Greetings!
On
behalf of the Billiard Congress of America, I am excited to introduce the
2005-2006 North American Pocket Billiard League system for the Raystown Country
BCA Pool League.
What
makes us stand out from all the rest is that the BCA League system was
specifically designed with the independent player in mind.
1)
We
do not try to regulate and control, your every movement with restrictive rules
and regulations. BCA does have some
basic requirements that each player must meet, but they are minimal.
2)
All
BCA Leagues play by official BCA rules, which mean that even though your
players compete in a local league, they are a part of a much larger continental
network, all playing under the auspices of BCA.
3)
The
BCA League system has no established territories, which means that a league can
start anywhere on the continent, even in the same town as another BCA
league. With over 50 million pool
players throughout North America, we feel that all leagues can work together to
be successful rather than competing against each other.
4)
BCA,
as the industry trade association and the main amateur governing body in the
U.S., is non-profit and we are not looking to make a fast buck from you and
your players. We feel that the only
ones who should gain from a local BCA league are the establishment owners,
League Administrators, and the players themselves.
At
the Billiard Congress Of America the main objective has always been to promote
the sport of pocket billiards. And
establishing leagues on a local level is one of the best ways to reach this
goal.
The
Raystown Country BCA 8-Ball League runs entirely by the players
themselves. Officers on the Board of
Directors are elected, and captains are appointed by each team as a
representative. All monies collected
are used for secretary fees, expenses, and sanctioning only. The balance is used toward the year ending
awards & banquet, tournament prize monies, and league sponsored tournament
entry fees.
The
Raystown Country BCA 8-Ball league was formed in October 1997, so we can efficiently
have fun and excitement in a competitive atmosphere. Above all, we understand how much the people in our area want to
play pool in an organized pool league.
A board of directors and participating team captains governs this
league.
Three
basic things members can expect from the league are as follows:
1) Accurate and easy to understand rules to play by and score
sheets.
2) A team to
play, at the scheduled location on the night of play.
3) A league
that delivers what it promises. No
excuses and no broken promises.
All
teams and individuals participating are eligible to participate in the National
Tournaments in Atlantic City and Las Vegas.
Your
Raystown Country BCA 8-Ball 2005-2006 League Officers are as follows:
President: Shawn Speck 643-0570
Vice Pres: Clayton DeForrest 251-6093
Secretary: Kayo Montgomery 644-0456
Treasurer: Barb Freeberg 627-4969
Grievance Comm.: Brock
Fisher 643-0431
Sincerely,
Diane
Kyler
League
Operator
(814)
643-2699
1.
Sportsmanship
must prevail at all times. Gambling or
wagering on league matches or games by players will not be tolerated.
2.
Starting
time for matches will be 7:00 PM. A
visiting team will have the table from 6:30 PM till 7:00 PM. Five (5) man
line-ups must be exchanged between team captains no later than 7:00 PM.
3.
Each
team will be represented by a captain.
Team captains are responsible for the collection of fees from each
player on his/her team and their correct disposition to the league secretary
each week. Annual player membership
fees are $15.00 per year for the BCA sanction fee and the Raystown Country BCA
8-ball league treasury.
4.
All
teams must have a representative at all league meetings. League meeting date,
time and place will appear on the bottom of each week’s stat sheet. Any team
not represented at a meeting will be fined ten (10) dollars. The fine must be
paid to the opposing team captain PRIOR to the beginning of their next match.
Failure to pay the fine will result in a forfeit of the entire match.
5.
Score
sheets must be filled out completely and accurately and signed by both
captains. On out of turn games: if game
is in progress, game is replayed. If
game is completed, team out of turn will receive the loss with a zero score.
6.
A
team’s roster should not exceed ten (10) players.
7.
Players
are not allowed to change teams during a session. If any team is dissolved during a season, it’s players may join
other teams in the league, unless the dissolution of the team is due to poor
sportsmanship or any other unacceptable conduct.
8.
Teams
will not be allowed to add players to their rosters after the fourth week of
play begins without a majority vote by the league captains.
9.
All
rescheduling of matches must be by mutual consent of both team captains and the
local owners. Rescheduled matches must
be made up prior to the next scheduled match.
Exception can be made with proper notice to the league secretary and the
“BOD”.
10. Each team must have a
minimum of three (3) players for match to be played.
11. As noted in #2 above, five
(5) player line-ups must be exchanged between team captains no later than 7:00
PM. All teams will have until the last available game is played and over in
round #1 for any player submitted on the five (5) person line-up to show up and
still play their first round game. No first round game will be delayed any
later. Subsequent round matches shall be played without delay as scheduled on
the score sheet. All games not played shall be forfeited. The absent player will
receive a zero (0) and the player that is present will receive a ten (10). Both
scores will count toward affected players average. Exceptions can be
made if captains agree prior to start of match.
12. During league play, only cue
ball fouls will be enforced, all captains should become familiar with the
governing BCA rules. (BCA Rule Book).
13. It is sportsmanlike and
courteous to warn a shooter of a potential foul situation. When a shot comes up that seems likely to
lead to controversy, opponent should stop play and call for captains to rule of
play. Only the captains or the
immediate players at the table can call fouls.
14. Opponent must warn shooter
prior to the shot or no foul can be called in the following instances:
a)
Object
ball frozen to the rail (Rule 3.37)
b)
Ball
in hand behind head string after break (Rule 3.9)
c)
Double
Hit- 45 degree jack- (Rule 3.22 & 2.20)
15. Any contact with a ball to
form a bridge while shooting at the cue ball is not a foul unless any ball
travels into the contacted ball. This
will result in a ball in hand.
16. Unsportsmanslike conduct
will not be tolerated by this league. The following sanctions will apply to all
league members:
a)
Fighting
will result in an indefinite league suspension.
b)
The
throwing of any object (cue, chalk, drink, etc…) will result in a one (1) game
suspension.
c)
All
other unsportsmanslike acts will result in a one (1) game suspension.
All infractions are subject
to review by the league officers who will make a final determination regarding
sanctions.
17. If you are in a game and you
begin to break down (take apart) your pool cue or are using a house cue and
return it to the rack, it will result in your forfeit of that game.
18. You must be a minimun of 18
years of age to be on any team roster. NO EXCEPTIONS.
19. Timeouts: timeouts shall be a 2-minute time
limit. The opposing captain will time
the timeout. At one minute and 30
seconds into the timeout, a courtesy warning will be called. At the end of the 2-minute timeout, the
captain must exit the playing area.
Failure to do so will result in a ball in hand.
20. While playing a timeout, the
captain is not allowed to touch the table, use chalk, mark the table, or use
props. Timeouts are for strategy only.
21. Spotting the 8-ball when the
8-ball is pocketed on the break (rule 4.8):
Any attempt to spot the 8-ball will result in the player accepting the
table as it lies. The 8-ball is to stay
down until the player makes their decision.
22. The home team is responsible
for turning in scoresheets. These
should be placed in the league operator folder at the Moose by Sunday at noon
or call and report the scores to the league operator by Sunday at noon. Failure to do so will result in a $10.00
fine to be paid before the infraction team’s next match. Failure to pay a fine results in a match forfeit.
23. Match tiebreaker – If after
the 5 rounds are complete and the total points is tied, the first tiebreaker is
total 10’s or wins. If wins are tied
10-10, each team will select one player from the match to play one game with
the home player getting the break to decide the match.
24. If playoffs are a race to 6
rounds and the match is tied at 5 rounds apiece, the break in the 11th
round will alternate – home team breaks games 1, 3 and 5. Visitors will break games 2 and 4.
25. See rule 3 – member fee is
$10.00 and house fee is $50 per team.
26. A run is only scoreable on a
player’s first trip to the table, not counting the break.
27. No lit cigarettes over the
pool table.
First Warning: Courtesy
Second Warning: Ball in hand foul
Third Warning: Loss of current game
Each individual develops an average throughout the season, but the total team averages and team points are used to determine the success of each round, according to the score sheet directions. No new player is assigned an average the first week. In positioning your line-ups each week, place your roster names from the lowest skilled (#1) to the highest skilled (#5). The small numbers in the columns on the left-hand side of the official scoresheet are used only to remind the players of the break shot order for each game; they have nothing to do with scorekeeping or handicapping:1st and 3rd round – visitors break every game; 2nd and 4th round – home breaks every game.
In scoring, each player receives one point for each of his/her group of balls (stripes or solids) legally pocketed, plus three for legally pocketing the eight ball. Thus, a win is always worth ten points to a player, while a loss (rule 4.9). If a player prematurely pockets the eight ball or illegally makes the eight ball, the opponent receives ten points automatically.
Averages are derived by totaling a player’s total points during a match and dividing the total by the number of games played. For an example: Ben won two games and lost two games – collecting a total of 29 points for the match. Dividing 29 by the 4 games played, Ben’s accumulated average would be 7.25. As the season progresses, Ben’s accumulated average would be based on total points earned divided by games played. On averages, 5.25, 6.76, 7.95, 8.14, etc. would be rounded to the nearest whole number. Averages ending with .5 round up to the next higher whole number.
During the season, the number of rounds won determines a team’s success in the standings. When scorekeeping a match, if a round is tied, the team winning the most 8-ball games receives the win. If the total points including the handicap are tied, the team winning the most eight ball games will claim the round win.
To determine the handicap one team receives from the other, total up the averages of each competing member on a team and subtract the difference from the opposing team total.
Round points won and lost by both teams and total points will appear on each week’s standing list.
Forfeits:
If a team reports that only four players will be playing their match, place their names on the top four lines on their side of the scoresheet. Record the total handicaps as the total “team avg.”, and record only the total of the first four players on the opposing team as that team’s total “team avg.”. Whenever a player faces the forfeited opponent, he receives a score of “10” in his/her slot, while an “F” is placed in the corresponding slot of the forfeited player. No average is to be updated for either player in the next week’s statistics.
In the case of an entire match forfeit, the winning team receives the present player’s rating totals of those players listed on the scoresheet. The forfeiting team will receive their players rating totals of those players present. A scoresheet must be turned in for any team points to be awarded.
Indicate a “10R” on the scoresheet for any regular runs or break-and-runs. A run is only recorded when a player legally makes all seven of their established balls, including the 8-ball, to win the game while on their first trip at the table or after breaking the rack and not making any balls, does so on their next trip.