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.
HUNTLEY CURLING CLUB – LEAGUE RULES
Amended 1 September 2023
(A) Application:
- These rules apply to all season-long fixed-team curling Leagues within Huntley Curling Club. Other Leagues may adopt these rules as they see fit.
- 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.
(B) General:
- The most recent rules issued by the Canadian Curling Association and Curl Ontario will apply, except as indicated below.
- The 5-rock Free Guard Zone will apply to all leagues, except for Doubles leagues where the Modified 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 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 accumulated for League Playoff ranking.
- League Playoffs – a final series of draws divided into various ranked Divisions, designed to determine League Champions, who will participate in the Club Championships in each Division, and who may then participate in certain Provincial level competitions.
- Club Championships – a short series of draws between Champions from each Division in each League, designed to select the Club Champion for each Division.
(C) Regular Season:
- 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 later, after 90 minutes of play the teams may complete the end they are in and may play only one more end.
- For all matches where the next scheduled draw starts later than 2 hours, 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 (subject to clause 8 below).
- 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.
- Regular team members arriving after a match begins (whether it begins early or not), are permitted to join the match and take their normal place, displacing a Spare if that is applicable.
- The time limit may only be adjusted if a previous match legitimately extends beyond the normal start time of the next match on a particular sheet. In such a case, the cut-off time is to be extended by the same number of minutes required for the previous match to finish and the ice to be pebbled and nipped. Skips are to agree on the extended time period before the match begins.
- Ties are permitted during regular season play.
- Teams will flip (any version) for choice of last rock or rock colour, for every match.
- Spares may be selected from any published Spares list for the season, or from any other available HCC member, and may play 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.
- Spares may not play in a higher position than the person they are replacing in any match.
- For 4-person team play, a maximum of two Spares are permitted for any League match, subject to the conditions below.
- For 2-person team play, two Spares will be permitted for any League match.
(D) League Playoffs:
All rules listed for Regular Season will apply for Playoffs, except as follows:
- 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.
- Ties will not be permitted in League Playoffs, in any league. Once the match time limit is reached, matches tied after regulation play will complete a single rock shootout to determine the winner. 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.
- Non-HCC members will not be allowed to spare in Playoffs.
- For 2-person team play, only one person will be permitted to Spare for any match.
(E) Club Championships:
All rules listed for Regular Season will apply for Club Championships, except as follows:
- 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.
- Spares may only be selected from any published Spares list for the season or from those already eliminated from Championship play. However, Spares may not play in a higher position than the person they are replacing and may not play below the lowest division in which they were competing during Championships. The position of a regular team member is defined as their throwing position.
- Non-HCC members will not be allowed to spare in Championships.
- For 2-person team play, only one person will be permitted to Spare for any match.
- 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.
(F) Forfeiture and cancellation:
- A 4-person team unable to field at least 3 players, consisting of at least 2 regular team members plus Spares, will forfeit any match, subject to the conditions below.
- A 2-person team unable to field 2 players 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, and the match after 20 minutes, providing the other team is on time to start the match.
- If a team forfeits a match, the non-offending team is awarded the win and 4 ends.
- Matches during the Regular Season 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 forfeit, if they believe they cannot legitimately field a team on a new date before the start of the next draw.
- Matches during League Playoffs or Club Championships cannot be rescheduled, and if a team cannot provide sufficient players, they must forfeit the match.
- 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 Match Director.
- 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.