If you have never played in a ladder before it's a great way for new players to get started.

Here are the basics:

• No matter where you start on the ladder, after a period of time you will end up playing games with people of similar ability.
• If you improve, you are likely to go up the ladder but you will then be playing against harder opponents.
• If you wish to take a break from the ladder (e.g. you are away for 6 months) then you can do so by clicking on 'take a break' from the admin page (you need to be logged in to access this page).
• When you are ready to make a challenge, go to the rankings page (you must be logged in first). Then click on the team you wish to challenge and follow the instructions.
• In order to play your match your team must be a member of the volley ball club or be playing against a member.

The ladder rules and latest squash rules are here: RULES.

1. You may challenge the team one or two positions above yours on the ladder. When you join the ladder you may challenge any player at any position on the ladder for your first challenge.
2. All games should be played within 14 days of a challenge being made (unless there are extenuating circumstances) otherwise the challenger wins.
3. You should play your game at a mutually convenient time. If your timings do not coincide (one team can only play work days 9-5 and the other only evenings and weekends) and you CANNOT agree, then you MUST play your match on a weekday commencing between 7pm and 8pm. This will be known as a 'compulsory match time'.
4. If the team being challenged offers 3 different 'compulsory match times' (on different days) and the challenger team cannot make any of them, then the CHALLENGE is VOID.
5. If the team being challenged cannot offer 3 different 'compulsory match times' (on different days) then the CHALLENGER TEAM WINS by default.
6. If your team make a successful challenge your team will swap its name with the team you beat. Therefore you may jump (or drop) up to two positions at a time.
7. Please agree with your opponent the number of set to play prior to the match e.g. best of 3 or best of 5 sets.
8. Please check with your opponent team any 'local rules' prior to playing. Please note: games are to be played with indoor rules except that NO "tipping" is allowed.
9. If no result has been recorded by two thirds of the way through the challenge period a reminder is emailed to both parties.
10. If no result has been recorded by the end of the challenge period a warning is sent to record the result within a few days 'grace period'.
11. If no result has been recorded by the end of the grace period the challenger team automatically wins.
12. If the challenger team wishes to cancel the challenge they may do so within the challenge and grace period with no consequences.
13. If the challenged team (challengee) wishes to forfeit the challenge they can record this within the challenge and grace period and the game is won by the challenger team by forfeit.
14. You must play for fun above all other rules! Enjoy it as much as possible !!!

You will have noticed a points score appear next to player names on the rankings page (if logged in). This is a trial points rating system based on the classic Elo system. Players will be awarded points for winning and lose points for losing depending on how difficult the system calculates your opponent to be. It will take a few games to settle down the scoring system. Currently the rating is displayed for information purposes only but in future it will be possible to arrange the ladder ranking system around this points score.

This software is provided free of charge. To support further development of the ladder please consider making a donation. Thank you.

The ladder is hosted on a not for profit basis by squash-ladder.net. The data held is not processed for any purpose other than to allow individuals to participate in the ladder. The information held is Name and Email address. It is your choice if you wish to include any further contact details. They are stored in a password protected database. Your password to access the site is stored in the database in an encrypted form. The data is relatively safe but no guarantee is made regarding security. It is believed that these uses do not necessitate that the database and squash ladder be notified under the Data Protection Act, UK. Your ladder operator may need to register as a data operator depending on their country of operation. If you have any concerns about data protection or data security please discuss this with your ladder operator.

Technical Information