SML Rules

SENIOR MEN’S COMPETITIVE LADDER

RULES & REGULATIONS

Note: Changes for 2026-27

Teams

Returning teams enter the Senior Ladder by making an application to the Club Manager through the normal registration process detailing the names and positions of four or five curlers.

At the start of the season, the teams’ positions will be based on the previous season’s final rankings, prior to the playoffs. However, a team may be shuffled up positions should any teams above it not return, or shuffled down if a new team were to be seeded ahead of them.

However, a team may be shuffled up positions should any teams above it not return or shuffled down if a new team were to be seeded ahead of them.

The team’s position is retained by the skip returning along with one returning team member or by three returning team members. This includes a fifth, if present. However, returning teams require a minimum of three confirmed players by September 15th to continue to preserve this position.

A minimum of three players must be provided to accept a new team on the waiting list. Entries will be accepted on a first come first serve basis by the Convenor (preferably via email) who shall assure the application date shall be maintained for this purpose. New teams will be seeded at the discretion of the Convenor and the Senior Men’s Director. Keeping the total number of teams to an even number will be a priority,

If a team is added in mid-season, except for extraordinary circumstances, they will be added into the lowest ladder level. The addition will take effect at the beginning of a series and the team will be allocated a cumulative point total of the average of the totals of the other teams in that level, rounded down to the nearest whole number.

All active players must be members of the Oakville Curling Club and over the age of fifty as of October 1st. All returning members or members of any new team must be registered by the date specified by the Club to retain their rank.

Team membership shall be finalized as that published for the third series draw. Any new team members after the start of the third series shall be treated as spares subject to the rules governing spares unless otherwise agreed by the Convenor. This is subject to mitigating circumstances such as injury or relocation.

Play

For each game, each team must have a minimum of three players, one of whom must be a regular team member. If a team cannot field three players, the game shall be defaulted with the win being awarded to the non-offending team.

During the playoffs, each team must include at least two regular members, one of whom must be the skip or the vice.

All regular season games will be governed by the club “Bell Rule” and ties will not be broken.

During the playoffs, in the quarters and semis, we will operate under the FIRST bell rule; in other words when the first bell sounds, you finish the end you are in and play one more. You can ignore the final bell’s ring should it occur. If you are tied at the end of the game, you must play an extra end to break the tie.

During the playoff finals, the "Bell Rule" will not be in effect and a tie will be broken by a full extra end.

For all playoff games, the higher seeded team will get choice of hammer or rock colour.

For all games, the "Five Rock Rule" will be 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).

Also, we will operate under the “No Tick Rule” for all our division A games. This means that a Five Rock Rule related rock on the center line cannot be moved off the center line by the opposing team. The offended team can have the centre guard placed back into its original spot, or leave the stones where they have come to rest.

Lateness

The club clock is the official clock. If a team does not commence play at the designated time (and has not cancelled the ice time and notified the opposing team) the following will apply :

1. If the delay of the start of play is 5 minutes, then the non-offending Team receives last rock in the first end of actual play. 
2. If the delay of the start of play is 10 minutes, then the non-offending Team receives 1 point and will have last rock in the first end of actual play. ONE end is considered completed;
3. If the delay of the start of play is 20 minutes, then the non-offending team receives 1 additional point and will have last rock in the first end of actual play. TWO ends are considered completed.
4. If play has not started after 30 minutes, then the non-offending Team is declared winner by forfeit. The final score will be recorded as a "Win" for the non-offending Team and a "Loss" for the offending Team.

Rescheduling

If a regular season game has to be rescheduled, the game must be played prior to the last scheduled game of the current series. 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 be as flexible as possible in scheduling make-up games. Marking a Tie for an unplayed game is strongly discouraged. The Men’s Convenor will arbitrate any disputes.

Team Ladder Standings

Points are allotted for each game played:

Upon completion of each series, teams will be awarded points in accordance with their win/loss/tie record as per the table above. If this is for series 1, then this point total will be their first cumulative point total. If this is for series 2 or 3, the current series point total will be added to one half of the previous accumulated points total to determine the new cumulative point total for each team.

For series 1 and 2, these points will then be used to rank the teams within each division. After ranking, the two top teams will move up a division (except in division A), and the bottom two teams will move down a division (except in division E). A team cannot move more than one division at the end of a series. These points will then be used to order the teams within each new division. NB: if a moved team is now tied with another team in its new level, the team moving up from the division below will be ranked lower, while a team moving down from a division above will be ranked higher.

After the 3rd series, teams will be reseeded based on their cumulative point total across all divisions. So this time, the two-up and two-down rule does not apply when reseeding teams for the playoffs. However, a team cannot move up or down by more than one division.

Ties in team points will be broken as follows:

1. Their head-to-head record, where the winner is ranked higher.
2. If still tied, the team with the greater number of wins in the current series is ranked higher.
3. If still tied, the team with the greater number of round points in the current series is ranked higher.
4. If there is still a tie, the higher ranked team at the beginning of the current series is ranked higher.

The playoffs will, by default, be in a single elimination format.

SPARING RULES

General

These Senior Men’s Ladder (SML) sparing rules are intended to :

• Ensure an adequate pool of spares.
• Provide eligible Club members with more opportunities to play.
• Enable a competitive balance and level playing field while supporting a spirit of “Fun and Fair Play”.
• Encourage Club members wishing to spare in the SML to register on the SML Spare List.

It is the joint responsibility of both the recruiting member and the sparing member to ensure the sparing member meets all eligibility requirements.

Spares must be members in good standing of the Club and over the age of fifty.

Members who have registered on the SML Spare List should be given first priority when recruiting a spare.

Spare eligibility rules during the regular season

1.       Registered members of teams in the Senior Men’s Ladder or the Tuesday/Thursday Men’s Ladder are eligible to spare for other teams in the SML as follows:

1. Spares must play the position they are sparing for or a lower position
2. Spares must play in their own division, no lower than one division below their current divisional level, or any higher divisional level.  For spares who play in both leagues, the positioning within the SML league takes precedence

2.      Members who are on the SML spare list but not registered with the SML, the Men’s Night League, or any other comparable ladder league, may spare at any divisional level at the position they are sparing for or lower.

3.      There must be at least one regular member of the team and a maximum of two spares

Spare eligibility rules during the playoffs

1. There must be two regular members of the team, one of whom must be Skip or Vice
2. During the quarterfinals only, members on the SML spare list are eligible to be used and must play the open position or lower.
3. Playoff spares who are part of the SML or the Men’s Night League can only spare for teams in the same division or higher. For example, a player in B division within Tuesday Night Men’s League can only play for teams in A or B and cannot spare for teams in C or below.
4. An exception to this rule is for the E division. Since there are no lower divisions, E division teams can source a spare from a team in D.
5. As during the regular season, spares must play the open position or lower.

Penalties

Sparing Rules are deemed to be “self-policed”. Any actual or perceived breach of the Sparing Rules is to be brought to the attention of the Senior Men’s Director who will investigate and take action as deemed appropriate.

Utilization of an ineligible spare will result in a “Loss” being recorded for the offending team and a “Win” for the non-offending team.

APPENDIX

BELL RULE

• The Club clock will be used for all games. The bell will sound to start the countdown clock at the beginning of each draw. For the first game of the afternoon, that will be at the scheduled start time. For the second games, the clock will start when the last game on the ice starts.
• After 1 hour and 40 minutes the bell will sound again as a reminder for teams to finish the end in play and complete one more end.
• In the interest of safety, an end will be considered underway once the last stone of the previous end is in motion.
• The Club’s objective to have all games completed within 2 hours remains in place. Deliberately delaying a game while playing is not an acceptable practice and is not in keeping with proper curling etiquette.

September 2026