NORTHALLERTON & DISTRICT DARTS LEAGUE RULES

(Rules amended following Annual General Meeting held 23rd August 2021 & supercedes all previous copies.)

General Rules

1.1 The N.D.D.L. shall be confined to Licensed Premises & Clubs within an eight mile radius of Northallerton. The purpose of the League shall be to promote the sport of darts in & around the Northallerton area.

1.2 The League will be managed by an elected Committee consisting of a Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Competition Secretary & a General Committee (minimum of 4, maximum of 12).

1.3 The League will hold an Annual General Meeting, prior to the commencement of the League season. The date of the A.G.M. shall be publicised at least four weeks in advance. It is required that one representative from each Team wishing to play in League, shall be present at the A.G.M. Any team not intending to send a representative should inform the League Secretary in writing, at least seven days before the A.G.M. & should include their Team Registration Fee.

1.4 At the A.G.M. the registration of Teams will be accepted. The current Team Registration Fee being £25.00 per team. The Late Team Registration Fee, if accepted by the League, will be £30.00 per team.

1.5 Applications from Teams new to the League will be considered & voted upon.

1.6 The A.G.M. is open to all interested parties, but when voting takes place, each represented team is only permitted one voting member.

1.7 All Officials and Committee members shall be elected. Wherever possible this should include representatives from a cross section of League Teams, but no more than two representatives may be from the same Team. In the event that there are insufficient applicants, the Committee may co-opt willing participants at their discretion throughout the League Season.

1.8 Amendments, deletions, or additions to the League Rules, in the interest of the smooth running of the League, can be made by the Committee at any monthly meeting, or at the A.G.M. Any Rule changes made at monthly Committee Meetings must be voted upon at the next A.G.M. or E.G.M.

1.9 Where it is proposed that the Committee will make Rule changes at a monthly Committee Meeting, Team Captains will be informed at least 14 days in advance. If any team wishes to oppose the intended Rule change, they must be represented at the Meeting.

1.10 The Committee will (where possible) meet at least once per month to supervise the League.

 

Playing Rules, Registration & Regulations

2.0 It is the responsibility of Team Captains to be aware of all the League Rules, along with the Penalties imposed upon Teams, who do not adhere to the League Rules.

2.1   Matches                              

a) Will be played as per the League Fixture List commencing at 8-30 pm. The match shall consist of nine games of darts, comprising six games of individuals & three games of pairs.

b) Postponements will be permitted in cases of adverse weather conditions. The Secretary must be informed immediately & he will rearrange the fixture.

c) Mutually agreed postponements may be considered provided both Team Captains contact the League Secretary at least 3 days prior to the fixture date. The rearranged fixture must be played within 7 days of the original date.

d) Should a team without the necessary notice as at Rule 2.1 c), not turn up for an arranged fixture, they will receive a written warning.

e) Should a team without the necessary notice as at Rule 2.1 c), not turn up for an arranged fixture on a second occasion, they will be banned for the remainder of that season.

f) Should a team not turn up for their League fixture on the last night of the season, without the necessary notice as at Rule 2.1 c), they will have all of their points declared void for the second half of that season.

g) All matches must be played. Where there is any kind of complaint between players or teams, all games must still be played, but played under protest. A written complaint should then be made to the League Secretary within seven days.

h) A lack of players is not a valid reason for the cancellation of a match.

2.2 Boards

a) Must be of a B.D.O. type. Doubles, trebles & double bull.
All boards must be set up with the following dimensions;

b) 5’ 8” (1.727m) high, measured vertically from the centre of the bull to the level of the floor at the back of the oche.

7’ 6” (2.286m) measured horizontally from the face of the dart board to the back of the oche.

9’ 4 ¾” (2.865m) measured diagonally from the centre of the bull to the back of oche. (Not from the wall behind the dart board).

c) All boards must be adequately illuminated.

d) The dartboard will be fixed such that the 20 segment is coloured black, or is darker than the segments either side & is positioned at the top of the board.

2.3 Players

a) Players will throw their darts with the whole of their feet behind the oche (not on the oche). Any player in breach of this Rule may be warned by the Referee, Caller, opposing Player, or opposing Team Captain. Any darts subsequently thrown in breach of this Rule shall be declared a “no score”, and the player will lose his turn.

b) Players will stand behind their opponent whilst they throw, at all times.

c) All players must conduct themselves in a manner complimentary to their sport. In the case of any complaints of misconduct, such as barracking during any game, the Committee reserve the right to deal with any offence in any manner that they see fit.

2.4 Teams

All teams, male or female, will consist of a minimum of 6 players.

2.5 Draw

a) Players names on tags, cards or similar, shall be laid face down and drawn alternatively by opposing Team Captain, or selector.

b) In the event of teams not being at full strength, blanks are to be used in the draw for absentees. In the individual games of darts, the game will be awarded to the opposing selected player. In the pairs games of darts, the game will be awarded to the opposing pair, however, an individual may play against an opposing pair, but they must miss a throw of three darts for each round of darts thrown at the board.

c) After the draw, games must start at 8-30 pm, but may be played in any order. If, however, a named player has not arrived after the fifth game, a registered substitute may be used, or the game will be forfeited.

d) The draw for the three pairs games of darts may be made at the start of the match, or after the six individual games of darts has been completed.

2.6 Markers and Callers

a) Each team is to provide a ‘Score Book Marker’.

b) The home team are to provide a ‘Caller’ who will be deemed the ‘Referee’.

c) Players must confirm the ‘Callers’ score is correct before removing their darts from the board.

d) Only the ‘Score Book Markers’ are to inform the players of the score required to finish.

e) Only the ‘Team Captain’ is permitted to advise the player on how to obtain the finish.

f) No other form of marking will be permitted, unless agreed by both participating players. If both players agree, an electronic scoreboard or chalkboard may be used, but must not interfere with the ‘Score Book Markers’ written record.

g) At any point during the playing of a game, if a discrepancy in the scores is discovered, or suspected, the game may be stopped to allow the ‘Score Book Markers’ to check the scores and the scores in the ‘Score Book’ must be corrected.

h) The score required by a player to finish a game, should be called out at the ‘Score Book Marker’s’ discretion.

i) Once a player hits the finishing double in a game, that game is deemed to be over.

j) If an error is discovered after the finishing double has been hit & the game is deemed to be over, the error cannot be rectified & the result of that particular game stands.

2.7 Singles Games

a) Play will be a straight start from 701 down to a double finish.

b) All scoring darts to count. The ‘bust rule’ does not apply.

c) Bull counts as a finishing double.

d) Each team will field 6 players for singles.

e) One point will be awarded for each winning game.

f) Following the completion of each Singles game, the Winning players’ name, Team Name and the Date shall be entered onto a Winners Ticket, which will be entered into a Money Draw. The Losing player shall pay £1.00, which shall fund the Money Draw.

g) Where a Team, or Teams do not field sufficient players, the player or players who receive a win through a Bye shall be entered onto the Winners Ticket. The Team, or Teams who do not field sufficient players shall pay the £1.00 which the Losing Player should have paid.

h) The money draw funds collected shall be allocated to each Division and a draw of the Winners Tickets shall be made on Finals Night. The value and number of the prizes shall be at the discretion of the Committee.

i) The Player named on the Winners Ticket must be present to claim the Money Draw prize on Finals Night. Claims by fellow Team Players, family, or associates of the Player named on the Winners Ticket will not be accepted.

2.8 Doubles Games

a) Play will be a straight start from 1001 down to a double finish.

b) All scoring darts to count. The ‘bust rule’ does not apply.

c) Each team will field 6 players for doubles, the pairings to be decided by draw by opposing selector.

d) Where a Team has a lack of players, a single player may play against a pair of players. (See Rule 2.5b).

e) One point will be awarded to each winning game.

2.9   Starting The Game

The right to start each game will be decided by each player throwing one dart at the Bull, with the ‘Home’ player throwing first. The nearest dart to the Bull starts the game. In the event of the first player hitting the Bull, the second player can request that the first player removes his dart to give the second player a clear shot at the Bull. If both players hit a Bull or Outer Bull, they shall throw again until one of the player’s darts is deemed to be the nearest to the Bull.

Bounce out, or fallen darts shall be re-thrown until a Player has thrown a dart that remains in the board. Once the darts have been thrown, it is the Referees decision alone to determine which dart lies closer to the Bull. Neither the Referee, the Players, or any member of their respective Teams shall touch, move, or bend the darts, until the Referee has determined which dart is nearer to the Bull. If the Referee, Player, or any other member of their respective Teams touches, moves, or bends the dart, or an attempt is made by a Player, or any other member of their respective Teams to influence the Referee in the making of his decision, the Player, or Team committing the offence will forfeit the right to start the game and the game will be started by the opposing player, or Team.

2.10  Intervals

Intervals may be at any time during the match, on agreement between the two Team Captains & the host Landlord.

2.11 Team Registration

a) Teams will pay a Team Registration Fee at the A.G.M. whereupon they will receive a registration form for their players. The League Secretary will require from each Team, the name & telephone number of at least one Team member who can be contacted in the case of emergencies.

b) Any new Team wishing to join the League, will upon acceptance, be placed in the lowest Division.

c) Any Team currently a member of the League, that changes its home venue through their own choice (i.e. No longer wishing to play at a particular Licensed Premise), shall be placed in the lowest Division for the forthcoming season.

d) Any existing Team that changes it’s home venue through the choice of others (i.e. Closure of Licensed Premise, Dart Board removed from Licensed Premise), will be permitted to retain their current Divisional status within the League, after the Committee have taken into consideration the promotion and relegations issues from the previous season.

e) Any Team affected by Rule 2.11c) above has the right to appeal to the A.G.M. to retain their current League status. The appeal must be in writing & must be with the League Secretary at least seven days prior to the date of the A.G.M. Those present at the A.G.M. will consider the application and shall vote on whether Rule 2.11c) should be implemented, or whether the Team concerned shall retain their Divisional status under the provisions of Rule 2.11d).

2.12 Player Registration

a) Players will pay a Player Registration Fee of £3 per player.

b) Players are not permitted to play in any other Monday night League.

c) Player’s names in block letters & a signature must be entered onto the Registration Form. The top copy along with the total Player Registration Fees of all Teams must be delivered to the Secretary, no later than 12 noon on the Saturday following their ‘first game’ of the season. The bottom copy shall be either displayed in the home team’s licensed premise, or shall be available for inspection by the opposing Team Captain, if required.

d) No points will be awarded to a team unless their Player Registration Form and Player Registration Fees have been received. Points will not be awarded retrospectively.

e) The League may accept the Late Registration of players, but only where the Team Captain gives adequate notice to the League Secretary, Chairman, Treasurer, Competition Secretary, or any member of the Committee, either in writing, verbally by telephone, or in person, prior to 8.30pm on the night of any one given match. After 8.30pm on the night of any one given match, the player will be ineligible and as such if they play will be treated under Rule 2.14a) as an Unregistered Player. The Late Registration Fee will be £3.00 per player & must be returned with the Result Card to the League Secretary, in accordance with Rule 2.17a).

f) Following the Late Registration of the player the League Committee will consider the status of the player & may (should good reason be given), refuse to accept it. If the League Committee refuses to accept the player, the Late Registration Fee will be returned. No further penalties shall be imposed with regard to the game/games that the player may have played, prior to their Late Registration being refused.

g) If a team does not have a player of County status, then only two County players may be registered to any one team & no further County players may be signed on by that team. However, if a team does have a player, or players of County status and any other player, or players in that team are selected to play for a County, then all those County players may continue to play for that team for as long as they wish. The term “County Status” means having played for any County during the past five years.

2.13 Transfers

a) Transfers will be permitted until midway through the season. There may be a waiting period of seven days after the necessary fully completed forms & payment have been received by the League Secretary. The transfer charge will be £5.00 per player & the Late Registration Fee of £3.00 will also be paid. A player may only transfer once during any season. (See Rule 2.13b). Transfers are subject to League approval. No transfers will be allowed after the midway point of the season.

b) Where a team drops out of the League before the midway point of the season, any player wishing to transfer to another team may be allowed to do so, but only after attending the next Committee Meeting to state his case. This may be considered, even if the player has already transferred during that season. No transfer charge will need to be paid. No transfers will be allowed after the midway point of the season.

c) The midway point of the season is deemed to be 8.30pm, on the date of the first League Fixture of the second half of the season.

2.14 Unregistered Players

a) Teams playing an Unregistered Player, or someone Registered with another Team in League matches will be fined £10.00, will forfeit the game/games played by the Unregistered Player and will have 9 points deducted from their current League total. Any further breach of this Rule will be dealt with at the discretion of the Committee.

b) Teams playing an unregistered player, or someone registered with another team in Cup matches, will be fined £10.00 and will have the match awarded to their opposition. Should the Team progress through to further rounds of the Cup and incur a further breach of this Rule, they shall be eliminated from the Competition.

2.15 League Formation, Promotion, Relegation & Ties

a) After confirming the number of teams to compete in the League, the Committee will use it’s discretion to organise the separate divisions, taking into account the previous seasons promotion and relegation issues.

b) The teams that finish top of each Division of the League, will be declared the Champion for that season and will be promoted to the Division above, except in Division A.

c) The teams that finish second in each Division of the League, will be declared the Runners-Up for that season & will be promoted to the Division above, except in Division A.

d) The teams that finish in the bottom two places in each Division of the League, shall be relegated to the division below, except in the lowest Division of the league.

e) At the end of the season, in the event of a tie for the positions of Champion, Runners-Up, or relegation, the League results of the teams involved shall be compared on a head-to head basis and for the positions of Champion, or Runners-Up, the team will the most points shall be declared Champion, or Runners-Up. In the event of a tie for relegation the League results of the teams involved shall be compared on a head-to head basis and the team with the least points shall be relegated. If after a head-to-head comparison, the teams are still tied, they will play one standard League match against each other, of six singles matches & three pairs matches, at a neutral venue to be decided by the Committee.

f) The Committee reserve the right under Rule 2.15a) above, to promote, or relegate teams who have not finished in the top two, or bottom two of their respective Division of the concluded season, in the interests of balancing the number of teams competing in each Division of the forthcoming season.

g) The League reserves the right to re-arrange any fixtures in the case of disputes, etc.

2.16 Unfulfilled Fixtures

a) Where a team fails to turn up, every effort should be made to ensure that the match is re-arranged and played.

b) In the event that a match cannot be played for whatever reason, the Committee will decide the likely outcome of the match & award points accordingly, taking into account all circumstances, including the average match scores of the teams involved. Where this Rule is implemented, wins will not be accredited to any players.

c) Teams responsible for not fulfilling a fixture at all will be fined £10.00. Where a team fails to turn up at an away venue without giving reasonable notice, that team will pay the offended team £12.50 towards the cost of food. The payment will be made via the League.

2.17 Results

a) The home Team Captain is responsible for returning all Result Cards, including Cup matches, to the League Secretary by 12.00 noon on the Saturday following the match. Failure to do so will result in a fine of £5.00 and a deduction of 2 points off their current League total.

b) If the result card is returned to the League Secretary after the Monday following the Monday of the unreturned Result Card, a further point will be deducted.

c) Score cards should be filled in correctly with all details completed, including the Teams involved, the date & the names of all players.  The players score should be filled in correctly (i.e. 701, 699, etc, not W or L), along with the number of darts thrown and the result totalled in the appropriate boxes. Failure to fill result cards in correctly may lead to a one point deduction from the offending Teams current League total.

2.18 Fines and Penalties

a) The Committee will review all applications, disputes, questions, etc, at the regular monthly meetings. Decisions will be made and fines and penalties may be imposed. Failure to pay fines and/or accept penalties may affect the League status of the offending team and its Registration for the following season.

b) All rules are implemented at the discretion of the Committee. The decision of the Committee is final.

2.19 Complaints/Appeals Procedure

a) Any complaints are to be made in writing to the League Secretary, and shall be received by him not more than seven days after the incident has occurred. Any such complaint shall be discussed at the next Committee meeting, or meeting convened by the League Committee depending upon the seriousness of the complaint.

b) Appeals against committee made decisions should be made to the League Secretary within seven days of receiving written confirmation of such a decision.

 

Competition Rules

3.1 Challenge Cup/John Thornton Plate

a) Each match shall be the normal league format of six individual games & three pairs games.

b) All Registered Teams are automatically entered into the First Round of the Challenge Cup, which is determined by a ‘blind draw’ of all Registered Teams.

c) Each round shall be played over one leg, with the winning Team progressing to the next round of the competition.

d) The winning Teams in the first round of the Challenge Cup shall progress to the Second Round. The losing Teams in the First Round of the Challenge Cup, shall automatically be entered into the John Thornton Plate.

e) Each round of the Challenge Cup shall be re-drawn by the Committee.

3.2 Individuals Competition

a) Play will be 501 up, played over three legs.

b) Coin toss to decide who throws for Bull first.

c) Winner of coin toss to decide who throws for Bull first.

d) Winner of the throw for the Bull shall throw first in the first leg & the third leg if required.

e) The loser of the throw for the Bull shall throw first in the second leg.

3.3 Individuals Competition Final

a) Play will be 501 up, played over five legs.

b) Coin toss to decide who throws for Bull first.

c) Winner of coin toss to decide who throws for Bull first.

d) Winner of the throw for the Bull shall throw first in the first leg, third leg & the fifth leg if required.

e) The loser of the throw for the Bull shall throw first in the second leg & the fourth leg if required.

3.4 Pairs Competition

a) Play will be 701 up, played over three legs.

b) Coin toss to decide who throws for bull first.
Winner of coin toss to decide who throws for bull first.

c) Winner of the throw for the Bull shall throw first in the first leg & the third leg if required.

d) The loser of the throw for the Bull shall throw first in the second leg.

e) Both players must be registered for the same team.

3.5 Fours Competition

a) Play will be 1001 up, played over one leg.

b) Coin toss to decide who throws for bull first.

c) Winner of coin toss to decide who throws for bull first.

d) Winner of the throw for the Bull shall throw first in the first leg & the third leg if required.

e) The loser of the throw for the Bull shall throw first in the second leg.

f) Five players may register for the Fours Competition & any four of the five may play a match.

g) All players must be registered for the same team.

3.6 Competition Substitutions

a) Pairs – A substitution may only be made in the first match of the Pairs Competition. Where substitutions are made, the pair that play in the first match of the Pairs Competition, form the pair that must play all remaining rounds of the Pairs Competition. No player may play in more than one pairs team in the Pairs Competition.

b) Fours - Substitutions may only be made in the first match of the Fours Competition. Where substitutions are made, the team that plays in the first match of the Fours Competition, is the team that must play all remaining rounds of that Competition, the exception being where a fifth player is registered to play, in which case the Competition Secretary should be informed who the fifth player is on the Fixture/Result Sheet, returned to him the next day with the first match results. A substitution is not permitted during the playing of a game, but can be made between separate games played on the same night. No player may play in more than one fours team in the Fours Competition.

3.7 Attending Competitions

a) All players must be present at their allocated venue by the stipulated time. If they fail to arrive at their allocated venue by the stipulated time, they will be eliminated from the Competition for that season, except in the Fours Competition, where only four of the five named players need be present at their allocated venue by the stipulated time.

b) In the Fours Competition, where teams have five named players & where more than one round is to be played at an allocated venue, all five named players must be present at their allocated venue by the stipulated time. If only four of the five players are present at their allocated venue & the fifth member of that team arrives at the allocated venue after the stipulated time, the player will not be permitted to play.

3.8 Competition Eligibility

a) Only players registered with a team that competes in the Northallerton & District Darts League may enter Cup Competitions.

b) Least Darts, Highest Finish, Most Wins & 180’s do not count in all Cup Competitions.

3.9 Divisional Shield

a) Each match shall be the normal league format of six individual games & three pairs games.

b) Each Division shall be split into two separate Pools, determined by a seeded ‘blind draw’.

c) Teams in each Pool shall play each other once. All points won counting towards their total.

d) The two teams with the highest total in their Pool shall qualify for the Semi-Finals.

e) Where teams finish with equal points for the top two places of their Pool, qualification shall be determined by the result of the Pool match between the teams on equal points.

f) In the Semi-Finals the winner of Pool A shall play the Runner Up of Pool B and vice versa.

g) The Pool winner shall have home advantage in the Semi-Final.

h) The Divisional Final shall be played on a neutral board, determined by the NDDL Secretary.

i) Where insufficient weeks are available to allow the playing of the Semi-Finals of the Divisional Shield, Rules 3.9d), 3.9f) & 3.9g) are not applicable.