Last Updated 9th September 2026
1. The league shall be known as "Central Herts Pool League" or CHPL.
2. The League Committee reserves the right to interpret these rules and to make decisions on any matter not specifically covered within them. Any such decision shall be made in the best interests of the League and shall be final.
3. Committee decisions shall be determined by a simple majority vote of Committee members present. In the event of a tied vote, the Chairperson shall have the casting vote.
Any Committee member with a direct interest in a matter under consideration shall declare that interest and may be excluded from the decision-making process at the discretion of the Chairperson.
4. League rules may only be amended at the Annual General Meeting or by a majority vote of the Committee where exceptional circumstances require an amendment during the season. Any amendments shall be communicated to all team captains.
5. The Committee shall have the authority to amend fixtures, competition formats, deadlines, or procedures where exceptional circumstances beyond the control of the League make the normal operation of the competition impractical.
6. The objective of the league is to promote and advance the interests of the game throughout the Hertfordshire area.
7. The league shall commence on 8th September 2026.
8. The League shall consist of four divisions: Premier Division, Division 1, Division 2 and Division 3. Each division shall comprise either nine or ten teams.
9. The League shall hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM) once each year during the close season. The AGM shall be attended by the League Committee, and each registered team shall ensure that at least one representative is present. The AGM shall be used to review League matters, consider proposals, and conduct any business deemed necessary by the Committee.
10. The committee comprises of seven roles as follows: Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Fixtures & Results Secretary, Treasurer, Players’ Representative, Digital Marketing and Committee Assistant.
11. The committee will be expected to meet at least once every three months to decide on all matters relating to the league.
12. The financial year of the league will end one week after finals night, when the League Treasurer will be required to submit a final statement of accounts for acceptance at the AGM – the end of year statement will also be available to all captains on request via email.
13. The league matches shall operate under the International eight ball pool rules, in accordance with the World Eight ball Pool Federation, the English Pool Association and the Hertfordshire Pool Association. All match scores will be logged online using the RackEmApp app.
14. A player shall be deemed registered to the League upon being named on a match sheet in RackEmApp for the first time during the current season.
a) New players may be registered at any time during the season, including on a match night, up to and including 5th January 2027.
b) Once registered, a player may transfer to another team within the League up to and including 5th January 2027, provided that both team captains agree to the transfer. The committee must also be informed in writing.
c) Any player registration or transfer request after 5th January 2027 must be made in writing to the League Committee and approved before the player is eligible to participate in League matches. The Committee shall consider the request at its next scheduled meeting or, where no meeting is scheduled, by consultation between Committee members. The Chairperson shall communicate the Committee's decision to the relevant team captain(s) as soon as reasonably practicable.
Team captains must notify the opposing captain prior to the commencement of the match if any newly registered player is due to play.
15. Each team must have a different phone number for its captain and venue unless the captain resides at the venue address.
16. League matches will consist of 16 single frames – 4 x sets of 4.
3 points will be awarded for the team who has won 9 or more frames and 1 point each for a draw. 1 Point will be awarded for each frame won.
17. The league match format is 4 sets of 4 singles. Player selection is done on a set-by-set basis with home team selecting all 4 of their players for the respective set first, then the away team selecting their 4 players. The away team captain should ensure that no player is playing an opponent they have already played*.
*in a specific set of circumstances in a league match - when a team of 4 is playing a team of 5 and somewhere in sets 2-3 there has effectively been a ‘substitute’ from the team of 5 who plays an opponent that the player they were effectively ‘substituted’ for has already played – it may not be possible in the 4th set to avoid two opponents playing each other twice. When there is a team of 4 playing a team of 5, both captains should be vigilant in sets 2-3 to try and avoid the ‘substitutes’ playing the same opponent that the player they’ve been ‘substituted’ for has already played. Only in the circumstance that it is entirely unavoidable in set 4 for two opponents to play each other twice will it be accepted.
18. The cup match format is 4 sets of 4 singles with the match ending when a team has achieved 9 frames. Player selection is done on a set-by-set basis with both teams selecting their 4 players 'blind'. Players may play each other more than once. If the match is a draw after all 16 frames have been played, each captain will select one of their players to play in a deciding frame.
19. The team registration fee will be £80 – this is payable in full by 17th August 2026 to be registered in time for the 2026/27 season.
20. Any player who has been barred or expelled from any public house or club during a match must be reported to the League Chairperson and will be excluded from playing in the league until they are allowed back into the venue.
21. The match start time is 8pm. Matches can start earlier if both captains have agreed to do so.
22. The match table (and match balls) should be made available to the away team for practice 15 minutes prior to the match start time.
If the away team turns up after 7.45pm their practice time is reduced accordingly so that the match can still start at 8.00pm.
23. The home venue must provide a rest and, if there are any space restrictions around the match table, a short cue.
24. Each team will consist of a minimum of 4 players. A player, in usual circumstances, can play a maximum of four times in the match (once in each set of 4 frames). If you only have 3 players available, you will be able to play the match, but you will forfeit one frame in each set. Postponements will not be sanctioned if you have 3 players available. The forfeited frame will be the 3rd frame in sets 1 & 3 and the 4th frame in sets 2 & 4.
25. The home venue will pay for all games & practice frames.
26. The home venue is responsible for ensuring that the table is as true as possible.
27. The home venue shall provide food for both teams on league match nights, including for rescheduled league fixtures.
28. The first player for each team must be ready to commence play at 8:00pm. If a team is late, for every 10 minutes after the official start time the late team will forfeit 1 frame i.e., 8:10pm lose one frame, 8:20pm lose two frames, 8:30pm lose the match.
29. Where other players are already at the venue, a player arriving after 8:00 pm may not play the first frame.
30. The order of play shall be decided by a lag before the first frame. The lag winning player/captain will choose to break or to pass the break to the opponent, thereafter the break will alternate between the teams with the team who are not breaking supplying the referee. All frames/matches should have a referee.
31. The first frame in the Daniel Dent Cup and Larry Hinrichs Trophy Matches will also be decided by a lag. If there is a draw and a one frame playoff is needed, the selected players for the deciding frame lag for the break.
32. Teams wishing to postpone a fixture must contact the opposing team captain at least 24 hours before the scheduled match start time and agree a rearranged fixture date.
The postponement and rearranged fixture date must be reported to the Fixtures & Results Secretary by posting in the League Fixtures & Results WhatsApp group and tagging the Fixtures & Results Secretary. Captains are responsible for ensuring that league communications are directed to the relevant person and should not assume that a message has been seen unless the recipient has been tagged or acknowledged receipt.
Contact details for all team captains are available via RackEmApp.
Any team requesting a postponement shall not be permitted to postpone any further fixtures until a rearranged date has been agreed for the outstanding postponed match. A fixture shall not be considered officially postponed until a rearranged date has been agreed and notified to the Fixtures & Results Secretary.
The Committee reserves the right to impose sanctions where a team is deemed to be postponing fixtures excessively, unreasonably delaying the rearrangement of fixtures, or otherwise acting contrary to the spirit of the competition.
33. Postponements with 24 hours or less notice need to be approved via a verbal conversation with either the Chairperson or Vice Chairperson. WhatsApp message is only acceptable as a last resort.
Once this has been sanctioned, the captain of the team requesting the postponement must contact the opposing team captain as soon as possible - and at least one hour before the match is due to start.
34. Postponements after 7pm on match day will result in the match being forfeited by the postponing team.
35. In the event of a team having no opposition to play (i.e., the opposition didn’t turn up or the match has been forfeited), the captain should contact the Fixtures & Results Secretary who will centrally administer a 9-0 walkover result. When this pertains to any of the last FOUR league matches of the season, the committee reserves the right to determine an alternative outcome/match result.
36. The League Committee shall work proactively with team captains to ensure that scheduled fixtures are fulfilled wherever reasonably possible. This approach is intended to protect the integrity, fairness, and credibility of the competition and to ensure that league positions are determined by matches played rather than by unfulfilled fixtures or administrative decisions.
37. The team captain is responsible for the behaviour of their team during the match. There will be no coaching or disruptive behaviour during the frames. The referee is responsible for judging disruptive behaviour and can award loss of frame in accordance with the rules for unsportsmanlike behaviour.
38. Only the captains of each team can determine the order of their players, the opposition does not have a say in this matter.
39. The venue and captains share responsibility for displaying/keeping the Fixture List, the International 8 Ball Rules, the Captains’ Guide and the League Rules – either on their notice boards or within a dedicated League Folder.
40. Scores are to be recorded live in the RackEmApp app; there are no paper scoresheets, but it is suggested that both captains take a screen shot of the scorecard before leaving the venue for their own records.
a) The match result must be submitted (by the home captain) and approved (by the away captain) in RackEmApp on the match night.
b) In the event that the final result has not been either submitted or approved by 12pm on the day after the match, a 3 point deduction will be applied to the team that is responsible for not submitting/approving.
c) Repeated instances of non-submission or non-approval from the same captain/team will result in a 5 point deduction.
If you encounter any problems either submitting or approving the result in RackEmApp contact the Fixtures & results secretary.
In the event of the RackEmApp site being unavailable or connectivity issues affecting every device in the venue, captains can handwrite a scoresheet or can record the results in the Notes app on their phone – both captains should submit a photo of the handwritten/Notes results to the Fixtures & results group/chat in the league WhatsApp Community within 24 hours of the match finishing.
Refer to the FAQs in the Captains’ Guide for the required manual scorecard information.
41. If there is insufficient time to complete a match on the scheduled night, the frame in progress shall be completed. The remaining frames shall be played at a mutually agreed date and, where possible, at the away team's venue. If no agreement can be reached, the Committee shall determine the outcome.
42. In the circumstances where a match is running slowly, a shot clock must be introduced for the remainder of the match. A match is deemed to be running slowly when a minimum of 6 frames have not been completed by 9.30pm.
Whichever team is not refereeing the relevant frame should provide a timekeeper. Each player is given 45 seconds for each shot – the tip of the cue must have made contact with the cue ball within this time, or a standard foul shall be granted to the opponent. The allowed shot time is 45 seconds, the timekeeper gives a 5-4-3-2-1 countdown from 40 seconds.
Each player is allowed to call one ‘extension’ per frame. When an extension has been called, the shot time increases to 60 seconds and the 5-4-3-2-1 countdown commences at 55 seconds.
The shot time begins as soon as all of the balls have come to rest from the previous shot and it ends at the point the player strikes the cue ball.
A shot clock can be used at the following link - https://www.epa.org.uk/stopclock/
43. Any dispute arising from games, if not settled by the 2 captains on the night, shall be reported to the League Chairperson by raising a Dispute when Submitting/Approving the match result on RackEmApp. If a dispute hearing is called, both the complainant and the accused (with any witnesses) will be called to attend.
44. In the event that a team does not fulfil its fixtures for a season, their results will be affected as follows: if they have played at least 50% of their fixtures in the second half of the season, all results will stand and any forfeited matches will be awarded by the committee accordingly; if they have played all fixtures in the first half of the season but less than 50% of the second half of the season, 1 result will stand vs each team in the league (the “best” result for the opposing team) and the remaining results will be removed; if they do not complete the first half of the season, all results will be removed.
45. Any team and their players removed from the league due to not completing the season fixtures will not be able to play in the league competitions.
46. Teams that fail to complete a full season or are disqualified from the league may not: -
a) Reform for the following season
b) No more than 2 players from a disqualified team may play for the same team in the following season.
c) Any disqualified team’s captain will be banned from captaining another team for the following 2 seasons.
(all of the above is at the committee’s discretion).
47. Any team or players from a team that are deemed to have brought either the game or the league into disrepute will be answerable to the committee who will then decide upon a suitable course of action.
48. The final league position of teams will be decided upon by the number of points won. If 2 (or more) teams finish on equal number of points, their final position will be determined by frame difference then (if still tied) by matches won then (if still tied) by head-to-head. In the event of complete tie, the committee will determine an appropriate course of action to finalise the league positions.
49. All teams joining Central Herts Pool League for the first time will enter the league in the lowest division. The League committee will use its discretion if this rule appears to be unfair to any existing league team.
50. The league will run the following competitions: -
1. Open Singles - open to all registered league players who have played at least 1 league matches prior to the competition commencing.
2. Ladies Open Singles – open to all registered female players who have played at least 3 league matches prior to the competition commencing.
3. Doubles (in a Pairs Cup style format) - open to all registered players who have played at least 2 league matches prior to the competition commencing (you may choose partners from any team).
4. Mixed Doubles (in a Pairs Cup style format) - open to all registered players who have played at least 3 league matches prior to the competition commencing (you may choose partners from any team, each partnership comprises one male and one female player).
5. 3 Player/Trebles - open to all registered players who have played at least 3 league matches prior to the competition commencing (choose teammates from any league team)
6. Divisional Singles - open to all registered players from their respected divisions who have played at least 3 league matches prior to the competition commencing.
7. The Showdown – a single match between the winner of the Open Singles and the winner of the Premier Division Singles. Should the same player win each competition, they are automatically crowned The Showdown Champion.
8. Daniel Dent Cup – automatic entry for all registered teams; players must have played at least 1 league match to be eligible to play in a Daniel Dent fixture.
9. Larry Hinrichs Trophy – automatic entry for all registered teams that do not progress to the quarter finals of the Daniel Dent Cup; players must have played at least 1 league match to be eligible to play in a Larry Hinrichs fixture.
10. Top Gun – player who wins the most ‘first frames’ in their division.
11. 8 Ball – player with the highest number of (combined) Break & Dishes and Reverse Dishes in their division.
51. Competition fees will be £5.00 per person except for Open and Ladies’ singles which are both £3.00 per person. All entry monies will be non-refundable. Any players not available to play by the end of the first round will be scratched from the competition. Registration for the competitions will be made via RackEmApp; the registration window for each competition will be communicated in good time with the deadline being 7-10 days prior to the start date of the competition. Any entries that have not been paid for by the registration deadline(s) will be removed from the respective competitions.
52. Golden break and golden duck rules do not apply for any matches played throughout the season.
53. League Fines and Penalties can be imposed during the season at the discretion of the committee including, for example:
1 point deducted for team fixing - teams playing non-eligible players or ringers;
9 points deducted if a team fails to turn up for 3 League and/or Cup matches (in this instance the team concerned would not be allowed to re-enter the League for a minimum of 1 season).
54. All teams must play any postponed or rearranged matches no later than 2 weeks before the end of the league season. Failure to do so will result in both teams getting a 6-point deduction.
55. No team may postpone or rearrange any of their last FOUR league games or ANY of their Knockout Cup or Knockout Trophy Matches, without committee approval and a plan to finish all matches 2 weeks before the scheduled league end.
56. If any team is found to have conceded any frames during a match for any reason, except not having enough players, the committee will impose any penalties they feel are required.
57. Affiliation to the English Pool Association (E.P.A.) and the Hertfordshire Pool Association (H.P.A.) entitles the league to enter one or more Interleague teams into the Hertfordshire County League to compete against teams from fellow affiliated leagues. We can also enter teams and individuals into the annual national Champion of Champions event (the criteria for this is outlined in the Captains’ Guide). There are also several other tournaments available to all registered players; details of these events will be sent out at the appropriate times or made available on the League WhatsApp Community.
58. All registered players in the Central Herts Pool League will be eligible to enter the HPA County trials in January of every year. Details to be sent out at the appropriate time or made available on the League WhatsApp Community.