Snooker Rules and Regulations

SNOOKER RULES AND REGULATIONS

SNO 1 General
Other than for SNO 5 (Miss when Snookered) and SNO 6 (End of Frame), the Championships will be conducted under the rules of Snooker.
SNO 2 Team Events: Championship (Senior) - McEwan's Trophy; Trophy (Intermediate) - Ian Cornish Cup; Shield (Junior) - BUCS Snooker Shield; Plate (The Saints Trophy). All will be held over one weekend; if required, qualifying will take place in the run-up to the tournament.
SNO 2.1 Each member may enter up to three teams; entry is guaranteed to a third team only if it is ranked in the Top 20. The Championship/Trophy qualifying is limited to twenty teams. Other teams and new teams will be entered into the Shield, which is limited to twenty teams.
SNO 2.2 Entry, made via BUCS Online entries only, must be accompanied by payment and be received before the official first closing date. The Snooker SAG may accept an entry by the second official closing date, subject to payment of a late-entry fee and availability of places.
SNO 2.3 Teams comprise five players (male or female). A team that arrives to compete with more than two members absent will be disqualified.
SNO 2.4 Only players listed via Online Entries, including reserves, may participate in the Championships. Team selection must follow BUCS General Regulations.
SNO 2.5 Team order - While this may vary from match to match, no changes are permitted once the team order has been written on the match card by the captain prior to the start of a match. A neutral official will ensure that neither captain becomes aware of his opponent's team order until the match card has been filled in. The SAG reserves the right to change the order of play in any match so that no time is lost.
SNO 2.6 Promotion, Relegation and Seeding
SNO 2.6.1 Teams finishing bottom of each group in the Championship/Trophy qualifying will be relegated to the Shield for the following season. Teams reaching the semi-finals of the Shield will be promoted to the Championship/Trophy for the following season.
SNO 2.6.2 Any team that withdraws from the Championship/Trophy will be relegated for the following season and replaced, for the current season, by the highest-ranked team from the Shield.
SNO 2.6.3 If it is not possible to replace a team, its opponents will receive a walk-over.
SNO 2.6.4 A group or groups will only be redrawn if more than one of its teams withdraw
or if the inclusion of a replacement team would contravene SNO 2.6.5
SNO 2.6.5 Teams from the same member institution will not be drawn in the same first round group.
SNO 2.6.6 Group seedings for the following season will be based on the end-of-year
rankings.
SNO 2.6.7 Should a first team be ranked lower than its second team, the rankings will be reversed for the following season.
SNO 2.7 Championship/Trophy qualifying
SNO 2.7.1 This comprises four round-robin groups of five teams. Other than for the top-ranked team, groups will be drawn randomly in batches of four. The official ranking list notwithstanding, all first teams will be drawn ahead of second teams.
SNO 2.7.2 Each match consists of ten frames (five "rubbers" of two frames), so that all five players must participate, and at least six frames are needed to win a match. All frames must be played until the qualifiers for the Championship/Trophy quarter-finals, and teams to be relegated to the Shield, are decided.
SNO 2.7.3 A team winning a match is awarded two points; a draw (5-5) results in one point each. Note: should the final result be, for instance, 5-4 or 5-3 due to penalty frames, the team scoring 5 frames will receive one point.
SNO 2.7.4 Placings in each group are decided on the following basis:
SNO 2.7.4.1 total number of points
SNO 2.7.4.2 number of frames won
SNO 2.7.4.3 result of match between teams tied on points or frames
SNO 2.7.4.4 number of matches won
SNO 2.7.4.5 result of match against group winner or next best team
SNO 2.7.4.6 a play-off of one frame per match; if more than two teams are involved, aggregate frame scores in the play-off frames are used to obtain a result. If still tied, this process will be repeated until a clear result ensues.
SNO 2.8 Championship/Trophy Knock-out Stages
SNO 2.8.1 Subject to SNO 2.8.2, the best two first teams in each group will qualify for the Championship quarter-finals and the two next best teams will enter the Trophy quarter-finals. The bottom team in each group will be eliminated. It cannot enter the Championship/Trophy knock-out stage under any circumstances.
SNO 2.8.2 Should a first team finish bottom of a group containing one other first team only, it will be replaced in the quarter-finals of the Championship by the next best overall first team not already qualified for that event.
SNO 2.8.3 Championship quarter-finals: (a) winner A v next best D, (b) winner C v next best B; (c) winner B v next best C, (d) winner D v next best A. Those for the semi-finals are (a) v (b), (c) v (d)
SNO 2.8.4 Trophy quarter-finals: (a) 3rd A v 4th D, (b) 3rd C v 4th B; (c) 3rd B v 4th C, (d) 3rd D v 4th A. Those for the semi-finals are (a) v (b), (c) v (d).
SNO 2.8.5 Nominated player (all events): for the knock-out stages, team captains must nominate a player in case a play-off frame is required. This need not be done before the start of a match.
SNO 2.8.6 In the knock-out stages prior to the final, each team member plays two frames, until six are scored by his or her team for outright victory. A single frame play-off resolves a 5-5 tie.
SNO 2.9 Final (Championship, Trophy and Shield): Each team member plays the best of three frames. Thus three victories are needed for a team win in the final.
SNO 2.10 Shield
SNO 2.10.1 The format, to be decided by the SAG in advance, will depend on the overall entry. 12, 16 or 20 teams can be accommodated at finals and play-offs will be held, as required, in advance of finals to achieve one of these numbers. All teams are guaranteed at least two matches prior to possible elimination. Group matches may be one frame per player, to be decided by the SAG.
SNO 2.10.2 The Shield will follow a knock-out format similar to the Main Draw. Every effort will be made to avoid teams from the same groups meeting during the knock-out stages.
SNO 2.11 Plate
Teams failing to reach the second round or knock-out stages of the Shield are eligible to enter his open-draw competition, over a single frame format until the final, which is two frames per player. A perpetual trophy and medals will be awarded to the winning team.
SNO 3 Individual Events: Individual Championship - Graham Sadler Cup; Individual Trophy - Patrick McWilliams Trophy
SNO 3.1 First-team and unattached players are eligible to enter the Individual Championship only and other players are eligible to enter the Individual Trophy only. Each player will be charged a small entry fee.
SNO 3.2 Entry cannot be guaranteed to all players from any institution. Entry will be decided from information provided via Online Entries, where players must be listed in order of preference.
SNO 3.3 Individuals not selected for a team participating in the team events may not enter the Individual events.
SNO 3.4 Individuals whose institution is unable to enter the Team Championship may, however, enter the Individual Championship only. Not more than two individuals from any such institution may avail of this rule.
SNO 3.5 Seeding (Individual Championship only): performances in the most recent Championship will be used to draw players seeded to meet in the quarter-finals.
SNO 3.6 The Individual Championship comprises a best of three frames format until the final, which are the best of five. The Individual Trophy comprises a best of three frames format all the way through.
SNO 4 Timekeeping: a player or players failing to report to an official at the time designated for a match will each be penalised as follows:
SNO 4.1 Championship/Trophy/Shield Group Stages (2 frames per player)
SNO 4.1.1 10 minutes late, 1 frame deducted from final result
SNO 4.1.2 15 minutes late, 2 frames deducted from final result
SNO 4.1.3 Three players more than 15 minutes late, match defaulted (0-10).
SNO 4.2 Shield Group Stages (if one frame per player)
SNO 4.2.1 10 minutes late, 1 frame deducted from final result
SNO 4.2.2 Three players more than 10 minutes late, match defaulted (0-5).
SNO 4.3 Knock-Out Stages (except Final)
SNO 4.3.1 10 minutes late, opposition 1 frame up before match starts (maximum of 9 frames to be played, not including a tie-break)
SNO 4.3.2 15 minutes late, opposition 2 frames up before match starts (maximum of 8 frames to be played, not including a tie-break)
SNO 4.3.3 Three players more than 15 minutes late, match defaulted.
SNO 4.4 Final
SNO 4.4.1 10 minutes late, opponent 1 frame up before start of rubber.
SNO 4.4.2 15 minutes late, rubber defaulted.
SNO 4.5 Individual Events
SNO 4.5.1 10 minutes late, opponent 1 frame up before match starts
SNO 4.5.2 15 minutes late, match defaulted.
SNO 5 Miss when Snookered
SNO 5.1 A Miss will be called if:
(i) the striker fails to hit a ball on unless totally snookered on all balls on
or
(ii) the striker miscues (at any time) and fails to hit a ball on
or
(iii) the striker fails to make a genuine attempt to hit a ball on when totally snookered. Should this happen, the striker will be warned that a repetition will result in loss of frame.
SNO 5.2 The normal snooker rule of loss of frame applies should three misses occur when any ball on can be seen full in the face (warning has to be given after the second miss).
SNO 6 End of Frame (other than for an aggregate score play-off)
On the colours, if the striker needs more than three snookers (four snookers if a free ball has been awarded) to tie at any stage, a frame is over and play must cease immediately.
SNO 7 Disputes
SNO 7.1 In the event of a dispute, play must cease and the matter be reported to the Championship Organiser without delay. Should a frame be concluded without a dispute being reported, no further action is possible.
SNO 7.2 Once both team captains have signed the match card, no further action is possible.
SNO 8 Dress
Polo shirt/T-shirt or shirt with institutional crest or name (otherwise a plain shirt is acceptable); a sponsored polo shirt/T-shirt or shirt with institutional crest or name is also acceptable; trousers and shoes (NO football/sports/country jerseys or insignia, miscellaneous T-shirts, caps, jeans, denims, combats, cords, trainers, boots or runners.)
NB While BUCS regulations on student eligibility will be adhered to, the Snooker SAG reserves the right to amend the format of the Championships in light of unexpected difficulties.
Last updated: 11 March 2013