New for 2019! 

A singles tennis ladder league is being introduced to provide members with an opportunity to play competitive yet friendly games of tennis against players of a comparative standard.

The ladder is intended to give players the basic structure on which to contact other members and have some fun challenge games.  The rules are intended as a guide - use your own judgement and enjoy your matches. Please use the following rules with a degree of flexibility and good humour.

Assuming there is sufficient sign up across the club, it is intended that there will be separate ladder league for male and female members.

The Rules

1. You can challenge players who are no more than two places higher than you on the ladder.
2. New players wishing to join the ladder will be assigned two “flying challenges” (the ability to challenge anyone on the ladder) to ensure that all players find their appropriate level sooner.
3. Once a challenge has been set no other challenge can be taken on until the match has been played, cancelled or forfeited and the results entered.
4. If the Challenger wins the match, the Challenger moves to his Opponent’s position on the ladder while the Opponent drops down one place. Anyone in between the players will also move down one place. If the Challenger does not win, both players stay in their current positions.
5. Where the match is a flying challenge, the winner will take the place of the loser who will in turn drop one place on the ladder along with the players in between.
6. The date and time of any match should be mutually agreed by both players. A Challengee should respond to a challenge within seven days after being challenged and the match played within fourteen days of a challenge.
7. The Challenger is responsible for booking a court and providing reasonable match balls. When playing at Stebbing Tennis Club after dark, the players will be required to pay for using the club lights.
8. If any player fails to turn up for an arranged match the other player wins by default.
9. Unless otherwise agreed by both players, matches must be played to the best of three sets with tie breaks in sets 1 and 2 if required.
10. If a player makes a challenge and loses the match, the player must wait at least fourteen days before re-challenging the same player.
11. All match scores and forfeits should be reported to the Ladder Administrator.
12. The ladder will be updated on a regular basis on the club’s web site and displayed within the Club House. A copy of the ladder positions will also be circulated to participants on approximately a monthly basis.

Joining the Ladder League

Players wishing to join the ladder should do so by emailing the Ladder Administrator, Will Hales – please click here. Each player must provide a telephone number and where possible an email address where he/she can be reached for setting dates for matches.

Participants will be required to pay a £10 annual fee for participating in the ladder. Payment can be made in cash to the League administrator or transferred direct to the clubs account.

The ladder League will commence on 14th February 2019.

The initial ranking of the players on the ladder was set up by the League Administrator. It is likely to take a little while for sensible rankings on the ladder to be established, therefore if you feel that you would like to challenge a player higher than two places above you in the ladder during the first four months of the league then please do so. All players will have one “flying challenge”.

New members wishing to join the ladder after the league commencement date will be placed at the bottom, however to ensure that all players find their appropriate level sooner, all new players entering the league after 14th February 2019 will be entitled to two flying challenges. 

The Club Committee reserves the right to amend the ladder rules at any time. Any rule changes will be communicated to all participants.

All this information is displayed in the clubhouse.