Rules of Play

General Provisions
Play
Payments
Teams
Score Sheets and Balls
Other Matters
Penalty Games

Members are urged to familiarize themselves with the rules, Don’t forget, you can use your phone to check the rules while on the court.

I. General Provisions

Unless otherwise specified, CATS play is governed by USTA rules.

II. Play

WARM UP: Starts on the hour and ends 15 minutes after. All players will warm up during this time. All four starting players may take a maximum of six practice serves at 15 minutes after the hour. In Flights 1-3, if both captains agree, they can play “first ball in” instead of six practice serves.

ROTATIONS: Racquet spin will be done at ten minutes after the hour. The winner of the spin decides to receive or to serve. The other team may select the side of their choice. The serving team must select their two starting players first for the first and second rotations. Players rotate every four games. The two players who sat out the first rotation may take a maximum of six practice serves prior to the start of the second rotation.

PENALTIES AND FORFEITS: These are incurred as follows: If, at 15 minutes after the starting hour a team has only one player, that team forfeits and 10 games may be presumed to have been played with all ten games credited to the other team. If both teams field only one player apiece at 15 minutes after the starting hour, both teams are assessed a loss and 10 games are added to the “Games Played” category for statistical purposes.

A team of two players may not be assessed a penalty until it is time for the first player rotation. If the third player arrives after the end of the first rotation (four games), he or she will be allowed to play, but the penalty remains. All additional penalties for two and three players are predetermined by the individual Division Captains and recorded by the Division Coordinator and League Coordinator, as detailed below under “Penalty Games”.

INJURED PLAYERS: Any injury incurred by a player during a match or warm up, which causes unavailability for further play, will cause no penalty if two players on the team remain. An injured player will be permitted to return after one complete rotation. If only one player remains, the injured player’s team must forfeit. Additional games will be credited to the winning team.  One game will be assessed for every 10 minutes remaining to be played in the match to a maximum of 10 games.

Preexisting injury or illness will not be considered as occurring during the match. If a player leaves before 10:45 P.M. for any reason other than an injury occurring during play, pro-rata penalty games will be awarded to the opposing team as determined by the division coordinator.

SCORING: Score using the “No-Ad(vantage)” system in which the first team to get four points wins the game. At deuce in a game, the receiving team calls who shall receive.

SERVING AND RECEIVING:

  1. If during a rotation, it is noted that a sequence has been altered, the player who is then serving will relinquish service to the appropriate player and the game continues at whatever the score is at that time. If that game has been completed when the error is noted, the order of service remains altered from then on. If a change in receiver rotation is discovered during a game, the rotation resumes the next time that team receives service. Receiver and server rotations are changeable as teams rotate players.
  2. The decision as to whether a serve is good is solely that of the receiving team, except for let serves.
  3. Deuce points will be played gender to gender to conform with USTA mixed couples rules. If server is female, she will serve to the female opponent and males will serve to male opponents. If there is no same gender receiver, the receiving team chooses who will receive.

VALID POINTS:

  1. If a ball from another court enters the playing area while a point is under way either team may call a “let” and the point is restarted at first serve. This must be called immediately, otherwise the point stands.
  2. A ball in play may not be stopped by hitting it down or catching it when it appears to be going out-of-bounds. Doing so gives the point to the other team.
  3. Only the receiving team may call a ball out. When a team is not certain whether a ball landed in or out, it is to be considered good. The point is not played over.
  4. Neither foot of the server may touch the boundary line or step into the court until after the racquet makes contact with the ball. The receiving team has the right to call a foot fault to the attention of the server but cannot assess a penalty.

WINS, TIES, AND TIE-BREAKING: A Team may win a match either by one regular game or by a tie-breaker. Normal rotations must continue until 11:00 PM, unless a tiebreaker is being played or completed. If the teams are tied at or after 10:55 PM (including penalty games); a tie-breaker must be played. In the event of a tie-breaker each captain may choose which players to field in the tie-breaker. Service rotation is not altered. A 12-point tiebreaker will be played; the first team to seven points by a margin of two points wins. The next player due up in the serving rotation will start the tiebreaker serving only once in the deuce court. The normal service order is then followed with all subsequent servers having two serves starting in the ad court. If you must give up your court to players, find a vacant court and complete the tiebreaker. 

III. Payments

COURT: Court fees for each team player are due by their first scheduled match each session.

MEMBERSHIP: Full time players having not paid their membership dues for the upcoming year by the second playing night may be dropped from their team for that session. Social members having not paid their dues will lose their playing and social status both as a sub and at all social events. They also will not be reinstated until dues and penalties are paid.

REBATES: Rebates are subject to the discretion of the CATS Board.

IV. Teams

  1. CATS has 3 sessions with multiple playing levels. Teams in each playing level are comprised of six players, with five or seven players also possible. Gender make up by team is flexible.
  2. Prior to each draft a general ranking of players is recommended.
  3. Swapping of players can take place at any time during the evening of the draft. Replacing a drafted player with another eligible player can also take place the night of the draft.
  4. Full time players can play a maximum of 60% of the matches in the during a session. For example, if there are 18 matches in a session no full time player can be scheduled for more than 11 matches during that session. All full time players should be scheduled equally.
  5. Half-time players can play a maximum of 30% of the matches in the during a session. For example, if there are 18 matches in a session no half time player can be scheduled for more than 6 matches during that session.
  6. Subs paying “Social Membership Rates” cannot be a sub more that three times per session. A social member can upgrade their playing status to the same as a regular member by paying the difference between the social/sub rate and the full member rate any time during the fiscal year.
  7. Within two weeks after the Division’s draft, each Captain must turn over to the Division Coordinator his players schedule.
  8. Players on one team may not substitute on another team in their division for any regular match. However, any player may sub on a higher division team. Prior approval needed by division coordinator in consultation with league coordinator regarding subbing in a lower division.
  9. On the last night of league play when a championship is in contention subs may not be used. This includes both sessions with an odd number of matches that have an official playoff night, as well as seasons with an even number of matches where the championship will be decided by the final night of match play. Use of a sub in either of these scenarios will result in an automatic default of the match
  10. It is recommended that a sub be selected from the team members not scheduled for that match, otherwise they must be chosen from the division’s official sub list. Team Captains will be provided with updated sub lists by Division Coordinators. The use of a sub that does not belong to CATS will result in default of the match. The same applies to the use of a team player who has not paid their dues at the specified time.

V. Score Sheets and Balls

Winning Captains, or their designates, are to make certain that match results are recorded on the master score sheet each week. Captains will remain alert to responsibilities regarding score sheets and balls whenever the League Coordinator is not present. Names of all players should be listed on the envelope. Sub players should indicate who they are playing for.

VI. Other Matters

CONFLICTS: In keeping with the social nature of CATS play, all conflicts are to be resolved in a reasonable fashion. Disputes that can not be resolved in a gracious manner on court are to be resolved by the Division Coordinator, with appeal to the League Coordinator available.

UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT: If a team feels, through word or deed, an Unsportsmanlike Act has been committed during play, the Captain representing that team may file a formal written complaint with the Division Coordinator. If the complaint is against the Coordinator’s team, it may then be filed with the League Coordinator. Appeals can be made to the League Coordinator and then to the President.

If a decision is rendered in favor of the complainant, penalties assessed may consist of suspension of a player or in the case of a team, loss of a game or a match.

VII. Penalty Games

All divisions: If only two players are present at the time of the first rotation, four penalty games will be assessed. If the third player arrives after the first rotation (4 games), they will be allowed to play in the next official rotation, but the penalty remains in place.

Open division: effective September 2025 a 7 game penalty will no longer be assessed against teams that don’t field a female player during a match. However, each team is required to field the equivalent of one female player per match, in keeping with league rules dictating that all full-time players be scheduled for an equal number of matches. If, at the end of the session, a team is found to have violated this rule, a 7 game penalty will be retroactively applied to the final scores of their most recent matches where a woman was absent. For example, if there were 18 matches in a session but a team only fielded a woman 17 times, the score for their last match (closest to the end of the season) during which no woman played will be adjusted to award 7 penalty games to their opponent; if that update changes the outcome of the match the division standing and/or championship will be adjusted accordingly. The Open division coordinator will contact all captains 3 weeks prior to the end of the season if any team risks finding themselves in this situation.

Rules for Bench Warmers

Guests/visitors (one per team max) maintain a quiet, neutral, inactive role so as to not be distracting and sit on their Team’s end of the bench.

  1. They should not advantage or disadvantage a team by be overly supportive of one team over another by their words or actions.
  2. They should not keep score or assist in money collection.
  3. They should not retrieve balls or call lines.

If a captain deems their behavior to be distracting or unsportsmanlike, any captain or acting captain may ask them to leave the court.

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