MLL Rules

MONDAY LADDER LEAGUE (MLL)
Rules and Guidelines
Updated April 2022

LEAGUE PROFILE

• Team entry – Limit of 32 teams consisting of 4 divisions (A to C) with a maximum of 8 teams in each division. Individuals are welcome to enter and the convenor will try and match them with other players.
• A team is composed of 4 or 5 players. All team members and positions must be declared prior to the first game of the season.
• All team players must be members of the Oakville Curling Club in good standing, eligible to play in the Monday Ladder League and must be a minimum of 17 years of age as of June 30 of the current curling season, as per OCA rules and regulations.
• Teams will be seeded based on the previous year’s results. August 31, each year, is the deadline for teams to inform the Convenor (in writing or confirmed email) of their team’s intentions. On September 1 open slots will be offered to teams on the waiting list.
• To retain a team’s ladder position, the team must consist of at least two players from the previous year. Returning Skip and one other team member or any three team members will be considered the same team. A designated alternate or fifth will count as part of the qualifying team for ladder placement in the next year. In the event a team divides and both groups choose to play in MLL, the ladder position will be held for the team with the returning Skip. The team with the remaining members will begin at the bottom of the ladder.
• Teams new to MLL will be added to the bottom of the ladder in any open positions on a first come, first served basis through the waiting list. New teams must inform the Convenor (in writing or confirmed email) of their team’s interest in the league.

PLAY/SCHEDULING

• The regular season will consist of approximately 21 games over 3 series of 7 games each. Each league may experience one bye throughout the season. Draw 1 is A league, draw 2 is B league and draw 3 is C league. On those days where there is a bye, games for the non-affected divisions will be played in the morning (9:00 am). The teams with a bye will both be awarded points equivalent to a tie.
• Regular game times will be Monday at 9:00 am (A and B League) and noon (C League).
• OCA Rules of Play will be followed as closely as possible.
• To play a game, teams must have a minimum of three curlers – at least one of whom must be a regular team member.
• When playing with only three players, the first two players will deliver three rocks each.
• If a team is 10 minutes late, they forfeit the first end. Their opponents will score one point and retain last rock (if desired).
• Games will be 8 ends. A game may be conceded at any time by the losing team.
• The five-rock rule is in effect (i.e. any of the first five rocks located in the ‘free guard’ zone may not be removed from play by the opposing team until the sixth rock).
• The schedule for each series and updated team standings following each series will be posted as soon as possible following the completion of the final draw on the Club’s website.

BELL RULE

• The Club Bell Rule will be used for all games. The time-of-play will begin at the start of the first game (9:00 am) and the second game (noon).
  After 1 hour and 40 minutes (15 minutes remaining on the clock) the bell will sound as a reminder for teams to finish the end in play and complete one more end.
• After 1 hour and 55 minutes the game clock will expire at which time the bell will sound a second time indicating the game is in the last end. No new ends are to be started after this bell.
• In the interest of safety, the seventh end will be considered underway once the final rock of the Skip with hammer crosses the delivering tee line in the sixth end. Similarly, the eighth end will be considered underway once the final rock of the Skip with hammer crosses the delivering tee line in the seventh end.
• The Club’s objective is to have all games completed within 2 hours.
• Deliberately delaying a game is not an acceptable practice and slow play is not in keeping with proper curling etiquette.

CANCELLING / RESCHEDULING

• Please contact the Club Office to cancel your ice time if your regularly scheduled game has to be postponed as other teams may be able to utilize an unused ice time for make-up games.
• Skips are responsible for the rescheduling of games. Consult the club website for ice availability.
• Any make-up games must be completed no later than the Wednesday immediately after each draw.
• The cancelling team is responsible for finding a make-up time that works for their opponent. The cancelling team should mark the game as a ‘Loss’ if they are unable to make-up the game for any reason (including not being able to find a time agreeable to their opponent). All teams should attempt to be as flexible as possible in scheduling make-up games.

SPARES

• Detailed Club Sparing Rules are outlined in the Rules for Play and Member Conduct policy document which is posted on the Club’s website. 
• Spares must be members of the Oakville Curling Club, eligible to play in the Monday Ladder League and must be a minimum of 17 years of age.
• In arranging spares, preference should be given to members who have requested their names be added to the published Spare List.
• Condensed Sparing Rules for the Monday Ladder League are:
  • Spares must play the position they are sparing for or a lower position.
  • Members who play as Skip and Vice on a regular team within the Monday Ladder League can spare in any position in their own league, one division lower or any higher division. Skips and Vices can spare two divisions lower than their own division but must play as Lead (or Lead and Second in the case of two such spares).
  • Members who play as Lead or Second on a regular team within the Monday Ladder League can spare in any position in their own division, one or two divisions lower or any higher division.
  • Members whose names are on the published spare list of the Monday Ladder League may spare at any divisional level and may spare at any team position.
  • For members who do not play on a regular team within the Monday Ladder League and whose names are not on the published spare list of the Monday Ladder League must deliver Lead or Second rocks.

SCORING

• The Oakville Curling Club is using Curling Club Manager for point calculations.
• Tie games will not be broken. Games will be scored as follows:

*A default is scored only when a team has not attempted to reschedule the game. The non-defaulting team scores a win.

• Each team’s win, loss or tie is to be recorded by the Vice on the Club’s website.
• At the end of each 7 game series, teams will be re-seeded for the next series based upon their W/L/T results by the League Convenor.
• For ranking purposes, 50% of the accumulated points from the previous series will be carried forward to the next series.
• In the event of a tie in total points in any series, ladder positions will be determined by the winner between those two teams in the round just completed. If that result was a tie or the teams did not play, standings at the beginning of the series will be used.
• If there is a tie for first place at the end of the season, an additional game will be scheduled to break the deadlock.

RULES FOR PLAY & MEMBER CONDUCT

• The Board of Directors has approved and adopted a formal Rules for Play & Member Conduct policy. This policy will encompass all League play. The policy document is posted on the Club’s website under Member Resources for ease of reference. For the most part, the policy outlined represents generally accepted practices and common courtesy etiquette. However, certain sections (e.g. Speed of Play and Sparing) have been customized for the Oakville Curling Club.

  It will be most appreciated if all members of the league take a few minutes to review this policy document with a view toward ensuring compliance going forward.

QUESTIONS / CONCERNS

• Questions, concerns or suggestions should be forwarded to the League Convenor.