The Dunlop black, double yellow dot ball shall be the official ball in all divisions of the Ulster Squash League.
All players must be registered by their clubs ad names, addresses and ladder order must be sent to the League Convenor. Visiting players from other countries who guest for a club must also be registered and have played a challenge match to move up the club ladder. If a visitor is ranked highly in his own country, he may not play in the lower divisions of the Ulster League.
Players are registered for a club by Club Secretaries prior to the Lague Subcommittee producing fixtures for the season.
(a)A player may not play for more than one club team in any one week.
(b)A player may not play for more than one club within the jurisdiction of Ulster Squash in any one season, unless his transfer has been approved by the League Sub-Committee. This rule also applies to teams from a club playing in the same division, however, the rule does not apply to players who compete in Junior or Veteran Leagues.
(c)Any player who is registered with a club and who wishes to transfer after the date of the AGM must have the approval of the League Sub-Committee.
Clubs must play in ladder order and the current ladder positions must be on display for the opposing team to see. (Note: A club which has more than one team playing on the same night must ensure that, if there is a shortage of players for any reason, the lower (or lowest) team is the one to play without the full quota.) Substitutions must be made strictly in ladder order.
Players who play out of position, along with players in between that order, shall lose all points. A team which breaks Rule 3(a) shall lose all points from that position downwards. Teams playing with less than four players must concede walkovers in the lowest position(s). A minimum of two players must play to fulfil a fixture.
If a player on a higher team plays on a lower team, he must play at No.4 and forfeit the points.
Team results of matches must be received from the Team Secretary of the home club by the appropriate League Secretary within two days of the fixture, otherwise the home team will be penalised five points from its season's total. (Use first-class post only.)
Matches are to start at 7 p.m. at the latest. Those clubs which have an early closing time may start at 6 p.m. by prior arrangement with the two Team Secretaries involved. In any unfinished matches, the outstanding points shall be awarded to the team not responsible for the inconclusive result.
Ties normally should be played in order of 4, 1, 3 and 2, unless prior arrangements have been made by the two Team Secretaries involved.
A walkover may be claimed if a team member is not available to play at any time after 7 p.m. (7.20 p.m. for teams travelling over 40 miles). Further ties can be claimed every 20 minutes until 8 p.m., when the whole match may be awarded against the offending team unless prior arrangements have been made by the two Team Secretaries involved.
The dates on which all matches are to be played shall be fixed by the League Sub-Committee at the beginning of the season. Division 1-4 matches are to be played on Tuesday evenings, Division 5-8 matches on Wednesdays and Division 9 on Thursdays.
League matches must be played at the venue stipulated by the League Sub-Committee and no individual matches are to be played elsewhere.
The dates will have to be strictly adhered to, except as follows:
(a)The away team may change the date if road conditions make it impossible to travel.
(b)The home team may; change the date if the court is unplayable for the match.
(c)In other exceptional circumstances, where the League Convenor has been notified in advance. In such circumstances, the League Sub-Committee will adjudicate and may authorise a change of date.
(d)For other unforeseen events the League Sub-Committee may authorise a change of date.
(e)A team which has to travel around 100 miles to its away venue may, with the consent of the opposing team and the League Administrator, play the fixture on the week-end before the stipulated date.
In the first two cases, the League Convenor must be informed immediately of the postponement and in all cases of the re-arranged dates, which must be within three weeks of the postponement.
Teams postponing matches for reasons other than those quoted above, or teams failing to fulfil fixtures, will automatically forfeit the whole match and will, in addition, be penalised 25 points from their season's total. Teams which play with less than two players shall be penalised 25 points from their season's total. Relegation at the end of the season of one or more divisions may be the final penalty for a team which continuously misses fixtures.
Recognised squash clothing must be worn.
Any player who is unable to play a league match because of representative duties, or because of a clash of dates due to International commitment, shall be allowed to play the match on a date stipulated by the League Sub-Committee.
The League Sub-Committee reserves the right to deduct points from any team or club playing a member in a position which, in its opinion, does not reflect the member's true ladder status.
The League Sub-Committee shall expel from the League any player who is found to be personating another player, and any team which sanctions this malpractice shall incur the same penalty.
Teams which fail to pay the team fee by the appointed date shall be deducted five points in each subsequent match.
No Junior player aged under 14 shall play in the Ulster Squash League, unless ratified by the Junior Sub-Committee.
If there is a tie at the top of a division, the winner will be decided on a play-off on a neutral court.
Veterans:
Generally, all Ulster League Rules apply, with the addition of:
(a)Teams must be comprised of men and women - any combination.
(b)Male players must be 45 years old, females must be 40 years old on or before the end of September prior to the League season.
(c)Only one player in each team can participate if playing regularly in Men's Divisions 1 or 2.
(d)A player must be registered with the Veterans' League Secretary before he/she plays for a team.
(e)A player registered for a club in the Ulster League may be registered for another club in the Veterans' League.
(f)Matches shall commence not later than 7.20 p.m., unless prior arrangement exists between Team Secretaries.
Points system:
A player winning 3-0 will be awarded 5 points
A player winning 3-1 will be awarded 4 points
A player winning 3-2 will be awarded 3 points
A player losing 2-3 will be awarded 2 points
A player losing 1-3 will be awarded 1 point
The winning team will be awarded 5 bonus points. In the event of a 2-2 draw, each team will be awarded 2 bonus points each.