SUSSEX COUNTY SUPER LEAGUE RULES 

1)      Each registered team must give his club or landlord a list of home fixture dates and ask for extensions to licensing hours if required for those occasions. 

2)     Every team must appoint a Captain who will together with the opposing Captain make a draw on match nights to determine opponents. A team must have a minimum of seven players present at the time of the draw. 

Match played as drawn. 

Away player throws first in the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th games and the home player has first throw in the 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th games. The score sheet is starred for guidance. 

The Captain and Secretary will jointly be responsible for notifying their players of the venue of matches and arranging transport. 

3)     Each team shall appoint a Secretary who must have his/her own telephone and whose duty shall be to ensure that the fixture list appropriate to their team is notified to their players. 

It is also the duty of the Secretary to ensure that the result sheet reaches the League Secretary within 24 hours of the match. 

Both teams are to send a result sheet. 

4)     Each team will appoint a Scores Recorder to record every score made from each three darts thrown and complete the result sheet in the same order in which the players play. Also each team will provide either a chalker or caller for each set played.(1 chalk board to be used. ) 

It is also necessary to note: 

a)     The number of darts used in the last and finishing throw.

b)     Any outstanding performance by a player i.e.: Man of the Match / High Finish  (120+)

c)     180 score's name.

d)     The players’ average of every dart thrown in all legs. 

Both teams complete a score sheet at each match, any walkovers (see Rule 8) must be entered on the score sheet at the end of the playing list i.e.: if one walkover players name should be entered next to game 9 and signed by the same, if two walkovers players names to be entered next to games 8 and 9 and signed by those players. 

5)     Each team shall appoint a treasurer who will collect from such fund raising schemes as he feels necessary on home nights to maintain club funds and to pay the annual League registration fees. 

6)     Registration fees of £60 for the initial year and £40 per year after shall be sent to the League Treasure by (date to be advised). 

Each team will pay a match fee of £8 to be sent to the League Secretary with the result sheet after each match. 

Each team must register a minimum of 9 players by this date; additional players to bring the total to a maximum of 32 may be registered up to the start of the second half of the season. 

To register for a team a player must complete a B.D.O. Super League Registration form. 

The name, address and telephone number of the team’s venue, which must be in Sussex, must be sent to the League Secretary by the date advised. 

A team playing an unregistered person will be fined £15 and the game awarded to the offended party, with the match result adjusted as appropriate. 

7)     Nine games will decide the match; each game will count as one point. The winning team will receive a bonus of two points. 

A team receiving 5 points due to a match walkover will receive bonus points. The team giving the match walkover will be fined £10 this money to be paid as compensation to the team claiming the walkover. 

8)     Any game not played as a result of a team being short of a player(s) will be awarded to the opposing team and the score sheets marked as Rule 4, - WALKOVER and signed by the player against the game number following the last game played. 

The Captain of the team short of player(s) must declare the extent of the shortages at the time of the draw and the opposition Captain may then put those of his players in the draw that he wishes, informing the scores recorders who he wishes to receive the walkover. The player will then receive his own average for that match. 

9)     In the event of both teams being short of players the result will be a total of the games played i.e.: 5 - 2, 4 - 3, 3 -3 etc., plus bonus points. 

10) In computing the tons scored for the tons trophy, each ton and ton plus will be used and counted as one. Whenever a score of more than 164 is recorded a bonus point will be awarded. 

11)  The number of Divisions and their content shall be decided at the A.G.M. by those members present. 

Teams not represented at the A.G.M. will not be considered for inclusion and there will be no late entries allowed. 

Teams will be instructed to play in a particular division, with the option of immediate withdrawal from the league if this is unacceptable. 

12) All perpetual trophies must be signed for by the winners, returned in a good and clean condition in time for the next presentation and engraved by the winners at their own expense. 

A team or player not returning a perpetual trophy in time for the presentation (i.e. 28 days prior to the advertised date) will be subject to a £25 fine. 

13) Division winners and runners up will receive cash prizes proportionate to the entries in the current season. Where sufficient teams entering the League allow, a contribution may be made to the Sussex Darts Organisation, to help defray costs associated with those events open to Super League players. 

14) Matches to start by 8: 30 pm except by prior mutual agreement. 

Match format is 9 singles all best of five legs, 501 up, straight start, finish on a double. Bust rule applies i.e.: a player scores more than the number required then that score shall not count and the player shall revert back to the score required prior to his opponent’s last throw. Bull counts as 50 and as double 25 for a finishing shot. 

The minimum throwing distance shall be 7ft: 9.25ins from the face of the board to the back edge of the raised oche. The bull shall be 5ft: 8ins from the centre to the floor. 

The Match and Practice board must be a Winmau. (1999 A.G.M.) 

The practice board must have a raised oche and be available for all of the match. (1999 A.G.M.) 

15) Any team and any of the players therein failing to pay fines imposed will forfeit all monies paid into the League and all rights to rejoin after disqualification. 

Any team leaving the League and then wishing to rejoin will be regarded as new members and subject to the initial payment of £60 (as opposed to the re-registration fee of £40). 

16) In the event of the cessation of the League, a special meeting will be convened of all members, in order to decide policy. 

An Annual General Meeting will be held on a suitable weekend before the start of the season. On this occasion members will have the opportunity to give ten days written notice of their intention to change a rules). One month’s written notice of the A.G.M. will be given to all team secretaries. Voting at any meeting shall be on the basis of one vote per team represented. 

17) A team will be fined £10 for failure to send a delegate to: 

a)     The Annual General Meeting.

b)     An extra - ordinary general meeting.

c)     A committee meeting. 

Note: The committee comprises the elected League officials plus all team secretaries.

18) A fee of 50p will be paid by each home and away player on match nights. The total amount collected will be awarded to the Man of the Match. 

The Man of the Match will be the winning player with the best average of every dart thrown in all legs. If two players tie, then the player who wins 3 - 0 beats the player with a 3 - 2 win. If still a tie, then the player who has scored the most ton points will be the Man of the Match. 

19) All fixtures must be played in the week drawn, on a Wednesday night.  

Application for the re - arrangement of a fixture must be made in writing to the League Secretary and to the opposing team secretary with a minimum of ten days notice. Where teams fail to agree on a mutually acceptable date the Executive committee will rule on the circumstances and will then impose such sanctions it feels fit against the offending team. 

20)A player may transfer from one team to another once only in a season and before the start of the second half. The transfer must be agreed by the Secretaries of both teams and must be notified in writing to the League Secretary at least seven days before it becomes effective. 

21) A player who is not available for the Sussex County team must mark the registration form ‘ NS ‘ (i.e. Not Sussex). The player will not be eligible to play in the County’s closed events e.g.: Gold Cup / Winmau Masters.  

Not more than two ‘NS‘ players per team may be included in the match draw. 

DISCIPLINARY PROCEEDINGS 

1)     INCIDENT 

2)     If a Player, Team or an Official, is involved in an incident that is considered to have brought the Sport of Darts into disrepute, then that Player, Team or Official, shall be subject to Disciplinary Proceedings being brought against that team or person. 

3)     COMPLAINT 

A complaint about an offending Player, Team or Official, shall be made verbally on the spot, or in writing after the incident. 

4)     If the respective Darts Body Officials consider it necessary to proceed with, then Disciplinary Proceedings shall be initiated by an Official of that respective Darts Body, charged with that responsibility, preferably the General Secretary.

5)     PRELIMINARY DISCUSSION 

6)     A preliminary Discussion between the respective Darts Body Officials at the scene of the incident, shall determine whether any action should be taken on the spot, or whether the complaint should be referred to a Disciplinary Hearing to be convened at a later date.  

7)     The offending Player, Team or Official, may be suspended from the time of the incident until such time as the Disciplinary Hearing has been held. 

8)     The Preliminary Discussion shall determine the necessity of inviting that Player, Team, or Official, plus possible witnesses to the incident, into the Disciplinary Hearing, bearing in mind that such witnesses may wish to corroborate the evidence supplied by a complainant, or the defendant. 

9)     CONVENING A DISCIPLINARY HEARING 

10) An offending Player, Team, or Official, shall be informed by letter, by a Darts Body Official, that the person or team has been suspended, and shall be subject to Disciplinary Proceedings being brought against that person or team. 

11)  The offending Player, Team, or Official, shall be invited to attend the Disciplinary Hearing in which that person or team shall be given the opportunity to put forward any information, and ask any questions, relating to the Disciplinary Proceedings being brought against that Person or team. 

The person shall also be informed that if he does not attend the Disciplinary Hearing then the matter will be decided in his or there absence. 

12) A Darts Body shall appoint, 3 or 5 in number, as a Disciplinary Committee, preferably from the members of the Darts Body’s Executive Council. 

13) No person directly involved in the incident shall be allowed to serve on the Disciplinary Committee, or on any subsequent Appeal Committee. 

14) As well as being informed verbally, at the end of the Disciplinary Hearing, the Player, Team, or Official, shall also be informed officially, in writing, of the details of the decisions reached in the Disciplinary Hearing together with advice on the effect of the decision on that person or team future involvement in the sport of Darts under the jurisdiction of that Darts Body. 

15) The letter shall also indicate the person’s or the team’s Right to Appeal against any decision, and shall indicate a reasonable time limit in which to lodge an Appeal. 

16)RIGHT TO APPEAL 

An offending Player, Team, or Official, has the Right to Appeal against any decision or action taken as a result of a Preliminary Discussion, or Disciplinary Hearing. 

17) In the instance of lodging an Appeal the offending Player, Team, or Official, must outline the grounds for the Appeal and provide any additional evidence, or other witnesses to substantiate those grounds. 

18) A Darts Body shall appoint different persons, 5 or 7 in number, as an Appeal Committee preferably from the members of the Darts Body’s Executive Council.

The numbers of persons serving on an Appeal Committee shall be greater than the number serving on a Disciplinary Committee. 

19) No person directly involved in the incident, or those persons that served on the Disciplinary Hearing, shall be allowed to serve on the Appeal Committee. 

20)As well as being informed verbally, at the end of an Appeal Hearing, the Player, Team, or Official, shall be informed officially, in writing, of the details of the decision reached in an Appeal Hearing together with any further advice felt necessary in relation to that person’s or team’s future involvement in the Sport of Darts under the jurisdiction of that Darts Body. 

21)WRITTEN RECORD 

22)A darts Body shall ensure that a written record, and file, shall be kept, which shall include all relevant letters, minutes of meetings, and other relevant notes and information. 

23)The person required to take minutes of the Proceedings must be independent of the Committees involved and therefore eligible to attend all meetings, but he or she shall not take part in any of the discussions involved. 

24)In the instance of any legal proceedings ensuing as a result of any actions taken, or decision reached, the written record, and files, can be made readily available for consideration and reference. 

25)PRESS STATEMENTS 

26)The issuing of any statements on behalf of a Darts Body shall be made through an appointed person, such as the Chairman, or Press Officer. 

27)Such statements should only be made after the person involved has been informed of any action taken, or decision reached. 

28)DISCIPLINARY ACTION OR DECISION 

29)A Disciplinary Hearing, or an Appeal Hearing, having made a decision, after discussing any relevant points may impose a Fine; or Suspension; or a Suspended Sentence; or even expel a Player, Team, or Official, found to have brought the Sport of Darts into disrepute. 

FINE = Sums of money compatible with the seriousness of the incident. (Recommended Maximum fine = £1000) 

SUSPENSION = to be suspended from taking part in any darts event, or function under the jurisdiction of the respective Darts Body for a stated period of time. 

SUSPENDED SENTENCE = to be suspended for a period of time, which sentence will only be implemented should the offending person or team be involved in a further incident during that period of time. 

EXPULSION = should an incident warrant the barring of an offending Player, Team or Official, then that person or team shall be barred from all darts events under the jurisdiction of that respective Darts Body.

30)SUPPORT FROM OTHER DARTS BODIES 

31) Any Darts Body that has taken Disciplinary Action against a Player, Team, or Official, and completed any Appeal proceedings related to that action, may seek supportive action from any other Darts Body, providing that all relevant information concerning the incident, and the action taken, is supplied for due consideration by that other Darts Body.