A more detailed timetable will be published on the UPC website. If any players are uncertain to the schedule for the event, they should ask the UPC officials who will be able to advise. The timetable is subject to change during the event.

Saturday 2 December: Individual Championship up to the Last 32; Individual Trophy up to the Last 32.

Sunday 3 December: Team Championship/Trophy group-stage: First round of matches and the winners’ bracket first round; followed by Individual Championship and Individual Trophy down the last four competitors in each tier.

Monday 4 December: Completion of the Team Championship/Trophy group-stage; Completion of the Individual Championship and Individual Trophy, followed by individual presentations.

Tuesday 5 December: Knock-out stages of the Team Championship and Team Trophy to completion, followed by team presentations.

The detailed set of rules and regulations for the event can be found on the UPC website. By entering the event, competitors have agreed to abide by these rules and regulations.

The entry fee provides competitors entry into both the individual competition, as well as the team competition if they enter as part of an institution team. There are BUCS medals and BUCS points (see Appendix 1 here) applicable to this event. There will also be prize money as detailed in the competition rules and regulations on the UPC website.

The competition dress code is detailed on the UPC website in the rules and regulations for the event. All players must conform to this dress code while playing.

Team competition: Team Championship & Trophy

· There is a single ‘round-robin’ group stage containing all teams at the event. This will consist of a double-elimination format, where all teams are guaranteed to play at least two matches. The final placings in the group will determine which teams qualify for the knock-out stages.

· Subject to having won at least one match, the top two first teams from each group will progress to the Team Championship knock-out stage. Note that only institution first teams can participate in the Team Championship.

· The two highest ranked teams of any denomination who have not qualified for the Team Championship will qualify for the Team Trophy knock-out stage.

· Both knock-out stages will be single-elimination to determine the champions of both competitions.

· All matches shall be composed of three sets where each set involves a player from the first named team playing against an opponent from the second named team as determined by the match card. All sets are races to five racks. All three sets will be played simultaneously. Once a team wins two sets that team shall be declared the winner.

Individual competition: Individual Championship & Trophy

· Both the Individual Championship and Individual Trophy will be single-elimination throughout.

· All Individual Championship matches will be races to five racks, while all Individual Trophy matches will be races to four racks.

· All players in institution first teams, as well as unattached individuals, will play in the Individual Championship.

· All non-first team players will by default play in the Individual Trophy, unless the Player Details Form sent to the UPC states they would like to play in the Individual Championship instead. Any previous winner of the Individual Trophy cannot play in that event again in subsequent seasons.

All competitors that an Institution Administrator has approved on BUCS Play as at 11:59pm on Thursday 16 November 2023 will be charged the entry fee, but if a competitor later withdraws then a reserve may take their place at the event. Player changes will only be accepted if the proposed replacement has been added as a reserve on the BUCS Play entry system in ‘Stage 2’ entries. This ‘Stage 2’ BUCS Play entry system will go live as soon as ‘Stage 1’ entries have closed.

These reserves will only play at the event if they are replacing withdrawn players – the reserves process cannot be used to add additional new players, e.g. adding a fourth player to an original team of three players. The institution main contact will also need to message the Tournament Director, Stephanie Laba, either via e-mail or by messaging our Facebook page, detailing the replacement. The UPC will then confirm the replacement as well as the detail the amendments made to the individual competition draw following this change.

Any replacements after the entry deadline but before the publication of the draw, which is usually the Sunday before the event, attracts a £10 surcharge. Any replacements after the publication of the draws attracts a £20 surcharge. These surcharges must be paid before play starts at the event, either by cash at the event, or by bank transfer before the event. There is no cost for listing any reserves who are then not used to replace a withdrawal.

Food and drink are sold by the venue.

No food and drink bought outside the venue should be brought onto the premises. If any outside food or drink is found within the venue, these will be confiscated and a warning given to that institution. Repeated warnings may be cause for removal from the venue and the event.

There will be both an individual presentation on Monday evening and a team presentation on Tuesday evening for those who have won BUCS medals shortly after the close of play for that day.

All players finishing in medal positions must attend the presentations in full UPC dress code for the official event photographs. Failure to comply may result in medals and prize money being forfeited.

During this event, various filming, photography, and broadcasting may take place. By your presence at this event, you grant your permission for your likeness and voice to be included in pictures and/or on film and their advertising without compensation or credit. All questions should be communicated to your Institution Administrator in the first instance, who can subsequently get in touch with BUCS if necessary.