Updated 5 April 2024

1.1 INTRODUCTION

a. The contents of this chapter apply to the Edwin Lee Yong Chuan Cup.

b. All competition shall be conducted under the Rules and By-laws of the International Tennis Federation in conjunction with the rules of this competition. 

c. The STA Tournament Supervisor / Referee shall act as the final on-site authority for the interpretation of the applicable STA tournament Rules & Regulations, ITF Code of Conduct and Rules of Tennis as to all matters arising that require immediate resolution at the competition venue.

d. Any Club which violates the Rules in this chapter can be defaulted at any stage of the competition by the Referee.

1.2   RIGHTS OF THE TOURNAMENT REFEREE

a. The Tournament Referee reserves the right to accept or reject any entry without assigning a reason.

b. The Tournament Referee reserves the right to cancel any category should there by less than 3 entries.

c. It reserves the right to alter the format of the competition in any way it deems necessary.

d.It reserves the right to remove under-graded players from a team. The affected team will be allowed to make a one for one replacement before the commencement of the competition. After the commencement, rule 1.12b applies.

e. It reserves the right to reschedule the match whenever deemed necessary.

f. At the sole discretion of the Refree, the duration of a competition may be extended for such period of time as may be necessary. An extension will not be done at the request of players. 

1.3 TITLE

a. The Competition, the STA Team League Championships for doubles, shall be called the Edwin Lee Yong Chuan Cup.

1.4 GRADES TO BE CONTESTED

a. Men's "A" Grade

b. Men's "B" Grade

c. Men's "C" Grade

d. Men's "D" Grade

e. Ladies' "A" Grade

f Ladies' "B" Grade

g. Mixed Doubles "A" Grade

h. Mixed Doubles (88+)

i. Mixed Doubles (98+)

j. U10 Juniors Doubles (Mixed Gender)

k. U12 Juniors Doubles (Mixed Gender)

l. Each Club is permitted to submit a maximum of two (2) teams per grade.

1.5  FORMAT OF COMPETITION

a. Participating teams in the same grade form a league and compete on a round-robin basis.

b. Three (3) doubles matches will be played per tie.

c. All matches will be played first to two (2) tiebreak sets. At 1 set all, a ten (10) points match tie break will be played, winning by a margin of 2 points. At 6 games all, a tiebreak will be played. The tiebreak will be based on first to reach 7 points, winning by a margin of 2 points.

d. For UNDER 10 & 12 MATCHES, it shall be as follows:

• Two (2) singles & (1) doubles matches will be played per tie.
• Fast 4: A best of THREE TIE-BREAK SETS, first to FOUR GAMES.
• A set is therefore won at 4-0, 4-1, 4-2, etc.
• At 3 all, a tiebreak will be based on first to reach 7 points.
• At 6 all tiebreak, a deciding point shall be played.

The No-Ad Scoring System will be implemented in this competition.

NO-AD SCORING SYSTEM: If both players have won three points, the score is called deuce; one deciding point shall then be played whereby the receiver shall choose whether he/she wishes to receive the service from the right half of the court or the left half of the court. The player who wins the deciding point wins the games.

1.6  REGISTRATION OF PLAYERS

a. Players may play in either Mixed Doubles 88+ or Mixed Doubles 98+ and their respective grades and for one (1) club only and switch to another club for subsequent competition.

i.e: Player A is allowed to play in Mixed Doubles 88+ and Men's Open category
i.e: Player B is not allowed to play in Mixed Doubles 88+ and Mixed Doubles 98+

b. Only bona fide members of Clubs affiliated to STA whose names have been submitted on the official entry forms can participate in this competition. Employees who are non-members of the club will not be eligible to play.

c. Each team may register a minimum of six (6) players and a maximum of fifteen (15) players. Names of players must be given in full according to what appears in their identity card or passport (for non-citizens).

d. A Non-Playing-Captain of the Junior Category must be at least 21 years of age. He or she shall be responsible for the safety of the participating players, court booking and liaising matches with the away team.

e. Age Eligibility

• Mixed Doubles 88+
  • Ladies' - Turned 30 based on year of birth
  • Mens' - Turned 35 based on year of birth
  • Combined age of Mens' and Women's must reach 88 years old
• Mixed Doubles 98+
  • Ladies' - Turned 30 based on year of birth
  • Mens' - Turned 35 based on year of birth
  • Combined age of Mens' and Women's must reach 98 years old
• U10 Category - Born 2014 or later
• U12 Category - Born 2012 or later

f. Players must produce documentary proof of identity if requested by the opponent.*

*Please note the STA will keep all information relating to registration of players private and confidential.

1.7  AMENDMENT TO REGISTRATION OF PLAYERS

a. The last day for any changes to names must be submitted by the deadline given by the STA.

b. All requests must be in writing to the STA through email. 

1.8  GROUPINGS AND PLAY-OFF

a. If the number of teams participating in a grade is too large, the teams will be divided into two (2) or more groups depending on the number of teams.

b. The composition of each group will be decided by the luck of the draw. Teams from the same club will be placed in separate groups. As far as possible, teams from the same club who emerged winner of the groups they are, they will further be separated from each other for the semi-finals play-offs.

c. If there are two (2) groups, there will be a cross playoff, the winner of Group I will play the runner-up of Group II and vice versa.  The winners of the semi-finals will then meet in the finals to decide the champion of the grade.

d. If there are three (3) groups, the winner of each group and the best runner-up will form the four (4) teams for the semi-final play-offs.  The best runner-up will be picked amongst the runner-up of each group.  The countback will be based on average results, which will depend on the number of teams from each group.

e. If there are four (4) groups, the winner of each group will form the four (4) teams for the semi-finals play-offs.

f. During hazy days, one hour before the start of the match, the captains of the two competition clubs should agree on whether the matches should be played or postponed based on the 24-hour PSI reading at the venue where the matches will be played. 

1.9   PROMOTION OF PLAYERS FROM WINNING TEAM

9.1. Only the champion team of the Competition shall be promoted to the next Grade (Interclub Doubles League & Interclub Doubles Knockout) (if applicable). Following the promotion, they will remain in that Grade for a period of one (1) year.

9.2. The team promotion will apply to all registered team members of the champion team, and will take effect immediately after the completion of each League. However, players who were placed on the reserved list and did not play any match throughout the Competition may choose to remain in the same Grade prior to the team promotion.

9.3. At the time of the team promotion contemplated in this section:

9.3.1. Players above forty-five (45) years old will be promoted up to “B” Grade only in the Men’s/Ladies’ categories, but may elect to play in the “A” Grade instead. Those eligible for promotion may elect to remain in the “B” Grade, but may not be downgraded to “C” Grade

9.3.2. Players above fifty-five (55) years old will be promoted up to “C” Grade only in the Men’s/Ladies’ categories, but may elect to play in the “B” Grade instead. Those eligible for promotion may elect to remain in the “C” Grade, but may not be downgraded to “D” Grade.

1.10 GRADING OF PLAYERS

10.1. It is the responsibility of each Club to ensure that its players are registered for the correct Grade according to Section 10.2.

10.2. For individual events such as the STA Open Doubles, Advanced Doubles and Intermediate Doubles, the corresponding inter-club Grades for STA individual tournaments are as follows:

10.3. Clubs that wish to downgrade any player must apply in writing to the STA for approval.

1.11    NO PLAYER RANKING

a. There will be no player ranking in a team. As such, team line-up will not be according to strength.

1.12    FIELDING OF PLAYERS

a. Teams found to have fielded unregistered players and/or non-club members will be disqualified from the Championships.

b. When a team is disqualified, all previous results will be made null and void.

1.13   SCORING SYSTEM

a. Every tie comprises three (3) doubles matches. The winner of each tie will get one (1) point and the loser will get zero (0) point. The team with the highest number of points in each grade/group at the conclusion of the League will be declared the winner in that grade/group.

b. If there is a tie on points between only two (2) teams, the head-to-head result between these teams shall decide the overall winner of the grade/group.

c. If three (3) or more teams score equal number of points, then the countback system will take place to determine the placings of all such teams involved. 

d. Countback System

(1) The countback system will take place in the following order:

(a) The team with the best percentage of matches won will be ranked first.

(b) The team with the best percentage of sets won will be ranked first. 

(c) The team with the best percentage of games won will be ranked first. 

(2) Should a tie exist after the countback, a play-off between one (1) player from each team shall decide the winner. The best player can be selected from any member of the team. If there are more than one (1) play-off match, the teams are allowed to have different players for each match. The play-off shall be one (1) tiebreak set of first to reach 10 points, winning by a margin of 2 points between the teams that are tied and shall be conducted in a knockout or league system.

e. Format of Play-off

(1)   Two (2) teams - Straight play-off between the teams.

(2)   Three (3) teams - League system with the drawing of lots to decide the order of play. There will be no interval between matches.

(3)   Four (4) teams - Knock-out system with the drawing of lots to decide the fixtures. There will be no interval between matches.

1.14   WALK-OVERS

a. A walkover will be awarded fifteen (15) minutes after a player fails to show up. The fifteen (15) minutes shall be taken before the scheduled time. Three calls starting from the scheduled time will be made for the players at approximately five (5) minutes interval. If a match is scheduled but has been delayed due to unavailability of court, players are expected to wait for their matches to be called. If the match is called, a walkover shall be awarded if a player fails to show up after the third call. Each call will be made at approximately one (1) minute interval.

b. Should there be a walk-over the score for that match shall be recorded as 6-0, 6-0. 

c. A team giving a walkover to two (02) clubs in this league will be disqualified from this entire competition. 

d. When a team is disqualified, all previous results will be made null and void. 

1.15   SUBMISSION OF TEAM LINE-UP

a. Submission of team line-up must be done no later than five (5) minutes from the time the match has been scheduled. Thereafter, three (3) calls at approximately one (1) minute interval will be made to request the team captain to submit the line-up. At the end of the third call, a walkover will be declared if the team line-up is not received.

b. The team line-up should be written neatly and names must be spelt in FULL.

c. After the submission of the team line-up, no changes will be allowed.

1.16    COURTS REQUIREMENT OF HOSTING CLUB

a. The hosting club is required to provide a minimum of 2 courts for each tie. If there is only 1 court available, the hosting club must source for an alternate venue or accept the venue provided by the opposing team. However, it is acceptable if opposing team agrees to play at the scheduled time with only 1 court available.

1.17  POSTPONEMENT OF MATCHES

a. A postponement of a match will be allowed in the case of inclement weather and such postponed match must be completed by the following weekend. The hosting club must notify the STA office in writing via email or fax of the new date and time. No further postponement will be allowed.

b. A postponement of a match will be allowed if all players registered for a team is away representing Singapore.

c. If the courts of the hosting club cannot be used for any reason, the hosting club must provide alternative courts to complete the matches, or use the courts provided by the opposing team.

d. Should there be a need to change the venue and/or match timings, the Captain of the hosting team must give an advance notice of 3 days. If the Captain of the opposing team disagrees, the original schedule stands and the walkover rule will apply.

e. In the event of a postponement, the first player in the line-up cannot be changed if the first match has started. However, the other two players in the line-up can be changed if their matches have not started and have to be rescheduled. If the match between the second players of the respective line-ups has started, only the third player can be changed. If all matches are played simultaneously, no changes are allowed in the line-up once the matches have started. However, if no match has started, the teams can submit a new line-up for the rescheduled matches.

f. The teams' line-up and the existing scores must be kept by both appointed team captains / club representatives from both sides. The home team will be responsible to keep the used balls.

1.18 LEAVING THE COURT

a. A player shall not leave the court area during a match (including warm-up) without the permission of the Umpire or Referee.

1.19 BEST EFFORTS

a. A player shall use his best efforts to win a match when competing in a competition tie.

b. Violation of this Section shall subject a player to a ban of up to one (1) year.

1.20 FAILURE TO COMPLETE MATCH

a. Any player nominated for a match must commence and complete the match unless illness, accident or any unavoidable hindrance incapacitates him/her.

b. Violation of this Section shall subject a player to a ban of up to one (1) year.

c. If two competing clubs in the competition are not able to complete the matches within the stipulated deadline, both clubs shall be defaulted, and all results accumulated for such competition shall be nullified. 

1.21 UNREASONABLE DELAYS

a. Players shall commence play upon order of the Chair Umpire or Tournament Official after the expiration of the established warm-up period.

b. Thereafter play shall be continuous and a player shall not unreasonably delay a match for any cause, including without limitation, natural loss of physical condition, injury or refusal to play.

c. A maximum of twenty (20) seconds shall lapse from the moment the ball goes out of play at the end of the point until the time the ball is struck for the first serve of the next point.  If such first serve is a fault, the server without delay must strike the second serve.

d. When changing ends a maximum of ninety (90) seconds shall lapse from the moment the ball goes out of play at the end of the game until the time the first service is struck for the next game. If such first serve is a fault, the server without delay must strike the second serve.

e. The receiver shall play to the reasonable pace of the server and must be ready to receive when the server is ready to serve.

f. The first violation of this Section shall be penalized by a warning and each subsequent violation shall be penalized by the assessment of a one (1) point penalty; provided however, when a violation is a result of natural loss of physical condition, injury or refusal to play after being ordered to play by the Chair Umpire or the Referee, a penalty shall be assessed in accordance with the Point Penalty Schedule.

1.22 AUDIBLE OBSCENITY

a. Players shall not use audible obscenity within the precincts of the site.

b. Audible obscenity is defined as the use of words commonly known and understood to be profane and uttered clearly and loudly enough to be heard by the Chair Umpire, spectators, linesmen and ballkids.

c. Violation of this Section shall subject a player to a ban of up to one (1) year for each violation.

d. If such violation occurs during a match (including warm-up), the player shall be penalized in accordance with the Point Penalty Schedule hereinafter set forth.

e. In circumstances that are flagrant and particularly injurious to the success of a tie, or are singularly egregious, a single violation of this Section may subject him/her to additional penalties set forth in these Regulations.

1.23 VISIBLE OBSCENITY

a. Players shall not make obscene gestures of any kind within the precincts of the site.

b. Visible obscenity is defined as the making of signs by a player with his hands and/or racquet or balls that commonly have an obscene meaning or impact to reasonable people.

c. Violation of this Section shall subject a player to a ban of up to one (1) year for each violation.

d. In addition, if such violation occurs during a match (including warm-up), the player shall be penalized in accordance with the Point Penalty Schedule hereinafter set forth.

e. In circumstances that are flagrant and particularly injurious to the success of a tie, or are singularly egregious, a single violation of this Section may subject him/her to the additional penalties set forth in these Regulations.

1.24 ABUSE OF BALLS

a. Players shall not violently, dangerously or with anger hit, kick or throw a tennis ball within the precincts of the site except in the reasonable pursuit of a point during a match (including warm-up).

b. Abuse of balls is defined as intentionally hitting a ball out of the enclosure of the court, hitting a ball dangerously or recklessly within the court or hitting a ball with negligent disregard of the consequences.

c. Violation of this Section shall subject a player to a ban of up to one (1) year for each violation.

d. In addition, if such violation occurs during a match, the player shall be penalized in accordance with the Point Penalty Schedule hereinafter set forth.

1.25 ABUSE OF RACQUETS OR EQUIPMENT

a. Players shall not violently or with anger hit, kick or throw a racquet or other equipment within the precincts of the site.

b. Abuse of racquets or equipment is defined, as intentionally and violently destroying or damaging racquets or equipment or intentionally and violently hitting the net, court, umpire's chair or other fixture during a match out of anger or frustration.

c. Violation of this Section shall subject a player up to ban of one (1) year for each violation.

d. In addition, if such violation occurs during a match, the player shall be penalized in accordance with the Point Penalty Schedule hereinafter set forth.

1.26 VERBAL ABUSE

a. Players shall not at any time verbally abuse any official, opponent, spectator or another person within the precincts of the site.

b. Verbal abuse is defined as a statement directed at an official, opponent, spectator or another person that implies dishonesty or is derogatory, insulting or otherwise abusive.

c. Violation of this Section shall result in immediate default and subject a player to a ban of up to one (1) year for each violation.

d. In addition, if such violation occurs during a match, the player shall be penalized in accordance with the Point Penalty Schedule hereinafter set forth.

e. In circumstances that are flagrant and particularly injurious to the success of a tie, or are singularly egregious, a single violation of this Section may subject him/her to the additional penalties set forth in these Regulations.

1.27 PHYSICAL ABUSE

a. Players shall not at any time physically abuse any official, opponent, spectator or another person within the precincts of the site.

b. Physical abuse is the unauthorized touching of an official, opponent, spectator or any other person.

c. Violation of this Section shall result in immediate default and subject a player to a ban of up to one (1) year for each violation.

d. In addition, if such violation occurs during a match, the player shall be penalized in accordance with the Point Penalty Schedule hereinafter set forth.

e. In circumstances that are flagrant and particularly injurious to the success of a tie, or are singularly egregious, a single violation of this Section may subject him/her to the additional penalties set forth in these Regulations.

1.28 UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT

a. Players shall at all times conduct themselves in a sportsmanlike manner and give due regard to the authority of the officials and the rights of the opponents, spectators,and others.

b. For the purpose of this rule, unsportsmanlike conduct is defined as any misconduct by a player that is clearly abusive or detrimental to the sport, but that does not fall within the prohibition of any specific on-site offence contained herein.

c. Unsportsmanlike conduct shall include, but not limited to, the giving, the making, issuing, authorizing or endorsing any public statement having, or designed to have, an effect prejudicial or detrimental to the best interest of the Competition and/or the officiating thereof.

d. Violation of this Section shall subject a player to a ban of up to one (1) year for each violation.

e. If such violation occurs during a match, (including warm-up), the player shall be penalized in accordance with the Point Penalty Schedule herein set forth.

f. In circumstances that are flagrant and particularly injurious to the success of a tie, or are singularly egregious, a single violation of this Section may subject him/her to the additional penalties set forth in these Regulations.

1.29 POINT PENALTY SCHEDULE

a. FIRST offence   – WARNING

b. SECOND offence   – POINT

c. THIRD offence   – GAME PENALTY

d. FOURTH offence   – GAME PENALTY/DEFAULT

1.30 PENALTIES FOR DISQUALIFICATION

a. Disqualification because of walkovers. All the members listed in the team will be barred from the next Inter-Club Competition sanctioned by STA.

b. Club suspension. A club with any team that has been defaulted in an inter-club competition for any reason whatsoever may be suspended from participating in future competitions. 

c. Disqualified because of fielding unregistered player. The entire Club will be barred from the next Inter-Club competition organised by STA. The player concerned will be banned up to one (1) year from participating in STA sanctioned tournaments. 

1.31 DRESS CODE OF HOSTING CLUBS

a. Clubs that have strict dress code should advise the visiting team members if such dress code is applicable to them.

b. In this respect, the home team should accommodate visiting team members who are in their team attire.

1.32    OFFICIAL TENNIS BALLS

a. The official tournament balls will be issued to appointed team captains / club representatives during the Captains’ Meeting.

b. The home team will ensure that only official tournament balls are used.

c. The official STA sponsored balls shall be used, failing which the hosting club shall be defaulted and will not be allowed to continue playing in the competition. The hosting club may be also suspended from future competitions.

1.33   SUBMISSION OF RESULTS

a. The submission of results is the responsibility of the winning team.

b. After the matches have been played, the results must be sent via WhatsApp (In groups / grade level) latest Tuesday of the following week. Any sent result is deemed not received by the STA if it is not acknowledged. The score sheet must be signed by both team captains.

c. The results must be submitted on the official score sheet which will be provided during the Captains’ Meeting. All scores must be written neatly.

1.34  PRIZES

a. Prizes will be awarded to Champion and Runner-Up teams.

1.35 EDWIN LEE YONG CHUAN TROPHY

a. An overall Edwin Lee Yong Chuan Trophy will be awarded to the club that performed best across all categories of this competition.

b. The following points will be awarded to the participating teams

c. In the event of a tie, a count-back of teams with the most number of “Champions”, then “Runners-Up”, will be implemented.

1.34 PAYMENT OF ENTRY FEE

a. The entry fee must accompany the official entry forms.  Without entry fee, the entry form will not be accepted.

b. Payment shall be by cheque, crossed and made payable to the Singapore Tennis Association.

1.35 OUTSTANDING PAYMENT OF ANNUAL AFFILIATION FEE

a. Clubs must ensure that the annual affiliation fees are paid promptly each year.

b. Those with outstanding payment will not be allowed to participate in any of the STA organised Inter-Club Competitions.

1.36 DISCLAIMER

a. Competitors play at their own risk on any of the courts; STA and the hosting clubs shall NOT be responsible for any injury or loss of life, or any other mishaps during the Championships.

b. Similarly, the parties mentioned above are not responsible for any loss of valuables or other personal belongings.