The ladder is up on the wall: season starts Monday
The new ladder went up on the wall last night, with a fresh column of names and no results yet. Here's what's different this season and how to get your name on it.
What's new on the wall?
The ladder is wider this time, with room for forty names instead of thirty, because last season it ran out of space by the fourth week and Trevor had to tape a second sheet to the first. The league tables stay the same: four players to a table, points for every finish, and nothing that costs anyone a thing.
We've also added a beginners' table on Thursdays, run by a volunteer coach and open to anybody who has played fewer than ten games from the shelf. It's gentle, it's slow, and it's already full of people who were terrified of leagues a fortnight ago.
Three small changes
Challenges close earlier
Ladder challenges now have to be played within two weeks of being made. After that the challenger moves up and no hard feelings are recorded. It stops a single stalled game clogging the middle of the ladder for a month, which happened twice last season and made a lot of people grumpy.
Rulings go in the book
Trevor now writes every ruling in the book with a one-line reason. If you disagree, there's a page for that too, and Natalie reads it before the next Tuesday. Nobody gets to argue the same case twice.
Finals night moves
The finals now fall on the last Saturday of the season instead of a Sunday, so the room can be loud for an afternoon and everyone is home in time for tea. Andrea will put the snack roster on the door a week ahead.
How to get on the ladder
Tell a volunteer on any open night, or tick the league box on the joining form. You can sign up late, and the ladder will slot you in near the bottom, where the climbing is most fun. Trevor keeps a pencil behind each ear for exactly this moment.