Devon Merit Tables - Regulations and structure
1. The competition shall be known as the Devon Merit Tables with the relevant level
attached to each table and shall be subject to the direction and control of the Devon
Rugby Football Union acting through the table administrators and Devon R.F.U.
Competitions sub - committee. Failure to comply with the regulations will lead to the
application of penalties, including the deduction of merit table points.
2. The Devon R.F.U. Competitions sub – committee, including at least three members from
participating Clubs, shall meet as required to review the regulations and structure and
allocate teams to tables as deemed appropriate.
3. Any dispute shall be referred within seven days of a scheduled match to the table
administrator who will be responsible for a decision on the matter. Should the dispute
involve the table administrator’s Club, the matter will immediately be passed to another
administrator who has no such connection. Any appeal against such decision must be
lodged within seven days of notification together with an administrative fee of £25 (payable
to Devon RFU) with the Devon R.F.U. Competitions sub - committee whose decision shall
be final.
4. Participation in the Devon Merit Tables shall be open to the second or lower teams of
any Devon Club which plays in the English Clubs Championship at level 5 and below.
Teams from the same Club may not compete in the same merit table. The home team
should arrange the appointment of a referee by its usual Referees Society. Application
to leave or join the Devon Merit Tables must be received by May 31st. prior to the season
in question.
5. Fixtures must be arranged home and away with all other teams participating in the
relevant merit table on specified league Saturdays in the R.F.U. structured season,
avoiding early season, Christmas and Easter where possible to avoid player availability
problems. When other dates are required for postponed matches etc., such dates must be
approved in advance by the table administrator. Fixture lists highlighting the Devon Merit
Table games must be sent to the table administrator and Devon RFU handbook editor by
July 15th. each year together with the name and contact details of the Club’s merit table
official.
6. Both teams must report the result of all scheduled matches, by phone or e-mail, to reach
the table administrator by the Tuesday following the match. Failure to do so will result in
the loss of one competition point. Positions in the merit table shall be established by
awarding three points for a win, two points for a draw and one point for a loss in all
scheduled matches. In the case of equality, positions shall be determined by the
difference of match points for in relation to match points against. Should this still be equal,
the highest number of match points for shall count.
7. The top team in table 2 shall be promoted to table 1 with the bottom team in table 1
being relegated to table 2. The teams winning tables 3 N/E and 3 S/W shall be
promoted to table 2 with the bottom two teams in table 2 being relegated to tables
3 N/E or 3 S/W as appropriate. Where the promotion of a team would contravene
regulation 4 above, the next team in the final table shall be promoted instead. Where
the relegation of a team would contravene regulation 4 above, the relegation shall take
place and the relevant Club’s lower team shall be moved to another table at a lower or
equal level.
8. If a scheduled match is postponed or abandoned for reasons of safety or weather
conditions with less than sixty minutes play, the table administrator shall, after
consulting both teams, nominate a date on which the match shall be replayed.
If a scheduled match is abandoned for reasons of safety or weather conditions after
sixty minutes have been played, the score at the time of abandonment shall stand as
the result.
If a scheduled match is abandoned for reasons of foul play, regardless of time played,
the table administrator shall consider a report from the referee before deciding on the
appropriate action.
If a scheduled match is not played for a reason deemed unjustified by the table
administrator (e.g. inability to raise a side), the match shall, on the first occasion in each
season, be awarded as a win to the non-offending team with no points awarded to the
offending team. On the second or subsequent occasion that a Club fails to play a
scheduled fixture for an unjustifiable reason, there will be a deduction of one merit table
point from the Club concerned.
Clubs must honour fixtures in order of seniority, i.e. a third team fixture may be sacrificed,
if unavoidable, to play a second team fixture but the reverse is not permissible.
9. Clubs are permitted to field any players available to them, including loan players from
other Clubs. Indeed, Clubs are encouraged to loan players to their opponents or other
Clubs to enable fixtures to proceed and in all such cases the final result shall stand. A
player changing Clubs on or after March 1st. may not play in a scheduled match for his
new Club for the rest of that season. Three replacements will be allowed in any one game
but up to seven will be permitted if both teams agree before kick-off and inform the referee
accordingly. The laws relating to front row replacements are as laid down by the Rugby
Football Union and must be followed at all times. Where this leads to uncontested scrums,
the match result shall not be affected even if this is required for the whole match. The spirit
of the competition demands that Clubs should not field players who play regularly at a
level higher than the team in question.
MERIT TABLES ADMINISTRATOR :
Geoff Bulley,
17, Broadlands, Thorverton, Devon, EX5 5PT.
Telephone: 01392 860001; E-mail: geoffbulley@btinternet.com
Devon Merit Tables 200910
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Table 1
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Table 2
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Table 3 (N&E)
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Table 3 (S&W)
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Barnstaple II
|
Bideford II
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Barnstaple III
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Brixham llI
|
|
Brixham ll
|
Devonport Services II
|
Bideford III
|
DHSOB II
|
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Crediton II
|
Exeter Saracens II
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Crediton III
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Newton Abbot III
|
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Cullompton II
|
Exmouth III
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Cullompton III
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Okehampton III
|
|
Exmouth II
|
Honiton II
|
Ilfracombe II
|
OPM III
|
|
Ivybridge II
|
Ivybridge III
|
Sidmouth III
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Plymouth Barbariens II
|
|
Newton Abbot II
|
Kingdbridge II
|
South Molton II
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Plymstock Albion II
|
|
Okehampton II
|
OPM II
|
Tiverton III
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Salcombe II
|
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Paignton II
|
Tavistock II
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Topsham II
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Tamar Saracens II
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Sidmouth II
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Teignmouth II
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Torrington II
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Tavistock III
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Tiverton II
|
Torquay III
|
Wessex II
|
Totnes II
|
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Torquay II
|
Withycombe II
|
|
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