Mixed Doubles House League

Welcome to the WTC Mixed Doubles League. 

Please look at the team assignments and league schedule to determine your division assignment, team number and your start time. This information will be sent out by the league convener prior to the start of the season.

If you have any questions or concerns throughout the season, please contact your 2024 League Convenor: Kelly Neil.

League Format  

In an effort to get you all home earlier, there will be only 3 time slots.  Each time slot will play for one hour and twenty minutes. There will be a five minute gap between time slots to allow the courts to be cleared.  Matches begin at 6:30 p.m. and end at 10:30 p.m. 

Each team will play two timed matches per week.  All matches will be played as scheduled on Thursday night.  If you are not available to play, you must get a sub.  You may not reschedule your matches. 

Sessions:  To be determined for 2023... There will be 4 or 5 sessions of play running from May to September.  Each session will last 4 weeks, rain or shine. At the end of each session, playing times for divisions will change, and teams will move up and down based on results. 

It is each player’s responsibility to know their division assignment and start time for every session.  The Convenor will send out the schedules each session.

League Rules

Match Duration

Each time slot is 80 minutes long.  In those 80 minutes, there will be

  • A 15 minute warm-up
  • First match of 30 minutes
  • A 5 minute break to record scores and reorganize courts
  • Second match of 30 minutes

A convenor will call “Start your games” and will call “Time” when time is up.

Each match is instantly over as soon as “Time” has been called. Only completed games count. For example: if the score was 40-love and your opponent's ball is clearly sailing out, but has not yet landed when “Time” was called, that point does not count, the game is not over, and that game does not count.  

Match Format and Scoring

"First in" for a player's first service of the match is not allowed. Matches will be continuous scoring (no sets). Deuces are to be played out until the game is concluded. If the score of a particular game is in dispute, please go back to the point in the game where the players can agree on the score and continue from there. Both teams need to agree on the final score and record it on the score sheet before leaving the court area.

The winning team will receive 3 points. If the score is tied, each team will be awarded 1.5 points.

A bonus of 0.5 points will be awarded to the winning team if they win more than twice the number of games won by the losing team.  A bonus of 0.5 points will be awarded to the losing team if they win at least half as many games as the winning team.

Bonus point examples:

  • Team 1 vs. Team 2 Score is 9-4:  Team 1 receives the bonus 0.5
  • Team 1 vs. Team 2 Score is 8-4:  Team 2 receives the bonus 0.5 

A team can only earn a bonus point by playing and completing a match. In a default situation, the winner receives 3 points, and the loser receives 0 points.

Session Standings:  Throughout each session, standings are determined by dividing each team's total points earned by the number of matches they played (or defaulted/won by default).  Bye weeks and rain out weeks are not counted as matches played. 

At the end of the session, if there are ties involving teams that might go up or go down the following stats are examined until the tie can be resolved:

  1. % of matches won over the session. If there is still a tie, then examine:
  2. Head to head wins (for the teams who are tied) over this session.  
    • If there was only one head to head match, the winner of that match is placed higher in the standings.  
    • If there was more than one head to head match in this session, then the team with the most total games won in those head to head matches is placed higher. 
    • If still tied count the total wins for the tied teams for the full 4 week session.  The most games won is placed higher.

After each session, the teams will be moved up or down a division for the next session, based on standings. This pattern may be altered if new teams are added to the league at the start of session 2 or 3. Standings will be regularly posted on the WTC website throughout the summer.

Division winners will be based on final standings at the end of the last session. 

Substitutions

Each player is responsible to find their own substitute. Not obtaining a sub is an inconvenience to the other players. A substitution list can be found on your account when you login. If you are unable to obtain a sub, you must notify the league convener more than 24 hours in advance of your match. Please inform your partner in advance that a substitute will be playing in your place. Ensure you let your substitute know where and when you are playing.

The objective of this league is to play tennis and have fun. But it is also a competitive league, where scores are recorded and teams move up or down based on their results. Please do your best to find a sub whose playing ability is similar to yours. We realize this may be challenging. However, it is always better to play the match with subs rather than default the match.

Therefore, in a effort to reduce the number of defaults, and to make it fair for all, in the B and C divisions:

  • If your sub is rated no more than .5 higher than you, then the score of the match will stand.
  • If your sub is rated 1.0 higher or more than you, then after the match has been played and the actual score recorded, along with the full name of the sub written on the score sheet, the convener may adjust the score of the match to reflect a loss with bonus for the team with the sub.

For example, in the B and C divisions, if you are rated 3.0, and your sub is rated 3.5 or lower, there will be no adjustment to the score.   If you are rated 3.5 and your sub is rated 4.5, and your team wins the match, the score may be adjusted to reflect that you lost the match with bonus.

Any questions or concerns about your rating should be addressed to Mark Krycia, Club Pro. The league convener does not assign ratings.

Please be sure to record the full name of all substitutes on the score sheet, or the score will stand as recorded. Decisions of the convener are final.

Subs can be someone from the mixed doubles league sub list, or someone from another division in the league, or any member of the club so long as they are an adult member (18+); are the same gender; and, if possible, have similar playing ability as the person they are subbing for (see above). Junior club members aged 16 or 17 may be subs with the pre-approval of the club pro and the club president.

Rescheduled Matches

Matches must be played as scheduled on Thursday night.   If you are not available, you must get a sub.

Late Arrivals / No Shows

As a courtesy to your partner and your opponents, please plan to arrive before the warm-up commences. Be aware that there may be times when other events at Iroquois Park will fill the parking lot, causing you to park in the GO Station.

If both members of a team are not inside the court fences when "start your games" is called, the team is late. The opposing team will be awarded two games for every five minutes late or a portion of five minutes of lateness. For example, if a team is two minutes late, the opponents will be awarded two games. If a team is seven minutes late, the opponents will be awarded four games.

If the team has not arrived 10 minutes after "start your games" has been called, the team is considered a "no show" and the match is defaulted. Two "no shows" may result in the team being removed from the league.

Rain-outs

The court monitor or convenor is responsible for calling a rain-out during a time slot.

Once a rain-out has been called, all subsequent time slots are also rained out. If rain occurs part way through the evening, division matches that have been completed will be scored and counted. All others will be considered RAINED OUT.  

For example, if a rain-out is called during the second match of the first session, then the first match of the first session will count, and all other matches will be cancelled. 

Rain during the afternoon may leave the courts too wet to play on in the evening. There may be situations other than rain that may cause the league to be cancelled. Please check the club web site and/or your email for cancellation information.

And, finally:

Should you have any problems or concerns, please contact your league convenor. All decisions made by a league convener and/or the Vice President are FINAL.

Good luck and have FUN!

#169 Mixed Doubles League Format and Rules, Updated March 4, 2023