River City Doubles Squash

Synthesis of the 2025 Hardball Squash Doubles Playing Rules (US Squash / Squash Canada / WSF).

Game and match

• Game: First side to 15 points wins the game. Points are won by winning a rally or by being awarded them.
• Match: First side to win three games wins the match. A match may be awarded on retirement, default, or disqualification.

Service

• Serve begins each point. At the start of a match, spin of racquet decides who serves or receives.
• Partners serve in succession; the first server keeps serving until the side loses a point. On the first serve of every game, the “in” side is “out” after losing one point only.
• Server must have one foot (or part of it) in the service box, not touching the line, when the ball is struck. Ball must hit the front wall above the service line and below the top line, and on the rebound first strike the floor within the opposite service court (not touching the lines).
• If the first service is a fault, the server serves again from the same side. Two consecutive faults lose the point. A fault may not be played, but the receiver may volley a service that has struck the front wall correctly.
• Server alternates service box each time the side becomes “in” until the side is “out” or the game ends.

Return and play

• Return is made when the ball touches the racquet. The player must be in control of the racquet at contact. A good return must be struck on the volley or before the ball has touched the floor twice, and must reach the front wall on the fly above the tell-tale and below the top line; it may touch other walls before or after.
• Each side designates one player to receive in the right service court and one in the left; they must receive in that court for the whole game.
• Until the ball has been touched or has hit the floor twice, either player on a side may strike it. If the ball hits outside the playing surfaces (e.g. ceiling, lights, or on/above the out line), that side loses the point except as provided for lets.

Right to play the ball

• After the striker or their partner has struck the ball, each player must get out of the opponents’ way and: give a fair view of the ball; give a fair opportunity to get to and strike the ball; allow either opponent to play the ball to the front wall or back wall and to the relevant part of the side walls; and refrain from creating a visual or audible distraction.
• A point may be awarded when an opponent’s violation deprives a player of a clear opportunity to attempt a winning shot, or when the opponent fails to make a reasonable effort to avoid the violation, or when repeated lets result from the same type of violation.

Lets and points

• Let: The point is replayed. The server gets two serves on the replay and must serve from the correct box. Lets apply when (among other cases) an opponent violates the right to play the ball (but not in a case that warrants a point), when the player refrains from striking for reasonable fear of injuring an opponent, or when the player is touched by an opponent or their equipment before or during the stroke.
• A player may request a Let or a Point; the Referee may allow a Let, award a Point, or call No Let. Requests must be verbal and at the appropriate time (e.g. before or during the stroke, or immediately after in the case of an obstructed swing).

Ball touching a player

• If the ball, after hitting the front wall but before being returned again, touches any player or what they wear or carry (other than the racquet of the player making the return), that player’s side loses the point, with exceptions (e.g. lets when the return would have been good).
• If the ball touches the player who last returned it (or their partner) before it hits the front wall, that side loses the point, with limited exceptions.

Continuity and conduct

• Play is continuous from the first service until the game ends. The interval between games is 2 minutes. The Referee may suspend play when necessary (e.g. injury, court condition).
• Eye guards meeting the required standard must be worn. The Referee may warn, penalize, or default a player for unsportsmanlike conduct or dangerous play.

River City Doubles Handicap League rules. Original: Google Doc.

River City Doubles League

The Doubles league this year will be a round robin of teams with two divisions that will be playing once a week at either ACAC or CCV.

Rules

• Each match will be self refereed.
• Each team will have to put up their two players that will be playing 24 hours before the match. There will be a group of people who will determine the handicap for the teams in each matchup that night.
• The scoring for each game will be first to 15, win by 1.
• The way that the handicap will go is:
  • An initial handicap for the match will be determined by the small group based on the match-ups. Each proceeding game, the team that wins will start with one point fewer than they had the previous game, so if the first game where Team A started 0-0 and won, then they would start the next game -1 to 0.
• You must find a time to play before the following Sunday.
• If a team is unable to host a team of 2 they must ask the commissioner for a substitute as soon as they can.

Points

• Points will be decided by playing games and performance.
• A team will get a point for playing the match and then will get a point for every game that they win, and an extra point for winning the match. So if a team wins 3-0 the winning team will get 5 points and the other team will get 1 point for playing the match.

Finals

• The top 4 teams with the most points will play in the playoffs. If there’s a tie the tiebreaker will be head to head first and then games lost as second tiebreaker if the two teams didn’t play.
• The semi-finals and finals will be played at ACAC on March 5th, and the finals will be on March 6th.
• The schedule on March 12th will be:
  • 5pm: 2nd place in B division vs 3rd place in B division
  • 6pm: 1st place in A division vs 4th place in A division
  • 7pm: 2nd place in A division vs 3rd place in A division
• The schedule on March 13th will be:
  • 6pm: 1st place in B division vs winner of 2/3 game
  • 7pm: winner of 1/4 game vs winner of 2/3 game

Teams

• Teams will be chosen in a draft by all of the captains in the league. This is not an ACAC vs CCV league, each player is chosen individually.
• The teams will be made up of 4 players to make sure that each team will be able to host a team of 2 every week they have a match.

Standings on this site use the same points: 1 for playing, 1 per game won, and 1 for winning the match.