Amendment to Captains Handbook

There is an error in the Captains Handbook in the Arrangement of League Tables section. This should read as below.

  1. League tables are arranged by the following criteria in order. 
    1. Highest amount of league points earned, descending down in each division.
    2. If this is equal, then actual games won in every match is totalled up, to give a games ‘for’ and a games ‘against’ and therefore create a ‘games difference’, with the best positive difference being highest and then descending order from there.
    3. If this is also equal, then actual shots scored in every match is totalled up, to again give a shots ‘for’ and a shots ‘against’ and therefore create a ‘shots difference’, with the best positive difference being highest and then descending order from there .
    4. If this is also equal, then the team with the highest number in the ‘shots for’ column is placed higher.
    5. If this is also equal, then any match score between the two sides is taken into account, with the winning side being placed higher.
    6. If this was then a ‘perfect draw’, i.e., 2-2 and shots score was identical on both sides, then the AWAY team is placed higher.

A new handbook will be sent out soon.

Changes to fixture dates guidance

The Summer League 2023 fixtures list is posted on the SCPA website. It gives the dates on which both home and away fixtures are expected to be played and all fixtures should be played within six weeks of the original fixture date or before the end of the season, whichever is the sooner. The guidance on arranging fixtures in the Captains Handbook makes it clear that as soon as any fixture is rearranged details of the change to the fixture list should be submitted to the Fixtures Officer.

Some teams have been rescheduling matches by reversing the home and away fixtures, but this will usually mean that the fixture listed to be played first on the website will fall outside the six-week window. Fixture reversal is often a sensible way to get around problems with the availability of a playing venue and this is the only reason that fixture reversal should be used. As soon as both teams agree on fixture reversal, the home captain must notify the Fixtures Officer, giving details of why the venue could not be used. If reversed fixture games are played without notifying the Fixtures Officer, the fixtures list can show games as not being completed within the six-week window and the teams involved may be referred to the Disputes Panel who will then request clarification.

Result of Vote on Divisional Structure

At the Team Representatives Meeting it was decided to vote on how many teams we have in each league.

Initially this was set to 7, and after some discussion a decision was reached to vote on reducing this to 6 or staying at 7.

The deadline for votes was set to Friday 3rd March, but with only two teams still to vote, a majority has been reached and the result is:-

6 Teams per Division - 24

7 Teams per Division - 9

The league page has been updated to show the new divisions, and fixtures will be added as soon as possible.

Thank you to all who voted so quickly, this has allowed us to move forward earlier than anticipated.

2023 Triples League

After the successful introduction of a triples league last year we will be running the second incarnation this year. The leagues will be randomly drawn and will be no bigger than 5 but aiming, dependent on numbers, for 4 teams per league so 6 games between April 3rd April & 17th September alongside a knockout cup and plate – each team can consist of 4 players (the same 4 players throughout the season) and a match will consist of 2 games with 3 points awarded for a 2-0, 1 point each for a 1-1 and in the event of a 1-1 a bonus point will be awarded for the team with the highest aggregate over the 2 games.

The cup event will, from round 1 be best of 3. The entry fee is £10 with all fees going to trophies and prizes. If you haven’t already entered or have any questions please contact [email protected] – payment details and final format will be confirmed subsequent to the entry closing date of 19th March

Scheduling of games is flexible but largely these should be played on evenings and Saturdays to avoid fixture congestion with the league…

2023 – Triples League – Registration open

After the successful introduction of a triples league last year 2023 will see the launch of season 2 – leagues will be drawn randomly with some geographical limits applied – again each match in the league stage will consist of 2 games with 3 points awarded for a win and 1 for a draw with a bonus point awarded to the team with the highest aggregate score in the event of a draw.

Teams can consist of up to 4 players all of whom can play in a match – unlike last year we will run the leagues independently witha view to divisions in 2024, but will also run a cup and plate competition – season will start towards the end of March and finals day will be late September (dates tbc in next 2 weeks) – expectation is that games will be played primarily weekday evening and Saturdays and scheduling will be flexible, there will however be hard cut off dates for each round of the cup and plate – £10 per team, initial notes of interest to [email protected]

SCPA Regional Status – One Step Closer

As most of you (should) know by now, it has long been a target to obtain Regional Status for our Suffolk Coastal Petanque, and after two years of requesting the required criteria check-list from Petanque England, we have now been given this info and plan to use 2023 as our “year of preparation” for this national recognition to hopefully fall into place by 1st January 2024.

To put everyone’s minds at rest, this step WILL NOT affect anything we currently do as Suffolk Coastal Petanque Alliance, nor any of our leagues, cups or tournaments, so if you never plan to apply for a Petanque England National Licence, then for you, absolutely nothing would change.

This step is only for those who have held a Petanque England licence in the past, are current licence holders, those who are in the process of renewing their licence, or are planning to hold a licence now or in the near future.
It will involve the creation of its own Regional Committee along with its own playing calendar, that is then only eligible to enter if you hold a current licence. It would also allow us to compete on a national standing in sending our own Suffolk Coastal Regional representative team to the annual Inter-Regional Championships.

There is far more to this step than we can mention in just a few paragraphs but we plan to discuss this matter a little further when we host next months Team Representative Meeting on Thursday 16th February. Please ensure ALL your team-mates see this latest update information before then.

Yours in Petanque,

The Suffolk Coastal Petanque Alliance Committee.

Summer 2023 Registrations

The Summer 2023 Registrations are now open, click here

Registration closes on 10th February and the Team Representatives Meeting will be held at the Riverside Centre in Stratford St Andrew on Thursday 16th February at 7:30pm.

As usual, all teams are required to send a team member to the meeting.

Ladies League 2023

The Ladies League 2023 registration form is now open - click here.

Entry close on 19th March, and is £10 per pair.

The leagues start on 30th of April 2023, and all games must be completed by 3rd September 2023. The Finals day and presentation dinner will be on Saturday 23rd September 2023, time and venue to be confirmed.

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Winter Plate 2022

The Winter Plate 2022 draw was made on Saturday, fixtures are online.

Some fixtures are listed as TBC, this is where we are waiting on the results of two second round Cup games where teams received byes in the first round.

Click Here