2017 County 40×20 championships will feature 475 matches

The 2017 county 40×20 season gets underway next week as players ‘go to post’ for the first of 475 matches which will decide the destination of the various championships.

The grades being promoted include senior singles and doubles, intermediate singles, junior singles and doubles, minor singles, junior B singles and doubles, junior C singles and doubles, junior D singles and doubles, over 35 singles and doubles, masters B singles and doubles, golden masters A singles and doubles, golden masters B singles and doubles, emerald masters A singles, emerald masters B singles and doubles, diamond masters A singles and doubles, diamond masters B singles, legends singles, junior B/C/D team event, women’s junior singles, women’s junior B singles, women’s junior C singles and women’s junior D singles.

All championships will be run on a league format, thus ensuring everybody gets an opportunity to qualify for the knockout stages. An important change this time around will see the semi finals taking place after Christmas instead of December and this will result in twice the number of players being in contention for honours at the start of the championship year.

Click 2017 county 40×20 fixture 1 to see the opening matches and all units and players should note the terms of participation below;

  1. All players must wear their official club jerseys and togs and doubles pairings must wear matching togs.
  2. Matches must be played on the date and at the venue as per the official fixture and any request for change must be made by the club secretary of the player seeking the change. This request must state the reason for the change.
  3. All players are entered in their ‘first grade’ and many have also entered a second grade. Players taking part in two grades cannot withdraw from their ‘first grade’ while remaining in their second grade, irrespective of the reason for the withdrawal.
  4. Many players have provided dates on which they are unable to play and this option is available to all. Naturally, players with large numbers of games must be fair and reasonable with their requests.
  5. Players from clubs not represented at our September County Committee meeting will be traveling to opponents courts and if neither club was represented at the meeting then both players/pairings may be fixed for distant courts depending on availability.
  6. Winners are responsible for sending in results, which this season can be accepted by text message only. Those not in a position to text should get their club secretary or another person to do it for them. Its important to remember that the result must be in on the night of the match or first thing the following morning and failure to do so may result in a 0-0 entry on the league table.
  7. A player giving a walkover must withdraw from the championship
  8. A player receiving a walkover is responsible for sending in the result
  9. All matches are best of 3 x 21 aces, with three points awarded for a 2-0 win otherwise two points to one will apply if the match goes to a third game.
  10. A toss of a coin will decide the opening serve and if the first two games are shared, the player with the most aces scored will serve first in the deciding third game.

To see the full list of championship groups click 40×20 championship groups 2017
This will be updated regularly so that everybody is aware of the points situation in their group.