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International Miniten Rules
by Roger Wright
For information e-mail rlo@dial.pipex.com
Adopted by the Amateur Miniten Association of Great Britain
1. THE COURT shall be rectangular in shape and 1375mm (45ft)
in length for both Singles and Doubles play. The Doubles court
shall be 6400mm (21ft) in width and the Singles court shall
be 5500mm in width.
The Service Court shall be marked by a Rear Service Court
line 1375mm (4.5ft) from the Base Line. The Service Court
Line shall only extend across the Singles Court and shall
be 5500mm (18ft) long. From the centre of the net, a line
parallel to the side Lines shall extend to the centre of the
Rear Service Court line and a centre Service Guide line shall
project 150mm (6in) inwards from the Baseline.
2. THE NET shall be continuous from top to ground and from
post to post. The net shall be 990mm (3.25ft) in height at
the Doubles Court Side lines and 915mm in height at the Centre
of the Court. The net shall be suspended from a cord, wire
or cable and shall have a white band about 51mm - 63mm (2
- 2.5in) deep at the point from which the net is suspended.
3. (a) THE THUG shall be the term used to describe the double
faced bat with which the game is played. The faces shall be
constructed of wood and shall not exceed 270mm (10.5in). A
handle shall be set internally to the faces and the faces
shall be left uncovered by any substance other than a preservative
of stain, paint, varnish, or other like fluid. Nothing shall
project beyond the faces.
(b) THE BALL shall be of an LTA Approved standard.
THE SINGLES GAME
4. THE PLAYERS shall stand on opposite sides of the net;
the one who first delivers the ball shall be termed the Server,
the other the Receiver.
5. THE CHOICE of sides and the right to be Server or Receiver
in the first game shall be decided by a toss. If the winner
of the toss elects to be Server or Receiver his opponent shall
have the choice of sides. If the winner of the toss elects
to have the choice of sides his opponent shall have the choice
to be Server or Receiver. The winner of the toss may, if he
so choose, require his opponent to make first choice.
6. THE SERVICE shall be delivered in the following manner
- the feet shall be behind the Baseline and between the Service
Guideline and the Singles Court Sideline. Contact with the
ground behind the Baseline with both feet or one foot must
be continuous from the start of the service: it is permissible,
however, to have one foot over the Baseline, but not touching
the ground, when the ball is struck. The service shall b from
behind the right and left Courts alternately, beginning with
the right in every game.
The server shall project the ball by hand into the air in
any direction strike it with his thug before it touches the
ground. The Delivery shall be deemed to have been completed
at the moment of contact between the Thug and the Ball, The
ball shall then pass directly over the net and hit the ground
within the diagonally opposite service court, or upon any
line surrounding such court, before the Receiver returns it.
The service is a fault if the Server commit any breach of
the above rule but if the ball strike a natural hazard or
hit the top of the net and continue in flight so as to drop
within the diagonally opposite service court, a let shall
be called and the service played again without change to the
score.
a) After a fault (if it be the first fault) the Server shall
serve again from behind the same half of the Court from which
he served that fault. If the second service is a fault, the
point is lost to the Server, the players shall change to the
positions for the playing of the next point to be played and
the score shall be called. It shall be an understood fact
that the calling of the score signals readiness to commence
the next point unless either player shall, before the next
service is delivered, signify that he is not ready to commence
play. A fault may not be claimed after the next service has
been delivered, if a Receiver attempts to make a return from
a service he shall have deemed to have been ready to receive
and the point shall be a good one.
7. ORDER OF PLAY The game shall be played as shown in Rule
6. At the end of the first game, the Receiver shall become
the Server and vice versa, and so on, alternately in all the
subsequent games of a match. If a player serve out of turn,
the player who ought to have served shall serve as soon as
the mistake is discovered, but all points scored before the
mistake be discovered shall count. If a game shall have been
completed before such discovery, the order of service remains
as altered. A fault served before such discovery shall not
be reckoned. The players shall change sides after each first,
third and subsequent odd game of each set, and at the end
of each set.
8. THE BALL is in play from the moment at which it is delivered
in service (unless a fault or a let) and remains in play until
the point is decided.
9. THE SERVER wins the point if the ball touch the Receiver
or anything which he wears or carries before the ball strikes
the ground or if the Receiver otherwise lose a point as provided
by Rule 11.
10. THE RECEIVER wins the point if the Server lose the point
as provided by Rule
11. The player loses the point if:
· a) he fails, before the ball in play has hit the
ground twice consecutively, to return it directly over the
net (except as provided in Rule 15) or
· b) he returns the ball in play so that it hits
the ground, a permanent fixture, or other object, outside
any of the lines which bound his opponent's court or
· c) he volleys the ball and fails to make a good
return even when standing outside the court or
· e) he or his Thug (in his hand or otherwise) or
anything which he wears or carries touch the net, posts, cord
or metal cable, or band, or the ground within his opponent's
court at any time while the ball is in play or
· f) he volleys the ball before it has passed the
net or
· g) the ball in play touches anything which he wears
or carries, except his Thug, in his hands or hand or
· h) he throws his Thug at and hits the ball
· i) he drops anything which he carries (except his
Thug) while the ball is in play.
12. A BALL falling on a line shall be deemed as falling
in the Court bounded by that line.
13. If the BALL in play touches a permanent fixture (except
as provided in Rule 14a in respect of court fittings), a let
shall be called and the point played again without change
to the score as it stood at the start of the point. Overhanging
branches and the like shall come within this category, but
not the boundary fencing.
14. It is a GOOD RETURN if:
· a) the ball touches the net, posts, cord or metal
cable or band, provided that it passes over any of them and
hits the ground within the Court
· b) the ball be returned outside the posts, either
above or below the level of the net band, even tough it touches
the post, provided that it hits the ground within the proper
Court.
· c) the player's Thug pass the net, either over
or round, after he has returned the ball provided the ball
passes the net before being played and be properly returned,
15. IN CASE a player is hindered making a stroke by anything
not within his control, the point shall be termed a 'let'
and replayed.
16. If a PLAYER wins the first point, the score is called
15 for that player; on winning his second point the score
is called 30 for that player; on winning his third point the
score is called 40 for that player, and the fourth point won
by a player is scored game for that player except as below:
If both players have scored three points the score is called
deuce; at which the next point scored by the player is called
advantage for that player. If the same player wins the next
point he wins the game; if the other player wins the next
point however, the score is called deuce.
The player who wins two consecutive points immediately following
the score at deuce wins the game.
17. The SET shall be won by the first player to win six
games, except that if the score reaches 5 games all, the set
be not completed until one player is two games in front.
The tie-break will come into operation when the score is
6 games all, in all sets except the last, when a normal full
set will be played (See Rule 27).
18. The MAXIMUM number of sets in an official match shall
be 5, but there shall be a maximum of three sets where women
take part.
19. EXCEPT where otherwise stated, every reference in these
rules to the masculine includes the feminine gender.
THE DOUBLES GAME
20. The PREVIOUS rules shall apply to the Doubles Game,
except as below:
21. The PAIR who have the right to serve in the first game
of each set may decide which partner may do so, and the opposing
pair may decide similarly for the second game. The partner
of the player who served in the first game shall serve in
the third game, the partner of the player who served in the
second game shall serve in the fourth game, and so on in the
same order in all subsequent games of a set.
22. The ORDER OF SERVICE having been arranged may not be
altered during the set, but it may be changed at the beginning
of each new set. Similarly, the order of receiving services
may not be changed before the end of a set, but they may be
so at the beginning of a new set.
23. The SERVICE is a fault as provided in Rule 6, or if
the ball served touches the Server's partner or anything which
he wears or carries; but if the ball served touches the partner
of the Receiver or anything which he wears or carries, before
it hits the ground, the Server wins the point.
24. If a PARTNER serve out of his turn, the partner who
ought to have served shall serve as soon as the mistake is
discovered, but all points scored, and any fault served before
such discovery, shall be reckoned. If a game shall have been
completed before such discovery, the order of service remains
as altered.
25. The PLAYERS to Receive the Service shall receive alternately
throughout each game. The order thus established shall not
be altered during the set.
26. The BALL shall be struck alternately by either player
of the opposing pairs, and if a player touches the ball in
play with his Thug in contravention of this rule, his opponents
win the point.
THE TIE-BREAK
27. The TIE-BREAK will come into operation when the score
is 6-6 in all sets except the last, when a normal full set
will be played.
SINGLES
a) Players do not change ends at the start of the tie-break.
b) Service order shall be continuous and the player whose
turn it is to serve shall be the Server for the first point.
His or her opponent shall then be the Server for the next
two points and then each player shall serve alternately, two
points at a time, until the winner of the tie-break and set
has been decided.
c) At the start of the tie-break the initial service shall
be from the left hand court. Thereafter each service shall
be delivered alternately from the right hand court and the
left hand court, beginning with the right hand court.
d) A player who wins 9 points and leads by at least 2 points
shall win the tie-break and the set. If the score reaches
8 point all the tie-break shall continue until a two point
lead has been gained.
e) Players shall change ends after every six points have
been played and at the conclusion of the tie-break, irrespective
of the number of points played.
f) The player who served first in the tie-break shall receive
service in the first game of the following set.
DOUBLES
a) The procedure for the Singles game shall apply to the
Doubles game also.
b) The serving order of the Doubles game shall follow the
same order as previously in that set until the winners on
the tie-break have been decided.
c) The pair serving first in the tie-break shall receive
service in the first game of the following set.
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