The "Replay Rule"

Attempts to take advantage of the Replay Rule should be reported to the Local League Office.

Preventing Forfeits (Player May Play Twice on One Night) 

Refer to "Team Match Play" in the General Rules section of the Official Team Manual, which states “YOU MAY ONLY PLAY ONCE in a team match.” However, to help prevent forfeits and to make it more likely matches are awarded on the table rather than by forfeit, the Jersey Shore APA has chosen to adopt the Replay Rule approved by the APA National Office. This rule allows one player (the “Replay Player”) from a team (the “Replay Team”) to play twice on the same night in the following circumstances: 

• The Replay Team does not have enough players present or cannot play the players it does have present without violating the Team Skill Level Limit rule (23-Rule).  Teams utilizing the replay rule to avoid Team Skill Level Violations must have a player on the roster that would keep the team within the Team Skill Level Limit. If a team does not have a player available on the roster that could keep the team within the Team Skill Level Limit, then that team will forfeit the last match(es). For example, if a roster shows 6, 6, 5, 5, 5, 4, 4, 3, that team cannot play 6, 6, 5, 3 and use the SL 3 in a replay. There would need to be another SL 3 or SL 2 (SL 1 IN 9-Ball) on the roster in order to do this because the team has to be able to make 23 without the replay rule. In this example, the team would exceed the 23-Rule.

• The Replay Team’s need to invoke the Replay Rule is not the result of a player being sent home and/or made unavailable. Attempts to take advantage of the Replay Rule should be reported to the Local League Office.

• The Replay Team notifies their opponent of the need to use/or potential need to use the Replay Rule prior to the start of the 4th individual match. The opposing team must allow the replay; they cannot demand the Replay Team forfeit a match.

• The opposing team gets to pick which player from the other team will be the Replay Player. The opposing team can pick any player present except those whose play would cause the Replay Team to violate the Team Skill Level Limit rule (23-Rule) or the Limited Senior Skill Level rule. All players who have already played must be available as a choice for the “replay” match.

• The “replay” must be played as the last match of the night. If a “replay” is used in a match other than the last match of the night, the re-played match and all subsequent matches will be forfeited by both teams.

• Both teams may utilize the Replay Rule on the same night if necessary. In this situation, both teams put up their own player. The team scheduled to put up a player in the 5th match designates their Replay Player first.

• Once a “replay” is used, the remaining matches must be forfeited, even if another player shows up. If another player from the Replay Team shows up prior to the start of the “replay” match, the “replay” match is canceled and the new player must play.

• There is no limit on how often a team can use the Replay Rule during the regular session as long as the above criteria are met in each instance. The Replay Rule is not in effect during the last week of regular weekly League play of the session, Playoffs, Tri-Annual Tournaments or the World Qualifier.