The League's Special General Meeting held on 25th May 2017 agreed to introduce a system of individual handicaps as the basis for deciding the team handicaps for the Gunson Cup and Gunson Plate competitions.

A sub-group comprising Jim Booth, Mark Davies and Alan Nolan was asked to develop a suitable procedure.

The objectives of the development are

• to derive the team handicaps from the individual rankings of the players taking part
• to allow teams to field any eligible players and adjust the team handicap automatically
• to reflect improvements in the standard of players during the season
• to produce handicaps that are seen to be at least as fair and impartial as the previous system.

The sub-group has developed a system based on the following methods

• use the most recent tabletennis365 Ranking List at the time of the Draw
• use the tabletennis365 Handicap Calculator
• produce a list of all players with their individual handicaps
• inform all Club Secretaries, Team Captains, Committee Members and players of their handicaps
• use a revised score sheet to record the individual and team handicaps.

Completing the new Gunson Cup/Plate score sheet

• team captains should print a copy of the new score sheet for use during the match
• team captains should also have a copy of the Individual Handicaps for each team member playing
• record the names of all players, with their individual handicaps (IH), on the score sheet
• total the individual handicaps for the 4 members of each team
• as each person plays two opponents, the team handicap is twice that total
• calculate the "Net Handicap"
• complete the scores as usual and make the handicap adjustment to decide the winners
• NB The Sequence column now has less significance, but may still be useful for match reports - see rule 33 (d).

The Handicap sub-group would welcome feedback on the success or otherwise of the new system following each round of the competitions.

Note to team captains:

Please ensure that any members of your team who do not use email are made aware of the new handicap procedure.

Regards

Alan Nolan
Mark Davies
Jim Booth