The following league rules apply to all of our leagues and have been crafted and fine-tuned by our Rules Committee. There is an obvious clear advantage to having the same rules apply to all; we only need to follow one set. Please have a look and become familiar with them. For a few leagues, they are a bit different than those in use in the past. If you have input that you wish to have taken into consideration, or have questions, please contact our Match Director.
League Rules (465 downloads)HUNTLEY CURLING CLUB – LEAGUE RULES
Amended 5 November, 2021
(A) Application:
- These rules will apply to all season-long fixed-team curling Leagues within Huntley Curling Club. Other Leagues may adopt these rules as they see fit. Additional rules will apply to Doubles Leagues.
- Periodic revisions to these rules may be authorized by the Match Director only, subject to approval by the Board of Directors. Rule clarifications may be presented at any time by the Match Director.
- Special “temporary” rules due to COVID-19 protocol restrictions are included.
(B) General:
- The most recent rules issued by CCA and OCA will apply, except as indicated below.
- The 5-rock Free Guard Zone (FGZ) will apply to all leagues, except for the Doubles leagues where the 3-rock FGZ applies.
- Hair brooms and corn brooms are not permitted for sweeping, however, they may be used as sliding devices for stone delivery.
- Play will normally be divided into Regular Season, League Playoffs, League Championships and Club Championships, as shown below, with various rules applying to each period:
- Regular Season – one or more sets of round-robin or ladder draws at various Division levels, with points or wins accumulated for League Playoff ranking.
- League Playoffs – a final series of matches divided into various ranked Divisions, designed to determine those who will participate in the League Championships in each Division.
- League Championships – a very short series of matches designed to select the Champion for each Division in each League. (Note – If season duration does not permit separate League Playoff and League Championship rounds, the Playoff round will determine the League Champions.)
- Club Championships – a very short series of matches between Champions from each Division in each League, designed to select the Club Champion for each Division.
(C) Game duration:
- Regular Season and League Playoffs:
- Regulation play is to be a maximum of 8 ends, subject to the time limitations below.
- For all matches where the next draw is scheduled to start 2 hours after commencement, after 90 minutes of play the teams may complete the end they are in, and may play only one more end, subject to clause ‘h’.
- For all matches where a draw does not immediately follow, after 105 minutes of play the teams may complete the end they are in and may play only one more end.
- These time limitations apply from the scheduled start time of each draw, whether or not any match starts prior to or later than the scheduled start time.
- These time limitations apply to all 4 sheets, whether or not a match follows on any particular sheet.
- The on-ice clock at the lounge end is the official time clock. The completion of an end is measured as the time at which the last stone moving comes to rest.
- For matches tied after regulation play, leagues which do not permit ties will play one extra end toward the glass, unless the time limitation has been exceeded. In such case, the teams will complete a single rock shootout instead. This shootout may be by any team member and will continue until one team is measurably closer to the pin. Sweeping is allowed only by the team throwing. Measurements are to be witnessed by the opposing team.
- Should an extra end or shootout occur, the duration of the draws immediately following on the sheet in question will be extended by the same number of minutes it takes to complete the match, including the pebble and nip. The extent of timing extension to be agreed by both skips prior to match commencement.
- Ties will not be permitted in the League Playoffs, in any league.
- League Championships and Club Championships:
- Regulation play is to be a maximum of 8 ends, with no time limitations.
- For matches tied after regulation play, extra ends will be played toward the glass until a winner is decided.
(D) Last rock assignment:
- For Regular Season play as well as Club Championships, teams will flip for the choice of either last rock or rock colour.
- For League Playoffs, the team with the better overall winning record at the end of Regular Season play, as determined by the specific league format, will have the choice of either hammer or colour, and teams will flip for the option not chosen.
- For League Championships, the team with the better winning record in league Playoffs will have the choice of either hammer or colour, and teams will flip for the option not chosen.
- The flip may take any form as agreed by both teams.
- COVID protocol temporary rule: No contact is permitted with communal equipment for the “flip” – use your own coin, stopwatch, or odd-even methods instead
(E) Spares:
- Regular Season and League Playoffs:
- For 4-person play, a maximum of two Spares are permitted for any League match, subject to the conditions below. One regular team member plus two Spares is acceptable.
- For 2-person play, only one Spare will be permitted.
- Spares may be selected from any published Spares list for the season, or from any other available HCC member, and may play in any position on any team, subject to the format rules for that League.
- Non-HCC members may Spare at HCC for a maximum of 3 times per season and may play in any position on any team, subject to the format rules for that League.
- COVID protocol temporary rule: Non-members are not permitted to spare in any league.
- League and Club Championships:
- For 4-person team play, a maximum of two Spares are permitted for any Championship match, subject to the conditions below. One regular team member plus two Spares is acceptable.
- For 2-person team play, only one spare will be permitted.
- League and Club Championship Spares may be selected from any published Spares list for the season. These Spares may play in any position and at any Division level.
- League Championship Spares may also be any other HCC member whose team has already been eliminated from any League Championship. Club Championship Spares may also be selected from those already eliminated from League or Championship play. However, these Spares may only play in the position of a missing regular team member, and may not play below the lowest division in which they were competing. The position of a regular team member is defined as their throwing position, which must be declared prior to commencement of the League or Club Championships.
- Non-HCC members are not eligible to Spare in Championship rounds.
- An opposing team can challenge the inclusion of a proposed Spare if they consider that Spare to be ineligible, but only prior to commencement of a match. If the challenge is disputed, and the teams cannot agree on eligibility, the match may proceed regardless and will be subject to review later by the Match Director. If the ineligibility is confirmed the match will be considered a forfeit by the offending team.
- If a Spare does not conform to the rules listed above, the opposing skip still has the option of accepting the Spare selected by the opposing team, in the interest of continuing the match, with no recourse for objection once the match has begun.
- COVID protocol temporary rule: Non-members are not permitted to spare in any league
(F) Forfeiture and cancellation:
- A 4-person team unable to field at least 3 players, consisting of regular team members as well as Spares, will forfeit any match, subject to the conditions below.
- A 2-person team unable to field 2 players, one of whom must be a regular team member, will
forfeit any match, subject to the conditions below. - A team arriving late to a match forfeits 1 point, 1 end, hammer and colour choice after 10 minutes past the scheduled start time, another point and end after 20 minutes, and the match after 30 minutes, providing the other team is on time to start the match.
- If a team defaults or forfeits a match, the non-offending team is awarded the win and 8 ends.
- Matches may be rescheduled to another date if requested by one team, provided it fits within the schedule limitations of the League. The non-offending team has the right to choose not to reschedule, and thus win by default, if they believe they cannot legitimately field a team on a new date.
- Rescheduling is the responsibility of the teams scheduled to play, and the Convenors or HCC Directors will not be held liable for making alternate arrangements. However, booking ice for rescheduled matches must be arranged through the Booking Master.
- Matches cancelled due to mutual agreement between both teams prior to scheduled start time will be considered un-played, with no points, wins or ties awarded.
- Matches cancelled due to circumstances beyond the control of either team, such as extreme weather or ice plant malfunction, will be considered ties, if permitted by the League format, with zero ends won. This cancellation call can only be made by a Convenor or an HCC Director.
- Any disputes concerning the above rules will be examined and ruled upon by the Match Director.