Time Tournaments 1

Summerway Time Tournaments

Time Tournaments were developed at Summerway in 1983 as much for the fun as for the tennis. Using the fundamental ideas, original as far as we know, upwards of thirty players can be accommodated on two courts playing Singles on a Round Robin box basis in an afternoon. In the early years the paperwork was all done by hand, causing some delay at beginning and end. The referee was also so occupied with the administration that there was no time to talk with the competitors. However, as these events proved very popular, a reasonable investment of programming time now means that a computer takes the strain, eliminating the delays and giving the referee time to breathe.

It works like this. The number of courts available for play, the estimated start time, required finishing time and changeover time are entered into the computer. The coaches have a good idea of each Club member’s standard of play, and all members’ names are already listed in estimated rank order. As the players arrive, their names are flagged as being present. As the start time approaches, the computer has arranged all those present into boxes, drawn up the order of play and calculated the length of the matches. If a latecomer turns up at the last moment they can be easily added, the computer making whatever adjustments are necessary. Once “Play” is called for the first round of matches, however, late has become too late!

The first round of matches is called, courts allocated, balls supplied and the players go on court ready to start having spun for choice of serve, end, etc. The second round of matches is also called, and these players wait at the entrance to the courts and prepare for their matches. “Play” is then called and the timer, set to match length, is started. Play follows all the normal Rules of Tennis. As the timer sounds, “Time!” is called, rallies in progress are allowed to complete within reason, players leave the courts, those ready to play take their places, the timer is reset ... “Get ready, Play”. The next round of matches is then called and those involved prepare themselves. All those who have just left court report to the referee who records the scores on the computer. This pattern is followed steadily throughout the afternoon until the completion of the tournament.