Section 6.10–Softball Knockout Competition–Boys and Girls
Amended 2015
Teachers Mutual Bank Trophy
6.10.1 Refer to General Knockout Rules.
6.10.2 Rules and conditions
(a)
(i) Competition is to be on an open primary age basis, i.e. pupils must be thirteen (13) years or under in the year of the competition.
(ii) The maximum number of players in a team is twelve (12).
(b) Duration of play
(i) Games are to consist of seven (7) completed innings or one and a quarter (1 1/4) hours, whichever occurs first. The game will be extended by a time equivalent to any "time off" requested by a Coach in the last five (5) minutes of the game. All timekeeping is the responsibility of the central or Home Plate Umpire. Managers of either the Home or Away teams should not take on the role of timekeeper.
Matches shall be played according to the rules of the Australian Softball Federation Fast Pitch Rule Book.
(ii) In case of inclement weather, a legal game is when there has been an equal number of innings completed by both teams after half of the allocated game time.
(iii) When injury, illness or removal results in a team having less than the required number of players, the game will continue. When the absent player is due to bat it is an automatic out.
(iv) The batting team retires when 3 outs are recorded or when the 9th run is scored, whichever comes first.
(c) Tied games
In the event of a tied game when time is called, or reverts to a tied game, the innings in progress will be completed. If the game is still tied after even innings, tie breaker innings will be played until a result is obtained.
Tie breaker
The last player to complete his/her time at bat in the innings of the tie will be placed on 2nd base in the tie break innings for each side. The game will then proceed in the usual way.
This rule to apply in all matches except the final.
In the event of the final being a drawn game both teams will be declared joint winners.
(d) Coaching
Coaching by a team official, who must be a teacher currently employed by the New South Wales Department of Education at that school or a team member, may take place from the particular area known as the coach's box.
(e) Equipment
(i) Proper footwear shall be worn at all times. Boots with moulded or plastic studs may be worn–cleats, metal or screw in studs are not permitted. Jewellery and casts are not allowed.
(ii) Safety bases are to be used at first base.
(iii) Catchers are to wear helmets, face mask with throat protectors, body protectors and leggings.
While catchers are taking warm up pitches from the pitching plate, or in the warm up area, he/she must have on all the above protective equipment.
Any other member of a team, including officials, must wear a helmet, mask and throat protector while receiving warm up pitches from the pitcher's plate.
(iv) Each team shall provide their own equipment and an 11 inch leather match ball. The home team will supply bases.
(v) Batters, base runners and junior base coaches (under 18) must wear helmets.
(f) Declaration of an innings
(i) A team may declare its innings.
(ii) The 'Run Ahead' rule does not apply.
(iii) The 'Intentional Walk' rule does not apply.
(g) Catcher speed up rule
When the batting side has two (2) out and the catcher is on base, the batting team may elect to have a runner replace the catcher. The replacement runner cannot be one of the next five (5) batters in the line-up but can be any player listed on the line-up card. This is not considered a substitution.
6.10.3
(a) Duties of the school
Home teams shall provide the following:
(i) Provide an 18.29m diamond correctly marked with pitching distance 10.67m, 2.44m radius circle around pitcher's plate and two (2) batter's boxes 2.13m x 0.91m as shown in rule book.
(ii) Provide two competent umpires, one (1) plate and one (1) base umpire if possible (local High Schools may be able to help in this regard).
In the event of this not being possible, each teacher will umpire while his/her team is fielding and may coach while his/her team is at bat (from the Coach's box).
6.10.4 Medals
Twelve (12) will be awarded to the winning school team and twelve (12) to the runners-up on the day of the final plus one (1) for each Team Coach and one (1) for each school.