round one of a competition, the offending team may compete in the plate competition, subject to committee approval.
The knockout cup and plate competitions are played as two rounds of six random match draws between the competing team players. A single frame being played in each round match-up. The total number of frames won for each team decides the winner.
In the event of a of tied match (6 frames won by each team) a single player will be randomly drawn from each team to play a deciding frame. All players from both sides must be present or the team without maximum players will lose automatically.
Divison 2 Teams will Receve +14 Start from Divison 1 Players for Each Frame Played.
Section Five: Penalties
Failure to pay league registration fee at or prior to the AGM will result in removal from the league.
Failure to pay singles or doubles entry fees prior to commencement of events will result in removal from the competition.
Any team dropping out of the league during a season will face a two-year ban from the league (subject to committee decision). Individuals from any banned team may only play for another team subject to committee approval.
Match Cancellations:
All teams are allowed one cancellation of a league match during the season without penalty (this does not apply to the Knockout Cup / Plate which are separately run internal competitions).
Further cancellations will result in points deductions as detailed below:
A second cancellation will incur a 6-point deduction from the offending team.
A third cancellation will incur a 9-point deduction from the offending team.
Fourth and all subsequent cancellations will incur 12-point deduction form the offending team.
Cancellation on the day of a game, due to adverse weather, power cuts, bereavements, etc. will not be subject to sanctions, subject to committee agreement.
YOU MUST INFORM THE COMMITTEE BY 12noon ON THE DAY OF THE GAME IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO FIELD A SIDE
The first cancelled game must be replayed within 30 days, it will be the privilege of the team that did not cancel the game to offer three alternative dates for the game to be played; these three dates must not be in the same week; the game must be played on one of these days; unless of course a separate mutually agreed date is available. If the cancelling team turn down all offered dates to play the postponed game, and the game cannot be played; the 'innocent' team will receive a 9-0 result and the cancelling team will receive a 6-point deduction.
Second and subsequent cancellations by a team will result in a 9-0 win being awarded to the 'innocent' team.
Misconduct
Any form of misconduct by any player should be reported to a committee member immediately; any level of violent misconduct will result in a lifetime ban from the VHSL.
Teams dropping out of league during a season:
Should any team drop out of the league during a season, all match results previously recorded by the team will be voided and the league table will be reset accordingly.
Failure to fulfil Singles and Doubles matches:
Any player(s) failing to fulfil a Singles or Double fixture will incur a £10 penalty for their team (from the team points total prize money) and be excluded from entering the following years competitions.
This penalty may be avoided if failing to fulfil the fixture is due to exceptional circumstances (e.g., family bereavement or illness) at the discretion of the committee.
Results submission
Failure to submit results on time (prior to 12noon on Tuesday following day) will incur the following penalties:
First offence: A warning e-mail will be issued to the team by the appropriate Division Secretary.
Second offence: A 6-point penalty will be deducted from the offending teams’ points score.
Third offence: A 9-point penalty will be deducted from the offending team’s points score.
Fourth and subsequent offences: A 12-point penalty will be deducted from the offending team’s points score.
Section Six: The Miss Rule
There is a maximum of three miss calls in any given situation, such that any shot (escape from a snooker etc.) will only be attempted 4 times, a miss will not be called for a fourth failed escape.
That said, it is absolutely the case that not every failed attempt to escape from a snooker should be called as a miss, even if it is the first attempt. Please adhere to guidelines below.
Section 7: Presentation and Awards
1. A Presentation Evening will be held directly after the AGM each season
2. All competing teams will receive prize money, based on a given pence per point gained during the previous season
3. Trophies will be awarded to the winners and runners up in each division (maximum of 10 trophies per team, extra trophies can be requested at additional cost)
4. Trophies will also be awarded to winners and runners up of singles and doubles competitions in each division
5. Trophies will also be awarded to winners and runners up of the 6-man team events
6. A trophy will be awarded to the player making the highest break in each division
7. A trophy will be awarded to the player making the most 30 and over breaks in Division Two
8. A trophy will be awarded to the player making the most 35 and over breaks in Division One
9. Each team receiving prize money must be represented by a minimum of four players from that playing season in question at the presentation evening, failing this will result in prize money being returned to the VHSL fund
10. There will be a most valuable player award for each team based on division individual averages; players will win the averages on the amount of points occured in the season, the more points you occur throughout the season will be based on you winning the avergaes or MVP - if players are tied on the same points the winner will be determined by the amount of league games won in that season.
Section Eight: The Glen Sullivan-Bissett Trophy
1. This trophy competition is a stand alone competition & will be played between the winners of Division 1 & Division 2 from the previous league season.
2. It will be played on the Monday prior the league matches for the new league season at a neutral venue.
3. Full dress code must be observed (see Section One: General rules point 14).
4. Breaks made in this competition do not count towards the highest & most breaks awards but can still be posted on the website.
5. If a team can only field 5 players on the night (from this point referred to as the shorthanded team), all 6 frames are required to be played; therefore, one player from the shorthanded team will need to play twice; this player will be chosen by the opposition team.
6. If a team can only field 4 players or fewer on the night & the circumstances aren’t for unavoidable or compassionate reasons the match may be awarded to the opposing team subject to committee approval.
7. In the event of a of tied match (6 frames won by each team) a blue ball shoot out will be played with all of the 6 players that played on the night with the team with the most blues potted being the winner.
8. In the event that this is also a draw (6 blues potted by each team) then a sudden death blue ball eliminator will be played with the team that missed the first blue being the losers.
9. As a stand alone event between a Division 1 team and a now promoted Division 2 team to Division 1 the frames will not be played with the 14 handicaps but all other handicaps for Q school, Tour and Senior Tour players etc will be observed.
10. The hosting club will reserve the right not to provide food for this competition.
Official definition of a 'Miss' "A miss is when the cue-ball fails to first contact a ball on, and the referee considers that the striker has not made a good enough attempt to hit a ball on."
Further to this, Section 3 of the official rule book, sub-section 14 describes the 'foul and a miss' rule, thus:
'The striker shall to the best of his ability, endeavour to hit the ball on or a ball that could be on; if the referee considers the rule infringed, he shall call Foul and a Miss'.
The key wording here is 'to the best of his ability'; that is to say that to administer this rule fairly, as the referee of any game, when a player fails to escape from a snooker, please ask yourself this:
Is that player based on his ability expected to have got closer to hitting the ball on; if your honest assessment is, No; then you should Not call 'Foul and a Miss'.
Some hints for administering the Miss Rule:
When a striker fails to first hit a ball on, when there is a clear path in a straight line from the cue-ball to any part of any ball that is, or could be on; the referee should call 'foul and miss'; unless snookers were already required prior to the shot being played.
When escaping from a snooker, if the cue-ball falls short, (does not reach the ball on) the referee should call 'foul and miss'; unless snookers were already required prior to the shot being played.
When failing to hit a declared colour (the yellow for example) after first potting a red, when it is quite evidently easier to hit a different colour (the black for example) the referee should call 'foul and miss'; unless snookers were already required prior to the shot being played.
Please understand that these hints and tips are meant only as a guide and are by no means designed as exhaustive.
Most important of all is to remember this:
The Miss Rule is designed to ensure that players make a genuine attempt, a best effort based on ability, to hit a ball on; if you honestly assess that a player has done this, then it is unfair on the player to call a 'Foul and a Miss'
I can only ask that everybody refereeing matches in the VHSL is honest and fair minded when administering this rule