League Rules:

1. Each team can consist of only eight registered players on any given match night. Five players can play singles. The remaining three players are eligible to play in the team, doubles and trebles games.
2. All players must be registered with the league secretary prior to playing in the fixture. Any team found guilty by the secretary and/or committee of playing an ineligible player will be subject to a forfeit of all match points to the opposing team. Players can be registered until the first match night in December. Players are not permitted to be registered after this date without special dispensation being granted by the committee.
3. Once a registered player has played for their team, they cannot play for another team unless the transfer of registration has been agreed by the committee and the captain of the registered player.
4. The dartboard should stand 5ft 8in from the floor to the bullseye. The toe line should be 7ft 9 and ¼ in (men) and 7ft 6in (ladies) measured from face of the board along the floor. The line is to be toed, not stood on. A complaint of this nature is to be raised by the captain only.
5. Re-arranging fixtures – a maximum of three games a season can be re-arranged. The re-arranging captain in the first instance must inform the secretary before informing the opposing teams captain. Requests to re-arrange fixtures must be made no later than 5pm on the day of the fixture. Rule change - Failure to follow these rules will result in forfeiture of the fixture at a score of 15-0 (men) and 5-0 (women). Permission to rearrange 2 games these must within 2 weeks of the original fixture,
6. It is expected if a captain has four players available, that the fixture go ahead. In this event, the team forfeits one singles game. The team will forfeit a turn in the team game and the trebles game.
7. No showing fixtures – should a team 'no show' a fixture, for example, not following the instruction set out in rule 5, that team will be expelled from the league and will not be permitted to re-enter next season without committee approval.
8. The home team is responsible for providing a marker. Electric scoreboards are permitted and must have the ability to recall the previous score. Where a game is chalked, the chalker must have the ability to calculate basic arithmetic to prevent disruption to the players. The score must be agreed between the thrower and the scorer before the darts are taken out of the board.
9. Only darts thrown overarm and sticking in the face of the board count.
10. The away team throws first in league fixtures. In tournament fixtures, the team/player that is drawn first will throw first.
11. The committee will endeavour to distribute tournament nights out equitably between all participating venues. However, consideration will be given to capacity, number of registered teams and number of playable boards available. Where a venue has previously withdrawn themselves from consideration, they will not be considered in future unless they notify the committee. The only venue currently withdrawn is Little Lever Cricket Club.
12. Teams will be notified of tournament arrangements with ample prior notice. Entries to tournaments are not covered within team registration fees.
13. Teams must not crowd the oche or cause unnecessary disturbance to the players throwing. Issues with behaviours must be raised on the evening with the opposing captain. If the captain is unable to resolve this, a complaint can be registered with the secretary who may decide to take action if a team is found at fault.
14. The winning team captain is responsible for submitting the match card to the league secretary. In the event of a draw, the home captain is responsible for submitting the match card to the league secretary. Failure to produce a completed and signed match card may result in a points sanction or financial punishment of £5 per card if the match card is not received within 5 days of the fixture.
15. If a team wishes to raise a protest regarding the playing of a match (condition of the board, issues with the length of the throw, disorderly conduct etc), he/she must inform the opposing captain immediately that they are playing under protest. The protest must be lodged with the league secretary within 3 days together with a £5 fee which is forfeitable if the protest is found to be baseless or not meeting the threshold for protest.
16. Registered players must be 16-year-old to play. However, it is the decision of each individual landlord as to whether they permit entry to that player according to their venue’s rules. A captain with a player under the age of 18 must contact the Landlord of the venue at least 24 hours prior to the match to obtain permission for their player to enter the premises. If the league is alerted that this player is found to be drinking alcohol underage on these premises, the registered team will be subject to expulsion from the league. If any player is denied entry to a venue, the team will still be expected to play the fixture in line with rule 6. Rule 5 does not apply.
17. Strictly no gambling on fixtures.
18. Team Registration Fees - £20 is payable at the AGM to register your team. Teams wishing to register after this date but prior to the commencement of the season will be required to obtain committee approval and pay 25% of their teams subs upfront. Teams must pay their team subs in full no later than the second paying-in meeting. Failure to pay on time will result in a £20 fine and be liable for expulsion from the league.
19. The league does not currently utilise handicaps or seedings.
20. Registering a player not considered an amateur – a non-amateur player is considered as someone who has played at a semi-professional and above level of darts. Permission must be sought from the committee and captains of the relevant section will be consulted and offered a vote on permitting entry to this player.
21. The match format must be adhered to if all 5 players are in attendance at the start. Captains can choose their team game, doubles and trebles players. These elements of the card must be filled in prior to the start of the fixture. The captain can choose who they wish to play their five singles games, however, these five players must be drawn blindly against the opposing captains five players.
22. Teams are permitted one late player. That player must be in the venue no later than 9pm. The opposing captain must be informed prior to the draw that a late player is going to be participating, the order of play can now change.
23. If a team has dropped out or being expelled from the league, none of their players will be permitted to play in tournaments. Any player that wishes to re-register for another team must approach the committee who will consider the re-registration.
24. Tournament formats are decided by the Chairman and League Secretary and will be reviewed annually according to the needs of the league. A member can only play in the tournaments if they have played 25% of their league games.
25. The league is scored by legs won and lost. In the event that all fixtures have been played and the league is tied, a play-off tie will be held the following week at a neutral venue and officiated by a member of the committee. This fixture will be played according to the usual format. Should this game end tied, an extra team game of 1001 will be played to settle the fixture. The same five players who played in the first team game must play in the final team game.
26. League Fixtures and Results will be published online at llwinterdarts.co.uk
27. Registered players will be published online at llwinterdarts.co.uk
28. Where a rule is not covered in this document, the committee reserves its right to act and make decisions by process of a committee vote overseen by the Chairman of the committee.
29. Any registered player is permitted to raise an agenda item for the AGM. This must be submitted no less than three weeks prior to the AGM. The agenda will be published to all players via their captains and venues no less than two weeks prior to the AGM. Any item submitted to the Agenda, that player must attend to support their point if there are any unavoidable circumstances where they can’t attend they can nominate a spokes person to represent them.
30. Amendments to Proposed AGM Agenda Items – Amendments must be submitted to the league secretary no later than 3 days prior to the AGM.
31. AGM voting – The committee will determine and publish whether a vote is open to all players, captains only or specifically to certain sections players based on the nature of the submission.
32. Committee decisions are final. The current committee members are:

Chairman – Dave Swindells

League Secretary – Janet Mottram

Treasurer – Lyn Foster

Members – Jonah Fallon, Marie McKinney, Tony Connell, Louise Turner and Tracy Stanbank.