Retro Relay Doubles – Rules of Play

Teams must remain within the parameters outlined in the entry forms:

Section A: Minimum league value of 15
Section B: Value of 40
Section C: Value of 60
Section D: Even teams as divided up and must remain that way

The format is a 5-minute warm-up for the fixture and 60 minutes of play per Relay match. Play until the bell rings; please finish that point when it rings.

You have 4 players, so before the fixture starts, determine your playing order and stick to it during the match. See the example below:

Player 1 (John) starts the match with Player 2 (Mike) for the Ringers Team. They play until they reach 10 points, then John leaves, and Dave (Player 3) joins Mike until they reach 20 points. Then Mike leaves, and Paul joins until they get to 30 points. Dave leaves, and Paul plays with John. The cycle continues with players switching every 10 points: 1&2, then 2&3, 3&4, 4&1, and so on. The same applies to the Super Sub team, who also switch every 10 points until the bell rings.

Every 10 points, circle the ‘Match Point’ as those are the ones that count. For example, if the score is 14-14 but the team with the highest total points (148-143) gets a 2-point bonus, the final score would be 16-14 to the Super Subs. If scores are tied (e.g., 145-145), each team gets 1 extra bonus point, making it 15-15.

In Round Robin formats, total match points determine the winners. If scores are tied between two teams, it goes to the result between those teams. If more than two teams are tied, it goes to the team with the most total points in all their matches.

The clock doesn’t stop, so be ready if you are the next match on. Chase off the previous team and get going in your 5-minute warm-up. The best way to do this is 2 ½ minutes per team in a drive-boast way: 2 in the front and 2 in the back. Once the bell rings to start, it’s Game On!

Use of Reserves

If you use a reserve, your team’s score cannot go below the minimum level (e.g., 15 for A-Section). Every point below the minimum level is a 1-point penalty. For example, if your team is worth 13 points and the minimum is 15, you take a 2-point penalty written on the score sheet near the bottom.

The same applies to a player being injured in the game or just before you start. Find a reserve ASAP. If left with 3 players, you may have to rotate only with 3, but then your 4th player gets the average of the other 3 players. For example, if your players are in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th leagues, your average would be 3. This team total will be 2 + 3 + 4 = 9 plus the 3 for the average of the 4th player, so the team total is 12, and a 3-point penalty applies.

Formats for Each Section

Section A: There are 2 pools of 5 teams. You play the other teams in your pool (4 matches in total), and then on Sunday, the playoffs go down: Winner of Pool 1 vs. winner of Pool 2 for 1st & 2nd place, 2nd place in Pool 1 vs. 2nd place in Pool 2 for 3rd & 4th place, and so on. All play 5 matches.

Section B: Same format as Section A with 10 teams and 2 pools. All play 5 matches.

Section C: There are 2 pools of 4 teams. You play the other teams in your pool (3 matches in total) and then the knockout games. Winner of Pool 1 vs. 2nd in Pool 2 and 2nd in Pool 1 vs. 1st in Pool 2 are the semis for 1st to 4th place, and the same for 5th to 8th place. Sunday is Finals for 1st/2nd, 3rd/4th, 5th/6th, and 7th/8th. All will play 5 matches.

Section D: There are 6 teams in Section D. You all play each other in a Round Robin format, and all will play 5 matches.

Retro Olympics

Running alongside the Squash event, we will have a Retro Olympics event in line with the start of the Paris 2024 Olympics on Friday, the 26th. More details will follow, but it will involve 5 or 6 events that will take place after your matches in each session. There will be an overall leaderboard for all 34 teams. At the prize-giving on Sunday, we will have a special medal ceremony for the various winners, complete with podium and anthems!

To prepare, the only tip is to google “Minute to Win it” games to get an idea of what you need to practice, as well as a possible “boat race” drinking game!