ONTARIO WEST TABLE TENNIS LEAGUE RULES

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(Last updated: March 2023)

1.OBJECTIVES. The objectives of the League are to promote the playing of table tennis on a competitive basis in Ontario west region and to encourage the formation of clubs in western area.

2.ADMINISTRATION. The administration of the League will be the responsibility of the League Committee. The League Committee will appoint the League secretary and League treasurer

3.LEAGUE COMMITTEE. The Ontario West Table Tennis League (OWTTL) Committee comprises, as a minimum, a Chairman, Secretary, Bulletins, Treasurer, and members-at-large. The chairman of the Ontario West Table Tennis Association will function as the chairman of the OWTTL League committee. The other members will be re-elected each year at the Annual OWTTL meeting. Vacant positions during other times in the season can be filled by a majority vote of the remaining members of the League Committee. Each participating club will have the right to nominate one representative to serve on the League Committee.

Start from the 2023/2024 season, the League committee is as follows:

• Chairman: Jane Wang
• Secretary: Gary Lin
• Bulletins: Rick Li
• Member-at-Large: Henry Li

4.TEAMS. Teams will consist of a minimum of three players whose names must be submitted with the team entry. New players to the team are allowed only during the first half of the schedule, subject to approval by the League secretary. Approval of additional players will not be unreasonably withheld, provided they conform to the rating limits set at the beginning of the season. A maximum of six players can be registered for any one team. Once 6 players are registered, no further changes can be made. Exceptions to this rule, for extenuating circumstances, can only be made through a majority vote of the league committee.

The team will nominate a captain, his/her telephone number, and e-mail address, as contact information for use by the other team captains. As back-up, teams should provide more than one working email and telephone number. The entry form must be accompanied by the League fees for the team. Teams not paying their entry fee prior to the first week of the schedule, will not be allowed to participate in the league.

All members of each team, including spares as defined in section 6, must have an estimated rating before they are allowed to participate in their first match. It is the responsibility of the team captain to ensure that all their players, including spares, abide by the rule. Players without a valid rating should contact the league secretary to arrange for a rating session. Once a rating has been established, it will be entered into the OWTTL database after which the player is eligible to play in their first match. Any matches played without a valid OWTTL rating will be forfeited to the opposing team.

Eligibility of players is subject to the following restrictions:

      a) No player may play for more than one team in one division unless his transfer is approved by the League Committee.
      b) All players in each division must have ratings within the rating limits set by the League committee as shown in the team registration form. This rule applies to new players or substitutes during the season.
      c) The League secretary may decide that an unrated player is too strong for any division and default his wins under Rule 5.
      d) No player may play in any division after he has played in three fixtures in a higher division or higher divisions unless his transfer is approved by the League Committee.

5. DIVISIONS. Teams entering the League will be organized into divisions by the League secretary. The League secretary will decide the appropriate division for each team and player. A team may be required to move to a different division at any time prior to its fourth fixture of the season. A player may be deemed too strong for any division (except the First Division) at any time prior to playing in his fourth fixture of the season. Whenever the League secretary decides a player is too strong for a division any games played by that player in that division are forfeit. Any decision of the League secretary may be appealed to the League Committee, whose decision shall be final.

6. SPARES. In accordance with Rule 4, any member of any team may spare for another team in a higher division, but must not play for more than one team in the same division. Any player who plays more than three games in a higher division or divisions may not return to the lower division. Spares are allowed provided they are registered members of the team’s home club and their rating is no higher than the team average.

Spares can also be selected from players who are not registered for a team provided they are registered members of the team’s home club and their rating is no higher than the team average.

Spares must be rated by a club official, and the rating communicated by the team captain to the league secretary and the captains of the opposing teams in that division, a minimum of three days before they play in a match.

Under no circumstances shall an individual player spare more than three times in the same season. Under no circumstances shall a team utilize more than one spare in the same fixture.

7. MATCHES. A fixture will consist of nine matches. Each match will be three out of five games to 11 points. Three members of one team will each play three members of the opposing team at singles. The sequence of playing the matches will be that shown on the preprinted scorecard, unless both team captains agree to a change. The home team will provide balls for the fixture, and they must select an International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) approved 3-star quality 40 mm plastic ball (marked with 40+).

All matches shall be played in accordance with the laws of table tennis as defined by section 2 of the ITTF Handbook 2010-2011 (www.ittf.com/ittf_handbook/ittf_hb.html). In addition, the following ITTF regulations shall apply to all matches played in the OWTTL:

1. The covering material on a side of the racket blade used for striking the ball shall be identified with the ITTF Logo, the supplier and the brand name, and shall be attached to the racket blade so that this identification is clearly visible near the handle. Lists of all Approved Racket Coverings (LARC) are maintained by the ITTF Office and details are available on the ITTF web site.

2. Use of glues containing harmful volatile solvents is now banned. It is the responsibility of each player to ensure that racquet coverings are attached to their racket blade with adhesives that do not contain harmful volatile solvents.

8. INTERVALS

      8.1 Play shall be continuous throughout an individual match except that any player is entitled to an interval of up to 1 minute between successive games of an individual match and brief intervals for toweling after every 6 points from the start of each game and at the change of ends in the last possible game of an individual match.

      8.2 A player may claim one time-out period of up to 1 minute during an individual match.

            a) The request for a time-out may be made by the player, a designated team advisor(s), or the team captain.

            b) The request for a time-out, which can be made only between rallies in a game, shall be indicated by making a “T” sign with the hands.

            c) Play shall resume as soon as the player making the request is ready to continue or at the end of 1 minute, whichever is the sooner.

            d) There shall be no intervals between successive individual matches except that a player who is required to play in successive matches may claim an interval of up to 5 minutes between those matches.

9. FIXTURES. Each team entering the League will select its own home night at the beginning of the season. Such home night may not be Saturday or Sunday. The League secretary will issue a fixture list to all clubs at the beginning of the season. Fixtures are to be played on the home night of the home team in the week shown on the fixture list. If both captains agree, a fixture may be played at any time prior to the scheduled date.

Fixtures played at the Fallingbrook Church can only be played on the scheduled night. At this location, it is not allowed to play more than one fixture or partial fixtures, on the same night. Also, postponed matches can only be played at these locations if prior agreement has been reached with the league secretary.

10. LATENESS. Fixtures will start at 7:30 p.m. or the start time selected by the home team at the beginning of the season. The first match may be claimed as a default if either team fails to have at least one player present by 7:45 pm. or 15 minutes after the chosen start time. The second match may be claimed as a default if either team fails to have at least two players present by 8:00 p.m. or 30 minutes after the chosen start time. At 8:30 p.m., or one hour after the chosen start time, all the matches of players still not present may be claimed as defaults. If the progress in the fixture is slow, the home team may insist that two tables be used simultaneously to finish the fixture within the time available.

11. POSTPONED FIXTURES. Fixtures are to be played on time, in accordance with the schedule issued by the League Secretary at the beginning of the season. Failure to field one or more players of a team on the assign night will result in the team forfeiting the applicable matches. Postponement will ONLY be allowed for legitimate reasons (as determined by the league secretary) upon consultation with the opposing captain. Where a postponement is agreed by both captains, the fixture must be played before the end of the season week. Notification of the postponement must also be given to the league secretary, or his delegate, before the originally scheduled start of the fixture.

12. TEAM REMOVAL. Teams which defaulted more than three fixtures will be removed from the league.

13. SCORECARDS. Official scorecards will be provided to each club at the beginning of each season. Additional copies can be requested. It is the responsibility of the home team to provide a card for each fixture. Either captain may request that the names and sequence of play be recorded in writing by each captain prior to revealing the same to the opposite team. Once the names have been recorded in writing they can only be changed with the consent of both captains.

The winning captain will be responsible for e-mailing, or hand-delivering, the scorecard to the League secretary, or his delegate, within 48 hours of the fixture. It should be noted that a scorecard is not considered valid unless at least one team has all 3 players present.

14. UMPIRING OF MATCHES. Matches should be umpired whenever possible. Each team should assign players to umpire by turn. Other club members may act as umpires with approval of both captains.

15. LEAGUE BULLETINS. The League secretary, or his delegate, will issue bulletins periodically, ideally every week throughout the season, showing the fixture results, and the teams’ and individual players’ won/loss records. The updated weekly bulletins will be made available on the OWTTL web site at http://www.ontariowesttabletennis.com.

16. TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS. The point system for wins and losses is as follows:

Results of defaulted matches give an unfair advantage to the winning team. Playing points are introduced to try to offset this.

The team with the most points in each division at the end of the season will be the divisional champion. The team with the most points in each division will be the League champion and will be entitled to hold the OWTTA Trophy for one year. In the event that two or more teams are tied on points at the end of the season, the team which won the most fixtures will be the champion. In the event of a tie on points and fixtures, the team which won the most matches will be the champion.

17. INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIPS. The player winning the most ratings in each division will be the divisional individual champion. In the event of two or more players being tied on the rating won, then the winner will be the one with the most matches won. In the event of a tie on rating and wins, count on fewest matches losses.

18. RATING SYSTEM. Each player will be initially rated by the League secretary, or his delegate, based on:

1. C.T.T.A. rating, if known.
2. Reports from club representatives.
3. Results of each player’s first League fixture. 

18.1 BASIC RPINCIPLES

RATING – The “rating” of a player is a number value. To obtain this number value players compete in competitions from which the results are submitted to the OWTTA Ranking System.

18.1.1. For each match, the winner gains a certain number of points whilst, at the same time, points are deducted from the rating of the loser. The number of points won or lost depends on the relative strength of the two players involved.

18.1.2. Points are added or deducted in accordance with the Points Exchange table:

      “Expected results” are those of matches where the winner had a higher rating going into a competition than the loser.

      “Unexpected results” are those of matches where the winner had a lower rating than the loser.

18.2 Points Exchange tables:

EXPECTED RESULTS – THE HIGHER RATED PLAYER WINS:

UNEXPECTED RESULTS – THE LOWER RATED PLAYER WINS:

In the situation where one team member does not attend the fixture (i.e. defaults their 3 singles matches), the opposing team players will each be awarded a win and a rating gain of 8 points in lieu of the match against the defaulted player. The player(s) who did not attend the fixture will not be penalized for their absence.

In the situation where one team member is on site to play the fixture and defaults, the matches shall be recorded as if they lost all points from that point forward and the player ratings shall each be updated accordingly.

19. AWARD CEREMONY. Trophies for first teams and Medals for first, second and third-placed teams’ members, and winning individual players, will be presented at an end of season ceremony organized by OWTTA. Medals will be provided by the league for up to six registered players per team, provided that the player has played at least 3 full fixtures. Spare players are not eligible for trophies.

20. CHANGE OF RULES. These Rules will be reviewed each year at the Annual OWTTL meeting. Changes may be made by a two-thirds majority vote of the current OWTTL Committee members, plus one representative from each club in the preceding season. In order to vote, you must be present at the Annual meeting when the voting takes place.

Changes to these rules at other times during the season, will be on an exception basis whereby two- thirds of the League Committee agrees that it is in the best interest of the League to change mid-season rather than at the Annual meeting.

Revised March 2023

By Ontario West Table Tennis League Committee